Vacation- Grandmom and Grandpop

One of our main reasons for taking the trip to Denver was to see Steve's grandparents and introduce them to Deacon. This was especially special to us because our Deacon Nelson is named after Steve's Grandpop, Joseph Nelson. The visit was great! Gigi loved on and snuggled with her Great-Grandmom, and Deacon got to play on the floor with his Great-Grandpop. Claire, of course, was oblivious and played by herself with the dolls.

Vacation- Through the Storm

Unfortunately our time with the Longs was short lived. We still had to drive through Oklahoma, Kansas and half of Colorado to get to our destination. We were very blessed that the spring storms decided to take a break during most of our drive. Right before we left most of Tornado Alley was alive with thunderstorms and tornadoes, so we knew that there was always a possibility of being delayed by the weather. We were safe until we were about 50 miles from the Kansas-Colorado border. At that point the clouds darkened and we were hearing severe weather warnings on the radio telling us of thunderstorms with 60 mile-an-hour wind gusts. The storm was really intense and very scary! At one point we considered pulling off the road and waiting it out, but we were driving behind the big trucks and figured if they could keep going, we sure could too! Afterward, we were so glad that we didn't stop, because if we had we would have missed the best part of the storm- the full double rainbow! WOW- talk about gorgeous! It sure made the uncertainty of driving through the storm worth every minute.

heading into the storm

during the storm

the light at the end- storm's almost over!

our prize!

Vacation- The Longs

In mid-July we took a family trip (yes, in the car with three kids for 16 hours!) to Denver to see family. Of course, no trip up north would be complete without stopping by to see Lisa and Clint Long. Or as Gigi says: Auntie Wisa and Untle Twint. During this trip they were gracious enough to let us visit Clint's parents and Clint's parents' pool. I wish this leg of the trip could have lasted a little longer- we had so much fun!

He's on the move!

And our lives have changed forever! What a curious, fun-loving boy!

Fourth of July

Fourth of July 2009 was spent with our friends, the Kloubec family. Every year they host a party, and we were able to attend this year. Dave is incredibly talented with a barbecue grill, and we all came away from the party fat and happy. Unfortunately the pictures we took of this event didn't turn out well, so we have mostly memories of being hot and sweaty outside in 100-plus degree heat while watching the kiddos run around wet from the water slide. Good times...

Here are some wonderful shots of the babies on July 5th, though, and they were just as cute.

sweet little tomboy

Drama Queen

can't resist that handsome face