Bahamas Baby!

Something to remember on a trip like this. Camera. Oh I brought it but after we moved into the house it was never plugged in to charge and me being the true blonde I am I didn't bring the charger on the trip. I brought the cable but not the charger. So this trip will be brought to you via camera phone photos.
Friday morning we started driving. It was 40 degrees. Come on Florida! We stayed the night in Georgia and got to Jacksonville around noon.

Carnival Fascination

Kelsey waiting on the Lido deck for our rooms to be ready.

Good bye Florida!

First full day and Alison got sick. A little sea sick but she had a fever too. Thank goodness for room service. Alison never had to leave the room plus there were movies on the tv to keep her company. Luckily it ended the next morning.

Nassau

Fort Fincastle

Queens Staircase

The Caves

Anna Nicole Smith's grave stone and her son Daniel. Our crazy driver thought we'd want to see. Ah what the heck!

Atlantis Hotel. They have a massive aquarium in the hotel set up to look like the city of Atlantis. It's very cool.

A little hair braiding of course

After we got back to the boat the kids found our first towel animal. It was an Elephant.

Next day Half Moon Cay. The best and everyone's most favorite thing about the trip!

We rented a cabana for the day. Joe hates being out in the sun. It came fully stocked with food and drinks and snorkle gear. The beach sand is soft and white. The water is the most beautiful blue ever and it's not cold. The kids are there in the water. They spent the whole day in the water. The waves were strong so they would sit on the shore and the water would pull them out. It's the little things.
I sat and read for hours. By the way the new Dan Brown book is GOOD!
Our boat in the background.

The Arch

The Feldmans came to visit for the weekend while they were in Iowa visiting Janice's family. It was nice to see them and have them in our house instead of us taking over theirs like we do every summer! I worked the whole weekend so Joe took them out for a good time and I met up where I could.

The view of IL

If you are going to build a landmark that allows you to see things on all sides perhaps making it so there is something nice to look at would be good. That is a casino, trains and industrial yuck. Plus scary downtown East St Louis

Looking straight down

St Louis

Busch Stadium on the left

Falling Behind

Sorry for the lack of posting! Between working, school, band, basketball and the new house we have been pretty busy. We are officially out of the old house but we are still in some boxes here at the new house. The Feldmans are coming this weekend to visit and luckily the room they will be staying in (Kelsey's) is the one room that is 90% finished. So here is what's new.

Jon made the 7th grade basketball team hooray! It was stressful for me. Tryouts were every day with cuts at the end of each practice. Then the coach posted the roster Sunday night. So stressful!

Alison started clarinet. She is adorable! She goes twice a week. She's having fun.

Kelsey is busy being a teenager. She is always coming and going. Loves the dances and hanging with her friends. She is an avid vampire book reader lol. She has a lot!

Josh is a happy camper since we moved. His friend lives down the street and so he has someone to play with every day. Josh is doing well in school and looks forward to Thursday's when he can have PE. He has to be active or he is bored.

That's about it. Joe is doing his Masters and that keeps him busy. I am working and trying to multitask like Joe. It's getting better but I still hate it.

House

So barring any unseen complications we will be in our new house middle of September. It's not my dream house but my needs were so specific. I wanted to stay in our general neighborhood. I didn't want our house payments to be more than our rent. We wanted a basement and 5 bedrooms. Our realtor kept showing us really small or fixer-uppers....no way!! When this house popped up we jumped! It's 5 bedrooms same schools same ward and the living room in completely separate from the family room (our house currently is side by side). I will be giving up space like my giant bedroom and walk in closet and my fancy garden tub and separate shower. Also my kitchen will be smaller. But... the new house is sooo much closer to the elementary school and it will be ours. We are excited.

Camera is Missing

I need to update this blog but I feel I need pictures to go with the things we have done. However, the camera is missing so no pictures have even been taken. I will fill you in and you have to just imagine us doing these things!

Cheap Trick, Poison , Def Leppard

Totally went to this concert! We had AMAZING seats. You could see the sweat dripping off them as they played. Hands down best thing we did all summer. It was just Joe and I and it made up for the Def Leppard concert I had tickets for but didn't get to go to in 93 (stupid boy). I know I will be hated but my favorite band that night was Poison.

Six Flags

We did this for 2 days. This was really just for Jon and Alison. Seriously, I have said it before but those two ,and really moslty Alison, could live at a theme park. I NEVER saw them. I'd get a text asking where I was just so they could get a drink or eat. The first day I went with Kelsey and Josh on a water ride but because it started raining we never did dry off. I hated it. The next day I traded Kelsey for Joe and he was able to get Josh on rides. Plus Joe had the camera on his phone so we have a few photos of Josh. I'll get those from him later.

Harry Potter

Joe took the kids. I hate Harry Potter. I know I know. I tried. I can't do it.

Becky

So my cousin Becky came into town just over night. It was so much fun catching up and chatting til 2am. We went to the Cardinals Dodgers game that lasted 15 innings. We got our monies worth that's for sure. I took Jon and Alison.. We had a blast! I have a photo on my phone but I am not so much good with technology lol. Ask the kids.

Update

I wish I had more to put on here but alas our summer has been pretty boring. No big trip home. No fun day trips. Not a whole lot of anything. So lets see... June held baskeball camp for Jon. He did good and won the free throw contest and the most points in one minute with 43. We also had Fathers Day. That was Corned Beef and cabbage and cheesecake plus cards breakfast in bed etc.. Jon also spoke in Sacrament meeting on Fathers Day. He wrote the talk and did a good job.

What else? We swam a bunch and saw some movies. Boring. But now we are in July so hopefully this will be a more eventful month. Kelsey and I already changed our hair so that's something!

BLACK!!

Does it make me a bad mom that now I think we should add blue highlights?

Mine's not as exciting just went a little redder

Holiday World

We decided to take the kids to Holiday World in Santa Claus IN. The kids had fun. Unlike Six Flags there are not a million people trying to ride the same ride you are. The kids never had to wait more than a couple minutes for a ride. Many rides they jumped on over and over again. We did the ride part Thursday and did the water park on Friday.

Jon and Josh

Joe and Alison

Joe Jon and Alison

These are Joe's kids. Spin them, drop them, flip them over... back in line they go!

Kelsey and Josh

This was their ride. They did it 20 times I'm sure. These are my kids nice and safe and not sick to their stomachs!

Josh a little cold

The weather wasn't quite warm enough for the water rides. That didn't stop the kids though!

Kelsey waiting for Jon and Alison so she could ditch Josh and have real fun. Love you Kelsey!

Jon is trying to avoid the sun we finally got on Friday.

If you notice...Alison is in hardly any photos. That girl loves her a theme park. She came back twice. Once to eat and the second when we told her we had to still drive 3 hours home and we had to go. I know she wishes we lived next door.

Crazy Kids

So summer break is here and we have rain. I guess with the combo of that we get some interesting ideas.

Jon found some tape

Should have given them some shampoo. They were soaked!

Alison

On Monday night (May 4th) Alison was riding her bike and fell off face first. She wouldn't let me take a picture until now. You can see it was pretty bad. At least now all the swelling is down. Her lips looked like collagen gone seriously wrong. She managed to chip two teeth but no root damage. She didn't go to school the rest of the week. She did go for a few hours on Friday when I was there volunteering.

Grandpa

For whatever reason, we can never get my parents to vacation together. Or at least that's the way it seems. So this time it was my dad who came out to visit. We had a good time. Saturday we went down to the Arch and to Union station. We ate at Hard Rock and took a carriage ride. I totally forgot the camera so there is only one photo from this weekend of Jon and my dad on Sunday before church. Next time we have been promised a trip with both grandparents at the same time. I'll also do better with the photos. Thanks dad for coming out!

Kids

The kids post Easter photo. Kelsey and Jon with attitude, Alison with her 80's hair, and Joshy with no teeth.

It's always fun when Grandma comes. When grandma comes. Hurray!

My mom came in for Jon's ordination. It was fun. It's always fun. We play games and the kids hang all over her. This time Grandma took us girls to get pedicures. So fun!

Weird toe shot

Alison's lady did a design on her toes. It turned out so cute!

Jon and Joe after the ordination.

We did it at the house between Conference sessions. Our Bishop lives down the street so he came as well as the Capecchi's. It was really emotional for me. I said I would cry. We'll see how I do in two weeks when he passes the Sacrament the first time. I will cry. Joe says I always cry. I do.

The Family

Bishop Logan was making faces. It's his fault we have cheesy grins.

Something is different

When I let the dog out this morning this is what I found. I hate snow!

....oh yeah and the tree fell down.

March Madness

Not basketball ,although I do love that, rather the birthday's of my 3 younger kids. Here are some of the photos from the birthdays.

Jonothon March 17....12yrs ...Jon had friends over to hang out but I failed in the photo department.

Joshua March 18....7yrs. Josh had a couple friends over did the birthday thing then went to see Aliens Vs Monsters. After Josh's party crazy me planned Alison's party. This picture is of Josh and his friend Robert and Jon's friend Trevor getting ready to put on a show for the girls.

Alison March 29...10yrs. Alison had this crew over for cupcake decorating, dancing, concert (courtesy of Jon and his friend Trevor) Here is a little video of Alison's friends jamming to Taylor Swift.