Future Mac Make-up Girl

My little Leah, is such a girly girl...sometimes (she does keep the pace with all the boys in her life too)! She is ALWAYS getting into my makeup. She is obsessed with lip gloss and chap stick. We get some almost every time we are in a store. She probably has a bigger collection that most grown women. It is really cute!! When I'm applying my make-up she always wants me to put it on her too. I was not this way at that young of an age. I don't think I wore make-up until I was in high school. I had no interest.

Well the other day we are sitting around and I took my boots off to give my feet a rest. She slips them on. I didn't think she could walk in the spiked heels, but just like a real woman, she starts clickity-clackiting around the house. She grabs some lip gloss and starts telling me she is going to do my make-up. She often goes with me to the Mac counter and she was imitating that! It really made me laugh. She was like, " Do this with your lips...." and puckered up her lips.

I question if this is a bad influence at such a young age, but I honestly think she is just playing dress-up. I'm going to let her have fun if she wants to be girly-girly. The problem will be when she is only 10 and wants to wear it not to dress up, but to get dolled up! I will have to re-draw that line when the time comes!!

Cavity FREE

I HATE going to the dentist. Which is actually sad to say, because our dentist is one of the nicest guys and probably the BEST dentist. He's gentle and patient. In the past, I've had bad experiences with some jerk dentists. They did not understand why a little girl could possibly be afraid of a needle that is 2 feet long and was not comforting or patient to a young girl's crying. Now I'm older and the fear of the dentist is still with me. I hate the grinding noise. Because it is so close to your ears, the sound is magnified and it really sounds like nails on a chalk board to me. I am so tense when I'm up in that chair. Even if it's just for a cleaning. Let's just say, I still cry when they pull out the needle, and I'm a grown woman. I hate when people say, "You've had a baby, the dentist is nothing!" Well, I would rather push out a baby, that doesn't scare me but the dentist does. Go figure....

I went about a year back and had 4 cavities at that time. They wanted to schedule me an appointment to fix them but I said I would call back to make it after I checked my schedule. I knew I told a big fat lie, but haha....I got out of it....WRONG!! The thing about getting out of a dentist appointment is, in the end, you only hurt yourself. At some point you are going to have to go back and the damage is going to be worse. When I finally went back the cavity count went up to 7. Yep, 7 cavities, and I brush...I swear.

I bravely decided to face my fear and fix all the dental work. I only cried a little and actually did pretty good for a 27 year old lady. I think I am finally over my fear. So I was very proud of myself.

Bryce had an appointment later in the same day after I filled my teeth. He can't go at the same time as me, because I don't want him to see me being scared. I prep him before we go by telling him how fun it is and how they will clean and count his teeth. I make it sound like a game, even though I am lying about the experience being pleasant. He seems excited to get in there. The same tech that watched me cry earlier over hears me telling Bryce how fun it will be and winks at me. He is probably thinking how crazy I am because I was just there hours earlier with big tears rolling down my cheeks.

Bryce gets checked and has NO CAVITIES!!! He had a blast in there. The dentist was so patient and sweet to him and Leah. They got toys, stickers, and new toothbrushes. I wish I looked forward to the dentist as much as they do. I hope they never establish a fear like I have, although after 7 cavities, I think I may have become a big girl and overcome my fear!!

WAL-Mart vs. Target

This is actually an old one from a different blog but thought it was worth reposting here since I relive this every time I visit either place!



For all of us that frequent WAL-mart and Target on a weekly basis, there are definite differences in the experience you receive at each. WAL-mart is the obvious favorite for most. Their prices far beat out Target’s and they have a craft section. But even low prices and one-stop shopping appeals have limitations.

To summarize the experience:

Target-
You walk in and the pleasant smell of freshly popped popcorn greets you. You grab one of their shiny red carts and you’re off! The first thing you see is the AMAZING selection at the dollar section. You think to yourself, “WOW, are these really only a buck?” You load up on at least 5 things. Then you hit the clothes, shoe and baby section. You notice the aisle ways are clean of scuff marks and trash…not to mention boxes!! The styles are cool and can compete with the cuteness of major department stores. The clearance section is almost as big and as cute as the regular priced section. Are you dreaming? The home décor is extremely guilty of racking up the bill. Your kid needs to use the bathroom. You enter and it is as clean as your home bathroom and the soap smells good. You hit up the snack section before you leave and realize you forgot milk at the grocery story, no worries, Target has some. Yeah it’s a dollar more but how convenient!! You go to check out and what? No line! Oh yeah-Target opens as many registers that are needed for an ENJOYABLE shopping experience. You don’t have to wait and the cashier’s are friendly and helpful…always! You receive the total….oops! Can anyone ever leave there spending less than $40? You came in for some toothpaste and left with a bill over $150!!! How smart is Target? You walk to the car and notice how clean the asphalt is. Wow! How fun!!

WAL-mart:
You walk in to the putrid smell of McDonald’s, the nail salon and what they call a produce section. Immediately, you tense up and brace yourself for the worst. You grab a cart but have to go through 4 carts before you find a clean enough one for the baby to sit in. You notice the long line of returns and make a note to yourself to not buy anything that would cause you to have to endure that line. You check out the clothes section….which has stepped it up a notch as far as style is concerned. You don’t buy anything because you know that in the past when you buy a cute top it fits funky and you remember the return line. You check out the clearance section that is only half of a rack and full of Christmas shirts from two years ago and it’s July. Since the benefit of shopping here is you can also purchase your groceries, you make your way over to the produce section. You ask yourself, “Is the lettuce supposed to have brown on it before it’s been in your fridge for a week?” You don’t buy anything and decide the extra trip to a “real” grocer is better than food poisoning. Your son has to use the restroom so you make your way there and it smells like diarrhea. Does everyone here get the runs? You decide it’s probably from eating the lettuce. Washing your hands is needed but there is no soap, so you squirt antibacterial gel and leave. Then you make your way to the home section and the whole aisle is blocked with boxes. You ask for help getting something from that aisle and the worker suggests you just pick the thing from the end cap since the aisle is blocked. Thanks for the help! With all the selection here and you get the choice of whatever’s on the end cap. Finally it’s time to get the heck out of hell on earth, and you look at the line with 10 people ahead of you and know at least half of them are going to need a price check. There are workers just standing around, but no new lines open. You regretfully get in line because you did NOT endure hell to walk up out of there with nothing. It’s finally your turn. The cashier slowly passes one item at a time through the annoying “bing.” Now, NOTHING against people with disabilities and it’s admirable that WAL-mart hires them. Kudos!! But who decided it was a good idea to put someone with tourettes as a cashier? This lady, who was endearing, would every three words shout a weird bird noise. Is there not an opening in stocking? Come on…there is a whole aisle filled with boxes down there. You pay and get out of there ASAP. On your way out you step in gum and over spilled soda to get to your car. You leave and remind yourself to pay the extra .3-.34 per item and go to Target next time.

Bryce is a Reader!

I am so excited to report an update on Bryce and his schooling. My little guy is a reader now!! And he's not just reading words like "cat" and "bat". He is full-fledged reading words that don't sound out like the way they are spelled. He's reading words with the "silent E" and knows the sound "TH," and "SH" make.


It happened with a blink of an eye (although I'm aware that this doesn't happen over night). It's like he went from his alphabet to reading a book. I couldn't be prouder. The teacher said he is one of the most fluent readers in his class. He stops at periods, uses a voice of excitement when there's an exclamation mark and uses different voices for different characters. When I try to help him sound out a word if he gets stuck, he says, "Don't help me Mom, I can do it." Although I want to help, he really does figure it out on his own. Such a big kid!!

I am so excited because books really will open him up to a whole new way to learn. I LOVED reading when I was younger and am excited that he will be the same way. Last night he read a book from front to back with no mistakes. There were words like playground, share and little. I just couldn't believe how much progress he has made since starting Kindergarten. His teacher is really one of the best kinder teachers there is!! It is amazing how much she has helped him grow in a year. I'd like to think reading stories to him every night played a role too ;) Now he's reading stories to Leah and me.

I just had to share in the good news and give Bryce some kudos for working so hard in school. Way to go B-man!!!!

One of my favorite reading pics of Bryce and Leah

Batteries NOT Included!

Everything in our house seems to run out of batteries at the same time. Mostly, the kids get a bunch of toys for their birthday, we put batteries in them and about a year later they all die. By the way, one of the most brilliant ideas is to put batteries with the toys you buy for birthdays. I don't actually do this, since I barely by them for our toys, but when people do this for my kids I am extremely grateful. It saves a headache. You don't have to deal with assembling the toy and then your kid throwing a fit because it doesn't do anything because of lack of batteries.

Now there are a couple of things about batteries:
1. They are very expensive
2. It is kinda pleasant when the annoying toys run out of batteries because then I don't have to listen to them
3. It isn't pleasant when the kids come to you and keep telling you their toy is broken and to fix it. When the response is always, "It's outta batteries," the kids tend to lose their patience.
4. If you buy the dollar store ones, they run out way earlier and aren't worth the money. By the time you buy 15 little packets it ends up being way more money than at Costco.
5. I started stealing and/or "borrowing" (with no intent on returning) batteries from my parents. They buy in bulk from Costco so I figure they won't miss a couple at a time. I started only replacing important things first, like the TV remote with the stolen batteries.

Anyway, I finally broke down and bought a bulk pack of batteries from Costco and was excited to get home and replace all the old toys that ran out of batteries.

WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!!??????

My house is so noisy now. We got the piano going, the dolls are chatty, the cars that vroom are vrooming and anything that makes noise is going off. Maybe I should have kept with stealing batteries and replacing one thing at a time.

Crying Over Spilt Milk

My eye sight is not very good! My voice is no Celine Dion voice. I can give a decent massage, but nothing fancy. I can hear only what I want to. Unfortunately, God has graced me with a keen sense of smell! Out of the five senses I get the nose of a drug dog.

I don't want to give the wrong impression about the tidiness of our home, but on several occasions my nose has sniffed out old sipper cups. Let me just say, this is the most disgusting smell (next to vomit) that there is. What happens is, the sipper cup gets stuck between the bed and the wall. The "supposed" spill proof selling point must lose it's suction after days of hanging upside down. First, I get a whiff of the sour milk. Then, I have to use my sniffer to locate the exact location of the stench. Once I discover the cup, for who knows what reason, I sniff it again. I guess to make sure it REALLY smells that bad. I don't know what possesses me to do this!

Most of the time the cup goes in the trash. It just smells too strong for my sensitive nose. Another horrible incident with milk is when you discover a sipper cup has rolled under the seat in the car. It is awful to get the smell of sour milk out of the car. Even if you steam clean it, the car has a weird scent while that airs out.

Basically, I need to make a log-out chart for our sippy cups so this tragedy never happens again.

When I Became a Mom...

Today is my 5Th year celebrating the joys of being a mom. I always wanted to be a mom even though I really had no concept of what that would really mean or how much work it is. I just didn't realize how constant it was. There is ALWAYS something to be tended to. Nails need to be cut, boogers need to be wiped, tears need to be made into smiles, etc, etc, etc...

I have to say, that even with all the gross duties that come with this territory, I love being a mom!!

It really has given me a different purpose. I consider myself intelligent and had big plans for my future. School came easy for me and I am passionate about a lot. I wasn't sure what direction I was headed in so I majored in business, figuring that information could be applied to anything I was going to do. I had this fire in my eye.....big things were going to happen...I could feel it!

Then I got pregnant. Life changed. My dreams changed. My body changed. I focused on being the best mom I could be. Bryce was born and I just had a new purpose that was different from the purpose I felt in college. I may get those dreams back one day, but my focus changed to my kids. You hear moms talk about sacrifice and giving up their dreams to give their children the best, but for me I didn't give up becoming something more career driven, I changed my idea of what success looked like.

I was proud of our little bundles from the first moment. Anything they do makes me beam with pride. I feel like they are such an extension of my dreams, only better. I want more for them than I want for myself. My success is measured by how happy my kids are.

Some people may argue that this is an unhealthy balance. That I should put myself first and should not have given up on a career. It is hard these days to know what the right thing to do is. Of course, more money would be nice if I was working full time but it isn't a necessity. Of course there are times I wonder if I should be working. There are times, when I'm worn from mothering all day I think what if....

I was complaining to my dad one day about how hard it was to stay home ALL day and just do the day-to-day grind. I said communicating with kids is so different than going to work all day and conversing with adults. My day consists of:

"Eat your vegetables"

"NO"

"Yes it will make you strong"

"But I don't wanna"

"You have to...or no dessert"

"That's OK...I don't want dessert anyway"

My dad said that it is probably more difficult for someone like me who just came from college, with open forums for debating important issues to be in a "Yes-No" war with a two year old everyday. These are the type of things I find challenging.

I have friends who work and are totally happy with that arrangement and some who wish they didn't have to work. I have friends who stay home and go stir crazy and others that love that role. I don't think there is a right or wrong way to approach motherhood. Everyone should do what is best for them or do what needs to be done to raise a family. I struggled with my decision, should I work or shouldn't I? I decided to stay home and decided when my kids are both of school age I would pursue something I was interested in. I didn't know if it was the right decision until the day Bryce started Kindergarten.

Some moms cry because it hits them that their babies aren't babies anymore. That wasn't it for me. For me, the first day of kindergarten reassured me that I made the right decision for us. It was the realization that he wasn't just my kid to mold anymore. For the last 5 years I had him mostly to myself from sun up to sun down, and now I would have to share him with teachers. The teachers would be around him more hours in the day then me. Perhaps the fact that they would have so much barring in his life made me feel fortunate to have had the time I did have with him for the first most formative years. I cried because the time we would have together would be less. Much less. For me the decision to stay home was right because it gave me the only time I would get to just be a mom and nothing else. That TIME with my kids is something I will always have and treasure.

I wrote these words soon after I had Leah and realized that I was right where I was supposed to be. It has much to say about staying at home and feeling content with the role of being a mom. Often times it is under appreciated or there isn't a value put on it. If you were a doctor or lawyer you would be considered successful or prestigious. Well, I think being a mom deserves the same thought, but often times it is viewed as a duty instead of valuable role in society. I can honestly say that being a mom has fulfilled me in a way a career wouldn't have.

When I Became a Mom I Became Everything

When I was a young girl I used to dream about being a famous person and having fans adore me. I became a mom and my kids turned out to be my biggest and most loyal fans.

I used to dream about becoming a teacher and making a difference in children’s lives. I became a mom and realized that everything I taught my children would make a difference in their lives and the lives that they would touch.

I used to dream about becoming a humanitarian and changing the world. I learned that all the compassion I showed my children would transcend into the world and make it a better place.

I wanted to be a five-star chef and make food that all could enjoy. I became a master at quick and bland foods that my children requested night after night.

I would dream about becoming a rock star and having a fun and crazy life. I found that nothing could be more fun and crazy than dancing to silly songs with my kids in the living room.

I used to dream about being a beautiful model with a toned body, flawless skin and fashionable clothes. I became a woman with a “little” excess weight, shower challenged, and wears whatever “looks” clean, but my children think I’m beautiful anyway.

I wanted to be a renowned photographer who captured beauty in the world. I became a mom with a camera who captured all the beauty my world possesses.

I could have been a nurse to help heal people. I have kissed and bandaged every wound my children have received.

I used to dream I’d become a cosmetologist and give people confidence. When I became a mom I had to give my children the self confidence they needed to face the world.

I dreamed I would become a lawyer and defend justice. I became a voice for my children when they could not defend themselves.

Before I had kids I used to dream I could become anything I wanted…..When I became a mom I became EVERYTHING!

Anyway...I know this blog is getting long but there is just so much to be said for being a mom on a day picked to celebrate what a mom is and does.

I admire my mom so much for having 4 kids in 5 years. I have learned so much about parenting from her. People always compliment me on how well my kids talk and I always have my mom to thank for that. When Bryce was first born she talked so much to him. Not goo-goo-gaga but pointed and said what things were. She would have full on conversations with him. I asked her why she did that and she said, "That's how they learn." I didn't know how to talk to a baby before that, but from that day on I didn't stop talking to my kids.

I admire Donna for the wonderful mom she is to her boys. The loyalty she has to them makes me understand why I feel unconditional to my kids. I also thank her for the reason Bobby is as nice as he is. Anyone I talk to says the same thing about her, "She is just soooo nice!"

Our grandma's are the best and remind me about how the good 'ol days are called that for a reason and a good home cook meal makes everyone feel good.

My friends who are moms teach me that there are different ways to parent and that the end result is great kids. I love that we have time to relate our mom stories and we can go to each other to express how proud or frustrated we are with our jobs as moms...

without judgement.

To all the good moms out there....HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! Keep up the good work!

Ready...."AIM"....Fire!

It's funny how females usually get the household duty of cleaning the toilets when it is so obvious we are not the ones making the toilet a mess. I don't think I have ever asked Bobby or had Bobby clean a toilet. We have 2 boys in our house (and several boy visitors) who really need to aim a little, or a lot, better!

I am not even sure how the pee can get in the places behind the toilet. It seems as if a boy would actually have to try to aim behind the seat to get it back there. I know Bryce is way worse at aiming than Bobby because I have witnessed his carelessness. If you walk by the bathroom he will swing his whole body around to ask you a question. It's like, "Dude! Look where you are aiming that thing!"

So...I get the gross, but necessary job of cleaning up after the boys. I did the best trying to teach Bryce when I was potty training him, how to aim, but really what do I know about it?! When he first started going potty he would sit down to pee, because he had me as a role model. Let's just say the first time Bobby saw this, he threw a little man fit! He appointed himself Bryce's new role model and perhaps this is why I have the toilet problem I do now. I should have kept him under my wing, but I'm sure that would have led to some teasing in the boys room when he sat down to go pee.

If you are a boy and reading this.....Watch out!! Look at what you are doing! You already have the speed issue on your side since you get to stand. Take a little extra time in there to aim and actually hit the porcelain oval target BELOW you!

When Bryce used to sit to go pee! Cleaner toilet days for me =)

There's Nothing like a Vacation and There's No Place Like Home

Bobby won this AMAZING trip through work. Well, actually he came in 2ND at first and was totally bummed when we didn't win. To be honest, I was relieved. I didn't want to leave the kids for 9 days and I was so afraid to fly. I took him to a dinner to try and cheer him up. A couple weeks before the trip we get a call saying an opening became available and we were going to be the replacement. He was stoked and I was scared. I wasn't sure how this would go, if I could do it...but everyone made it clear, they were going to make me go, and thank God they did!!

We had the most amazing time! We visited 7 different ports throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Some ports were well known and others were little secluded marinas. We got to see places some people will never get to see. I am usually a homebody and seeing pictures of these places is usually enough for me. Now I know pictures can never capture the beauty of where we visited and I would have missed out!

Barcelona, Spain

Our first stop was Barcelona, Spain. We flew in and went on a tour of the town. We saw this overdone Goudie church that was breathtaking. He created and designed the building knowing he would never see the finished product. They are still building it today.


Even when we were surrounded with this beautiful church Bobby and I got a good kick outta this

After 14 hours of the plane, this is our best shot of the town of Barcelona. We were exhausted and just wanted to get to the ship but we made a slogan, "When in Spain, you can't complain!"

Port Vendres, France
Our next stop was Port Vendres, France. This was a tiny port. We were the biggest boat able to get back in there. Bobby and I actually slept most of the day away here. We were jet-lagged. When we finally made it to town, the town was out to lunch...literally. They shut down the town for a 4 hour lunch. Talk about the life to live. It was a little overcast, but beautiful nonetheless.

Marseille, France
I couldn't sleep the first few nights we were there. I would wake up at 4 or 5 am. Instead of tossing and turning, I decided to go for a walk by myself around the boat. I was the only person up and enjoyed the alone time (which I never really do). I listened to my ipod and looked out and thought about how amazing it was; I was there as the sun was rising. I was also proud of myself for going outside my comfort zone. This was a big deal for me. Before I went back down to wake up Bobby the captain invited me in and asked if I wanted to drive the boat. What a fun way to start the day!

We just stayed close to the boat at this port. After walking around we went back to the boat and hung out on the pool deck with our friends from the boat.

St. Tropez, France
I was most excited to see this port. I had heard the beaches were the best, so I was looking forward to that. The day we get there it was pretty cold and the beaches were really not as impressive as Cabo. This port had different things to offer. Lots and Lots of shopping!! Expensive type stores that I could never afford. haha! Bobby and I took a walk on the beach and collected a few shells for the kids. We also mailed home a postcard that they still haven't received!

Monte Carlo, Monaco
By far one of the most prestigious places we will ever be. The boat stayed in port overnight here so we could all enjoy the casino and town. Everywhere you go there are the most beautiful cars and expensive stores. Docked next to us was one of the 10Th biggest privately owned yachts in the world. It is so crazy to see how much money there is in the world. By far one of the most unique and one of my favorite nights. We dressed up formally to get into the casino. It was so over the top inside. Gold crusted ceilings, artwork everywhere...too much to describe. We put in some money, because you can't go to Monte Carlo and not say you gambled!! I actually won 40 bucks/euros!!

We missed the last transportation back to the ship because we were having so much fun drinking in the casino and walking around the town. We met up with some cruise directors and hung out with Bobby's Friend Billy from the trip. We had to walk probably a couple miles back to the ship. Thank God we met up with the cruise people or we would have been lost. But hey! Being lost in Monaco, isn't such a bad thing. Half way through our walk my feet were killing me and I had to take my shoes off. There was all this sparkly stuff in the streets and I asked, "Oh no, is this glass?" The girl we were with laughed and said, "No, the streets have glitter on them!" I mean...the streets are lined with glitter!! So it was safe to walk on without shoes.

Now picture this....we are walking around one of the richest most beautiful places in the world, barefoot, with the streets lined in glitter. The most expensive cars are driving by us and we are all laughing and having a jolly time! Does it get better than this?!!!

Of course it does! My feet were killing me as I had walked half the night in heels and the other half without shoes through glitter paved streets. I was walking a little funny when my husband took off his dress shoes and put them on my feet. I am in my formal dress, wearing my husband's shoes in the middle of the most romantic town I've ever been in and he finds a way to make it somehow....BETTER!!! Probably one of the smallest but also most romantic gestures EVER.

We didn't go to bed until the sun almost came out. Really highlight if the trip!! But it gets better. We are laying out on the pool deck admiring the scenery as we are about to pull out of port. Bobby's CEO, Carl Leibert comes and stands by us also admiring everything. We start talking about how beautiful and lucky we are to even be here. In my head I am thinking about how rich he is and how he probably sees things like this all the time. He then starts saying how even with the amount of success he has, this place makes him feel like a small fish in a big sea. He said it doesn't matter how much money you have, it is how happy you are with it. It was just a really cool moment. Before we went I was worried about feeling a little out of place with all the money floating around out there. It was just nice to hear that no matter how much success you have, someone will be more successful but you can be just as happy as the person driving around the 10Th biggest yacht!

Portofino, Italy

This day was one of my favorite experiences. We decided to go in with our friends, twin brothers, Brian and Spencer. We hiked up to a church and a castle at the top of a hill there. I was so glad to have gotten close with the Brian and Spencer. They reminded me of my brothers, only more crazy, if you can believe that one. The sights at this port were the most breathtaking. The flowers and pebble paths is like nothing I've ever seen.

We hiked up a pebble path and came across this ancient church. It was sooooo beautiful. We went inside and lit a candle and kneeled and said a prayer. It really was a spiritual moment I can't totally describe. To think of how many 100's of years that church had been there and how many prayers had been made there gave me goosebumps. The church overlooked the sea with it's stained windows.

We then hiked to the highest point to go through a castle. I of course, wore the wrong shoes for hiking up pebble trails....flip-flops!! But in true "Jenny" fashion, I trooped it all the way to the top, my flip-flops clacking the whole time!

Livorno, Italy
Living it up finally caught up with me today. The plan was to go into town with Bobby's Regional Vice President, his wife and Bobby's old District Manager. Well, I was feeling the effects of days of drinking and days of motion. Needless to say...I was sick the whole 30 minute ride into town. I really wish I would have stayed on the boat. Bobby said it was social anxiety, but I REALLY was feeling...not good! Anyway, so this day was kinda embarrassing and I felt like crap. We did see the Leaning Tower of Pisa though. Why is it leaning? Why didn't they notice it before they built it all the way up? I have no idea, but it was interesting to see anyway. You can tell from my face how great I felt. I probably thought the tower looked straight from how much I was swaying!!

Our Last Night On Board

Our last night on board we went out with a bang!! Dean's wife, Cindy and I took over the black jack tables and both walked away winners. I won a total of 270 bucks. The CEO gave us all a bottle of champagne which we opened on the back of the boat and raised a toast to the great trip. The company hooked us up the whole trip, we only spent 100 bucks for our things and I won 270, so actually we made money on the best vacation EVER!!! They also gave us gifts every night.

The flight home was over 14 hours. I couldn't wait to see the kids. We missed them so much. I talked to them every day. Bryce told me he tried to hit a homerun for me while I was on my trip. Leah said she missed me everyday whenI talked to her. There were moments I got teary-eyed because I wish they were with us. At one port, there was a family that wanted us to take a picture of them and their baby. It's funny because we didn't speak the same langauge but we knew they wanted a picture of their family and were able to take it. The baby had a binky in her mouth and the mom quickly pulled it out so we could get the picture. I teared up just taking their pic. The little girl was so cute and waved at us. I also love that it doesn't matter where you are from, there are these moments that make us all the same. The best thing about flying for 14 hours it takes you to the most beautiful place in the world....home!

I am so thankful we had the opportunity to enjoy this once in a lifetime trip. I am so thankful that we have the AMAZING grandparents we do, that make it even possible to take a trip like this.They take the best care of our kids. I am even thankful for Bobby's job. With all the long hours he works, it can get rough, but in hard economic times, to be able to go on a company trip like this makes me feel so fortunate!!