Visiting Oklahoma!

This is mostly for my family at

Vaughn Middle School!

HI guys! Missing you, but loving my new adventure!

*Kerry, Derek, and Dane*

We got to take a vacation and made sure to stop for a long visit (meaning not just a sleepover in a hotel!) with Kerry Villanueva and family!!! She sends her love to all! She's doing great and raising her two beautiful boys! She and Derek bought a house that is nothing like you can get around here for the price! Rob is trying to figure out how to get us out there now! Here are some photos of our visit!

Kerry, Davis, and Dane at the Oklahoma Zoo!

A favorite spot for the kids, getting wet.

It was pretty hot!

Avery - I see my favorite animal, the giraffe!

Aweeee!
Checking out the butterfly garden....
I found one!

Davis, 3 years old and such a good looking boy!

He's really smart, like his mom!

Dane trying to get around with the big kids!

Hudson and Carter, at the AWESOME Science Museum! Check it out for yourself by clicking HERE. We could have spent days there!

The huge three story treehouse inside the museum.

- Carter -

Can make it to the top before my parents figure out where I am?

Carter made new friends by being the ball collector while the other kids used the pully to send the balls back to the top of the treehouse. One must beware of flying objects while hanging out around that treehouse.

Kerry painting the face of Davis

Kerry and Derek's house, it's so beautiful!

Kitchen area

The man cave. Theatre rooms are popular in this area. No windows and a huge HDTV projection screen connected with tivo, who needs anything more???

More of the kitchen

Part of the backyard, amazing!

Even a wine cellar/pantry! The wrought iron door is beautiful. To the left is two bedrooms with a sitting room in the middle and a bathroom, all for the boys! To the right is where we stayed, the MIL quarters, with a master bedroom/bath and sitting room! Aunt Kerry had the front sitting room set up with two beds for the kids and we took advantage of getting all three in there. Since then Carter has moved out of our room at home and into Hudson's room! YEAH! Thanks, Aunt Kerry!!!! (just in time for the new baby to take Carter's place!)

Taken from the kitchen, looking toward the back. Just past the living room you see a sunroom. The windows are great and let in great lighting. You can't see the beautiful tile work on the floor from this picture, but there and a few other places there are some amazing personal touches throughout the house. It's all so breathtaking!

Kerry and Jen, hmmm, which is which???? I really didn't want to say goodbye. Kerry and Derek were such wonderful and thoughtful hosts. They cooked a bbq dinner for us one night and took us out to dinner at a local favorite of Kerry's dad that was really good. We even got to meet some of Derek's family and see Kerry's sister again! They all just made us feel at home and part of their family. It was very hard to leave. I miss you, Kerry! Love to you all, give my boys HUGE hugs and kisses from me!

And, yes, we drove all that way with that big belly! It's even bigger now, as if that could happen.

Have to include the Football Heaven picture! Rob made sure to make a special trip to OU. Not Kerry's OSU, but she was nice enough to let him back in the house when he got back! LOL!

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation

We finally got to take a vacation that went somewhere past the Oakland A's baseball stadium or San Francisco Zoo! Well, vacation? Hmmmm, is it really a vacation when you drive and drive and drive, check into a hotel, sleep, check out and drive and drive and drive?

Rob's Dad side of the family has a family reunion in Missouri and every year we try to figure out how to get there but it doesn't work out. This year we decided we'd better go no matter what because it's only going to get harder each year. Rob actually took some days off from summer school football and if you know Rob, that means a lot! Heck, I'm not even sure I'll get to see him anytime for the birth of our fourth child due some time in the next few weeks! (kidding, of course)

The trip started out a bit on the tough side because Carter was not interested in hanging out in the car for 6-8-10 hours at a time. Who could blame him? We stopped in Las Vegas to get a car plug in for our computer so we could put on a movie for him and that helped a bit. By the 3rd day he got it all figured out and was a much better traveler. Hudson and Avery sat in the way back with movies of their own and an arsenal of car activities. Speaking of the car, it was a great ride and I'm so glad for my pregnant body that we had gotten the new mini-van to travel in instead of our other trucks. It was quite roomy, comfy, and drove like a dream!

Hudson took up a new collection, collecting the magnets of all the states we stayed in or visited. Those states include Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Utah. He also picked up California because we do get to visit there often.

Here are a few of our favorite memories:

Rob spotted a park nearby one of our quick stops so we went there to stretch our legs. The kids really enjoyed not having to get back on the road. Hudson was really sweet and helped his little brother across the wobbly bridge.

No, not a picture of the cows in Texas. Look closer and see if you can spot what Rob can smell from anywhere, even while driving 80, uh, 65 mph in a car with the windows rolled up........a football field! Barely enough around to call it a city, but gotta make sure football is BIG.
We made an extra hotel stop in Amarillo, Texas, when we realized it would much too long of a drive that day to make it to Oklahoma City. Which meant we got a chance to eat at a local restaurant -yummmmy good ol' fashion BBQ Texas style. And, a favorite treat for the kids, being a the hotel early enough to go swimming in the pool!

This one is just beautiful, walking back from eating. Carter was so wiped out he was trying to fall asleep up on daddy's shoulders!

The kids were excited to see real Texas Sheriffs!

Midwest convenience store, the Kum & Go, has a contest going for Soda or Pop. I'm from the West Coast and we call it Soda!

These are fruit roll ups. For some reason Hudson did not like us calling them that?!? And it seems, only Nevada and California do blocks of hay anymore.

Ok, this is from my childhood and probably in yours, too. I remember taking a very similar trip or two across to the Midwest and all I wanted to do was stop at souvenirshops and buy rocks. Of course, the parent never wanted you to waste money on rocks when you can go outside and pick them up off the ground for free. But you and I both know it wasn't the same. I told Rob I just wanted to make sure my kids could ask and we could earn our parent badges when we start in on them, "No you can't buy rocks when there are perfectly good and free rocks outside! It took about one second for the kids to find this first set at one of our stops and I knew they, especially Hudson, would be hooked! We did come home with a few bags of special rocks -GEMS- from various parts of the country!

Gotta have a cowboy/cowgirl hat, right?

Don't worry Daddy, I'll do the driving from now on, now, where are the keys....

~All this driving can make a kid sleepy~

Happy 2nd Birthday, Carter!

Brand spankin' new!
And now he's TWO!!!

CARTER THOMAS BOWDEN turns 2 today! He's such a bundle of love, fun, full of energy, spit and fire! He is one of the sweetest loveable babies- uh, not a baby anymore -kid- we've ever met. He can snuggle into you like no one else can. He gives hugs and kisses. His favorite people are Hudson and Avery. Lately he's had a mean streak toward Avery, but we think it's because he really really just wants to be her best friend and she's busy trying to be Hudson's best friend. (and he's just got a sort of mean streak toward anybody whenever he means NO) He's a bit of a daredevil and seems to have little fear. He loves sports, playing sports, and watching sports. He loves staying up past Hudson's and Avery's bedtime, mostly because he enjoys the one-on-one time with mommy, daddy, or both. As I type he's grabbing his little red bat, a baseball, and a A's batting hat and will come over to me to throw the ball. He'll throw the ball straight at me and get into batting position! He's got a pretty good stance, too. You've got to watch him when he's got a ball in his hand because if he's aiming for your face he'll get it! He's definitely got an athletic build and has the control and agility of an athlete already. He's always been very well coordinated with walking, running, and moving. (despite all his injuries) Daddy is excited, as you can imagine!


Carter McFarter Favorites~

Food: MILK, waffles, just about anything, loves mama's cookies! (Tried to climb up the cabinet yesterday for some!). Last week he was shoving tomotoes in his mouth.

Movies/TV: Blues Clues, he really liked the Sandlot-surprise? (daddy's pick for family movie night)

Persons: Mama (hahhaaa!) LOVES Hudson and Avery. (hu-son and fa-vry) He loves to follow them around and do whatever they are doing. So far he's even into the new baby, giving my belly hugs and kisses! He loves being with his cousins, too! Okay, he totally loves being with daddy, too! Especially in daddy's room, sitting in the opposite chair, watching a baseball game with daddy. (and if daddy gets up Carter runs to steal daddy's chair!) Papa George is a favorite too, and with Papa on summer break Carter gets super excited for visits but really just wants his buddy back to snuggle with all day long!

Things to do: Playing Notebook/Blues Clues, loves to sing & dance(very good at the soundtrack to the Broadway show WICKED!), loves playing outside, trying to be doing anything that is too old for him, growing up =(

Wears: size 8 shoes, 3Ts clothing, (size 6 diapers but hopefully not for too much longer.)

Best Qualities: Wearing his heart on his sleeve! Great smile, silly, sense of humor - funny as heck! Knowing what he wants or doesn't want.

Worst Qualities: Hitting and not understanding how to say what he means instead. Knowing what he wants or doesn't want! ;)

Best way to describe him is what everyone calls him-mini-Rob! Looks like him, likes sports like him, same temperment (except Rob uses words now and doesn't smack everyone -hahaha!), and that heart on the sleeve thing.

Some family photos -even one with daddy!!!
Carter-2yo

Avery-4yo

Hudson-6yo, 2nd grade

4th of July

4th of July is celebrated in our hearts every year. We also tend not to make a huge deal to get out and be around too many people so when we're home on this day we usually just hang out all day, bbq hot dogs (I think Hudson could eat a pack all by himself if we let him!), and when it gets evening time we head over to Rob's school, Sparks High, to watch the fireworks. This year was no different. Except Hudson's best friend AJ and his family came down to watch with us. Oh, and the kids have decided on their own that it IS tradition for us to get ice cream first! This year we got there a little early so we could also play some baseball on the football field.

Happy Birthday America!!!

Yummy ice cream!

Avery and Carter

A game of baseball, go Hudson!

The first pro baseball girl?

Hudson and AJ, time out!

(Otherwise known as getting away from Avery and Carter!)

Mt. Shasta '08

~The Girls~

Sarah, Anne

Kaydance, Avery, Maddelyn

My sister Chari called recently and wanted to know if we could come out and visit, like we usually do at least once during summer break. Hmm, I've been so busy or whatever I hadn't even thought about it but within a week the kids and I, and as always, Kaydance, were on our way. (Rob stayed behind because he's still teaching 2 summer school classes - math and football) It was the first trip in the new car and a nice trial period to see what our long trip at the end of the month might feel like. It was a very nice, easy,and a smooth ride! I'm glad we were able to get the car before our big trip because it's much more roomier for me and my growing belly!

Anyway, the kids had a blast! We relaxed, played, watched movies, hung out, went to Lake Siskiou- the kids favorite! As you can see, just being at their house is relaxing. It is a beautiful piece of property! The only negative was the recent fires in California, but the smoke wasn't too heavy most of the time. Here are a few pictures of our much too short adventure:

Kaydance and Carter

Avery

Sarah, Matthew, and Garrett
Caught a fish, now what?

Garrett, Carter, and Kaydance

Carter holds Garrett in a special place in his heart, can you tell?

Hudson and Avery, having a great time!
Malachy and Hudson
Sarah and Jen Malachy and Hudson, best cousins
Another set of twin cousins, Maddelyn and Kaydance

Avery, feeding the animals. Their roosters are sooo beautiful!

A rare photo of Jen and belly-about 7 months along.

Carter was comfy using mama as a chaise lounge! =)

And lastly, a rare photo op!

Chari and Marty

Married 23 years this August!!!

Happy Anniversary (in case I miss it come the 10th!)