Bet Ya Didn't Know

That everytime I drive down the road and see one of these (or a newer one) that I long to take a trip in one..... like in my childhood days. I don't think even my hubby knows how much I would love to have that experience again. He doesn't like camping.



In my later childhood into teen years we had a motorhome that looked similiar to this one and we went on many a trip and vacation around the good ol' USA in it.
We had some good times traveling down the road in it. My mom redecorated it so it was cream and green colored. In the front there was the driver seat and then instead of a regular passenger seat there were two bench seats we called bus seats that layed down to make a twin bed or you could face them towards each other and put up a table.
In the back there was bench seat that was in the shape of a U and at night you could pull out the middle and make a king sized bed.
I have fond memories of sleeping in the back and waking up to my parents starting the motorhome and just laying back there sleeping while we were driving.
Above the bus seats and drivers seat there was a bunk pull down bed and there was another coach that converted to a bed.
So there was plenty of room to sleep our family of 7.

More great memories were of us sitting on the bus seats going down the road listening to 40's and 50's music and talking on the CB radio to our grandparents who were in there motorhome. We were the Beast and they were Tiger.
There was one vacation were we traveled with my grandparents and my aunt and uncle and we went from Utah all the way to the east coast and back, stopping at all the church history sites along the way. Although our motorhome didn't make it the whole journey. It broke down in Pennsylvania so we bought a station wagon, loaded our stuff in that and headed back to Utah, staying in cabins and hotels along the way.
My parents later flew back and picked it up and brought it home when it was fixed.

I long for my kids to have that sort of experience someday and to experience the closeness that it brings.
Why all the thinking about this? We are headed on a road trip to idaho/utah in a couple days in our van and it brings back memories and makes me wish we could travel the way I did back then. It was sooo fun!

Good Memories

So anyone have a motorhome we could borrow? It sure is expensive to rent one!

Who's that little one?

See me... I am Daniel.....



Wait, who's that?! Oh! it's Daniel again! with a little shaved head!


Aren't I adorable!!!!



Summer fun in the sprinklers

Quick Trip

Last weekend we took a quick little trip. We drove 3 hours and stayed in a hotel.



Daniel LOVES to get Joseph, you can't see his face but he is smiling soooo big as is Joseph.

We traveled to Nauvoo to see this beautiful temple. We arrived in Nauvoo friday night around 9:30pm, Brent had a youth temple trip the next morning at 7:30am so me and the kids went too, to take in a few sites, but we had to be back the following day by 4:00pm

we took a few of these pictures, we didn't get out to see the temple because it was raining pretty good off and on, but I love how you can see the temple plus the US flag and the Nauvoo water tower. So beautiful!!!


The Brickyard (these pictures with me in them are for Brooke who commented that I am never in any pictures, which I do try to avoid, maybe someday when I feel more confident in myself I will be in more)


The Blacksmith shop, notice Daniel with the broom, he found one and did not want to let go



Then we crossed back over the huge Mississippi River back into Iowa and headed home,


we took the scenic route back home and had to take a little detour to see this American landmark:

in Eldon, Iowa


Sarah and Brent

Sarah and Brent with sunglasses on

Sarah and Daniel

Megan and Joseph

It was a fun little trip and gave us a small glimpse of what the drive out to utah will be like.....I better stock up on the benadryl now! ;)

Happy Birthday

June 2nd Daniel turned 1. I can't believe my little baby is 1!
The time goes so quickly, it seems like not that long ago you were just an infant.







The kids were so excited the first time they saw you. I remember Sarah coming in and saying "mom Look! Daniel came out of your tummy!" Your siblings love you and you love them. If Joseph is laying on the floor you love to climb on him and give him big sloppy open mouth kisses. You have started to reach up for Megan to pick you up and you love to laugh at the silly things Sarah does.

Your little personality is starting to come out, you love to put things in your mouth with them half hanging out and look at us to try and make us laugh. You have been a daddy's boy more than any of the others, if dad gets you out of your crib and hands you off to me you always cry and reach back for dad.

Most of the time you wake up crying and in a bad mood and it takes you a while to be happy but once your happy you are so happy! You love to get into Everything! If the bathroom door is left open you are in there in 2.6 seconds, unrolling all the toilet paper you can get your little hands on. If you see a gate open at the stairs you are crawling as fast as possible to try and go up them, even trying to go down, even though you don't know how yet. You have an obsession with anything with a handle, brooms, mops, golf clubs, toy sword, toilet plunger, umbrella, baseball bat, you also Love to play ball and that is your first word - baa, you could play with those things for hours. You love to cuddle with your mommy still and enjoy your one on one bedtime routine.

You have been a joy and such a fun little blessing to our family and we love you Daniel!!!