Family...

Jasmyn spent the past week with her Aunt, Uncle, and cousin Ava. She had a very fun filled time. Monday they saw a movie that they gave "two thumbs down," and then went to see if they could get concert tickets to Demi and David...an hour before the concert was to begin they made it to the box office. They had just opened up another row of seats (right up front) and they got front row!!! Tuesday they went to the aquarium. Wednesday they went to the botanic gardens. They had life size replicas of the dinosaurs. Thursday the Museum was on the agenda. While there they saw a movie at the Imax and visited the planetarium. Friday was Elitches amusement park. Jasmyn rode her first roller-coaster. "My throat hurts worse then when I had strep!" she proclaimed. Even on Saturday they continued the fun while playing games at 'Boondocks.' Boondocks is a little gaming center with go-carts and lots of other fun activities. No rest on vacation. Allen and Jen brought her back today(Sunday). We had a great visit. Hannah had a great time playing with her Aunt, Uncle, and cousin Ava.

Ava is so cute! She is just so chunky I want to squeeze her!

The Pelkey family!

Hannah with her Uncles sunglasses.

Hannah was helping Ava by sharing her toys.

Hannah not wanting her picture taken.

Ava and her Daddy.

Ava and her Mommy. I found this photo so funny...Ava is reaching for food!

It is good to have Jasmyn home!

She is right now trying to talk her way into getting a farret.

A to T-ball...

Summer is winding down now. Less then a month left before school is back in session. Dolan is keeping busy with work, me with the kids. Jasmyn with getting as much vacation as possible. Right now she is in Denver living it up with her Aunt, Uncle, and cousin Ava. Hannah is just as ornery as ever. She loves to go swimming. She will run out of her room with her swimsuit on and swim ring around her neck and say, "wotta." Looks like I am getting an apple corer/peeler. Dolan said if we get apples this year I can get one. The apple tree is full! Apple pies, crisps, sauces this fall!!!

This is Jasmyn with Izzy before she left. The only half-way recent picture I have of her. I guess she is having the best time in Denver as well. She was able to go to a concert and get front row seats. She had to call me from the concert just to tell me she was so excited!

The good thing about swimming...It makes for a tired little girl! This is one day after swimming...she is almost asleep.

Hannah has been trying T-ball out. She has such a good time hitting the ball and chasing after it. She still holds the bat wrong but it will come in time.

I love this next photo...it shows her concentrating.

It starts like this...

Then a ball gets placed upon it...

Concentration and a swing...

The thrill and excitement...

And finally the chasing! Then it starts all over again.

Kansas City Zoo...

The girls and I headed to Kansas city the end of June through the 3rd of July. It was not a fun trip. I went to say goodbye to a cousin. She passed away June 26th. She battled cancer and suffered. Now there is no more suffering! She leaves behind a husband and 2 young children, both under the age of 10. While we were there I decided that the kids needed a little fun. We meandered to the Kansas City Zoo. The kids had a blast! We went on a boat ride, rode on the tram, and took a train ride. Hannah's favorite part was the carousel. You can see how much she loved it while Jasmyn was bored out of her mind. That could have been because it was the 3rd time in a row that we rode it.

The girls rode on a camel. Jasmyn did not like the camel ride but was nice and took her sister anyways.

This tiger enjoyed laying down inside a hollow log.

A nice little water snake. This swam right past us while we were taking our boat ride.

Looking out of the boat.

Jasmyn was such a big help this trip.

Independence Day...

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.

~Elmer DavisFrom every mountain side Let Freedom ring.

~Samuel F. Smith

"America"

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.

~Erma Bombeck

Happy 4th of July!

"Watch the road!" and "Don't be stupid."

We took our family vacation from the 13th of June to the 21st. We decided to go to Yellowstone National Park. We took the long way through the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is very beautiful country! Vacation was very much needed and also very trying. Hannah is potty-trained...except with the lack of communication she does not tell when she has to go. She just normally goes. With her being in the booster seat a lot I decided to use pull-ups when we were going to be driving for a while. She did very well. No accidents while we were driving...only when we were out of the car. The kids had fun and after all was said and done I think Dolan had a good time too. These are in Sutherland at the roadside park. First stop on our way up to Chadron, NE.

Jasmyn had made herself the stupidity sheriff. If Hannah started doing something that was not quite the brightest she would pipe up with "Don't be stupid." We heard a lot of that during our trip!

Back in the car again! Excited to be going!

We stopped at Car-henge.

Swimming in the pool in Chadron.

Hot Springs, South Dakota. Absolutely gorgeous!

Testing the water temp.

Jasmyn climbed all the way up into a cave type thing to have her picture taken.

My crew.

My girls.

Crazy horse. It hasn't changed in the last 19 years that I can see.

The nature gates.

In Custer, SD was an attraction. Dolan and I thought it would be fun to go to. The girls did have fun even though the theme was lost on them...oh well. Guess we are old. Welcome to Bedrock and have yabba-dabba-do time with the Flintstones.

Dolan with the Bedrock Babes.

"Beep! Beep!"

This is how we roll...old school.

The souvenir shop had a hat that Jasmyn just loved...not to buy. She only wanted her picture taken in it.

Mount Rushmore.

The Cosmos. WOW!!!! It was one of the highlights from our trip! I did get a little dizzy and disorientated.

If you ask Jasmyn what her favorite part of vacation was, she would say that it was Devil's Tower. Dolan, Jasmyn, and Hannah walked all the way around it.

Going for a hike.

Dolan was attacked by a bear...so he says.

Yellowstone. I only ventured through a little of the park. On the second day of Yellowstone Hannah and I stayed back at the motel. I'm am pretty sure Dolan and Jasmyn enjoyed that as much as Hannah and I did.

The falls

Most of the drive through Yellowstone was too much for me. Straight drop offs and too high up! I have always been afraid of heights but not to this extreme. The only thing that anyone heard in our vehicle during this leg of our journey was "Watch the ROAD!" It was best for me to skip it!

The Grand Tetons!

Jasmyn on top of Ayers natural bridge.

Again.

Dolan's turn.

Hannah having some quality play time.

I married a spy!

Let me just finish by saying that it is absolutely wonderful to be home!