Fort Robinson Part 1

Our family camping vacation this year was supposed to be at Yellowstone. But with a big vacation lined up with Derek's extended family in July, we just couldn't take the time and money to do Yellowstone. Our second choice? Fort Robinson, located in the sandhills of Nebraska.

It is a beautiful place. Take a look. :)

Derek and the boys hiked up a hill, and this is Aaron and Derek almost to the bottom.
(My picture doesn't show how tall the hill really is.)

Doing some fishing in a clear lake for a change!

Braylen found his own spot down the road from the rest of us.

Aaron kept us from getting skunked. Yep, he caught the only fish of the day!
The rest of the fish were too busy jumping and showing off for us. :)

Derek truly at rest, a sight I like to see.

Derek and I decided our goal for this trip was to relax. We also wanted to say yes to our boys as much as possible. Looking back, I think we accomplished both. We took them swimming 3 times, and had the pool to ourselves for one of those times. With 3 diving boards, each boy jumped and dove to his heart's content! Kaleb learned how to dive during this trip, and he is SO proud of his accomplishment. I'd like to remember Aaron's little foot flip--every time he jumped off the diving board his little feet flipped up behind him. :) He's so little he barely makes a splash, and Derek and I loved watching him. Kaleb loved doing cannonballs, while Braylen did front flips and other crazy antics off the board. Braylen also swam many laps in that pool, which makes this swimmer-mommy very proud. :)

More on our laid back vacation next time!

Summer Fun

We came home last night from a 4 day camping trip to Fort Robinson. I must say, it feels good to be home. Last summer we camped in the black hills, had the BEST time, but came home with a sick boy to a flooded basement. This time we had no basement woes. No sick boys. Just 5 hot and tired people with one hairy dog! :) More on our trip next time...

piano recital boys



Daddy helping Braylen stretch

I can't believe one month of our summer break has already zoomed by. We keep finding things to fill our days, but leave plenty of time to "just be." Kaleb and Aaron did a great job at their piano recital. Braylen competed at the state level in a track meet. And then there's the issue with our backyard pool...

On 6/9 Aaron and Kaleb came down with rashes that we now know was pseudomonas folliculitis. What? It's a skin infection that we think came from our pool. :( Thankfully both boys had it, or else I would have worried about Aaron's rash being caused by his seizure meds. (I worried anyway--until Kaleb showed me his bumps!) It was mildly itchy, was told it looked worse than it felt, and it cleared up within a week. It kept us away from swimming lessons, but we're making those up with extra sessions this week. Oddly enough, this rash caused breast tenderness, settling in their "nibbles" as Kaleb says. Aaron calls them his "pimples." I just don't have it in me to correct them. They'll use the correct term soon enough. Braylen swam in the same pools as Kaleb and Aaron, but he never got the rash. Strange.

A couple of funnies and then I'm off to clean out the camper. Last week there was this comic in the newspaper.


Moments after reading this comic, I heard this comment come from one of my sons in the living room. "I just did 3 farts in a row! That's a new record!" Perfect timing, don't you think? :)

Braylen and Kaleb were messing around one day, as brothers do, and Braylen said to Kaleb, "You'll never get a girlfriend." To which Kaleb quickly replied, "Do I really need one?" Haha!

I love these days. :)

Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

Our boys love to play with a variety of toys. Hotwheels, legos, blocks, army men, and nerf guns are some of their favorites. But there is one toy that stands above the rest. One toy that tugs at my heart strings when I remember the days our boys played with it. One toy that each boy enjoyed to the fullest, although I believe Braylen enjoyed it the most.

The Jeep.

Brand new jeep for our 4 year old Braylen

Last night we gave away our beloved jeep. Honestly, I thought we would have this toy forever. Back in the days when our boys drove it for hours, towed toy cars behind it with bungee cords, went off-roading in the dirt field with it...I never imagined we would ever give it away.

But little boys grow up and the jeep sat unused on our front porch. Through wind and rain and snow and hail...it sat there. During it's prime we replaced the battery and even all 4 tires. Derek fixed the wiring when it shorted out. That's what happens to a favorite toy--it gets used and worn out and needs fixing. And fix it we did. But for the past year or so, nobody's played with it. Braylen and Kaleb are too big, and Aaron finds other things to do outside. Like collect rocks, frogs, and bugs. :)

So last night, Aaron took a drive down memory lane and drove the jeep around our circle one last time. As I watched him, I remembered days with my little boys like they were yesterday. I could see Braylen strapped in the driver's seat giving Kaleb his first ride. I could see them driving with our new puppy Ginger in their laps. I could see Kaleb at the wheel with little Aaron as his passenger. I could see myself teaching all 3 of them how to steer it around the circle, teaching them to keep it on the sidewalk and not drive it off the curb. So many moments, so many miles. And even though it's just a toy, it's not just a toy to me. It's years spent with my little boys. It's summer in our driveway. It's the sound of fun and little-boy freedom.

Goodbye, old friend. Thanks for the memories. :)

They're big enough now to carry the jeep that used to carry them!

Kaleb's all knees in the driver's seat now.

Our big boys and their jeep

Braylen still likes to give his brothers a ride.
Hold on!

Next time we need to teach them how to drive, they will be 15 going on 16. I think I'll let Daddy handle that. :)

Brothers & Summer

When we found out we were having our second son, the first thing that came to my mind was, "My boys will be brothers!" Derek and his brother are best friends, and it's always been my prayer that our boys will love each other like that.

They're getting there. Really, I love to see them look out for each other and share fun experiences together. But they're kids, they're not perfect, and lots of times they fight. I know, a shocker, right? :)

Still, today I am thankful for my 3 boys. I have a quote on the wall in our toy room/family room that sums up what's on my mind today. "Because I have a brother, I'll always have a friend." I apply that to my life too. My brother taught me what it means to have a brother, after all! :)

Maybe my mind is wandering back to when my boys were babies because my sister-in-law is in the hospital right now having her first baby! I keep wondering how she's doing, wondering what this little boy will be named, wondering and waiting and wondering!!!

Last weekend we went fishing and tubing and skiing...so much fun for everyone! Braylen got up with ease on his water skis. Derek and I really like to see that, as we both love to ski. It felt so good to get up on skis again. Everyone rode Big Mable, even Grandma and Grandpa! We now have enough fresh fish for 3 large meals, so tonight we're having our own fish fry here at home.

The boys started swimming with the swim team this week, our family's version of swimming lessons. Our backyard pool is set up and they've already spent lots of time in it. Now it feels like summer to me. Throw in a few brotherly fights now and then and that pretty much describes our life. :) Summer, it's good to have you back.