Yeehaw!

While in AZ a family friend invited my sister and I over to let the boys ride their pony. It was so much fun and way better than the pony rides at the fairs etc. that are $10 and you get to ride in a circle 3 times (such a rip off, and as such my kids are deprived and had never ridden a pony.) They loved it, Gage wanted to go over and over and over again and the Townsend's were so sweet and patient that they let him. Carter was a little disappointed that he wasn't riding the big horse but still had a great time. While there the boys also enjoyed a little rock climbing and a big tree house that was high enough in the air it made Carter a little nervous (and he's not usually afraid of things as he will climb all over the top of the playground equip) ... the 2 year olds were oblivious.

"I'm a real cowboy!" Gage was so excited to wear his cowboy boots that we found on clearance at Walmart for his Halloween costume.

We got a picture and then lickety split Carter was back down the ladder.

Gage, Carter and their cousins Max and Turner (right after we took the picture the bail of hay tipped over, thank goodness Linda was right there to grab baby Max before he toppled to the floor.)

Happy Halloween!!

Hope you all have a frightfully fun Halloween!! While in AZ we were able to attend the annual Rick and Ashlee Mangum Halloween Party; it's always great fun with food, homemade rootbeer, bobbing for apples, donut on a string, the bounce house and Carter and Gage's ultimate favorite... a pinata! It's always a fabulous time with family and friends and it gives the grown ups an excuse to find a costume (some years we are more creative than others.) My boys have had so much fun at these parties celebrating Halloween with their cousins, such an awesome tradition... The kids are always so stinkin' cute! It was great to be able to be there this year! Thanks Rick and Ash for a fantastic time!

Just for fun I thought I would post a few pictures from Halloweens Past!

2007:

Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee and Peter Pan

2006:

2005:


2004:

Have to brag that I made this costume... and the bear the Gage wore in 2006... it's the same costume Carter wore his first Halloween, I don't have any pictures of Carter in it handy as that was before the Robbins family went digital. Somehow I haven't found time to make many costumes since... oh well!

Hope you all have a Halloween full of Tricks and Treats!!!

My baby sister is MaRRieD!!

The wedding was perfect! Natasha looked amazing, and Clint's reaction when he first saw her was perfect! I dropped her off at the temple for pictures before the ceremony and while I don't remember exactly what Clint said when he first saw her, he was so complimentary and I'm sure made her feel like a queen - he's such a great guy, I am so happy and excited for the both of them and happy to finally have Clint in the family!!

The happy couple coming out of the temple.

Jared found out the week before the wedding that due to a change in his schedule he would have the day of the wedding off, so we decided to fly him home to surprise Tasha and Clint. The tears in their eyes made it worth every penny - it was great to have the whole family there (even if Jared only got to stay for 24 hours!)

We had lots and lots of fun... here are some of the pics!

With our baby sister on her wedding day!

Cousin-in-laws... and big dorks! We LoVe them anyway!

With "Aunt" Janet

Sista's

This is one of the few pictures with Carter from the reception... he had SOOOO much fun running around with all of his cousins!!

With my daddy!

Gagers throwing a fit... I can't remember what he started crying about but soon it turned into a fit because Tasha married Clint and he wanted to marry Tasha... so funny!

Tasha dancing with all of her nieces and nephews... they had a ball out on the dance floor!

Stealing a dance with my little guy!

Mother and Father of the Bride

We'Re BAck! Happy, healthy and FREEZING!!!

After spending 3+ weeks in Sunny Arizona we have returned home! It was such a great trip but as always it is good to be back. My little sister is now married off and it was wonderful to be able to be there for all of the fun!! I didn't know when I would be able to make it back to AZ again so I decided to stay for the long haul (plus the fact that Jared is on a super busy rotation made it that much easier to stay away). While there we were able to see lots of friends and family... I took way too many pictures so I guess I will just let a few of them tell the story, although I'm sure it won't be all at once!

This was Gage's first airplane ride... here is a short video clip of his excitement!

We flew from Milwaukee to Atlanta to Phoenix (the price you pay when shopping for the cheapest ticket) Once the excitement of being up in the air wore off, we were able to find some cheap entertainment:

Arizona was perfect! The weather was still hot when we first got there. When we walked outside of the airport Carter got a gust of hot Phoenix air in his face, his reaction was priceless... he grabbed his face, screamed "HOT!!" and turned back toward the airport doors! Fortunately for us it cooled down after that first hot night.

While we were gone Milwaukee cooled down A LOT! It is fun to be back to all of the changing leaves, and the sound of them crunching under my feet as we walk Carter to school... it is gorgeous! We broke out the beanies, scarves and gloves yesterday. Since we found out that we would be moving here Carter has talked and talked about how excited he is for the snow... this morning as he was getting ready for school in our 57 degree home he declared, "I'm not excited for the snow anymore, it's just to cold!" (and it hasn't even snowed yet!) I am hoping we will find a way to stay warm this winter.

Gage-isms

Gage has become a witty little dude lately... Just a few of the latest and greatest:

Dad: Gage, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Gage: Hmm, a missionary.

Dad: What do missionaries do?

Gage: You could tell he had his thinking cap on and then all of a sudden the light bulb came on: Eat Dinner!!

As soon as Gage found out that there was a baby in mommy's tummy, Gage has had a baby in his tummy. He even started praying for the baby in his tummy. Well, I think that he must have decided that having a puppy would be way cooler than having a baby because he now has a puppy in his tummy! (and yes, he prays for it too).

And yet another great one:

Gage, randomly out of nowhere: I have a mommy and a daddy.

Mom: You're right, you must be the luckiest boy in the whole world

Gage: No

Mom: You're not?

Gage: No. I'm not.

Mom: Well, then who is the luckiest boy in the whole world?

Gage: Carter.

Mom: Why is Carter the luckiest boy in the whole world?

Gage (with a little smirk): Because he has a Gagers!

Gotta Love Him!!

Happy Birthday Babe!

Last Monday was Jared's 30th Birthday! I ReAlLy wanted to do something BIG for the big 30 but Jared opted for small and quaint and it is his birthday after all. We had a little party with our little fam, Carter was in charge of the decorations and Gage and I cooked dinner and made Daddy's favorite German Chocolate Cake (I absolutely hate the stuff, so the ONLY time he gets it is on his b-day). It was simple but great to have Jared home for an evening. The boys were way more excited than anyone else, they were so giddy and running around the house all afternoon waiting for Daddy to come home. Jared had Tuesday off so I got a sitter for Gage and we enjoyed lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and did a little shopping at the mall... Jared's favorite pass time... it's not so bad when you're spending your birthday money.

It's hard to believe Jared is 30... that always seemed so old when I was young but now it seems very, very young. Come on, he doesn't even have a real job yet! :o) He is such a great man and I am blessed to have him in my life. He is the best dad I could dream of for our boys and he is oh so patient with me! Happy Birthday babe, I look forward to spending the next 30 by your side!!

River Trail??

Several weeks ago we decided to go for a family bike ride on a Saturday evening... one of our favorite passtimes. We had received a map for a trail we had not yet been on and decided to give it a try. It is called the "Hank Aaron River Trail." Well maybe we shouldn't have assumed anything (this is Milwaukee after all) BUT we assumed it would be a nice trail along the river - I imagined green and lush, just like several of the areas close to our home that are right along the river. While it was a great ride and a lot of fun... it wasn't quite what I expected. There was some cool architechture but it was mostly an industrial area. For a lot of it we were riding along the street. We took a wrong turn and ended up in a really scarry ghetto, I was feeling bad just for having my kids there with me. All in all I guess I guess a good portion of it ran a long the river, I was just expecting trees and foliage rather than power plants and hide tanning factories (which smelled nasty by the way). Once we got to the Lake it was beautiful. Jared and I couldn't help but laugh as it was no where near our expectations. Oh well, it was still a lot of fun and I'd even do it again (minus the wrong turn into the ghetto)!

I guess there is a river and there were some trees, but the barbed wire fence and the big trucks seem to distract from the "getting out to enjoy nature" aspect of it all.

There was a river!

It was beautiful on our way home, just as the sun was starting to set.

The trail once we got to Lake Michigan was great, we had the Lake on one side and the city landscape on the other, it was beautiful.