Chillin' in the Babies' Room

The two little ones continue to grow, now up to three and a half pounds each and possibly gaining a pound each week until delivery, lucky Chaci! Let 's hope they come by the end of September!

Seven Years!

Wednesday was our 7th anniversary!

We decided that we should enjoy this being our last anniversary where we wouldn't need to find a babysitter, although I wasn't up for going anywhere or doing much. Instead we just went out to dinner, which was fabulous--although I love cooking, these past months I've loved anything that saves me from having to cook!

A Fabulous Week with my Boys!

My brothers Chaz and Kao came and stayed with us for a wonderful week! Chazzy will be going on his mission on October 29th to Lubbock, Texas. He's excited, and we're excited for him, although I'm so sad to see him go! I actually did a lot more than I thought I'd be able to...my body often doesn't agree with the tasks I set before it, so I think I was really blessed to be able to take them to the places I wanted them to see!

Valley Forge...

Chaz handling a musket...it's heavier than it looks!

Another Liberty Bell pic to add to my collection!

Sampling classic Philly foods...water ice and soft pretzels... the first of many! (if you don't know what water ice is, it's kinda hard to explain, but they sell it EVERYWHERE here, and it's mainly a Philly treat, it's harder to find in Jersey or New York. It's a cold, slushy, fruity treat that we love. It's also called Italian Ice)

...and of course, Philly Cheese Steaks!

On Saturday Brandon went with us to Gettysburg. We drove through Amish country and had a breakfast smorgasbord. I thought this bridge over the Susquehanna river was beautiful!

Gettysburg National Cemetery...

Gettysburg was huge! It was sobering being there, realizing that over 51,000 Americans died on these battlefields.

Kao and Ben Franklin at the National Constitution Center, it really makes you appreciate our constitution!

Exploring Center City...And of course, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It's distinction of being the 3rd largest art museum in the nation is usually overshadowed by the famous Rocky steps. I really had no idea so many people loved Rocky!

Once again, we were caught in a downpour! At least this time we had umbrellas, although they only helped a bit. Valiant Brandon dashed to get the car, he was really soaked by the time he got us! Chazzy and Brandon looked so funny huddled under their broken umbrella.

They were also great to help! Chaz helped me organize and recycle lots of my teaching stuff. It's so hard for me to get rid of all the files and books that I spent six years creating and using (sob!) I'm going to miss teaching so much! I went from 16 boxes down to 8...and it felt so great watching him toss 5 boxes into the recycling bin!

Kao did his part by scrubbing and sanitizing all the used baby stuff I've gotten...thank heavens for Craigslist, yard sales, and kind friends!

Thunderstorming & Climbing at Ralph Stover

We LOVE having family living in the East with us!

We especially love that we can call them on a Thursday night, and that they'll drive three hours to hang out with us for the weekend! Brandon has been wanting to go climbing with Brett forever, so we decided to ignore the weather forecast (thunderstorms) and drive to Ralph Stover State Park for Brett and Brandon to climb. It ended up being quite an adventure...notice how dry our clothes are in this picture? (I'm sure y'all can see where this is headed?)

I recommend that Ralph Stover invest in some serious signage, because it took quite awhile to find the climb they wanted to do. We were searching for the rock when it started to

...drizzle...

......rain......

.......thunder......

........pour!!!!!!........

At first we were able to stay somewhat dry under the tree canopy, however, it started raining harder than any Arizona monsoon, and the trees did little to add shelter then! Brandon and Brett gallantly ran to get the car while Shelby and I huddled in the storm. However, the road was closed, and they had to drive through town, so we were out in the rain longer than anticipated. The picture doesn't do it justice--we were SOAKED!!!--all the way through! I think there was a little spot under my belly that managed to stay dry, but that was it. Shelby was wise to bring a hat!Despite my efforts to shelter him under Brandon's climbing helmet, Khylo was drenched too. We all loved the hour drive home with wet clothes and wet dog smell!
After all our efforts, we were overjoyed when it cleared up enough for Brandon and Brett to get some climbing in! It's a beautiful park, we'll definitely need to go back.

Thanks for a great weekend Brett & Shelby!