Not Much To Say Here.......

except EW! Her first reaction after getting the patch off was elation....until she looked at the picture. Then her reaction was confusion....but she went right back to elation. She has been a great sport and it doesnt seem to be hurting her so for that I am so happy!

She Made It....

Addison made it through her surgery today without any problems. We are so thankful for that. I was a bit nervous about it and am very relieved to have it over with. She had to be there at 10am and since the procedure itself was only 20 minutes long, I figured I would be there for about 2 hours from start to finish. Ha! Try 4 hours! It was a long day.....so many things to go through with different people, and all before the surgery even started. While they were checking out her vitals and making sure she was healthy, they wanted to dress her in the hospital PJ's and socks. Well, she refused....adamantly. I couldnt even bribe her to wear them. I think she knew that if she put those on, something major was going to happen. So she flipped out everytime we attempted it. The nurse finally gave up and they performed the surgery on her in the dress she showed up in! Addie didnt go in to the OR until 11:40! About 15 minutes before they took her back, the nurse came out and gave her a dose of "Ver-sed" (a relaxant that makes them not care about whats going on and forget everything that happens...I just call it a miracle drug) and about 5 minutes later, Addison was flying high. I have never seen anything like it. She was so out there....she just kept smiling and saying I Love You Mom....and then she would laugh. It was a little bit disturbing though to see her so out of her head. However, this alternative was better than hearing her scream for me as they took her away, and believe me, my daughter would have been Screaming big time. After that experience with Ian, I'll take the High Baby anyday! By noon, the doctor had come out and talked to me about the surgery....explained what they did, and then said he would "summon" me when she began to wake up so I could be there with her. That took another 15 minutes and when I got back to her recovery room, she was screaming and crying wildly! She was sooooo disoriented and agitated by all the cords and the IV and the patch on her eye. I tried to hold her and she just kept kicking.....finally I got her calmed down and she fell asleep in my arms. It broke my heart to see her like that. She slept for about 30 minutes and finally woke up again....this time she was calm and coherent, but still aggrivated about the patch and cords. They require her to stay until she can drink 4 oz of juice without throwing up. She acheived this right away....Im sure the breathing tube left her thirsty. So, now we are home and she is sleeping peacefully....tomorrow morning I can take her eye patch off although Im a little nervous to do it. I hope her eye doesnt look too bad. She was so excited when we got home and Alec arrived. She wants to sit with him and be around him constantly....so cute. Thanks to all for the well wishes and prayers....we appreciate it. Hopefully we wont have to go through this again.

I Won....Again!

Boy am I feeling lucky this morning! Its always fun to wake up to an email saying that you have won something.... this is what my "prize" is today.....




Im serious, you've got to check out this website and enter every time they have a giveaway....you never know what you might win! This is a $100 bag! I asked for the brown ribbon with a gold sand dollar....cant wait to get it. Thank you Fabulous Fun Finds and Queen Bea Studio!

And the Verdict is......

Surgery. Unfortunately, the steroid drops did nothing to shrink the growth (chalazion) in Addisons eye. Therefore, she will have to have surgery in order to slice it off. ASAP. Like Thursday.....if they can fit us in. We are waiting for a call from the surgery scheduler. He also mentioned that because of the way it was protruding off of the lid, he would need to send it to pathology to rule out anything dangerous. I cant even say the word. After they remove it, he will inject a local steroid and prescribe an ointment that will hopefully prevent further chalazions from developing. Apparently this is a genetic thing and they almost always try to make a repeat appearance.

He seems to be a thorough and competent Doctor so I feel confident that he will do what is needed with care and resolve the problem. Im not thrilled about her having to be put under as I still have nightmares from the surgery experience I had with Ian when he was 3.....it was horrible and if I had been the suing type, I would have sued that Phoenix hospital and its staff for their complete indifference that they exhibited toward me and my 3 year old son. It was ridiculous. In fact, Im convinced that they knew they were possibly in some trouble when I got a letter stating that my bill of $1400 was being "forgiven"...hmmmm... Anyway, I'm sure everything will be fine with Addie. Keep her in your thoughts....and her nervous parents too :)

Mr. Evan....

Here is my little Evan who isn't so little anymore.....isn't he a good looking boy? Love you buddy.

Good Luck Jaron & Trevon....

The two oldest sons of my cousin Marcy have decided that they want to attend the Boy Scout Jamboree next year. It's in Virginia and will cost each one of them $3500! What an experience though...20 days long, visits to historical sites and then the Jamboree. I'm sure it will be amazing. This is such a great family and her boys are all really great kids. I would love to see them realize this goal. Their mom has set up a blog for them HERE and is helping them raise money by selling things on this blog. Marcy is quite talented with her crafts and makes wonderful food so Im sure no matter what is being sold, it will be worth it not only because of the quality but also for the cause that it is supporting. I lived near her for 18 months and have seen her home decor and have partaken of her yummy food personally so I know what I'm talking about! She lives in the Mesa, Arizona area so if any of my readers live in her area, check out their blog and help them out.... There will be different items featured each week so I am going to put a link to their blog on my sidebar....just click on the Boy Scout Badge to see what is new each week! Thanks for your help!

Fun with Friends.....

My good friend Julee, who I met while living in Arizona, was in town visiting her family this weekend. She found some time to squeeze in a visit with me, which I appreciate knowing how many people want to see her when she is here! Her sister Dana also came with us and we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. Im so proud of myself for resisting a piece of cheesecake in spite of how unbelievable it looked! I just couldnt gain back that 5 pounds I lost this week....we had a great time catching up and I am so glad we have remained friends through the years. Her sister is a lot of fun too and I had a great time getting to know her better. Thanks girls for a great evening!

Simply Saturday....

Today was one of those days that remind me...life is good. It started out with my weekly weigh-in. Here is a little background on this "weighty" issue. I have been trying to lose weight for a while now. I have had some success and some miserable failure too. The past 3 months have been so incredibly frustrating that I thought I might just give up and stay fat forever. Luckily, I have a trainer who is an absolute saint in my book. Finally, after 2 months of zero weight loss and what I thought was a lot of effort on my part, I lost 5 pounds this week! Its like my body is finally "getting it". For the first time in my very long dieting history, I believe I have figured it out and only see a much healthier future for me.....I'll keep you updated on my other blog that has been noticeably unattended to for a long time. I'll have to clean the cobwebs off first....

After I weighed in and met with my Aunt, who comes over every Saturday to report about her own dieting efforts, I went to my Personal trainer for my Saturday beat down. I'm starting to really LOVE the pain now that I know it is actually doing something!! Its feels so good to finish that hour with him.... And by the way, there is no secret that I have discovered on this weight loss thing. It literally comes down to consistently eating right and a ton of exercise for me. I keep track of what I eat all day long; I eat something every 3 hours; I exercise for an hour and a half 6 days a week...and that is no joke. When I got home I took Evan to a birthday party and then Ian, Addison and myself went to lunch....and the park, again. The weather is so perfect right now....77 degrees slightly overcast...cool breeze. Perfect. As usual, I took too many pictures but still have to post them here if not for family, for my own satisfaction. Ian ended up running into his classmate Andrew. He was so excited you would have thought he won the lottery....There was a bike race going on at the park and we had to park and walk a bit because they had closed the roads into the park. Addie was amazed watching this massive group of bikers fly past us at a very quick pace....it was kindof exciting to watch!


We are getting ready for Alec's summer visit. He comes in next Thursday. We have some plans for the month that he is here so hopefully it will be fun! Until then, no major plans.... Hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

Yummy Cookies.....

Im not a big fan of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies but I've come across a fabulous recipe for them that I cannot resist! I have a "food blog" that I am horrible about keeping because I am too busy with this blog and I never remember to take pictures of the food.....who likes a recipe without a picture? But I do use it to save my favorite recipes that I find on occasion. I have filed this one there.....click on the picture to go to the recipe!!

Start Your Engines......

We had the opportunity to participate in our first Pinewood Derby tonight. Ian was pretty excited about this endeavor and announced yesterday that he didnt care if he won or not. Yeah, that all changed tonight however when he realized that he actually was not going to win. He was a good sport about it though. Im pretty sure that next year, he is going to be a little more particular about the specs of the car. Being that this was our first one, it was a learning experience and Ian and Denver already have a strategy in mind for the next car. It was a lot of fun watching them build the car and then watching it go in the end.....Denver was able to use some machines at work to carve the shape of the car but Ian did all the painting and the application of the decals. He is pretty proud of his car and so are we!! Denver quietly whispered that he was just relieved to see it make it all the way to the finish line. There were some cars that didnt even do that!
Also tonight Ian was awarded his Wolf badge. We are very proud of him and hope he continues to enjoy the scouting program....Here is a little slideshow of pictures and I couldnt resist trying to film the race.....you will see right away that it was difficult, but it still shows the car in action if only for a split second

Lovely Flowers....

Every year we discover a new flower in our yard that wasnt there the year before.... Here is my latest discovery. Anyone know what type of flower this is? Its so unique and all by itself too.... makes me think it drifted over from someone elses garden.

Fun With Evan.....

Yesterday I had the privelege of spending some quality time with my Evan.... His school had a carnival called the Bonneville Bash. Actually, if Im being honest, I was hoping he would forget about it this year. It was a very hot day yesterday....95 degrees. I didnt want to spend the money. I was tired and needed to workout still... Guess what, he didnt forget and the look on his face when he thought we werent going to go was heart wrenching. I couldnt say no. So we got ready and went together. Here is Evan devouring his bubble gum flavored cotton candy.... The picture above I took with my cell phone at the bash.... I cant believe I forgot my camera! My phone died after this picture.

Ian and Addie stayed home with dad to help make Ian's pinewood derby car. More on that fun later. Im so glad that we went! What a great time.... Yes it was blazing hot but Evan had so much fun I couldnt be bothered by the heat. They had big bouncy things and slides and games...and no carnival would be complete without sno-cones and cotton candy! It was a great reminder that sometimes we miss out on great opportunities with out kids when we focus too much on other things. I have to remember to let go of my responsibilities once in a while and just play with my kids! Here we are after we got home with Evans face painted up like Yoda.

I Won!!!!....

Ok people...I never win anything. I mean it. Nothing, nada, zilch. Today was my lucky day though! Remember I mentioned that fun website with all the giveaways? Well, my name was chosen for a $150 shopping spree on a website that sells baby clothes and kids clothes! Im so excited I cant stand it. You really must go to this site and participate. It is so easy and you never know....if I can get picked, you can! Check it out for Fabulous Fun Finds!

Weekend Enjoyment.....

We had a great weekend. I always think it would be so great to have perfect weather all year long but then of course I realize that without bad weather, I would not appreciate the beautiful spring/summer temperatures we have had this week. So, for that and the love of the first big snow storm, I am grateful for Winter. Friday evening we took the kids downtown to the Living Traditions Festival. We have never been but due to Denvers Economics teacher having a booth there we thought we would go down there and support him. It turned out to be a really cool thing. They had 3 stages with performers from different cultures dancing, singing, or playing music. This is a picture of some Korean Dancers that performed....

There were different booths set up displaying crafts from different cultures such as Tongan wood carvers, Navajo basket weavers and all sorts of other cool stuff. It was really amazing watching this Tongan man sit on the ground and carve a Tiki out of a log... This is a picture of a Japanese gentleman teaching Japanese calligraphy....

They also had numerous stands selling all kinds of ethnic food. The smell was unbelieveable. Laotian food, Hawaiin, Mexican, Russian....you name it, they had it. Here is a picture of the Laotian ladies.....

We played it safe and ate some Teriyaki Beef sticks from Hawaii. Unfortunately we came unprepared for the chilly night air and had to leave sooner than we wanted. The kids were freezing..... Had we known ahead of time how cool this festival was, we would have made sure we could stay. Next year it will be a must do on our fun list..... The best part about it was that there was no entrance fee. Free entertainment is always good.

Saturday, Denver spent the day fishing in Idaho. Funny story.....I got a friend request from my 2nd cousin on my Dad's side. He is from Florida and I think I have only met him once...although I cant really remember it. He lives in Boise now and was talking about fishing and so I mentioned that my husband likes to fish. Long story short, Denver drove 3 hours to Idaho to fish with my cousin and his son. According to Denver, he caught 100 fish. The boys are skeptical...this could be due to the fact that every time Denver has taken them fishing it has been a bust. I guess we will have to make another trip up there and see if his story is on the up and up.... :)

Sunday, Nate and Alisa kept the kids for us so we could go and see the movie "Angels and Demons". I have been waiting for this movie for a long time. I LOVED this book and although I know that movies never compare to the books, I still enjoy watching them. This movie did not disappoint, although the beginning was different than the book. This was a little irritating at first, but about 20 minutes into the movie I forgave them because they followed the book correctly for most of the remaining movie....notice I said "most". Ah well....its Hollywood, what can you do?

Sunday evening, after the kids were put to bed, we rented and watched the movie "Taken"....this was another great movie. Very intense and frightening at times. I love movies and could watch one every night if time permitted.

Hope you all had a great weekend....it is supposed to be 90 degrees today. Time to turn on the AC!!

The Birthday Girls.....

I want to give a great big Happy Birthday virtual hug to my nieces..... Kailey and Kamryn!!! They are sisters and their birthdays are only days apart. Kaileys was on Tuesday and Kamryns is on Saturday. I can hardly believe that Kailey is 10 now....I remember the day they called to tell us she was born! I didnt even have any kids yet. And Kamryn wasnt even walking when we moved to Kentucky 3 years ago....now she is 5. We all miss and adore both of you and hope you have the best birthday ever!

Babies.....

Well, I'm officially in a place where baby clothes, diapers, and pregnant women no longer apply to me. I know I've been there for a while now but it really hit me the other night when I was thinking about the people I know that are having babies and I thought, "wow, I dont have a baby anymore".... my baby is 3 and has recently decided she likes her independence a little. She has discovered the outside! More on that in a minute.

So, I was on this website that does great giveways (see the link on the right) and all you have to do to have a chance to win is leave a comment on the post....almost everything up for winning is geared toward babies or pregnant women. I was laughing at myself and thinking why am I even on here....I will never need these things ever again! But, what great gifts these things would make for the people that ARE having babies....for example, my Brother-in-law Jason and his wife Amanda. They got married last August in Hawaii and are now about to have their first baby next month. It is a girl and they are naming her Meredith Noelle...... they have one daughter from Amanada's previous relationship and her name is Ashley...what a doll she is. Here are a couple of pictures. I am excited for them to have their new little one....

Then there is my cousin James and his wife April who, after 4 boys are finally having a girl....actually they are having two!! Twin girls due in about 4 months.... Alisa's 2 sisters are both having babies again. They are both having boys after having girls 2 years ago. The 3 sisters all gave birth to their first babies just months apart from each other....now 2 of them are having their second baby months apart. Im thinking Alisa and Nate will be next.... So babies babies babies for everyone.....except me :) I am in a different group now and that is OK.

Speaking of my baby, Addison has decided that playing outside is really great. So great that she will walk out the door whenever she feels like it without me knowing. It's getting a little scary. She has figured out how to unlock the child protection knobs on the doors so I am going to have to find another solution. Yesterday I found her halfway up the street in nothing but her underwear. She was looking for me, she said. I wish we had a fenced yard so I could let her play to her hearts content. She is getting so big..... She still sleeps with us and I know its time to make her sleep in her own bed but giving her up is going to be really hard. She is my baby even though she is 3 and Im not ready to completely accept that. Here she is this morning....just waking up.

I will close this post with a picture of the babies I am currently growing/nursing.....my veggies! The first sprouts have broken through the soil! Its our green beans and I couldnt be more proud....

Ever Wonder What a Chalazion Looks Like......?

.....We have a Doctor appointment scheduled since it is not going away as it was supposed to....they will probably have to surgically excise it. Yikes.

Better news is that my elbow culture came back negative for MRSA. Thankfully! It is still painful and swollen but after 5 more days on antibiotics, it should be better. Im a little skeptical since it hasnt helped so far. We'll see.....

I Am Loving Spring.....

The smell of Lilacs on the breeze is enough to make me want to stay outside all day long. I wish that the flowers would continue to bloom and smell through the Summer too. Today, Denver called in sick so he could sleep in. Yesterday we ended up at the Instacare Clinic because my elbow and arm was hurting so intensely yesterday afternoon that I was nearly in tears. Turns out that I have an infection under the elbow from a recurrent patch of eczema. I guess bacteria gets into the skin easily there and when Eczema is present it is almost always the cause of these infections. Now I know how my poor little brother felt when he would get staph infections in his knees and elbows all his life....he suffers from severe Eczema. Anyway, the doctor wanted to poke the elbow to see what he could drain out for a culture. I thought a POKE couldn't be all that bad so I turned down the numbing gel and just let him go for it. HA! Bad idea....he actually stuck a syringe needle in my elbow and pulled back on it to suck the fluid out. I seriously thought I would pass out. After that he wrapped it really tight with an ACE bandage and prescribed antibiotics....I'm happy to say that today, although it still hurts excruciatingly if it is bumped, it is much better than yesterday. At least I can breathe....sleeping was another story.

So, it was a beautiful day today and we decided to take Addie to the park. She really enjoyed it but I think she was missing her brothers....its not the same when you have to play by yourself I guess. She loves the swings though...and the slides. Afterward we came home and worked on the sprinklers....this is when I smelled my lovely Lilac bush.... Strangely, we have white Lilacs. I never knew they came in white. Someone told me recently that they are native to Utah. Not sure if that is true or not but I sure do love them..... Now all I need is some Honeysuckle! Happy Spring! Here are a couple of pictures of Addison....you can click on it to make it larger :)

Annual Mothers Day Picture....

I've got a little tradition going of getting pictures taken on Mothers Day with my kids.....right before we leave for church we snap a picture. I really love having them because generally speaking, Im the one taking pictures of our family and events so there are very rarely any pictures of me with the kids. This is one day a year when I get to have it taken.

My Mothers Day has been very enjoyable. Yesterday Denver gave me a pair of Croc's flip flops which I really love! Im a flip flops kind of girl and my old ones were pretty beat up....now I have some new ones. We took the kids to lunch at Sweet Tomatoes which is a family favorite and then Denver and I rented a movie to watch...."The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"...more on that later. Today we went to church and enjoyed the primary singing to us along with little gifts that they all made for the moms. I got the cutest little picture of Addies hands and some keychains that the boys made. After church Denver grilled chicken on our new grill and we had a really yummy dinner. It has been a wonderful weekend and I am very grateful that I am a mother.....its the BEST job I have ever had! Hope you are all enjoying your Mothers Day.

Happy Mothers Day.....

A great big Happy Mothers Day to my mom! My mom has always been a great example to me. I am always flattered when anyone says that I remind them of my mother. I could recieve no greater compliment than that. As a young girl, I always thought that I had the prettiest mom on the block. I still feel that way today even though she doesnt live on my block! Here are some pictures that show just how beautiful she is....Thanks mom for everything that you do. I love you!!

Im not sure when exactly this picture was taken....maybe around 1981 or 1982....its one of my favorites. and the one below it was even earlier, again not sure when but probably about 1978 Im guessing.

I really dislike both of these pictures of me but look at how beautifully my mom has aged.... the first picture was taken in 1989 and the second picture in 2009. 20 years.....

We had a lesson in church today during Relief Society by Ellen Fagg. She is married now and Im not sure what her last name is but I LOVE it when she teaches. She writes for the Salt Lake Tribune. I've never actually read any of her columns, I am embarrassed to admit that. But, she is a writer....something I would love to be. I would really like to sit down with her and find out about how she got where she is. What she studied....how she got this job. She seems like a very interesting person. The reason I love her lessons so much is that she doesnt just read along in the book....she really discusses the subject matter. She allows everyone to express their thoughts or experiences....and then she uses them in the lesson. And, the best part is that she always provides the most amazing quotes, poetry, and/or stories on a handout for us to take home. Today's lesson was on enduring trials and how we can get through them and learn to appreciate them.....understanding that they happen to everyone. Here is the poetry she gave us today. I think you can interpret it anyway you want, either way...I thought it was beautiful.

The Way It Is

There's a thread you follow. It goes among things that change.
But it doesn't change. People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can't get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die;
and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time's unfolding.
You don't ever let go of the thread.

~William Stafford

On another note, Denver and I watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last night. This was a really good movie. Not exactly a happy ending....but what an interesting way to look at life. The character was able to see different stages of life from the opposite point of view. Living as an old man but with a childs mind....and then the reverse...being young in body but having the mind of man who had been through life and was in his "twilight" years. Makes you wonder if you would do things differently having, or not having, the knowledge that life experiences give us.....

Time to Say Goodbye.....

Today was my parents last day in town....they are leaving tomorrow mid-morning. We sure enjoyed having them around for so long. Usually when they come to visit its only for the weekend so it was great to have some extra time to visit. Of course that was only when Mr. Soren was sleeping! Basically we traded him off day for night. My parents kept him during the evenings and early mornings and then they brought him to my house for his normal day. He was so funny....he would NOT go to sleep that first day because my parents were still in my house. He screamed and cried because he knew that Grandpa would come and rescue him from the evil crib. We figured it out that even if they planned on hanging out for a little bit, they still had to basically pretend they were leaving. They said their goodbyes and walked out the door....waited for a minute while I laid him down...then they came back in. Worked like a charm! Alisa and Nate are on their way home as I type...in fact I think they are about landing right now. Here are a few pictures taken tonight as we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa. Ian was pretty bummed I think....he sure worried about Grandpa while he was sick and I think he didnt want to let go there for while when hugging him goodbye.... And Addison has decided that Grandpa is pretty great! For the first time EVER in her 3 years, she ran to Grandpa without hesitation and jumped in his lap. We love you Mom and Dad. Thanks for coming and spending time with us!

Miss Addie....

I had some fun with Addison's hair yesterday and she was more than happy to pose for me! She loves to look at herself after we get her hair all fixed up but then 10 minutes later she pulls it all out. She likes to run free.....free of hair clips, bows, clothing....wonder how long we will have to deal with this stage! I had to take her to the doctor today. For the past week or two she has had this weird looking boil thing on the inside of her lower eyelid. I thought it was probably a sty or something but it just isnt going away and now she wakes up with it swollen and goopy. So, the Dr. called it a chalazion....I did read about those and it is supposed to clear up on its own. Its from a plugged duct of some kind. Warm compresses....and thats about it. He did give her an antibiotic eye drop though because her other eye was a bit red too and he just wanted to be safe. If it doesnt go away in another week we are supposed to see a pediatric opthamologist and possible have it surgically excised...Ouch. In the meantime she is the same ole Addie..... goofy as can be and has decided she really likes Grandpa. Finally.

The Biggest Loser.....

It seems a little late to be admitting this now but I am so hooked on this show! Ive watched it before here and there but never have I been glued to the TV the way I have this season. These people have been so inspirational..... I mean seriously, I know it is a reality show and I know that it's all about the producers trying to get viewers but in the end, these are real people. Maybe it was all about the money, or the attention, or whatever but they worked SO hard. And that is what I watch it for. To see very heavy individuals work so hard to change their bodies and their lives has just made me want to do the same. Well, like I said "hook, line, and sinker"...... Next week is the finale to see who wins the whole thing but honestly... it doesnt even matter. They all look awesome. They all did great. But, I really hope Tara wins.

She kicked some serious butt the entire time. For a while, I didnt really like her and I was sick of her winning all of the challenges but for some reason...in the past couple of weeks Ive really changed my tune about her. So what if she won them all....she deserved to! She earned every single win. Im excited to see who wins and in the meantime, I'm feeling so much more positive about running my half marathon in November. These contestants just ran a whole marathon!!! So, now I just know I can do it....if they can, I can.

Vacations and Visitors....

Nathan and Alisa left town on Saturday for a vacation. They were actually supposed to leave on Thursday for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico but considering the current status with the Swine Flu, switched their tickets at the last minute for the Bahamas!! A much better choice in my opinion anyway...and not as much concern about catching H1N1 or whatever they are calling it today. Mom and Dad flew in from Reno to help out on Soren duty....they are staying at Nates house with Soren and then bringing him here during the day to try and keep him on his regular schedule. So far he has been a little trooper without his mommy and daddy....I think everyone was a little nervous with how it might affect him but he is doing great! He has really taken to Grandpa who is able to comfort him back to sleep at night by whistling to him. So cute. I will post some pictures and more updates later in the week. It has been fun having mom and dad around for more than just the weekend. The kids are loving it and did not want to go to school this morning......

Today I am one step closer to being enrolled at BYU for the fall. So excited..... will update as it happens. We bought Alec's ticket to come visit this summer. He will be here from the end of May to the end of June. The kids are excited of course. I hope it is a good visit for everyone. I think thats about it for now.... I will try to post some pictures later. Have a great Monday!