Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Romantic Getaway

After two years of med school, it was time to celebrate! Brandon finished up classes and had a couple days off before his ACLS certification, so we took advantage of the "Grand Prize" that we won at February Fling. on July 1, Kal and Jocelyn spent the night in the Fransons' home. We took off to use our $25 gift certificate (it was a gift to Brandon for coaching Mary Immaculate's basketball team) at the fanciest restaurant in Missouri: the Pear Tree (it only covered 1/2 of the bill!!) where we enjoyed their signature onion rings, fillet mignon and prime rib. As we arrived, we noticed some cars with Utah license plates. When we walked in, we saw a table full of friends who were also out celebrating. It was fun to see them there!


After dinner, we headed for our free night's stay at the Depot Inn & Suites in La Plata. We stayed in the "Sportsman" suite (kind of like Anniversary Inn). We even got to swim in the pool! It was a nice getaway and we definitely want to return to Depot Inn for graduation.


Both of these places are historic sites here in Missouri. Check out the links below so you can see them for yourself!
http://www.depotinnandsuites.com/
http://www.thepeartreerestaurant.com/

Thank you so much Adam and Melissa, for making this possible by taking in our children despite Jocelyn's midnight madness!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Holiday Week(end)


We had a blast celebrating the 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7th of July!

On the 3rd, we saw "Kung Foo Panda" and had a blast. We had coupons for free treats at DQ, so we headed there and got our dilly bars. Kal even got a couple tastes!


On July 5, Brandon had a softball tournament (he played 6 games between noon and 10 pm--he is still sore!) Will somebody get this guy a stretcher?



























Kal had a great time!































And what's softball without nachos . . .














. . .and dugouts. . .



















. . .and dirt?













During the tournament, there were a bunch of inflatable games. Quincy needed friends to jump with, so her mom invited (and paid for) Jocelyn and Adalin to come over and jump. It took a little coaxing, but Jocelyn finally stood up to jump in the inflatable jump house! (even if she did hang onto the side the whole time . . .)


We skipped out on Brandon's last game to do fireworks at the Stewarts' house. Brandon was still playing softball, so I had to get pictures for him and a couple of short videos. Enjoy!







We like to practice fire safety. Kira lit all the fireworks for us ;)






Jocelyn loved the sparklers while they were lit, but, because of the late hour (9ish) she had a "meltdown" (aka tantrum) every time it burned out. I wish I could have caught her tantrum on video--they were louder than any of the fireworks!

She had some mixed feelings about the fireworks (as you can see in her face) but decided they were fun in the end.





You can tell Kal LOVED the fireworks! (He likes to go to bed on time--can you tell??) I guess what is fun for adults isn't always fun for kids. We will have to remember that for the next time we do fireworks--there is a such thing as "too much fun"--all things are more fun when you are not pushed past your limits!


Both kids really loved the fireworks at dusk the next day. Our neighbor Shannon (he is a tennis super star!) was lighting fireworks and both kids loved it.


The next day (July 7) we went swimming at the Aquatic Center. The camera battery was dead!! Sorry!! Jocelyn loved playing with many friends, some of which will be going to Ohio with us! Kal had fun for about 15 minutes, then he started "singing" and was very tired. Brandon put his fisherman hat on him and he immediately went to sleep! (a little big, but it did the trick!) We ate good steak and had a blast together and with friends celebrating and celebrating this fabulous holiday! We will miss all you guys when we move!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

4th of July Fun!

We had a wonderful 4th of July! We began the day in the Stewart's home for a yummy breakfast. Mmmmm! Thanks Rebecca and TerriLyn for all the cooking and Danielle for the great smoothies!

After breakfast, we played at home until the parade. Here are some fun parade photos:

Melissa made these beautiful bows for Adalin, Quincy, and Jocelyn.

The amazing Kira and Kal:
















































After the short, quiet, anti-climactic parade, we went to a barbecue with some friends. We played a little croquet, hung out, and the kids LOVED the wagon (we'll have to get one of those someday!).
Here are the kids:
(Above)Alison, Jocelyn, Adalin, Brianna, and Quincy
(Right) Adalin, Jocelyn, Quincy, and Christian















Jocelyn loved Yukon.


And Kal loved beans!


We had a very happy Independence Weekend! I will update you on the other two days of celebration in a couple days--so check back!