8 is great!

this guy is 8!

(fyi, this is koa's impression of being sucked into the vortex of this rock formation.)  :)

we planned some fun surprise activities for his big day:  time at a bouncy house/trampoline fun land, and bowling!!

the kids had a lot of fun with the surprises, and kalei has even said she'd like for us to surprise her on her birthday - success!

happy birthday, koa!!  we love you, son!!

toto, we're not in kentucky any more.....

so, we bought a car today - woot!  however, while we're waiting at the dealership for all the paperwork and such to be prepared and processed, i look out the window and notice a car that's turned into the dealership, is smashed up on its front passenger-side panel, and is speeding toward the back of the dealership.  "wow," i think to myself, "that car is sure zipping through here.  i hope it doesn't hit our old or new cars."  then, i hear sirens.  three or four police cars with lights and sirens on blast thru the dealership lot following the car!  turns out, a man robbed a bank down the street, then tried to get away, but the police forced him to turn into the dealership, where he sped through to the back parking lot.  there's not an exit back there, so he left his car, jumped the fence, and forced his way into two homes before being shot (not killed) by police!  

kA-rAzY!!!  

kawelo quotes

since we've been getting over the flu and/or colds, i check on the kids' status every so often.

me to kawelo:  how are you feeling?

kawelo:  fine.

me:  how does your head feel?

kawelo:  good.  it's not too heavy!

me:  that's good news.  (said while snickering.)

i just love these kids and their senses of humor (sense of humors?) - especially when it's unintentional!

good eats

one of our first stops when we arrived in vegas was in 'n out burger!  don't the boys looked psyched to be there?  we've also hit krispy kreme (the glaze waterfall is fascinating and a little disgusting....) and we visited a local chocolate factory that has a cactus garden and.......  wait for it.......... free samples!

bowling green is supposed to have the most restaurants per capita, but vegas must be a close second.  there are eateries EVERYWHERE.  there's everything from german bakeries to taco trucks to ethiopian cafes.  we haven't been too adventurous, yet, since the kiddos are a tad cautious, but once we find a good sitter, james and i are going to be testing our palates - can't wait!

monster truck and windshield photos

moving was a whole bunch of no fun.

i never did get a shot of the moving truck completely full, but trust me when i say that we could not have fit one more thing into that 26 foot truck.  all i can say is that uhaul is a bunch of liars - the description of the truck says it's for a 4+ bedroom home - we had 3 bedrooms and still had to leave some things behind - so maybe they don't include garage/shed stuff?  the good news is, all the important things made it onto the truck, and we didn't have any broken items at the other end - woohoo!

we saw just about every type of landscape in this great nation - plains, mountains, desert.  unfortunately, we didn't get to see the ocean (why do we keep living in landlocked states?!), but we did drive thru a few severe thunderstorms, saw a fire on a mountain (see picture), and drove past a cattle ranch that made me not want to eat beef any more (when it comes to food processing/preparation - i prefer ignorance).

i'm so glad the hard part's over!

now, when we move into a house, i picture it being a leisurely, non-stressful event covering several weeks....  (please, leave me to my illusions - remember, i prefer ignorance.)  :)!

our old kentucky home

it was so hard to say goodbye to our fabulous friends in kentucky - especially after they threw us a fun going away party!  (kawelo really had a fascination for the goats - combined with a healthy dose of fear - i have several shots of him running away from them.)  :)

we're happy to have our house sold and the big part of the move behind us, but we sure miss our loved ones in kentucky.  can't wait to have a house here so they can visit!  :)!

words for today :)

‎"I come to you tonight with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. ... I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. ... What I am suggesting is that you turn from the negativism that so permeates our modern society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom you associate, that we speak of one another's virtues more than we speak of one another's faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my wise father would say: 'Cynics do not contribute. Skeptics do not create. Doubters do not achieve.'"

~ Gordon B. Hinckley