If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

Well, we made it home from Branson and spent the weekend snowboarding.  The irony wasn't lost on me that we live in such a wonderful place that when we come HOME from vacation, we get to go to the mountain and snowboard.  So fun!  Saturday I boarded with Lesley and Hays and Maggie for a run or two.  I'm so slow and careful (still nervous about my knee) that I'm not very fun to board with for the big kids.  They humored me, though.  Then Sunday while Hays was at work and Maggie was with a friend, I boarded with Lesley and Tiki and Dax and Gabby.  I thought they'd be more my speed.  I was wrong.  Tiki and Dax were way too fast for me and they let me know it.  All in all, it was a super fun weekend with my kids!  The weather was perfect and the snow was perfect and the mountain wasn't very crowded.  I do love living in a ski resort town! I love this picture of me and the littles!  Nuggets!   Waiting for the shuttle bus. Gabby and Lesley

Well, we're home.  It took a few days to recover from getting up at 2:30 in the morning to drive home, but we're home.  Overall, Branson was a good trip.  It is hard being back there.  It's hard because I have three decades of memories there and it is just bittersweet to be back when it is not my home.  But, I guess that's part of growing up. My Gran'ma.  I love her so much.  Saying goodbye this time wasn't as heart wrenching.  I think because the last time was.  I had a great visit with her last week and she means the world to me. We went bowling and the kids worked Pops for money the whole time.  Such goobers! My sweet friend, Lisa, ran by the church where Andy was speaking just to give me a big hug.  We had dinner plans but they got messed up and she just came to hug me.  I miss friends like that! Maggie and her two best friends. My parents came up to RealLife at JRA to hear Andy speak.  I don't think they've heard him

 We've been having some good time with Gran'ma since we've been here!  It has been sweet and dear and sad.  On Saturday there were many tears by Hays and Maggie and Dax.  Hays shed tears for the sadness that has been Branson this year. . . coming back to say goodbye to his friend Chase and then just a few weeks later to bury him back in the Fall and now knowing that he is saying goodbye to his Grandmother are both big blows for him and yesterday was sad.  Maggie and Dax both had a time of mourning on Saturday knowing that this could be goodbye.  But yesterday was better with the tears out of the way!  The kids played Go Fish with her and Scrabble with her and they were laughing and telling stories.  It was the day I was hoping they would have with her!  She is such a dear lady and she loves so deeply and so well.  My kids know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are loved by her. Tiki and I had a great moment on Saturday.  I could tell that he was feeling a little lef

Tonight my parents opened their house so that the kids best friends from Branson could come over.  It was so great to be together with good dear friends.  The Blackwell family and the Pierson family came over and it was the best four hours we could have asked for!  Twelve kids bouncing on the trampoline and playing together. . .the laughter was so loud but in the most wonderful way imaginable!  I miss friendships like those that were in this house tonight!  Two of my dearest friends are the mothers of my kids friends and that made the time all the more sweet!  It was a great night of laughter and just being known and loved.  I think it was refreshing for all of us (even though there were a few teary goodbyes)!  What a night!  Thanks, Kelly and Melissa for bringing your kids over!  Thanks GoGo and Pops for letting us invade your home.  Tonight was a TEN!

Well, after 28 hours we finally made it to Branson.  Wow.  It was a long trip and the first time I've done it without a driving helper.  It was just me and the kids and Baylor.  We made great time on the road, but we stopped to sleep and we stopped in Tulsa for an hour because their Braner cousins were there and we hadn't seen them in more than three years (we hadn't even met one of them yet).  I loved seeing the cousins together!  They had a blast playing and running.  It was a perfect road trip break!  Nine grandkids on the Braner side and we had to get tons of pictures!  I hate it that they hardly know each other and I'm not quite sure why we don't get together more, but I take what I can get and I loved seeing them yesterday!  Cousins!

Today was literally the best Valentine's Day ever!  Ever!  It started off a little early with roses on Tuesday from Andy--what a fun surprise!!!  Then last night Andy and I got a date night and we had a fantastic time together.  We needed time to reconnect and to talk and to laugh and it was a great time.  Sometimes its hard when he is gone all of the time, but times like that make it alright.  I really am more in love with my husband than I have been in a long time!!! This morning the kids woke up to Valentine's gifts ranging from boxer briefs to swim suits to "loved" t-shirts to a new phone (Hays).  They got to pick their own special breakfast and it was an easy school morning (as easy as a school morning can be).  The three littles took their fun Valentine's cards to school.  I've never really been uber-creative with school Valentine's cards, but this year I was inspired!  (My family V-Day cards were my favorite this year, too!) I then baked

Lately I've been having so much fun with my kids!  Two weeks ago I surprised them all and pulled them out of school and we headed for Flagstaff, AZ to see Brian Regan live.  (Gabby was in OK with Andy.)  Brian Regan is our favorite comedian and it was a great surprise!!!  We got to spend time together, we saw my Uncle Craig and we laughed hard!!!  It was a great quick road trip and I give it a TEN! This past weekend we spent Saturday at the mountain.  The snow was coming down (the mountain got 35 inches this weekend).  Hays and Maggie had a blast boarding together all day on and off.  I boarded alone (I can't keep up with them any more).  When Tiki and Gabby were finished with lessons we just hung out in the Warming hut and watched it snow and waited for Dax.  It was just fun to be together.  I love my kids! Friday we are headed East just the six of us on a road trip.  I'm excited to be with them.  They're my best friends (Andy, too) and I love it