Betsy Janes made it to Arkansas!

Just wanted to say a big thank you to Aunt Betsy for making a weekend trip to Arkansas (wish it could have been longer!). She got here Thursday evening and then left on Sunday, but almost stayed another day due to the weather. We had a fantastic time and it flew by! She got to go to Kellen's art class and see him in rare form drawing fishes under the sea. Betsy is no stranger when it comes to art and being creative, maybe Kellen will inherit some of these wonderful skills. And then we were off to lunch at La Hacienda where the food was great, with a very handsome waiter (hee hee!), and the company even better. On Friday night, we showed Bets how we do it up at the Fayetteville Club Happy Hour and how the weather here can go from sunny to stormy. On Saturday, we went to the very hip Farmer's Market downtown Fayetteville where there were lots of dogs, lots of great food, more dogs, and the mayor handing out suckers! Where do you think Kellen ended up... And then off to a birthday party at the O'Connells where we arrived at three and left at about 9! We were the last ones to get there and the last ones to leave. It was a great time and Bets got to meet our future good friends here in Arkansas. Sunday came very quickly and we kind of sat around wondering what the weather had in store for us. Slowly, we decided it was safe for her to go and then she was off as quickly as she came. The goodbyes were tough and a few tears were shed, but we hid those very well.... Aunt Betsy, we love you with all of our hearts and thank you so much for making the trip to see our life in Arkansas and loved every second of the weekend. Justin, wish you could have been here, but we will see you soon and would love to have you both stay with us anytime!!

Kellen at the Monster Truck Show

First of all, want to say how impressed I am of this video. Case has been wanting to do something from the truck show and he went all out!! It is awesome and it will make you laugh and have you in tears (even had Case in tears!).

Casey decided to make a movie from our crazy night at the Monster Truck Show. We got home from there and were without words, never had I experienced anything like that. I honestly couldn't stop laughing the entire time I was there, and best of all, Kellen seriously had a blast. As you watch this movie, Kellen will crack you up many times. His earphones (I know there is a proper name for those things), his laugh, his many different face expressions, and the best part of all; us leaving the show and him crying all the way out. It was so pathetic and Case and I tried so hard not to show emotion. He had so much fun and it broke his heart to leave. Of course all good things must eventually come to an end, and this was obviously one of those moments. Thank you again Arkansas for showing us the wonderful things in life a family can do together, no matter what it may be! And by the way, the show was in a rodeo two minutes from our house!! And, the truck he was playing with that lost two wheels before we left, it was in the garbage by morning. Completely fell apart, they get you every time....

Washington County Fair

"The Washington County Fair"

It's official, we have now been to a fair. And I know they have them back home, but there's just something about living in Arkansas and having the experience here. Case and I can't believe that we live only five miles from a place where there were 100's of cows, pigs, chickens, and rabbits. They were all hanging out and were on show. Which means, pretty much all of them had ribbons hanging above their names. Just like Charlotte's Web! It was really funny and Kellen had a blast, as always. The O'Connell's were nice to invite us and we had lots of laughs.

Kellen and Zach were checking out the tractor pull, that's right, tractor pull. That was a first for all of us, was very entertaining.

Casey and I dressed for the occasion... well a little overdressed.

The Classic Silver Motorcycle that sparkles!

Kellen riding the motorcycle and holding on for dear life! We were cracking up because of the way he was sitting and how serious he was. He did loosen up a bit, but just thought the whole ride was hilarious. I mean, we think most of the rides were at least 20 years old.

Overall, the fair was an adventure and glad we got to experience the other side of Arkansas. And best of all, Kellen enjoyed every second of it!

Going Potty Again!

I am determined to get Kellen on the potty. He sat on his potty chair and on the real potty today, yeah! I got him to do it with m&m's. Both grandma's suggested I do something like this and let's see how it goes. Funny that I stumbled across some m&m's in his play closet (prob. from last Easter, but that's ok). Actually, Kellen found them and opened up an egg and they came pouring out. I was like, oh, wait, don't eat all of those. He was literally picking them up as fast as he could. The fastest I have seen him move and I couldn't help but laugh. He just kept looking at me with big eyes and trying to beat me to them. Was priceless. He sat on both toilets and tried so hard. He pushed, trying to tinkle and it only made his face more red. But, he got some m&m's for effort. Let's see how it goes. Going to also buy some cheap items for when he actually does make some splash! Oh, and he did toot from pushing so hard and we had a good laugh. I said, you can go poopy too... right!
I am learning the joys of parenting, again, not sure how our parents did it... and in multiples. And Again, hooray to all the parents out there!!! Absolutely amazes me...

Captain Kellen, Ahoy Matey!

Weekend in Western Kentucky

A few weeks ago, we did our annual Bern's trip and this year it was in western Kentucky. We went to Kentucky Dam Village, which is a state park in Kentucky. The park is surrounded by Lake Barkley and it's beautiful, very proud to have such an awesome place in the Bluegrass state. It was a great trip and on Saturday, we were able to rent a pontoon boat. And Kellen got to drive!! He was in love with the boat and the lake. He jumped right in the lake with the rest of us and we had a very special day. Instead of children asking for a pony, he is now asking for a boat... maybe way down the road, and if he's buying!! We were very proud of him that he was such a trooper on the pontoon and that he fell in love with the whole boating experience. Thanks for an amazing weekend, it was so good to see everyone and spend time with each other and have lots of laughs. And keep in mind how darn cute that hat looks on him, just in case you didn't notice!! Kind of reminds you of someone that was stranded on an island... Enjoy! Love and miss you all already!!!

As you all know, Kellen only falls asleep in his own bed. But, he was very close on the boat. It was a rare moment for sure. Keith, I think you got the touch!

Taking it all in....

Kellen's Night Time Routine

Check out Kellen just before he goes to bed. He's got a pretty good singing voice! (Notice that he likes to mix up the songs, just a little...)

August in Arkansas

Let's just say, it gets a little hot here in Arkansas. The last 2 weeks were in the 100's and Kellen's face was more red than a McDonald's french fry box. This is in the car on the way back from Beaver Lake.We spent a lot of time in the pool (s) and even got a cool hat to try to keep the sun out of our eyes.

AND, I finally went down the slide at the pool.

"My buddy Jason"

Want to say a big thank you to Kris and Jason who came to visit us for a week and it ended up being the hottest its been in Arkansas! We did lots of sweating, swimming, and exercising!! Casey and Jason were able to get in quite a few rounds of golf, really helping Jason's golf game, got lots of potential here folks. We had a blast and Kellen was purely entertained and had a human adult toy 24 hours a day, that would be Jason. I wouldn't mind having Jase full time, he not only dressed Kellen, but helped with diapers and even cut his fingernails and toenails, yikes!!

We got to mountain bike one day and it about killed me... so, not sure when I'll take up that sport again. But, it was really cool to be in the forest for a few hours and experience the wonderful nature and Fayetteville Lake. Kris and I were busy working out at the club, doing some yoga classes and even tried the Body Pump class. I looked like an idiot and Kris looked like a pro! Kris was even my personal shopper for a day, now that is the way to go! We had lots of funny moments and many special times watching Kellen with Aunt KiKi and Uncle Jase. We truly enjoyed having them here, it wasn't easy saying goodbye. Thanks again for making the journey to good ole Arkansas Jase and Kris, we love you very much and miss you!









Kris, Kellen, and myself posing in front of a dam in Springdale. This was the same day his face was as red as a Happy Meal.







A quick story for the video. Before Jason and Kristin came to visit, Kellen walked up to the fan in the garage and yelled Jason's name in there out of the blue. And then we had him do the same thing when they were in town, it was quite funny.