11 years of parental bliss

this super duper child turned 11. and got a cute hipster new do for her big entrance into 6th grade. she wanted to go to amazing jakes with a few friends for her birthday and so that's what we did. i couldn't believe how much those girls gabbed. they were all talking at the same time. it makes me think back to myself as a 6th grader. my friends and i were SO loud and silly and lathered on exclamation perfume. it must have been a nightmare. luckily S isn't into stinky perfume yet.

while it is kind of sad in a way to see my babies turn into ladies, it is also very exciting at the same time. she continuously keeps me chuckling and wondering on a daily basis. S, you are a very confident, creative, beautiful, good, *kookie*, unique and WONDERFUL child and i am SO glad you are mine!!

happy 11th birthday SRW!!!!!

wrapping it all up...

while we thoroughly enjoyed our destination, a big part of our trip took place in the car.... with 5 children.... driving across the country... and then back home again..... in the car..... with 5 children.....

they really did great. sometimes we looked at each other and questioned what the heck we were doing, but for the most part we loved watching the scenery change as we crossed the lands. i have done that drive many times, but i really think this was my favorite time.

the kids were really funny. we listened to kids place live just about the whole time. it was nice because they all liked it. soon, i'm sure, there will be a great divide in what each child finds entertaining but for now they all cracked up and were just dying to get on the radio.

i think st. louis was our favorite stop. it was july 3rd and our hotel was really cool. they have a big party with a firework show and concerts several days before the 4th. the night we were there we heard the steve miller band. it was so cool. and the firework show was the best i've ever seen. we got to stand on our own personal balcony, really freaky because we were so high up, and the show was right in front of us. little S asked the whole time if it was the "finale".
after the show, we went out to dinner. our times were so off, we kept going out to dinner at almost midnight, anywho.... there were people everywhere and everyone was all charged up. we were all in a good mood and enjoyed a huge pizza and a delicious slice of st. louis cake. the kids wanted to know about the first time P and i *blush* kissed! we were laughing as we told them. p told the story... drawing it out.... we were standing at the doorway..... looking at each other....

and D interrupts with "and then daddy said giiiirl.... you look gooood!"

we died laughing. it was so shocking coming out of her little mouth.

here is a random pic of the welter family having a peaceful dining experience....
we drove thru joplin, mo and saw all of the destruction from the tornados that had hit just 4 weeks before. it was so sad. i hadn't seen anything like it. it was the deadliest storm in 50 years.
while listening to katy perry's waking up in vegas song (totally appropriate) on the radio on a random day, S turned it up and said "listen to this part. it's so funny... why would anyone ever need a fake i.d.?" shaking her head. sometimes i am thankful my kids are on the less than mature side.

we broke our trip up into 4 days on the way out. but on the way home, we stopped one time in oklahoma city and then pushed on thru to home the next day. we were pretty delirious crossing the border, but were so happy to see this....
we arrived home safely around 1am. to a very dusty house might i add. apparently we missed the big haboob while we were gone.

we had a great trip but now it's time to focus on getting these kids

back to school!

some (more) vaca highlights

first stop was gram and gramp's house.

D wanted to go on a special walk with mommy and daddy. she had the idea to gather flowers to make a bouquet for grammy. we walked around and enjoyed the beautiful greenery and amazing flowers that grow everywhere. we told her to remember this special walk forever and she said she would.

did we stop at a flower shop? no, these beauties are mostly from the alley. yeah, not fair.

everyone loves grammy's rubber band ball :)
beautiful flowers.

catching fireflies was a definite favorite pastime.

my gramps has been working hard restoring this antique sewing machine.

awww.

my favorite ladies. goofing around.
how cute are these guys?
need i explain?
the girls were in heaven playing "tea party" with their dolls and auntie's vintage toys.
on one of the days, i packed 7 children in the car and we visited the indianapolis children's museum. it was awesome. one of the favorite stops was the barbie exhibit. we found some interesting things...

awkward!!!

barbie's office... how can i help you?
they seriously stayed in this position for an hour. i had to pry them away.
for some reason the girls liked it more than the boys. they seemed physically uncomfortable. i was worried they would hyperventilate.
we couldn't believe our eyes!!!

we had so much fun hangin' with the T's. i am really going to miss them! they were so gracious to welcome a welter invasion in their new home for so long.

S enjoying special time with her god-mother :)

this was one of my favorite parts of our trip. i have so many memories of running around in indiana forests with my cousins in the humid summertime. i loved the sounds of the creeks, the trees, the vines... everything about it. i was so glad we were able to do this with the kids.the white river at holliday park. my fav. my uncle and grandma accompanied us on this trip. i had the wrong shoes on and walked thru a huge mud pit, but other than that... so fun.

the last week we were so lucky to get the kids signed up for vbs. M and B pulled some strings and got the lovelies on the list. i really enjoyed dropping them off in the morning and driving around with paul and baby R. we went out to breakfast, drove around, just enjoyed the calm.... it was heaven. oh and of course the kids had fun at vbs too :)
one morning we went to the scottish rite cathedral. i had always wanted to go in and so we did. we took a tour. it was so creepy. i don't really know anything about the masons, but i'm pretty sure the holy grail is hidden in there somewhere. i asked the guide to cut the cr@p and show me some secret passageways, but he denied their existence. he finally said he would show me a secret exit, i got all excited and then he led me to the elevator. not cool. but the building was amazing.
me and my baby.
i sure am going to miss the beautiful midwest summertime.

4th of july

we celebrated our country's birthday at a good ol' family bbq. except it was very fancy. my uncle hosts a party at his friends' house in downtown indy every year. we were very excited that we were able to attend. the house is amazing, real artwork is hung on the walls, the food was delicious and gourmet, everything is decorated to perfection... i wanted to walk around and stare at everything for hours. i was a little nervous about the kids going inside, but i don't think we broke anything :)

homemade cherry pie.
my uncle's famous 7 min. frosting is heaven on earth.
the whole gang.
beautiful red geraniums.
"corn hole" is a very popular sport in indy. every house we went to had a set up just like this.
L and gramps. the kids were excited to play with cousins galore. they ran around, lit sparklers and fireworks and then crammed onto blankets to watch the big downtown firework show. we had a perfect view from their alley. it was a perfect way to celebrate our great country.
seeing double...

hangin' with the S's

we were lucky enough to spend a little time with our super cool friends and my beautiful god-daughter on our trip to indy.

they live on this fabulous farm and i even attempted to chop wood.

the kids are just getting to that stage....
we found cool patterns in the wood. maybe made by worms? or pre-historic creatures??
my friend makes this kind of stuff. ridiculous.

i. want. it.
oh and did i mention the ginormous barn the kids play around in?
heavy D.
look at that greenery. those are called trees... my fellow zonies.
um... yes?

my beautiful god-daughter :)

little S deep in thought.
mmm....
little G swiping a "mellow"

thank you S's! we had a fabulous time hanging out with you! i wish we could hang all the time!!