Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day!
A special hug to our fathers.....

This is my Daddy helping to give me my love for reading among other things....



and Jeff's Dad, (now we know why he has had so many back surgeries!!!)



We had a wonderful day celebrating our Daddy today, as well as our Grandpa and Papa, even though they are far away! We even got a chance to talk to our Papa and Grammy in Arizona (as well as lots of other family) via our web cam on our computer, what a great thing technology is!

We went to church today, and then later we were supposed to take Daddy to the gun and knife show in town.....but Mommy was having a pretty hard day and was sick, so we all stayed home and took naps instead!! Later we took our Daddy to dinner for Mexican food (one of his favorites!)





We love our Daddy so much! He is a great role model for us, he teaches us so much about how to love God, and how to love our Mommy too! He also makes us laugh, and we have lots of silly jokes and games we play with him. He also teaches us cool things about grilling and cutting grass and sports and cars. Happy Father's Day Daddy, we love you so much!
Love,
Luke and Ben

Arizona Fun....Part 6 (Fire fighters and cowboys!!)

In our family there is quite a bit of goofy rivalry between the different service oriented professions. We have nurses, teachers, 911 dispatchers, firefighters, and police officers all in one family. So it is fun to watch Luke and Ben light up and enjoy each aspect of these vocations. On Wednesday, after we got home from the Grand Canyon, Aunt Katie took the boys to meet her cousin AJ a local firefighter. The boys love firetrucks, but were a bit hesitant when they finally got to see one up close. They finally warmed up to the idea and were able to have fun with all that AJ could show them.






Thank you AJ for taking the time to share your work with Luke and Ben!

On Thursday evening we had a chance to take the boys to Rawhide, and old west town with stagecoach rides, gold mining and gun fight shows.

This is the closest they can get to riding horses for the time being....




Here are the grandparents enjoying a relaxing evening on the rocking chairs....



Here is Great-Grandma Jean taking a turn pushing the stroller. What a joy it was for the boys to get to know their Great-Grandma!!!



And here are the cutest two little coyboys I have ever seen!!!!!



What a fun trip we had to visit our West Coast family. It was really hard to leave to come home, but we are praying that some family will make their way some time this year to visit us on the East Coast!! We love you and miss you so much already!!!! A special thank you to Aunt Katie and Uncle Nick for sharing your home with us, enjoy the quite for at least a few more months before our baby girl cousin is born in September!

Love,
Jeff, Mer, Luke and Ben

Arizona Fun...part 5 (more Grand Canyon)

Wednesday morning Jeff, Dad and I had the once in a lifetime chance to take a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon! It was so amazing, the ride itself was phenomenal let alone the views!!!!! Thank you Grandma for watching the boys so we could enjoy this adventure!



After our amazing helicopter tour, we set out to find the "exact spot" where Jeff proposed over 4 1/2 years ago (November 28, 2004!) We were able to find our spot without any difficulty, even though the canyon is beautiful whenever you visit, we are a bit partial to the snow over the Grand Canyon as our favorite time of year!!

Here is the original picture just moments after Jeff proposed...


Now the two of us, four plus years later (Jeff was much less nervous this time!)


The Grand Canyon will always be a special spot for our family to visit, we were so glad to have Mom and Dad with us for this visit!

Arizona Fun...Part 5 (Sedona and Grand Canyon)

Tuesday we had the opportunity to drive up to Sedona, Arizona on our way to the Grand Canyon. Jeff's parents have never visited either, so it was a great way to see some of Arizona's beautiful spots.






After lunch and sightseeing at Sedona we headed to the Grand Canyon. It was a first visit for the boys and Mom and Dad, but no matter how many times I have seen the Grand Canyon it just takes my breath away!




More updates soon....

Arizona Fun....part 4

On Monday morning the boys got to spend some more time with their cousin Jack.



Then while Mommy got some one on one sister time with Aunt Reagan, the boys (including Daddy) got to spend time at Cabelas.



Uncle Nick and Uncle Jake had to make sure their nephews had some camo in their lives!





Maybe in a few years Luke and Ben will be able to go fishing or camping with their uncles.



Monday evening we all enjoyed a fun round of miniature golf, and just some good family time.



More updates later....

Arizona Fun part 3

On Sunday the whole family collapsed after all the fun of the wedding Sat. night. All weekend Luke has been having a stretched out belated birthday. On Sunday Uncle Nick and Aunt Katie gave him a policeman outfit (I know it looks like a fire fighter, but it really is a police outfit!) Luke loved it!!


Sunday afternoon we went downtown to enjoy a Diamondbacks baseball game!!! We had such a blast even though the Atlanta Braves beet the D-backs by quite a bit! (Ben especially loved the kettle corn popcorn!)




We had such a blast! More updates later....

More Arizona fun....

On Saturday we got the chance to welcome a new brother/uncle, Shane, into our family. He is now the fourth brother-in-law of a family of five sisters!!! One more to go! Although very warm, the wedding was beautiful and perfect for Raleigh and Shane's day.


Here are Jeff's parents waiting for the wedding to begin.



This is Shane our new brother and uncle.



These are my brother's Jake and Nick walking my Mom down the aisle.






It was so fun to be able to see and reconnect with so many friends and family that we have not seen in a long time. Quite a few of my extended family members had never met Jeff, let alone Luke and Ben!

This is Luke and Ben with their new cousin baby Jack. Luke and Ben adore Jack!!!!




This is Ben with his uncle Jake and soon to be Aunt Shelby. Jake and Shelby are getting married on November 20th, one day before our baby is due, so we will not be at their wedding!!



Luke thought the music was a bit too loud for his taste!



Jeff with my two brothers


This is Luke and Ben with their Great-Grandma Jean!!! The boys are so blessed to have four great-grandparents that are living that they have had a chance to meet! Only one on my side, three on Jeff's side! (This picture was at the end of the night. As you can tell Luke was not doing well after bedtime was long passed!!!)



Congrats Ral and Shane!!!! We love you!