Making memories in Missouri!

While Tom was still with us we had lots of fun!  After waiting 6 months, we finally made it to see Walle!  We have been enjoying the MO weather, especially in the evening when there is a cool breeze and the boys can play baseball, washers, and basketball in the backyard.  Running in the sprinkler has been a hit too!  It is always so special when we get to spend time with Tom's grandparents, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Ermeling!  Who knew that mint wrappers and empty cups after enjoying yummy lemonade could be used as a game?  :)  Andrew has really enjoyed doing Meals on Wheels with Pa Pa.  He says that helping others is his favorite part!  It has been tough to be away from home for so long, but the memories we are creating with family will be treasured forever!

Thanks, God, for allowing us to spend time with our family this summer and that Tom could be here for some of the time!

LIvin' in the fast lane!

The NASCAR Speedway is a must for every trip to MO!  We all have a great time riding the go carts, the fun kid rides inside, rock climbing, Laser Tag, etc...  This year the boys had a great time with Aunt Tammy!  A trip to the Mills Mall wouldn't be complete without a stop at Johnny Rockets for lunch where we love picking out lots of oldie tunes to listen and sing along to!  

Happy 4th of July!

The day Tom and I returned from San Francisco we watched fireworks with Gramby, Pa Pa, and Nana!  We all love fireworks!  Andrew and Braden were coming up with names for each of the fireworks and Colton kept saying, "boom".  When it was all over Colton kept telling us there was more.  Sure enough, there was more and a few here and there in the distance and in the parking lot and he was SO excited each time!  It is awesome to experience such joy coming from a child!

How blessed we are to live in America!  We thank God for our freedoms and for those who work each day to keep us free!

Head Shots in San Francisco!

When I could pull Tom away from the conference a couple evenings and for two full days we had so much fun and made wonderful memories! We made it to the Hard Rock Cafe, In N Out Burger 2 times, Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, an awesomely cold and windy catamaran ride around the bay and under The Golden Gate Bridge, rented a car to see the Muir Woods and Sausalito, rode the Cable Cars, walked on the Golden Gate Bridge when it was so foggy we couldn't even see it, ate lots of yummy food, saw lots of eccentric people, etc... It was great to be able to walk hand-in-hand and not have little ones in between us! :) Don't get me wrong... it was terribly hard to be away from the boys, especially on the one "bad" night when Braden and especially Colton wanted me and were so sad. A definite highlight was when we saw the boys at the airport! Those hugs and smiles were awesome! God bless Gramby and Pa Pa for taking such great care of the boys and saying already that they would do it again! Thanks, Tom, for letting me go to the conference with you. We need to do that again and again and again! :)

Surprises in San Francisco!

While Tom was working so hard and attending his conferences I decided to take a tour of San Francisco that his conference was sponsoring. Right away I was blown away by God's blessing of two fantastic ladies to tour with. We had a ball on the tour and saw just about all of the highlights of this amazing city. We hit it off so well that we decided to eat lunch together at a great Mexican restaurant in the Ferry Building. That was so much fun that we decided to spend the next day together as well. What fun to explore Pier 39, Ghiradelli Square (the new chocolate and peanut butter is to dye for), riding cable cars, roaming and eating an awesome lunch in China town, etc... Sadly Laurie had to leave the next day, but Marissa and I hopped a bus to get a great view of the Painted Ladies and had fun wandering the Embarcadaro Plaza. Thanks, Marissa and Laurie, for some great memories in San Francisco!

Praise God for his unexpected blessing of friendship in this wondrous city! :)

Reception rowdiness

Even though Tom and the boys missed Matt and Laura's wedding because Tom caught the infamous stomach bug (Gramby had it too and Pa Pa missed the reception because he got it) I enjoyed the wedding! Everyone looked beautiful and it brought back wonderful memories of Tom and my wedding in the same church 14 year ago. At the reception we all enjoyed a yummy buffet with a St. Louis favorite, mustacolli (sp?). My boys loved collecting tons of the red glass beads that decorated the tables. Those along with the koozies that were the guest's gifts provided oodles of entertainment for the evening. Only the A, B, C brothers would think to use koozies as boxing gloves. :) It was very special to see family that we hadn't seen in a while and play with our cousins. Andrew danced a group dance, Tom and I had a quick slow dance along with Colton, and Colton had a ball on the dance floor with cousin, Jenni! Jenni, save Colton a dance at your wedding next summer. We are going to try really hard to be there! :) What a fun evening! Thanks, Matt and Laura, for letting us celebrate your special day with you. God's blessings on your marriage!

It's all about the cake

The first thing we saw when we got to Gramby and Pa Pa's house was Matt and Laura's wedding cake. Mmmm... We were given strict directions to leave the cake alone, but help yourselves to as many cake scraps as you would like. Yum! Finally, on Saturday morning Gramby and I got to take the cake to the reception to set it up. The boys couldn't wait to get to the reception to eat it! This surprised me so much because Andrew has not eaten cake in years, Braden eats the icing only, and the there is Colton who won't finish a whole piece. To make a long story short... we all got to enjoy yet another "Barb Cake"! Way to go Gramby! We all had (dare I admit) 2 pieces and Andrew said it was the best cake he had ever eaten. One of the best compliments Gramby has ever gotten. We truly had our cake and ate it too! :)