Why The Road Trip Background?

Well for starts, isn't life a road trip? You may plan for your trip but you never know what is going to happen on your trip! You could plan for sun, and it rains. You could plan on camping and end up in a hotel...you seriously never know what you are going to get! This winter I have certainly struggled with my road trip plans. I figured we would road trip to Nebraska for a few years, and then return home to a cush job, a lovely home...a lovely NEW home at that, and well pick up from where we left for our vacation. But hence, like I said before road trips rarely go as planned. Our cush job isn't that at all...it is all dependant on our government. Our lovely new home is well, the basement of my loving father-in-law, and well picking up from where we left is hardly as easy as you think. Friends go on their own vacations, people move on.

But the best part of vacation, is coming home, retelling all your unplanned stories and well looking at the pictures. Sometimes as you look at the pictures you think you can't wait to go back and sometimes you think I never want to go back. As I look back at our Nebraska pictures (okay the last 2 1/2 years of our life) I am not sure what I think. I look at the fact that I am older, fatter, and grayer...I look at the boys and see 3 young men in the making and when I look back and see Jim, I see an amazing man who made a huge sacrifice but showing the boys that it is never to late to start again...hence the reason for our vacation.

Vacations are good but really there is no place like home, wherever that home may be.

My Noah is ELEVEN...yes that is a One and ONE

Noah turned 11 this past birthday and I just can't believe it! I can still recall his little feet pittering and pattering down the hallway to our bedroom to hop in bed with us. I can still hear his little laugh as a toddler discovering a new dinosaur. I still see that sweet and tender face looking at his new brothers each time we brought a new one home. Noah has such a tender heart and longs to make people happy. I will never forget when Jim was talking about poverty in Argentina and Noah got choked up when he realized how blessed he is. We have always received such glowing praises of Noah from his teachers about how amazing he is and what a good person he is. I am grateful that he is ours!

I love that when he grows up he wants to be a Biology Professor, I love that he already thinks about his mission, I love the he already thinks about being married. He is a very deep thinker, for being 11, and I love that he comes and talks with me about life. I love listening to Jim talk about sports with him and I love that he loves the Yankees. I love that he can't wait to go to New York City again...he is truly my child!

3 Hours To Make...3 Days To Eat

Every year we make a gingerbread house and the boys have a ton of fun making it. However I think the best part for them is eating the gingerbread house and I have noticed that as they get older, the fast the house disappears...this time, the house was literally gone in 3 days! Three hours to make, 3 days to eat...sounds about right!

Christmas 2010...yes CHRISTMAS

The boys running down the steps to open Christmas Presents. This was our first and only Christmas in Nebraska and we had a lot of fun just chillin, eating, and not getting dressed until the next day! We did leave on the 26th for St. Louis to spend 5 days with Dave and Marianne (yes, we stayed at my sisters house...thanks Lori!) and we had a great time. How many pictures did I take with our new camera while in St. Louis so I could post them on our blog...zero, yes the big fat zero...next time!