Wordless Wednesday - Hmmm... I Think He Forgot Something!

Recap

I thought it was probably time to catch you all up on the odds and ends around the Knutson household. The last few months have been super busy, but we are enjoying the summer, although it's been over 100 degrees most days this week!

Shortly after we returned from our Wisconsin trip, we found out that Caitlyn is going to have to have some orthodontic work done. We could wait, but if we do some of the work (a few brackets and a spacer bar) sooner rather than later, it will save her some pain, and us some money. Needless to say, it isn't free of course, and we're in the process of budgeting things a bot differently to pay for it. I guess we better get used to it, we've got three more heading that way! :) It looks like she will probably be getting them in December or January, and will have them on for about a year.

That same week, we also found out that I am going to be having surgery. Nothing serious, just a simple outpatient female surgery that I've needed for awhile. And now that we aren't going to be having anymore babies, I can get the work done that I need. We haven't scheduled it just yet. I'm waiting on the doctor's office. But it should be soon, and the recoup time should be very minimal. Please keep me in your prayers. Recouping may not be quite as easy with four kiddos! :)

Caitlyn is taking a year off of violin and starting in September will be focusing more on her dance with another year of ballet and her first class in Irish hard shoe dancing. She is really excited to get started! She is growing and changing so fast these days!

Kylie and John David are still busy with Tae Kwon Do, and recently moved onto their yellow belt. They passed the test with flying colors and have been enjoying the challenge of earning new belts and working their way through the various skill levels.

Jeremy has been doing some handyman work on the side to earn a little extra cash. He does an excellent job, and really enjoys doing this type of work. About a week ago he built a staircase for a guy and was able to witness to him at the same time. God has been good, allowing Jeremy to get many leads on new jobs. Please pray that he will be able to continue doing that.

He recently built me a clothesline in our backyard that you can see in this video. I was doing a 30 day laundry challenge with a company that I have been working with on My Four Monkeys (my website). the challenge was to line dry your clothes for 30 days to save money and electricity. I actually really enjoyed it, so much that I asked Jeremy if he could build me a clothesline. Boy did he build one! That thing is so sturdy, and with four lines across it, there's plenty of room for our big loads!

Here's another video of a recent trip to Washington, D.C. We went to check out a WNBA game and took the "big kids" along. We all had a great time!

Luke is growing like a weed, and running around crazy everywhere. :) He is talking quite a bot now, and mimicking everything that comes out of our mouths. He is obsessed with matchbox cars, and anything that has wheels, and is fiercely independent. He loves the outdoors, and riding his tricycle. Luke has really changed over the past few months, sleeping in a big boy bed now, feeding himself with a fork and spoon, and understanding more and more of what we say. I am so glad that he was able to get the tubes put in his ears, because it has made a huge difference.

John David, on the other hand, is still having some trouble with his hearing. Please keep him in your prayers as we take a trip back to the ENT.

Well, that's all I can think of right now. Love you all and thank you to God Almighty for a blossoming and growing family!

Playing Around

I was playing around with some photos that I had taken awhile back of Luke, and wanted to show you this one. I know you can't see his face, but the way the sun is shining down on him is something just heavenly!

Wordless Wednesday - So Thankful for My Husband!

The Ride Home

Over the last month, we have traveled nearly 4,000 miles, and spent three weeks away from home. To say the least, when we were heading home that final day of driving seemed like it couldn't end soon enough!

Of all the countless hours spent driving, Jeremy drove all but two of them! He's my hero!

Even though my behind got quite numb on occasion, I still managed to enjoy some of the great scenery we got to see. The mountains are absolutely beautiful in West Virginia (even though they make me car sick!)! I was also thankful that we made it safely to all our destinations and back home in one piece! (You can see a bit of my new do in this pic.)

We are so blessed to have kids that travel well! They always make the best out of the long hours in the van, and find ways to keep themselves busy. Can you tell we had been in the vans for days?! You can't hardly get around in there! Nanny gave the kids some treats for the car that were lifesavers. They were starting to get tired of the stuff we had taken.

We were a bit worried about this trip with Luke. He's at an age where the kids always had trouble traveling. He was such a trooper though!

We are not planning on doing any traveling again till the fall. We need a break! =D

Our Quick Stop in Indiana

On the way back from Wisconsin, we stopped in Indiana to visit some of my family there. We only had one day to spare, and it was definitely not enough, but we made the best of the time we had! We stayed at my aunt and uncle's house (Nanny and Uncle Mike) as usual, and so appreciated their hospitality!

First stop was my cousin's house for lunch. We always have a great time visiting the Stults, and Jen and Jeremy always make time to see us no matter how short a notice. :) Sorry, Jen! Yes, that's right, Jen is also married to a Jeremy. Great minds think alike! :D We had a quick lunch and then let the kids play outside in the kiddie pool since it was nice and warm. The kids had a blast, and the Dads were "supervising", all the while trying not to get wet. It's the first time we had had the chance to see the twins, and they were so precious!

After lunch, we headed back to Nanny's so Luke could get an afternoon nap. While he was napping, I got a wild hair and asked Nanny to give my hair a makeover! She's a hair dresser, and for the first over twenty years of my life, one of the few people who ever touched my hair. Those special times sitting in her chair are few and far between, but I decided to take advantage of the few hours we had that afternoon. I've been wanting something different (hairstyle-wise) for a few months, but had decided it would probably be smart not to do anything crazy till after my sister's wedding. With the wedding over, I couldn't wait to let Nanny do something new!

I will post a picture of the results soon, but let's just say, their was some red hair dye involved and I cut off several inches. It will be so nice for the summer heat!

Anyway, the evening hours were spent catching up with my cousins and the rest of the Thomas side of the family at Tami and Rocky's. It was the first time I had been to Indiana since my cousin Tami's wedding and hadn't had the privilege of visiting her new home yet. It was fabulous! We grilled out (or at least Rocky did), hunted for frogs, and just had a great time in general hanging out together. The time we spent with these special people in our lives is the stuff memories are made of. Nanny and Jeremy and I even got some time to teach Caitlyn how to play Hand and Foot, our traditional family card game! We cannot wait to get back when we have more time to be together! Tomorrow wouldn't be soon enough!

Enjoy the slideshow of our time in Indiana!

Fun in Wisconsin

We had such a great time on our trip to Wisconsin. Even though it was a bittersweet trip, we are so thankful we got the chance to say goodbye to Aunt Kathy, and spend some much needed time with that side of the family which we only get to see every 1 1/2 to 2 years. The kids were super excited to see their Grandma Knutson, and catch up with Aunt Sasha and Uncle Mason. We crashed at Jeremy's cousin's house, Clair 'dawn and her husband Jim, and as usual, were overwhelmed at their hospitality. It is always such a blessing to see Clair' dawn! Even though she's Jeremy's cousin, I think I get more excited about seeing her than he does. :) She's such an encouragement to me, and I always feel so loved in her presence.

Clair 'dawn and Jim's son, Johnathen, was also super nice about sharing his room, and had a blast playing with the kids. Grandpa Marv was in town for the summer from California, and spent some time outdoors throwing around a ball with the kiddos.

Jeremy was probably the most excited to see Cash, Clair' dawn's dog. Him and Cash are longtime friends and I think they missed each other. What do you think?! =D

Here's a slideshow of all the fun we had while we were there, from playing on the slip 'n slide at Grandma Knutson's house, to having a water balloon fight, and visiting with family!

Jeremy and his Aunt Kathy

Jeremy and his Mom

Three Generations

Grandma Knutson and and the kids - The cute little boy smiling really hard in the second picture is Jeremy's cousin's son. Doesn't he look like the little kid from the Jerry Maguire movie?! =D

We are hoping to make it back up to Wisconsin sooner this next time, and are already missing everyone!

Wordless Wednesday - You Never Know.... He Might Be a Prince!

Happy 25th Anniversary and Dance Pics

Yesterday was my parents 25th anniversary, and I wanted to say congratulations! Being married 25 years is a rare thing these days, and takes lots of dedication and love.

On another note, I am sifting through lots of pictures from our trip and will be getting them posted throughout the next week. While I'm working on that though, I wanted to post a few pics from the girls' dance classes. The dance season is over and they did a fabulous job at their recital. I have a few small video clips of them dancing and some pictures from their classes, but most of the pictures and video that I took during recital didn't turn out well at all. The lighting was too fabulous. :) Enjoy!

In Loving Memory

Many of you know we just returned from an extended out of town trip. The main purpose of that trip was to spend time with Jeremy's Aunt Kathy, who has been very ill, and to visit with his family who we see very little. Sadly, Kathy passed away early this week, shortly after we arrived home. We will always be grateful for the time spent with her last week. Please pray for Jeremy's family as they deal with their loss. We are comforted by the realization that she no longer suffers.