Rhodes Family Partay

Hunting Season is upon us.  LAME.  It means that I become a single mother again.  It means that my husband isn't around to make me laugh until I want to puke or take over when I'm at my wits end with a one year old and a two year old.  It means that Travis misses out on EVERYTHING we do, fun or not so fun.  This weekend, he missed out on a blast.  I took the girls up north for Granny Bev's 85th Birthday party.  Best Rhodes party ever.  Why?  Because of this:

The Slip N Slide was a huge hit thanks to Aunt Nelly.  It was so much fun!  And my little brother Randy was pretty entertaining to watch.  He got some major air!

Taylee loved it too.  Brielle is too much of a chicken to participate, but Taylee is still young enough to be pretty near fearless!

Hayley was the best little babysitter and kept offering to take my girls down the slide.  My girls love her!

I know it's blurry, but this is where Brielle parked her cute little booty for the night.  I don't think Grandma was complaining either.

Aunt Nelly and I took the plunge too, we just didn't do it as gracefully as some of the others!

Here's Jason, Granny Bev, and Tay bug.  Jason's SUPER jealous that I live in Richfield and he doesn't, so that's probably what he was talking about right here!

Playin' at the Park:

Taylee wants that Popsicle SO badly!

My cute little family minus Heavy, Ry, Misty, & Cayson:

Anyway, it sure was fun to see everyone and enjoy the night together.  Happy Birthday Granny!

ZOO TIME:

We also made a trip to the Zoo.  Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!  It was super hot and crowded, but it was still a lot of fun & Brielle keeps talking about all the cute animals.

Although I still think her favorite part was the little playground area.

For some reason, Brielle is obsessed with "monkey jars".  She always has to attempt them at every playground.

Brielle and her cousin Cayson.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pics of Ryan and Misty.  Cayson sure is a cutie though. 

The grandkids:

Today:

Playing in the neighbors pool.

Although I miss Trav a lot when he's gone, I've got to give him some credit for surprising me with a gift the other day.  In addition to a sympathy card from the elk who's taking him away from me so much (it was seriously hilarious), he also went to the work of printing my blog so it's now officially my journal / photo album!  I was so excited and it was very sweet because he didn't have to do any of that, he just wanted me to know how much he appreciates what I do while he's gone.  Love you babe!  Good luck!

PS:  This is for you Bren:

My Children's Home

There are so many things I will miss about my children's first home. I loved it. It was the very first home I ever took part in building (except for the houses in Mexico, but that doesn't really count). And perhaps maybe I loved it so much because we did work so hard building it. Or maybe it's because we have so many wonderful memories of bringing both of our babies to this house from the hospital. Maybe it was all the summer pool parties out on the lawn or the get togethers with friends to watch movies. Maybe it was hearing a bunch of neighbor kids playing loudly with the toys downstairs or it could've been the relaxing environment which allowed me to lounge and read a book when the kids were sleeping. Perhaps it was the fabulous deck which allowed us to stay dry as we all cuddled up to watch the beautiful lightning storms. And maybe it was simply the spirit that was felt when my family stayed home together doing absolutely nothing. I will forever be grateful for this home.

We are now living in a cute little apartment while we build our next house. I feel very lucky that Travis is so talented. Let the games begin!