Dennie Kids: April 30, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • Reagan was the first one up and she was ready to head downstairs to see Grannymom and Mom who were having a garage sale
  • Graham was next to walk through the garage door-he was dressed and holding his taggie and foxy.  He doesn’t go anywhere without them in the mornings!
  • Anderson was next to make his appearance along with Campbell who just laid in a lawn chair and kicked her little fit
  • Everyone playing outside all day long during the garage sale.  They had a blast and were pretty good to be contained in the garage most of the day
  • Mom taking Graham to the post office while Reagan and Anderson watched a movie and Campbell slept.  Soon afterwards Grandpa brought over pizza for lunch
  • Afternoon naps and then going back out to play in the brief rain shower and then waiting on Dad to come home from work
  • Peanut butter and jelly for supper and then baths for everyone.  After that, Dad took our pictures to celebrate our month birthday (we used to do this on each birthday date but now we are just going to do it once a month)
  • Uncle Jason coming over to drop off some garage sale stuff and then he stayed around awhile to ride out the storms with us!

Video: Singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (April 30, 2010)

Video: Anderson - 3 years old and 4 months (40 months)

Video: Reagan - 4 Years Old and 7 months (55 months)

Video: Campbell - 4 Months Old (April 30, 2010)

Video: Graham - 1 Year and 9 Months (21 months) (April 30, 2010)

Dennie Kids: April 29, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • A fairly restful night-except for Campbell who woke up twice to eat!  She is good though in the middle of the night-she eats her food, smiles at Mom and then goes right back to sleep
  • Graham still fussing when Dad dropped him off this morning but he still had a good day (at least that is what his note said!)
  • Anderson telling Mom that his favorite part of the day was seeing Reagan on the playground.  Reagan told Dad that she is the only one who turns in her homework but she does it because Mom makes her. (Mom doesn’t make her, she loves to do it and usually does it first thing)
  • Campbell spending the day at Nonna and Pops house-Beebee even came to visit her.  Campbell spent her morning smiling at Pops and taking a bath
  • Dad picking the school kids up and meeting Mom to do the switcheroo.  They were so happy to see Dad at school and they were confused to see Mom in the parking lot at Sears.  Reagan thought Mom had been out shopping (No, just at home working on the garage sale stuff)
  • Picking up Campbell from Nonnas and seeing Papaw.  Also, walking down the street to see the tree trucks and the power trucks
  • Helping Mom in the garage until Dad came home and then eating supper out.
  • Playing at McDonalds until well past our bedtime.  Graham can climb up all by himself-which frightens Mom a little since she can’t always see him and doesn’t know if he climbed up or just walked out the door. 
  • Anderson playing the little video game at McDonalds and a much, much larger kid was watching him play-just watching him.  Anderson turned to him, pointed at him and said in his little scary voice “Get out of my way!”  Mom jumped in to beat Anderson (beat some sense into him-that kid was 3 times his size!)
  • Ice cream for a snack before bed-Graham didn’t even fuss much tonight.  Reagan and Anderson are still calling Mom and Dad upstairs-to get their taggies, bathroom, to find his car, to ask what is happening tomorrow and to find out when Grannymom is coming over

Dennie Kids: April 28, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • After getting to bed late last night, the kids were pretty tired this morning.  Campbell woke to eat around 6 and Mom was so tired too that she turned on the microwave to heat up the bottle but hadn’t yet gotten the bottle out of the fridge.
  • Anderson was the first one up around 9. When he came into Mom’s room, he asked Dad to turn off the lights!-the sun was too bright!
  • Graham waking up last and might could have slept for another hour!  Campbell and Reagan hanging out in Mom’s room for awhile watching a movie. 
  • Nonna coming over to watch everyone while Mom and Anderson went to the dentist.  Anderson held tightly on to the car Nonna had given him and only loosened his grip from it to briefly hold Mom’s hand and give her the thumbs up sign.  He did great and did everything they asked-and no cavities!
  • Mom finished her unpacking, repacking and laundry while Nonna was making everyone’s lunch
  • Early naps for everyone except Campbell since they were all so exhausted-Anderson had thrown about 3 fits already today.  Campbell deciding to wake up as soon as Mom sat down.  Soon she was back asleep but Graham was ready to get up!
  • Dad coming home early so we could all run by Mom’s work for her to do some paperwork and then head to church.  As we were walking down the hall, Graham looked at Mom and said “Pops? Nonna? Jason?”-he was making sure that everyone was going to be there
  • The last night of Cubbies for awhile for Reagan but Anderson will officially be in Cubbies.  Graham might possibly be old enough to see the puppet shows!
  • A movie for Reagan and Anderson before bed while Campbell had a bottle and Graham screamed about having to go to bed!

Arizona Adventure - Day 4 - April 27, 2010

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What a day this was!  The night was pretty good.  Graham slept in bed with us since there was no pack-n-play and no other bed.  He did pretty good and didn’t seem to keep us from sleeping.  Campbell did wake to eat in the middle of the night but went right back to sleep.  Early in the morning, Reagan sat up and asked for something to eat-Mom got out of bed and handed her a brownie and then went back to bed.  Soon, everyone else was stirring and we were out the door a few minutes early.  This was quite impressive since we had to repack everything to get ready for the plane this afternoon.  Since we arrived at our hotel last night late, we didn’t realize the beautiful golf course surrounding it, along with the mountains of Sedona, until we were leaving this morning.

We drove back through the beautiful rocks of Sedona to catch our Hummer Tour.  Reagan had to make a bathroom stop before we found our tour guide.  We moved 4 car seats from the van to the hummer.  Robby, Reagan and Anderson in the middle seat and Tara, Graham and Campbell in the front seats.  We were picking up another couple and the guide said that the back seats were the bumpiest so we opted to stay out of the back.

We picked up the other passengers-who I am sure were thrilled to see all 4 of our kids.  Our tour was with Sedona Off Road Adventures and we were on the 2 hour Secret Mountain Trail.  We started off just on a gravel road and Tara was questioning what she had really paid for.  But soon the road narrowed and the rocks came.  At one time the Hummer was on 2 wheels.  I had to hold Campbell’s little head during the bumps-meanwhile Graham slept peacefully!  We were climbing up jagged boulders.  You wouldn’t believe it and my pictures can’t describe it.

Anderson sat the entire 2 hours, with his hands holding onto his armrest.  You could hear Reagan and Anderson laughing as hard as the could during the bumps.  Reagan compared it to a “bumpy roller coaster.”  The largest, bumpiest hill we did twice.  And the kids could have done it a few times!  Climbing the rocks was great but the scenery was unbelievable.  If you haven’t been to Sedona-put it on your list.

Our tour guide mentioned a sandwich spot nearby (Sedona Memories Submarines), so we walked there to grab a bite to eat before getting back on the road to Phoenix.  The drive was about 2 hours and we didn’t stop since we had a plane to catch.  Reagan was exhausted and had a few meltdowns on the way there.  Mom and Dad found her meltdowns funny but this just upset her more.  Though, when she was fussing, Graham would stop his crying.  Yes, he doesn’t like his car seat and fusses most of the time screaming “momma no, no momma”  He thinks he should be driving – everytime we stop he wants to get in Robby’s seat and go “bye- bye.”

We made it to the airport with time to spare.  Robby dropped off the car at the rental car place while Tara and the kids hung out waiting on him.  We were through security quickly enough and after a short walk for the kids we were on the plane.  You wouldn’t believe how people fall all over themselves trying to find seats away from us when they see us coming on the plane.  Ha, my babies are excellent travelers-though, Graham may be a bit noisy at times but he is pretty good for a 1 year old.  I forgot to mention that the lady who sat beside us on the way out said that she couldn’t believe she slept the whole flight with 4 kids sitting beside her. 

It is just easier to be the last ones off of the planes with all of our stuff.  By the time we made it to the tram, Robby realized that it was already boarding time for our next flight.  We didn’t know what gate our next flight was leaving from, so we got off at the first tram stop for our terminal-wrong one!  Ha!  We just had 30 gates to walk past-thankfully, the kids sit well in their strollers and the bags all hang on the back.  We made it just in time and were on the plane for Little Rock.  The flight was quick-especially for Campbell and Anderson who slept the entire time. 

James was at the airport ready to pick us up and we were home by 11:30.  The kids were in bed by midnight-we had to give everyone Benadryl.  The boys eczema is pretty bad now, along with 4 runny noses and Anderson has a yucky eye since the dust got in it today.  Our trip was great-4 days, 3 nights, driving 900 miles and seeing most of Arizona!

Video: Sedona Hummer Tour (April 27, 2010)

Video: Sedona Hummer Tour (April 27, 2010)

Arizona Adventure – Day 3 – April 26, 2010

(Click here for pictures)

A fairly restful night in our wigwam – although Mom & Dad were a bit surprised by Graham early in the morning. Dad thought he had boxed him in pretty good in the other bed- he was surrounded by 2 suitcases and a chair; but at about 3:00 a.m. – Dad awoke to Graham standing right beside him with his foxy and taggie. He had gotten out of bed all by himself and walked over to our bed. He got into bed with Mom & Dad and slept longer than anyone else.

The kids were ready to get outside to feed their pet dinosaur this morning. Before Mom and Dad could get ready, they were dressed and outside. They also spent a lot of time playing hide-n-seek around our wigwam and then looking at all the antique cars parked in front of the wigwams.   After packing up, we drove down the road for breakfast around 7:45. Breakfast was at Joe and Aggie’s Café.

The kids were intrigued by all of the Cars movie paraphernalia that they had around. We later found out that the café had a cameo appearance in the Cars movie. (It is on right now in our hotel room and we haven’t seen it yet though.) The kids must have been starving because they each ate a whole pancake-the butter and syrup probably helped quite a bit too! After leaving there we headed towards Sedona.

We called about train tickets for the Verde Canyon Railroad. They had just a few left so we had to travel quickly towards Clarkdale. The GPS said that we would arrive right at 12 which was the exact time we had to pick up our tickets. We had one bathroom stop but made the trip fairly quickly. It took almost 3 hours and we were all ready to get out of the car when we arrived. We made up some time so Dad drove Mom by Tuzigoot National Monument. She ran in to get stamps while everyone else stayed in the car. We did drive around the ruins before getting back on the road to the train depot.

Robby picked up the tickets while Tara tried to pack the diaper bag and grab enough snacks/toys for a 4 hour train ride. We knew we were taking a chance with a ride that long but someone from Robby’s work had just been on the train and said it was beautiful. We had to board the train at 1 so we had some time for a picnic lunch in the shade. As we sat outside, everyone walking up said something about the kids (and I do mean everyone-maybe since Graham was acting as the unofficial greeter). Soon the conductor was calling “All Aboard” and so were Anderson and Graham. Graham was so excited to ride on the choo choo train. He probably enjoyed it more than anyone else.

As we pulled out of the station, Reagan, Anderson and Graham were all on their knees looking out of the window. They looked out the window for quite awhile. The scenery was beautiful-eagles, rock formations, bridges, caves, rivers and even a bear (which none of us saw). Each coach also had its own observation car. So we all went outside and then inside and then outside and then….well, you get the idea. Anderson loved walking between the two cars. When we were in the shade on the observation car it was very pleasant outside but the sun was hot! We did pass the time with cookies, juice boxes, ice cream sandwiches and candy. Anderson and Reagan even did a little bit of coloring. Graham spent most of his time dancing in the aisle, greeting the other passengers and crawling all over everyone. Campbell enjoyed the train-naps and bottles-what could be better.

At the end of the train ride, everyone commented on how well behaved the kids were and what a beautiful family we had. Tara and Robby breathed a sigh of relief that they had made it through the 4 hour ride with few meltdowns! After picking up an ornament there and a potty stop, we were back in the car. The drive to Sedona was short so we made the loop around Red Rock State Park to view Cathedral Rock. Sedona is absolutely gorgeous. We were there when the sun was setting and it was comparable to the Grand Canyon (I know, I said that yesterday about the Painted Desert but this was indescribable).

Robby remembered going to Slide Rock when he was a kid and I have seen it recently on a show, so we wanted to stop and at least see the place. We drove through Sedona and all the way to Slide Rock and the gates were closed-closes at 4! Probably was for the best since if the kids had seen people in the water, they would have wanted to play too. On the way back into town, we spotted where our jeep tour is tomorrow.

We had a little Mexican food at Jose’s before driving just a few minutes to the hotel. Supper was great and again the kids ate quite a bit of their food. Robby had the Mexi Combo while Tara ate the Nachos Supreme. Our hotel is like a condo but since we arrived at night, we haven’t seen the golf course that it is setting on. This is our third hotel and our third night without a bathtub. But it was past time for the kids to get clean so they all had a shower. The shower is huge so they had a blast playing-however, it feels like these walls are thin and our neighbors are just right next door so they were probably being too noisy.

After putting on pajamas, we turned on Cars for the kids to watch. Robby and I are watching more of it-the scenery is just what we have seen. Very cool-Anderson just saw the cones that Lightening stayed in and said “We stayed in those.” At supper, Reagan said that her favorite thing was staying in the wigwam. Anderson said his favorite was the train ride. He also saw a picture on the wall and said “that the painted dessert” and then he saw another one and said “that is the Grand…what do you call it?”

Tonight as we were getting ready for bed, Campbell laughed and laughed at Tara.  It wasn’t just a tiny laugh, the baby was really tickled.  We hadn’t heard her laugh like that before-she must love traveling!

Video: Verde Canyon Railroad, Clarkdale, Arizona (April 26, 2010)

Video: Verde Canyon Railroad, Clarkdale, Arizona (April 26, 2010)

Arizona Adventure - Day 2 - April 25, 2010

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Everyone slept very well last night.  Robby woke up around 4 to cover all of the kids back up so no one would get cold.  At 5, Campbell fussed a bit so Tara put her paci in and that appeased her.  She was kicking her feet and talking after that, and when Graham woke up at 6 she was still kicking her little feet.  He sat up in his bed, looked around and then laid back down.  Soon after, everyone started stirring and we were out the door before 8. 

 

Our cabin was about a 3 minute walk from the edge of the canyon.  We saw the train tracks that bring the Grand Canyon train to town and we even smelled the mules as we approached the canyon.  The first trail we saw was the Bright Angel Trail which goes all of the way to the bottom of the canyon.  Of course, we didn't make it that far but we did take turns walking a little ways down to say that we had been down the trail.  Campbell decided that she wanted to stay in the stroller and skip the trail.  Anderson and Graham went with Robby and when they returned that had red marks on their hands because Robby was holding on to them so tightly.  You could see the mule tracks on the very edge of the trail (along with some mule poop which highly entertained Anderson and Reagan)

 

After the trail, we saw the Lookout Studio and Kolb Studio.  The "good kid" moment of the day was when we went inside the Kolb Studio.  We had told the kids to not touch anything and they didn't!  We never even had to remind them-even Graham.  Next, we hiked from the Bright Angel Lodge up to the El Tovar Lodge.  And it was quite a hike with the altitude and while pushing the strollers-a minimum of 45 pounds plus the weight of the stroller.  We managed to take our back picture along with a few other pictures.  The El Tovar Lodge was nice but we much preferred our little cabin out in the woods.  It was quaint and full of Grand Canyon charm. 

 

We had loaded up the car before our walk, so after one last bathroom stop we worked on getting the car out.  Robby managed to wedge the car out between the light pole, tree and boulders easier this morning.  By 10:15 we were on the road and needed to bite to eat for breakfast.  We stopped at the McDonalds at the park entrance to get our food and it was highway robbery.  We paid a zillion dollars for what doesn't cost that much at home. 

 

The drive back to Flagstaff took us through the St. Francisco Mountains.  It was a beautiful drive and the GPS wanted us to see even more beautiful sights.  In the middle of the mountain ranges, the GPS said "turn left."  Robby slowed and looked for the road and was able to make out a few tracks that might be considered a road.  Thankfully, it had a closed road sign or we just might have tried it! 

 

A little outside of Flagstaff, we stopped at the Sunset Crater National Volcanic Monument.  We got out at the Visitor's Center and then again at the Lava Flow Trail.  We walked around the trail and then Robby took the 3 big kids off the paved trail onto a side trail.  The ground on this trail was covered with volcanic dirt and ash and soon Graham was also covered with volcanic dirt and ash.    There was a little downhill section that Graham didn't think he could walk down, so he just sat down and started scooting on his bottom down the trail.   While sitting down, he discovered the rocks were fun to throw so he just had himself a big time!  This reminded Tara of when Anderson scooted down the Oregon Sand Dunes on his bottom when he was about the same age as Graham. 

 

After the trail, we were back in the car with a drink and a snack.  Our snacks are getting pretty limited so everyone just had one peanut butter cracker.  By Winslow, we were hungry to lunch and had to drive thru to pick up some food.  Usually during trips, we but groceries and have picnics.  But we had thought that since this trip was short, we wouldn't need to do that.  We were wrong-we should have bought our sandwich stuff the first day.  Now we have learned our lesson and know that no matter how short the trip, we need to buy picnic food. 

 

Graham was fighting a runny nose and cough for a few days before we left home but he seems to be feeling better today.  He spent some of the car ride with his fingers in his ears imitating a siren.  The other bits of the ride, he has waved bye bye to the trucks or screamed at Mom and Dad about being buckled in his car seat. 

 

Robby told the kids that we were going to see the Painted Desert next.  Reagan asked "who painted it?" to which Tara and Robby replied that "God did."  Anderson then asked "is it dry yet?"  It was a spectacular sight-a smaller, more colorful Grand Canyon.  The Visitor Center and then the Painted Desert Inn were our next two stops.  During the drive through the Petrified Forrest National Park, we crossed a part of Route 66 which had been abandoned (just old power poles left) and stopped at the Agate Bridge and the Long Logs trails.  At the last visitor center, there were fossils of dinosaurs and when Reagan and Anderson saw them they started yelling "fossils"-no idea where they learned that!

 

We left the park about closing time and just had a short drive to Holbrook to find out hotel.  Our hotel was easy to spot since we are staying on one of the wigwams!  Tara saw the Wigwam Motel in a travel book and remembered it from an Oprah.  She mentioned it to Robby and it was our one hotel that he hadn't booked.  We are in wigwam #10.  It is on Route 66 and is the coolest thing!  There are antique cars parked outside of each wigwam and ours even has a cement dinosaur right beside it.  This town has dinosaurs everywhere and this dinosaur by us has been perfect for the kids.  They have rode the dinosaur, fed it and loved on it since we arrived-giving us time to unpack!  There is also a child sized window that the kids have loved looking at each other through.

 

After unpacking, we thought we would walk down the road to a BBQ place-it was closed.  As well as the diner Tara had seen to eat at (not doing very well with her picks).  But since there was a Safeway across the street, we walked over there.  The kids quickly picked out their food-an apple along with mixed fruit and mandarin oranges in a can and a few boxes of cookies.  While there, Campbell spit up all over everything-luckily the stroller is fairly water proof so that was easy to clean and she was given a sponge bath and was as good as new. 

 

Robby ended up having to go out and buy us some food, since the only food we could find at the store needed heating.  (Again, should have had picnic food)  While he was out, Tara managed to organize all of the stuff from the car and get everything ready for tomorrow.  Robby did take Graham so the easy 3 were there.  Graham, who usually doesn't want to get in the car, was ready to go with just Dad-probably because he let him ride in Anderson's car seat.  When they came back, everyone sat down and at their supper.  Campbell even woke up to have another bottle before heading back to bed. 

 

The kids sat and watched tv for awhile until they started getting too noisy for Tara to type and then they were sent to bed.  Sounds like they were sent far away but we are all still pretty close!  This room manages to have 2 double beds in it and isn't that crowded.  The bathroom and shower are fairly tight but fairly spacious for a wigwam!  Graham fell asleep first (mainly since Robby was lying on top of him), followed by Campbell, Reagan and then Anderson.  The plan tomorrow is to sleep in (ha!-we thought we had slept in this morning when we didn't get up until after 6)

Arizona Adventure - Day 1 - April 24, 2010

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The morning started off fairly early-since the alarm rang at 3:50. We got around fairly quickly and finished loading the car with the kids. Campbell slept in her car seat last night so she was ready to go. We picked James up and he chauffeured us to the airport in some light rain.

We checked in easily and headed to security. Security seemed to be a breeze-until Robby heard someone asked if he left his suitcase. Ooops! We did have all of the kids so that is what counts. With 4 kids, 5 backpacks, 2 strollers, 3 car seat bags, 2 suitcases and one other bag, it is hard to keep up with everything.
Our Dallas flight left on time but we might have wished they would have waited the storm out a few more minutes. It was the bumpiest flight we had ever been on. We dropped once and Anderson said "whoa, how'd that happen?" Graham was a little scared when the plane ride started. I don't think it was because of the turbulence but just the whole idea-noise, bumps, sitting down quietly! We finally made it to Dallas but the weather there was bumpy too. Poor Anderson threw up-thankfully, Tara caught it all in that little bag. She always finds them first thing when she gets on an airplane-and she even has one in her pocket right now! Soon after he was asking for something to eat and ate a cinnamon roll, nerds and 2 drinks on the next flight so maybe it was airplane sickness and not that dreaded stomach bug that Graham had earlier in the week.
The Phoenix flight was much smoother. Campbell was a pro since this was now her second flight-the first flight didn't bother her much. She has her milk, smiles, sleeps and then smiles some more. Dad held Campbell and sat by Anderson on this one and Mom had Graham and Reagan near her. Once on this flight, Robby had Anderson sit in another seat by an older lady. Robby told Anderson that she was nice and a grandma. He said that she wasn't his grandparents! We went to the bathroom a total of 10 times but it did help pass the time away. Reagan spent her time marking all of the places that she had been on the map and Anderson enjoyed watching another plane land as we landed.

After landing, we found our luggage and Robby headed to get a rental car. He was able to pick any van he wanted and was searching high and low for a van with a movie in it. He didn't find one of those but he did open one van door-and he found 2 ladies sitting in it. They were all surprised and had a good laugh. They had just picked their rental car and were getting settled in. After picking a van similar to our, he drove the 5 miles back to return to the airport and pick up Tara and the kids. You do get lots of pitiful looks when you are standing at the airport with 4 babies and one mound of luggage. We hit the road in pretty good time despite making the loop around the airport twice.

The kids were all asleep in just a few minutes but Tara hadn't had her bathroom break so she ran into Walmart to do the weeks shopping and take care of business. After running all over the store, she forgot what Dad had requested-a COLD diet coke (she had 24 non cold ones). So the next stop was a gas station to pick up a COLD beverage. Before long, the crew was waking up and needed a bathroom stop. We picked an exit (the wrong exit) and found a bathroom a zillion miles away from the interstate. It was a popular stop, Black Canyon, and we were back on the road soon enough.

On the side of the road were tons of cacti. Robby asked Reagan if she had ever seen a cactus and she said "yes, that what's on Mickey Mouse" and Anderson chimed in "they will poke your bottom."-who says tv isn't educational? Also, Reagan once said "this looks like where Lightening McQueen and Sally drive" and indeed it did. One field had tons of yellow flowers and the purple mountains were in the background-it was gorgeous.
Our first real stop was Montezuma National Monument. It was quite amazing. The dwelling was built high in the rock-the kids couldn't understand why it was so high up. Tara couldn't really understand that either. Reagan made certain to stay on the path after seeing a sign that warned of snakes. Though, Anderson was hoping to find a snake. This was just a short walk but Mom quickly realized that Campbell needed her hat on since her cheeks became red!

Graham doesn't really like his car seat-actually he abhors it! So he was ready to get out in Flagstaff. Tara had found a great diner to eat at…but it was closed. We found a diner right near Route 66, the Downtown Deli. It was very good and the kids enjoyed sitting at the bar stools. After our supper, ice cream and malt, we walked to the train tracks to see an old train which was on display. Poor Graham was scared of it and didn't want to come near.

We only had about 86 miles to go until we reached the Grand Canyon. We wanted to get there before sunset so we pressed on. We arrived at the Grand View area and started walking down the trail. Everyone was safely in their buggies. Reagan's kept saying "This is a miracle" and "Am I dreaming?" It was just a beautiful in person as it is in pictures. However, it looks just like the most gorgeous picture you have ever seen so it is hard to believe that it is real. The kids seemed to be interested in it. Dad rolled Campbell and Reagan's stroller off the trail and over some rocks to get a picture and Reagan wasn't real sure what he was doing and tried to get out of her buggy!

The sun was bright so the kids (those that were looking at the camera) had squinty eyes. We walked and walked around the trails, had a potty break, saw the book store and then headed to Mather Point. There was a little bit of construction so you had to take a very long detour (we didn't know that it was long) on a gravel pathway. It was a long and bumpy ride for the kids. We saw the overlook and took some more pictures. Note the picture of Mom and the 4 kids-poor Campbell's hat is covering her face. Dad said he didn't notice because he was too busy making sure none of the kids took a leap!

After finding the car in the massive parking lot, the next stop was our hotel. We are staying at the Maswik Lodge. We are in a cabin that has 3 other rooms connected to it. It is very rustic and has a great Grand Canyon feel. Robby thought he could drive up the trail to the front of ours-and he did-it just took 20 minutes since he had to dodge trees, a light post and boulders. It reminded Tara of when we got the van stuck in the tree!

We unpacked while the kids sat on the bed. They were so tired that they could have fallen asleep right then but we needed a little bite to eat before bedtime. It is only about 100 yards to the main lodge so we went there to eat. Robby remembers staying here with your grandparents and Cousin Kathy when he was 10ish. The lines were long so we just picked up some sandwiches and chips. The kids devoured the chips. Tara grabbed a Christmas ornament on the way out and we were back in the cabin by 8:45 (AZ time).
Campbell never woke up from her last bottle, Reagan went to sleep as soon as she laid down, Anderson and Graham giggled at each other for awhile but now Anderson is snoring and Graham has finally given it up. Sleeping arrangements-Campbell is in her bouncy in the shower, Anderson is in his sleeping bag between the beds, Reagan is in her sleeping bag at the foot of the bed and Graham has pillows all around him on a bed (we will see if that lasts!) It is going to get to 25 tonight so we have figured out the heat and covered up the kids with a few more covers (leaving us only a few)

The morning plan is to see the burrows, walk to the rim and maybe see the train before getting back in the car for more driving! Hopefully the night will be restful.

Dennie Kids: April 23, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • Everyone not sleeping in late like Mom thought they should-Campbell, then Anderson…maybe.  Actually, Mom can’t remember who woke up first but Reagan did sleep in pretty late this morning
  • Helping Mom make muffins-we ate the whole package.  Ate is a term Mom uses loosely since we would just take a bite and then ask for another one.  We all had turns-putting the muffin cups in the pan, pouring, stirring and squeezing the batter into the cups. 
  • Playing in the garage while Mom tried to stuff 4 car seats into 2 car seat bags (not possible).  Reagan became bored with the garage action and went inside to watch Campbell sleep.  Graham brought a tiny bouncy ball outside and then bounced it down the driveway, across the street and into the neighbors yard.  Mom was glad that Anderson didn’t see that or he would have become hysterical.  Mom was able to retrieve the ball-so everyone can rest easily
  • Running to Sams to pick up medicine.  It didn’t take long to pick up the medicine so we looked at the cakes and then the toys.  After this we noticed the samples-juice, cookies, fruit, chimichangas, chicken, spirals, burritos and then back to the fruit, cookies and juice.  Anderson would try everything-when Mom would hand him something, he would find a spot to sit, sit down and eat his snack!  Mom wouldn’t let us try to “5 hour energy drink”
  • Dad coming home for lunch and Grannymom and Grandpa coming over to see everyone before our trip.  And then the boys received their “before the trip” haircuts.  Graham is doing much better getting his haircut even though he gets gobs of hair in his mouth
  • Baths for everyone but Campbell (Nonna had given her one yesterday).  The baths ended in Anderson fussing about having to take a nap, Reagan fussing about her knee (she wanted a band aid and Mom wouldn’t get her one quickly enough) and Graham just staring at them.  Needless to say, naptime came much sooner than expected!
  • Campbell smiling and cooing at Mom while everyone else was napping.  She and Mom enjoyed hanging out together before Mom had to get back to packing
  • Reagan waking up first from nap and cuddling with Mom before deciding she would rather sit on the couch with a blanket, candy and movie!  Graham quickly devoured his afternoon candy and came to ask Mom for more.  He has become such a good talker now-or at least Mom can usually figure out what he wants. 
  • Dad coming home and needing to move the riding lawnmower a few feet in the garage-but the kids took this as their opportunity for a little ride!  Everyone had two turns of circling in the yard despite the rain-even had to fill it up with gas!  Campbell and Mom sat on the steps with a bottle
  • Going to Kennedy and Camryn’s house to celebrate Ms. April’s birthday.  Anderson quickly found two cars and was using a rope to tow them.  Reagan enjoyed playing with the same dollhouse that we have at home.  Campbell let Camryn hold her most of the night and during birthday cake time, Mom couldn’t find Graham-he was sitting in his chair patiently waiting on the cake!

Dennie Kids: April 22, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • Despite usually waking up late on school morning, Anderson was in bed with Mom and Dad before 7.  He laid fairly still but asked for his milk and movie a zillion times!
  • Everyone up and ready for school.  Reagan will jump out of bed to put on a dress so that helps save some time.  Mom told the kids that they could have a candy bar for breakfast so they were in the car waiting on her to pass them out before Dad asked twice (the candy bar was just a cereal bar)
  • Campbell spending the day with Nonna and Pops-she enjoyed it even though she slept most of the day.  Those shots from yesterday are making her sleepy today.  She enjoyed her bath that Nonna gave her too
  • Dad surprising everyone at school and taking them to McDonalds for some ice cream.  The highlight of that trip was Anderson sliding off the bench and spilling his ice cream. 
  • Nonna bringing Campbell home and Mom using the extra time to pick up the house a little bit.  But once the big kids were home, Mom realized that she wasted her time by picking up anything!
  • Watching Alvin and the Chipmunks this afternoon while Campbell snoozed in the swing
  • Dad taking everyone to Chick-fi-la while Mom had Bunko at the house.  The highlight of this event was Reagan spilling her ice cream.  (Eating ice cream out 2 times today and 2 ice creams being spilled-33% of all ice cream given to the Dennie’s ends up on the floor)
  • Everyone coming home while mom still had guests-so Campbell and Graham went to bed but Reagan and Anderson stayed up and watched movies with Dad.  Then they came downstairs while Stephanie was still there-Anderson played with his fire trucks while Reagan made herself a pallet in the floor and laid down. Even at 10:30, Anderson was not ready to go to bed – Dad promised “The sooner you go to bed, the sooner you can get up and have a piece of Mom’s leftover cheesecake!” He went to bed quickly.

Dennie Kids: April 21, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • Knee Update: Reagan had a good little scrape on her knee yesterday.  She used to go nuts when she had to take off a bandaid so Mom and Dad tried to change one last night around midnight -she sat up, looked at us and then helped take it off without a fuss.
  • Nonna coming over this morning.  She came over early, Mom might have accidently told her the wrong time-or maybe it wasn’t an accident!
  • Playing with Nonna, watching her make eggs for breakfast and watching Mom do a little bit of packing. 
  • Campbell and Mom meeting Dad at Campbell’s doctors appointment.  She weighs 13 pounds and 14 ounces and is 23 and 3/4 inches long.  The nurse came back in the room to re-measure Campbell’s head.  She thought she had measured it wrong-ha!  Her head size has now jumped to the 90th percentile.  She now joins the rest of the big headed Dennie kids (if in doubt, please refer to Reagan’s baby pictures!)
  • More playing and reading with Nonna while Mom finishes packing for our trip and cleaning for Bunko.  Then naps for everyone-but Campbell was very upset and finally calmed down after some of a bottle and lots of loving from Nonna and then Mom
  • Reagan waking up first and watching a movie until Mom looked at the clock and realized it was church time and everyone needed to move quickly.  Arriving right after Dad so we weren’t that late
  • Supper at church and then cubbies.  After cubbies, it was late and everyone came home and headed upstairs to bed-they must have been tired since no one fussed and even called for Mom

Dennie Kids: April 20, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • A School morning for 2 of the 4 kids (Graham got skip since he had the ‘bug’ yesterday – no signs of it today.)  Reagan & Anderson loving running to their classes to hang up the back packs before giving Dad 2 hugs each good-bye
  • Graham and Campbell off to Grannymom & Grandpa’s to spend the day; lots of playtime and a walk
  • Mom picking up Reagan and Anderson from school – Anderson found out his teacher was leaving to take a new job; but he said the new teach is going to be very nice
  • After picking up Campbell and Graham, everyone home for some play time and a movie while waiting for Dad to get home
  • Chili for supper (maybe our last for the season) with Dad
  • As Mom was leaving for Bunko, Dad suggested everyone go for a walk.  Campbell & Graham into the buggy and everyone else on their feet
  • We only made it across the street – Reagan stumbled and went face forward skinning her right knee pretty good, along both hands and her nose just a bit; after a few minutes of hysteria – Dad had found the medicine and bandages
  • All was well after a popsicle, a few jelly beans and a movie; Reagan said “I’m probably going to walk funny for a little while.”  Her brothers were really concerned about her – almost as much as they were concerned about whether they were getting a popsicle too
  • Everyone reading “I’m Might” about a little tug boat – everyone thought it was so funny how Dad read the book and made funny “Tug Boat” noises
  • Campbell to bed first, next Graham and then Reagan & Anderson.  Reagan was out quickly – probably she didn’t have to think about her knee.  Anderson up one extra time to potty but all is quiet now
  • We’ll all be ready for Mom to be home!

Dennie Kids: April 19, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • A restful evening-Graham did have another episode about an hour after the last one.  And good thing that was his last since he had gone through all of the baby bed sheets and was then moved to the pack n play
  • Mom waking up still feeling lousy-so bad in fact that Dad stayed home, the kids were sent to Grannymom’s (except for Campbell who stayed with Dad) and Mom was put on the first boat to the doctor.  Diagnosis-Mom will make it, he gave her some antibiotics and something else (she is hoping the meds kick in quickly)
  • Campbell spending the morning with Dad.  He had her parked right in front of the tv watching the news with him.  She was enjoying it and he was proud that one of his kids likes the news!
  • Graham, Reagan and Anderson spent the morning at Grandpa’s house playing inside and outside.  They played chase a zillion times running all of the way around Grannymom’s house.  Needless to say, everyone had a good nap this afternoon
  • Graham waking up from his nap acting very puny.  He couldn’t get comfortable, was pulling at his ear, laying his head on the floor, moaning and wouldn’t let Mom put him down.  Mom and Dad were convinced he must have had an ear infection (despite his lack of any other signs).  But they soon found out what it was….
  • Heading to Nonna’s house for supper.  Graham had another episode and let me tell you, that is exactly why you put towels under car seats!  We unbuckled that car seat and hosed it all down and then we unbuckled Graham from the car seat.  Well, we did get him out before the water hose was turned on!
  • Everyone eating supper while Mom gave Graham a bath.  Afterwards he was feeling much better and went to bed happily (probably since Dad was a softee and let him go to bed with a tiny bit of milk)-it has been 4 hours since the last ”episode” so Mom and Dad are keeping their fingers crossed

Dennie Kids: April 18, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • A Sunday morning around here-we even had time to straighten up around here before leaving.  Reagan woke up with Mom’s coughs-she doesn’t act like she feels bad so maybe she will get better quick (Mom still feels pretty rough)
  • Anderson only has one concern on Sunday mornings and that is cinna-minis!  And he did get his
  • Campbell styling in her little yellow dress and hat.  She knew she looked good and just smiled at Dad when Mom brought her down the stairs
  • Graham almost making it into his Sunday school class without a fuss.  Dad tried to get him to carry his backpack in but he just kind of threw it towards the door and then turned away!  He loves Mr. Andy and Ms. Lisa though and quickly stops fussing
  • Lunch at Nonna and Pops house.  Reagan spent her time taking care of Mom’s old “three headed doll” (a porcelain doll that has three faces-happy, sad and sleeping).  Reagan had to lay her baby right beside Mom’s baby
  • Afternoon naps and then going back to church.  On the way back to church, the movie in the van was kind of scary (even though they have seen it 100 times).  Anderson kept telling Reagan “it’s okay Reagan, it will be alright, I am right here, I am right beside you Reagan, don’t worry.”  Funny thing was, Reagan didn’t seem to be worried at all!
  • Coloring class tonight for Anderson and Reagan and “coloring class” is their favorite class.  Campbell spent some quality time with Ms. Aleta and Graham probably just screamed!
  • Popsicles for everyone before bedtime-Graham was determined to eat every bit of his popsicle even if he was the last one at the table
  • Uh oh – must almost be trip time – Graham just had an episode of the “spits” around 10:00 p.m. – hopefully, it was a 1x thing or a bad popsicle

Dennie Kids: April 17, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • Graham waking up first followed by Reagan, Campbell and Anderson-Campbell slept all night long from 8:30 until 7:30 and she was a very hungry little girl when she woke up
  • Dad mowing the yard which involves two little boys running from one upstairs window to another and then down the stairs to look out the other windows!
  • Reagan, Anderson and Graham getting a ride on the lawnmower (aka “Daddy’s tractor”) after he had finished mowing the grass
  • Baths for the big kids which is also when Graham chooses to test how much water the bathroom floor can hold before it begins to cause a leak-apparently a lot since we haven’t had any leaks yet!
  • Celebrating Jacob’s birthday party-the kids played on the swings, ran races, made pictures, ate hot dogs and had cake.  One kid was calling the boys “babies” and Mom told Anderson that he wasn’t talking about him but was talking about Graham.  Anderson looked at the kid and said “Don’t talk about my Grahammy”-that is brotherly love….and then he grabbed a stick and started shooting at the kid…still a little bit to work on there!
  • A quick stop by Toys R Us on the way home but no toys were bought
  • Grannymom and Grandpa stopping by to play for a few minutes and then taking a short nap.  Mom even had to wake the boys up!
  • Nonna and Pops coming over next so Mom and Dad could go out to eat.  They brought over meals from McDonalds and they had toys in them-we had never seen anything like that before.  (Mom usually hides the toys til later for a surprise.)
  • More baths and trains, toys, a movie, and lots more fun with Nonna and Pops until Mom and Dad came home
  • Staying up a little bit longer and then going to bed

Dennie Kids: April 16, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • A rocky start to the morning-Dad going to work very early, Mom not feeling well, everyone waking up early and the DVR in Mom’s room not working!
  • Everyone but Campbell watching a movie downstairs and Campbell hanging out upstairs with Mom while Mom took a shower-after a shower and movie everyone felt better
  • Next was breakfast while Mom attempted to read a few stories which would have been entertaining for others to see since Mom’s voice was only a whisper.  Mom did realize that when she whispered Anderson heard everything that she said
  • We played a game matching the uppercase and lowercase letters-Reagan did them all perfect, Anderson had time for just about 12 but he did them without a problem (surprising Mom) and when Mom handed Graham one he did it right too (was it luck or not?)
  • Campbell watching everyone paint with watercolors.  Since she didn’t get to paint, Graham felt obligated to splash some paint her way!
  • Lunch and then another movie before naptime-Mom thought she would even be able to get a nap.  But Campbell, who hadn’t slept more than 20 minutes all day, just took a short cat nap.  Shortly after, Anderson was calling to get up so Mom went ahead and got Reagan up.  Reagan hadn’t been to sleep-she had been to the bathroom once, asked Mom to turn on the ceiling fan and played with the 30 other animals she had brought to Mom’s bed
  • Mom and Anderson playing trains most of the afternoon-Mom told Anderson that there was a lot of rules to his trains.  And he said “of course, there are rules for everything”
  • Graham playing with the bouncy balls-he loved them and even carried a flashlight around with him so he could find the ball when it went under the couch, or chair, or oven, or refrigerator or tv…..
  • Dad coming home and mentioned going out to eat-so everyone put on their clothes (Mom had them out all day but they seem to prefer their pajamas) and we headed out to eat
  • Seeing a faithful blog reader at Chick-fil-a -- Ms. Pam -- she used to work with Dad when he moonlighted at the funeral home.  Everyone ate quickly wso they could go and play.  Anderson and Reagan slid a zillion times and Graham was right behind them most of the time
  • Graham going to bed when we came home, Reagan and Anderson watching one movie and then begging for more while Campbell sat beside Mom and Dad and kicked her little feet

Dennie Kids: April 15, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • A school morning so everyone slept late-Nonna even called to see if Campbell was coming today
  • Reagan and Anderson did have music together and Graham’s class went outside for 40 minutes so it was a great day!
  • Campbell hanging out with Nonna and Pops-the day consisted of a bath, snoozing with Nonna and snoozing with Pops
  • Dad meeting Mom to pick up the gang-and then we headed to McDonald’s for some ice cream treat (Dad was taking a late lunch!)
  • Going to Nonna’s house to pick up Campbell-since Mom has been feeling lousy the past few days she took a nap on the couch while everyone else played outside.  Nonna has never run as much as she did today-her and Reagan played chase for over an hour!
  • Everyone playing happily in the den-until Campbell received her first injury-a little scratch on her face.  Graham was standing nearby with a guilty look-he had apparently thrown a toy over into the pack-n-play which landed on her little head
  • Once Campbell was calmed, her second injury shortly occurred.  She was on the couch and Anderson bumped her head accidently-she started wailing, Anderson began sobbing, Reagan was crying because she didn’t want to hear all of the fussing and Graham imitated all of the other moaning and fussing!
  • Dad coming home with supper.  After supper, we all sat down to watch a movie that Dad had picked up today.  It is a Disney movie (G-Force) but not that great for our little crew-but they sat still as long as Mom was passing out the popcorn
  • Finishing the movie and heading to bed

Dennie Kids: April 14, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • Another restful morning (except Campbell waking up sometime in the middle of the night to eat-Mom didn’t look at the clock because she didn’t want to see a bad number on it-like 6 or 7:00
  • Mom and Campbell going to the Nutrition Center.  Campbell was a perfect baby-she didn’t even cry in brain lab.  We were in and out of there in 2 hours!  She weighed over 13 pounds, 6 ounces!
  • Graham, Reagan and Anderson hanging out with Nonna.  They played, rode bicycles, had breakfast and even had snacks before Mom came home.
  • Lunch outside for a picnic and then swinging for a few minutes before coming in to paint and then get ready for naptime
  • Afternoon naps with Mom waking everyone up with a bribe of a movie if they would cooperate and change their clothes happily!
  • Reagan telling Mom on the way to church that she “wanted to be a kid forever.  Because when you are a grown up you don’t have time to play and swing, you just have to do your work”
  • Awanas-and when we drop one noisy child off at his class his teacher greeted him with “ooohh” and then she told Mom and Dad that he screams like this for over 5 minutes but then he stops.  I might just scream if I were in that class too!  :)
  • Coming home for some milk and then bedtime!

Dennie Kids: April 13, 2010

Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

  • A school day so everyone slept until 7:30-kind of late when you have to leave at 7:45.  This also included a change of clothes because Dad thought it was going to be cooler today and the kids needed pants.  But Dad was checking the weather for Durango!
  • The highlight of school today was Reagan and Anderson going to music together.  Reagan saved Anderson a seat-they are practicing for a program.  Mom hopes that we are in town and not on our trip when they have the program
  • Campbell hanging out with Grannymom and Grandpa today-she supervised some yard work and was all smiles when the other Dennie kids came to greet her
  • Riding bikes for a minute at Grannymom’s house before heading home to read our stories and eat another snack
  • Playing a few games, Reagan reading from her workbook and Mom even getting Anderson to do a workbook page or two (while playing at the train table)
  • Dad coming home and helping Mom make supper which 2 out of 4 Dennie kids ate.  Graham didn’t really touch his!
  • Running to church so they could take our pictures for the new check in system. We saw the playground and wanted to stay but Dad promised us popsicles after our quick stop at the store.

    Dennie Kids: April 12, 2010

    Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

    • A lazy morning-laying in bed with Mom, playing train and watching Mom get out clothes ready for the week
    • Grannymom calling and asking if the kids could come over and they were all begging to put on their clothes
    • A Bible story and a few stories while eating breakfast and then heading to Grannymoms to play-playing all morning outside, riding bikes, helping Grandpa lay sod and having a great time
    • Mom and Campbell going to see Beebee at the hospital.  Good news-Papaw doesn’t need surgery and will be just fine with meds.  Campbell cooed and smiled for Pops and all of the other folks looking at her
    • Picking up Reagan, Anderson and Graham and they were ready to come home!  Anderson even wanted some medicine once we came home-the pollen was really bothering him today!
    • Reagan waking up and Mom ironing by her-she just thought she was awake because she couldn’t keep her eyes open.  Graham and Anderson waking up around 5 but Mom had to wake Campbell up after supper.  Mom had put her in the bouncy for her day time nap and she must have thought it was night time
    • Supper time – we all showed Dad our muscles!  He said if we ate more green beans, we’d get bigger muscles?!?
    • Baths for everyone.  Dad even laid Campbell down in the bathtub in a tiny bit of water and she just kicked her feet and waved her hands
    • Finishing up our movie night in the den with our sleeping bags and more popcorn-Reagan has eaten the whole bag with just a little help from the boys!

    Dennie Kids: April 11, 2010

    Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

    • Church morning and we were all dressed and ready quite early-which was good since we had to pick up our cinni-minis in Bryant
    • Graham going in his class without a fuss-2nd time in a row for Mr. Andy
    • Mom and Dad in Campbell’s class and she was by far the best and prettiest baby there-Mom may be a little biased!
    • Lunch at Grannymom and Grandpa’s house and after lunch we played outside on the bikes until time to come home for a nap
    • Dad taking everyone to get gas for the van while Mom tried get nap time ready-quite a process since Anderson sleeps in Reagan’s bed and has to move his pillow, Mickey, blanket, taggie and bear to her bed.  Reagan sleeps in Mom’s bed so her taggie, blanket, Minnie, dog, sheep and every other stuffed animal into Mom’s bed
    • Waking up for church-Reagan and Anderson love the Sunday night “coloring class” and after church there were cookies and drinks upstairs!  Who could ask for more!

    Dennie Kids: April 10, 2010

    Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

    • A great Saturday morning to lay in bed-everyone even slept in a whole 20 minutes later than usual!
    • Playing in the den while Mom and then Dad ran on the treadmill (they are getting healthy-kind of)  Campbell smiling and kicking in her pack ‘n play during all of this (that is the only semi-safe place for her in the den (semi-safe because Graham drops in toys for her to play with and they often land on her)
    • Everyone getting on their clothes and having a bite of breakfast-around 11
    • Playing outside at Grannymom’s house while Mom and Dad ran lots of errands.  Campbell stayed awake the whole time and loved watching all of the action.  Reagan enjoyed “art” and Anderson liked the “picnic” they had at Grannymoms
    • Coming home and everyone taking a nap until after 5.  And then we just played until supper time
    • Leftovers for supper and then Movie Night.  Mom thought she had a great movie for us to watch-and it was good but it was only 30 minutes long.  We did have a back up to watch and was only able to watch some of it before bedtime. 
    • For movie nights, Dad uses the projector and shows the movie on a big sheet hanging in the den.  Everyone puts on their pajamas and gets their sleeping bags and pillows out.  Mom made popcorn and served cokes and M&Ms.  Reagan and Anderson sat completely still while Graham stands up and dances when there is music, walks around with his sleeping bag on his head and only sits still when he has food and a drink in front of him.  Campbell had her milk and then sat in Mom’s chair (while Mom sat on the floor) and watched the movie.  Fun times!

     

    Dennie Kids: April 9, 2010

    Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

    • Campbell waking up to eat around 5 and Graham followed around 6.  Graham did lay very still in Mom and Dad’s bed until Anderson woke up and then everyone was crawling all over everyone
    • Hearing few stories during breakfast and then playing in the den-they played traffic and zoo.  Playing zoo was quite coincidental because soon after April called and asked us to go to the zoo
    • Meeting Jacob and Ethan at the zoo.  The kids pretty much led the way but Reagan was asking about lunch around 11.  We ate our lunch on a pollen covered table which caused Anderson to start scratching!
    • Running by the library on the way home-April had books to drop off too so she stood by our cars while Mom ran in to drop off and check out her books
    • Afternoon naps for everyone and then a movie and some snacks before Dad came home
    • Mom having Graham tell Dad about the zoo.  Mom asked if he saw the bears and he said “uh huh” and then he said “hot”-Mom didn’t know what he was talking about until she remembered the bear statue Graham sat on and it was very hot!
    • Picking up a pizza and eating at a park.  The kids wanted to play in the backyard and Mom and Dad wanted to have a Friday night out-so we compromised.  They enjoyed the swings, see saw, merry go round, slide and little walk which made them quite tired
    • Anderson going to bed first since he fussed about going to bed at naptime.  Campbell and Graham followed soon and Reagan is sitting between Mom and Dad and is about to head to bed

    Dennie Kids: April 8, 2010

    Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

    • School day – which means everyone wanting to sleep in but Graham & Anderson were up first to get ready
    • Dad taking the big kids to school (Graham almost didn’t fuss but did for a minute); Mom taking Campbell to Nonna & Pops for a day of spoiling
    • Mom picking everyone up from school – Anderson was so excited he went to the big playground and got to play with Reagan and her friends
    • Everyone going to Nonna & Pops to pick up Campbell
    • Coming home and playing while waiting for Dad to get home
    • Mom fixed us the same supper she was taking to class meeting tonight – yummy party sandwiches and Dad topped it off with M&M’s for dessert
    • Playing cars and chase before watching a movie before bed; Campbell taking a bottle at 8:00 and going to bed with the big kids
    • Reagan & Anderson still up in their beds – trying to stay up until Mom gets home; probably won’t make it – they’re fading.

    Dennie Kids: April 7, 2010

    Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

    • Hanging out around the house this morning-Anderson and Graham played cars and trucks for quite a while
    • Breakfast and reading a few magazines and a Bible story
    • Everyone playing happily in the den while Mom was on the treadmill (strange occurrence!)  Mom only had to get off once and that was just for her own sake
    • Working on our workbooks and finishing Reagan’s homework while waiting on Nonna to come over and play
    • A movie and milk for Reagan, Anderson and Graham while Mom, Nonna and Campbell went through Reagan’s summer clothes (Mom has now finished moving winter clothes out and summer clothes in for everyone)….Though a friend from church did drop off 4 more boy boxes today-yeah!
    • Reagan having a major meltdown when Nonna was here.  Mom told her she had to stay upstairs until she was quiet-but she screamed at Mom for 20+ minutes! 
    • Lunch and then everyone playing dominos with Nonna and then a game of Candyland.  Candyland was a bit more difficult to play since Graham kept climbing on the game board
    • Afternoon naps for all-everyone slept soundly during the thunder
    • Going to church early with Dad and then see Cubbie at Awanas.  Mom watched Anderson during puppets and he sat completely still and heard every bit of it (and was even able to tell us about it later)
    • Reagan having to go to bed early tonight due to her earlier fit.  Campbell even finished her bottle and went to bed when everyone else did tonight

    Dennie Kids: April 6, 2010

    Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

    • Campbell waking up at 5 this morning to eat and then Mom and Dad sleeping until 7:15.  That is great, except on school mornings when the goal is to leave at 7:45
    • Everyone getting dressed and ready without a fuss.  We were all in our cars by almost 8 with breakfast in our laps
    • Anderson getting into a little bit of trouble when Dad dropped him off at school-including a spanking (a light one, but a spanking nonetheless)-he growled at Dad and that is a no-no
    • A good day at school by all-Anderson’s favorite part was seeing Reagan on the playground, Reagan’s favorite was when Mom came to pick her up.  Mom asked Graham if he had a good day and he said “uh huh”
    • Campbell having a big day at Grannymom’s house-she enjoys the attention so much that she only took a few short naps
    • A little bit of chalk drawing at Grannymom’s and then coming home for a snack and a few stories before Mom kicked everyone out of the kitchen
    • Supper with Grannymom and Grandpa-Dad cooked and he made lots and lots of food.  Afterwards, we all played outside for a little bit before coming in
    • Dad deciding that we needed a quick shower instead of a bath-the natives weren’t too happy about this but they did great.  Graham loved the shower and wasn’t too crazy about getting out but did for some milk
    • Mom scoring our NCAA brackets.  We picked before each round and the picking process was quite entertaining.  Needless to say, since Mom scored the brackets, she also won the contest with 42 points.  Dad came in second with 40, Reagan with 27 points and Anderson with 26 points.  Mom regretted not making Graham fill out a bracket-she might could have gotten the picks out of him!

    Dennie Kids: April 5, 2010

    Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

    • Grannymom coming to get Reagan, Anderson and Graham early this morning so they could watch the tree man cut down their trees.  They loved watching it!
    • Campbell and Mom working in Anderson’s closet-Anderson is all ready for summer now.  Campbell is a great helper.  She watches Mom for a bit and then falls asleep-she did this while Mom was in Anderson’s closet, emptying the dishes, on the treadmill and while Mom was ironing
    • The kids trying out their new kites from the Easter bunny with Grannymom.  They were a big hit even though they didn’t go that high.  Grannymom said that Graham tried just as hard as Reagan and Anderson did
    • Everyone coming home to cool off and watch a movie before nap.  Anderson did NOT want to take a nap and he was rather distracting to Reagan.  Graham and Campbell slept through it all.  They all did finally sleep for a long while
    • Dad coming home and helping Mom cook supper.  Dad told Anderson that if he ate his food he could go and ride on the “tractor”-needless to say they all cleaned their plates.  Graham would run as far away from it as he could, until it was his turn and then he was clamoring to get on
    • Baths and a quick movie before bedtime

    Video: 2010 Easter (April 4, 2010)

    Dennie Kids: April 4, 2010

    Highlights from today:  (click here for pictures)

    (click here for video)

    • Easter morning and baths for everyone and then eating strawberries and eggs in Mom’s rooms while watching a movie
    • Putting on our new Easter duds and heading downstairs to see what the Easter bunny had left us.  Reagan said it was “just like Christmas and Santa”-but only on a much, much smaller scale
    • To church for Sunday school and it truly was a miracle-Graham didn’t cry this morning going into his class!  Anderson was excited to go in his class too since Mr. Ralph was back
    • Lunch at Nonna’s along with an Easter egg hunt and eating lots and lots of chocolate candy
    • Afternoon naps for all-especially Campbell since our “star” needed her rest.  Anderson needing his rest too since he was feeling pretty puny this morning-he is coughing up a storm!
    • Back to church for The Kingdom.  Campbell was baby Jesus tonight and she did pretty well.  Only a little fussing, so definitely better than Reagan when she was baby Jesus.  (Click here for pictures of when Reagan played baby Jesus)
    • Reagan and Anderson sat with Mom, Dad and Grannymom and watched the entire program.  Reagan did lean over to Mom once and whisper “this is like my movie when the ants get mad at the grasshoppers"-not real sure what she is talking about so maybe Mom will have to watch “It’s a Bug’s Life” and find out
    • During The Kingdom, Jesus did walk right by us and he looked at Reagan and said “Jesus loves you”-it was the best part of the night for Mom
    • Skittles and milk before bed-and it seems like everyone is very, very tired since there is not a sound to be heard…oh, except for that cough I hear now!