Vegas, Baby!!

We just returned from a very hot couple of days in Vegas! Whenever we asked Josh where we were going, he would say "Vegas, Baby!" Here is our mini vacation in pictures...

We had to stop on the side of the road near Victorville to take a picture of Josh with a Joshua tree. He loved that he and the tree shared a name!

We stayed 2 nights at the Luxor hotel. We had a great room on the 22nd floor. We had the best view. It was of the airport, the strip, and the tram. So, Josh and Zach would sit at the window in their chairs and watch the planes and helicopters land, watch all the cars, and watch the "train" (the tram that went from the Excalibur to the Luxor to Mandalay Bay).

We all enjoyed riding in the Inclinators (the elevators that go at an angle). Every time we went to or from the inclinators Josh looked at this statue and said "We met those guys" and Zach would look at the statue and say "Those are the scary guys!"

We went swimming in the Luxor Pool. When we first arrived to the pool their was a sign that said "the only gay and lesbian pool party on the strip" so we panicked until we read that it was only happening on one date and that we would not be there!

We rode the "train," but Zach fell asleep on our walk to the tram so he didn't get to enjoy like we had hoped he would. But, Josh enjoyed it so much that we stayed on for 3 trips!

Ben got a bath in the hotel sink!

We visited MnM World and saw how MnM's were made. Josh and Zach made a "penny" from the machine that stretches and puts a picture on a penny.

Then we visited Coke World and drank glass bottled cokes in the soda fountain shop in the store. We had to do a "cheers" and even Ben got his first drink of coke!

We visited our friends the Carltons and were able to see their new house. We ate lunch with them and Zach stuck gum in Devin's hair. I felt so bad for Devin who is the same age as Zach. I went over to their house that evening to get the gum our of his hair with a jar of peanut butter and a fine tooth comb! We were also able to visit my Aunt Nancy and family and my Aunt Betty. We had a nice dinner with Aunt Nancy and swam at Aunt Betty's!

After lunch and swimming with Aunt Betty the kids were worn out and ready for a long drive home. Josh slept for half the ride and Zach slept for a little more than half. While Zach was sleeping he got a visit from the hair fairy! We all got a good laugh when we saw his hair, so I had to take a picture. We made it home before dark. so the kids were able to play outside for a bit and get a treat from the ice cream man! We had a great little vacation and can't wait to go back!

Big Eater Ben!

We have been feeding Ben baby food and he has been loving it! I make homemade baby food for him, usually whatever veggie we eat for dinner. He never makes faces like his brothers when trying new food. He just grabs the spoon and tries to shovel it in his mouth. He even cries if I don't feed him fast enough! Here is a video of him trying his first food, squash, and a play-by-play from Josh and Zach!

It's a Kabo thing!

Today was a huge day in our lives! We had our hearing in which Faith was made an official Kabo! Sean adopted her and we had a huge celebration!

When we arrived in the court room, our group was so large that we allowed to sit in the Jury Booth! The bailiff told us that they had just wrapped up a sentencing hearing for a death penalty case and that they were all very excited to be doing adoptions for the day! They called each family in to the Judge's Chambers one at a time from the youngest child being adopted to the oldest. Faith was the oldest, so we were last. Which worked out well as we were the largest group they had ever had! We were told that the Judges Chambers were too small for our large group and that the judge would come out and make her ruling in the courtroom. Faith, Sean, the judge and I all signed the court papers and then it was official! We took pictures and were told that not only were we the largest group, but that there had never been so many cameras and pictures taken! The flashes just kept going off! It was very exciting and happened very quickly. Now, we just have to wait a year for her birth certificate!

Later, when we returned home, we partied and celebrated our new official family! We had 45 people in our house who celebrated with us! We all had a great time and can't wait to celebrate it again next year!

Thrush

Last Saturday, I noticed a little white dot on Ben's lip. Then when he stuck his tongue out (which he always does when he smiles) I noticed two more white dots on his tongue. I thought it was thrush and asked my brother Tyler and his wife who have been vacationing at our house, and they too thought it was thrush. So, the doctor called in a perscription for it. Now it has spread and looks worse, even though he is taking medicine for it. My poor baby! I'm just thankful that it doesn't hurt him.

Happy Half Birthday Baby Ben

Benjamin is now 6 months old. He just had his check up today and weighs 13 lbs and 6 oz. He is a super easy baby, always smiling! He takes 3 good naps a day, rolls all over the floor, and does his baby push-ups.

It's sad to see him grow up so fast, but I'm enjoying every minute of it. He is such a joy in our lives!

Zachisms

Zach is at that age where he can carry on a conversation with you, but hasn't mastered the English language yet! And he says the funniest things. Here is a list of his funniest "Zachisms."

When he drinks from a freshly poured soda and he can feel the fizz on his face, he says "It's raining!"

When he helps me carry in the groceries from the van to the house and I give him a bag that is too heavy, he says "It's too tight!"

When we go to Moonlight beach and park on the hill, facing up, he says "We're upside down!"

I am always telling Zach to get dressed, so now when he brings me his clothes he says "Here's my dress" or when he gets dressed, he says "I have my dress on!"

When Zach sneezes, I say "God bless you" and instead of saying "I sneezed," Zach says "I blessed!"

Goodbye Josh and Zach!

Big Josh and Big Zach moved to Idaho today! I am sure my Josh and Zach will miss them. They were great kids. I know they loved that my kids have the same names. They were so protective of my Josh and Zach. They would walk with them across the street, help them get out of the street when a car drove by and include them in all the neighborhood games! They will be missed!

Visit to the Dentist

Josh and Zach had their annual visit to the dentist today. Yes, I know they're supposed to go 2 times a year, but we just don't get around to it! They did great with the X-rays. Josh went first and Zach followed. They were fine with the dentist looking in their mouths, but not very happy about the cleanings. They both had to sit on my lap while they were getting their teeth cleaned. The only way I could get Zach to sit on me and get his teeth cleaned was to show him the sucker thing, which we called the vacuum!! (Zach has a major obsession with vacuums!) Zach refused to get the fluoride in his mouth, even though this was the easiest thing. They wanted to rub a cloth dipped in bubble gum flavored fluoride over his teeth really quick. He freaked out, so I tried to do it but was only able to do the top teeth.

And to answer your burning question....YES, they do have cavities. Which is probably why we only go once a year. We have to schedule a consultation with the pediatric dentist, then wait for insurance to approve it, then wait for an appointment to get the cavities filled. This will take a few months and that is probably why we only make it once a year!

4th of July

This was the first year in a very long time that we stayed local for the 4th of July. We had a great day! We spent the day swimming in the pool and spent the night across the street with the O'Donells, in their backyard watching fireworks, eating cupcakes and Popsicles, and pulling the strings to make the little bottle poppers go off and pop open with streamers. Josh, Zach, and their youngest son, Patrick, danced to 'The Star Spangled Banner" and played together. Ben cried a lot (when he rarely cries and we are not sure why). Faith talked with their two oldest about which houses have the best candy on Halloween! It was a great way to celebrate our country's Independence!

Be sure to check back with this blog, because I will post the pictures and a video of the boys dancing very soon!

Full House

For the past few days my brother, Tyler, sister-in-law, LaVonne, and niece, Bella have been staying with us. During their visit my dad and family has come down to our house for dinner and my mom has stayed a couple days. So, we have had a house full and it has been wonderful.

We have gone to the beach and gone swimming with Tyler, LaVonne, Bella, and my mom. Josh and Zach just love that Bella is here. I think Zach likes that there is someone smaller than him that he can play with. He gets right in Bella's face and she gives him a look that says "what are you doing in my face?" He tries to treat her more like a baby, than the big girl she is!

When my dad, step-mom, and my youngest brother and sister, James and Meghann came down we sat outside and BBQ ribs and hamburgers. Some how James taught Josh how to swing by himself, without being pushed. Sean and I have been trying to figure out how James did it, because we have been working with Josh for months trying to get him to swing on his own. We have been teaching him how to pump his leg and lean back and forth. He said James just told him to do it fast. And that worked. We no longer have to push Josh on the swing, he wont let us push him, and now I miss it!

After several days of having my brother and family here, they are off to Europe tomorrow. They will be back in two and a half weeks. So, Josh and Zach will have Bella back before they even know she is gone and we can continue right where we left off by going to the beach and swimming.