Labor Day Weekend

Okay, so my slow computer killed my motivation for posting our Oregon trip. I promise that I will get to it. We did so many wonderful things in the 3 weeks out there it would be a shame not to post them. However, it will have to wait.
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Last weekend we headed to Rockford, TN (just outside Knoxville) to spend some time with good friends at Lake Douglas for Labor Day. Jess' parents have the most adorable lake house which was perfect for relaxing and enjoying company. The boys did great on the drive the extra two hours it took to get down there because of a huge car accident. It was a blast, we all has tons of fun.

I've been fighting with my camera, my old camera. It's so unpredictable or maybe very predictable...low light = fuzzy photos. I was so spoiled with the new camera that I lost earlier this summer. So sad. Not all photos are bad thank goodness.

Here is the cute summer home and this photo DOES NOT give it justice. Jess' mom is a total green thumb and the flower beds are amazing.
The lake was down for various reasons but that didn't stop the fun.
Here we are practicing!
We decided going solo was a way better option for both boys.
Axel wanted a little more practice before the real thing.
Then he was off! What a big boy! Although he did not cry, he was not too excited to go again. Tubing in the big lake all by himself was a little scary. So brave!
Jess standing on a sand bar in the middle of the lake.
Bentley enjoying the weekends last moments of sun.
A whole family photo on the sand bar. Think Mommy needs to work on her tan?! I guess living in Florida will fix that problem. :)
Daddy, Bentley and Lucas...notice the dark clouds?
It got darker and darker so we packed it up and headed back to the house.Bentley...a perfect combination of class and sexiness!
We had wonderful meals too, so tasty!
There was even duck hunting.
And beverage drinking.
Can't go to Tennessee without a good sip of moonshine! This one was pumpkin flavored and one tiny sip was perfect for me.
Jess, Axel, Bentley & Lucas.Yummy pancakes in the morning and a wonderful discover of Bruce's Sweet Potato Pancakes. For an extra tasty treat, we tossed in some fresh blueberries. DELICIOUS!!!
Back on the boat but this time the focus was on jumping, back flips and race swimming to go along after tubing.
I think Axel was trying to figure out how Jess did that back flip?!
Getting ready for more jumps.

Vicki took the time to give Lucas a lesson in chess. I secretly listened in so I could learn too. I had no idea it was so fun!I'm sure you noticed the hat. This was a project which started at home the week before. "Mom, I want to make a fun hat." And that's exactly what he did. It totally evolved over the weekend with accessories and decorations.
Bentley was a HUGE help in the hat development.
It even has a color wheel propeller.
Here's a little peek at the house which is similar to our cabin but much bigger. Thank you Jess, Bentley, Vicki and Jim! WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE HOSPITALITY!
Daddy was only able to join us for a day before driving the Jetta to Niceville, Florida. Yes, this is the same '97 Jetta I purchased back in Utah which now has over 300,000 miles on it. It has made it from Utah to Colorado to Ohio and now Florida. She made her journey with Daddy this past weekend to go house hunting. I was sure she would give up but she's a trooper.

Daddy flew home yesterday and he did find us a perfect house. We are so excited about the big trees and huge back yard. We expected palm trees and instead we ended up with big, gorgeous pine trees! I have a feeling Florida is going to be better than we ever thought. :) Daddy is excited about the move after spending a good 3 days down there getting to know the area. If all goes well with our application and lease signing, this will be our new home in Bluewater Bay...
We are so proud of Daddy for taking the lead on the house hunting. We decided last minute not to drag the whole family down so he had the big job of viewing all sorts of houses and making the big decision. He did awesome!!

A Baby, A Rocket and A Ride

I want to introduce you to Daddy's new baby. She's a big girl (we like to call her big boned) and a little challenging, finicky and hard to manage but we still love her.
We adopted her from a youth group family in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She wasn't going to let go easily, it took a whole day to convince her that living in Florida is a good thing. Hmmm...I wish it only took a day to convince us that living in Florida is a good thing but we have all agreed that Florida will be wonderful and an opportunity we will take full advantage of. :)

As you can see, SHE IS A BIG GIRL! She's a rock climbing treadwall about 10'x 8'...it will be interesting finding her a bedroom.
If you look closely, you can see that there are only a few holds and a few holes for other potential holds so Daddy came up with a plan. Two days, 369 drilled holes, 369 nuts, 2 sore backs and 2 annoyed kids, we have a BIG GIRL with lots of potential. She will not be fully tested until we get settled in Florida but she is definitely part of the family now.

Needless-to-say, we had lot of "at home" time which is very rare in this family. In between all the drilling, Daddy and Lucas worked on a very important project.

One of Lucas' birthday presents was a rocket. Daddy and Lucas (with Axel close by) assembled the rocked one evening with a launch scheduled a day later. This is a long time to wait for two excited boys but they were patient and their patience paid off.
Axel was SOOOO patient...so sweet!It was a great opportunity to catch up on park, play and bike time.
For those of you who have ever talked to Lucas on the phone, this might be what you are dealing with...
My little nail biter.
FINALLY! After waiting and waiting and waiting it was launch time. We were a little nervous because Hurricane Irene had sent some wind but we were willing to give it a try. We made sure Lucas knew the risks and the potential loss of a rocket with the wind, the trees and the roof of the high school. He was in despite the risks!This is Axel imagining what the launch was going to be like. He was half excited and half nervous.
Don't worry, Daddy has the safety key which is needed for the launcher to activate. We have a very smart Daddy...a PhD Daddy! :)
The first launch.
The parachute...this is a good sign.
And the winds were nice to us, a perfect launch and recovery.
Two happy boys!
We had to set up for a few more launches.
Lucas was even kind enough to let Axel launch the last one. We had three great launches, three recoveries and three more engines to launch another day! SUCCESS!
Sunday morning we participated in the 40th Annual Wright Wride. They had different distances to chose from 26, 50, 75, 100...so we opted for the "Anderson Modified 50 Miler." All in all, we did 35 miles with one snack shack break and a lunch in the park. It's a perfect way to do a family bike ride, the upcoming stops kept everyone motivated. We were tired afterwards but had a blast.
Yes, we had matching jerseys...soooo cute! They are the jerseys Mike, his brother's and father wore (and designed) this summer to ride the coast of Oregon. I will be blogging about this soon too. I love them and love peoples reaction too them.
What a great weekend!