Destination: WILLIAMSBURG,VA

We made it and didn’t hit any of our children or the 30 or so deer we saw alongside the dark winding country roads! As usual, we got spoiled by my parents with our own 2 bedroom condo complete with dining room, kitchen, screened in porch and honeymoon suite. We made ourselves at home just in time to hit the sack.

Grandparents are the best! My dad offered to watch the kids the first night as he sent us out the door with money to splurge on a nice dinner. We went to one of the poshest restaurants I have ever been to, which was obvious as we opened the door and saw the host in a tux. We are so glad they let us in wearing flip flops because we had the best steaks we had ever tasted! It was so nice to be together and not in a moving vehicle!

Highlights of our week in Williamsburg:

- Having Damian with us without worries of work or school!

- Relaxing in the hot tub under the stars/ lightening bugs

- Spending time with family: my grandparents, aunts, uncles,

cousins and being reminded how awesome the Dudley family is!

The kids with their Great Grandparents: Doris & Lamont Dudley

My Dad's only sister Laura, her husband Tony and their kids-

the best babysitters around

One of my dad's 6 brothers, Greg, convincing Landon to put his

shoes onafter he 'gets his sugar!'

- Catching lightening bugs that Landon was scared of

- Cooking for a crowd- spaghetti, lemon trifle, taco salad and

hootenannies-I think I would have made my mom proud!

- Kids basketball hoop, larger than life chess and checkers used for

everything besides actually playing the games

- Sailing aboard the schooner Alliance on the

James River with my grandparents- the cutest in the world!

- Playing on the beach in Yorktown- we found a huge

jellyfish we had to bury in the sand

- Ben & Jerry’s Coconut Layered Ice cream…seriously!

- Papa teaching Eden how to dive- she caught on quick!

- All the kids turning into fish from swimming every day

- Liberty (Damian’s) not to shave and be at one with the beard

- Poolside chatter and smoothies- pina colada anyone?

- Kids activities: Eden and I made jewelry & the kids painted backpacks

- Competitive (well Damian was competing…surprise!) pool Basketball games

- Attempting (keyword) a hilly (another keyword) 6 mile

bike ride with the kids

- Puzzles, magazines, books, matchbox cars, motorcycles and monster trucks

- Eden’s sleepover with Papa & breakfast in bed (yogurt & an ice cream cone!)

- Bubble baths in a tub for two and the kids jumping off the ledge onto the bed

- Go karts and mini stock car races- we were in NASCAR country!

Thanks Dad for such an awesome week and spoiling us like

always! It could have only been better if mom and the

rest of the family were with us!

Father's Day on Wheels

On the road again…

We left the beach just as a storm blew in. Great timing and great idea to get the kids worn out! Landon napped for almost 4 hours! I am now contemplating filling a room in our house with sand. The kids did great as we racked up another late night on the road to Gatlinburg, TN.

As we drove into Dollywood Country, I could not believe all the tourist attractions. I mean, we are talking miles and miles of mini golf, rides, concert halls, pancake houses, and random things like the cars from Dukes of Hazard. That part reminded me of Panama City, Florida, but being nestled in the Great Smokey Mountains gave it rugged charm. I was shocked to learn that Dollywood was Tennessee’s number one attraction, but apparently I was the last one in on that secret; the city was packed.

Damian booked a last minute hotel room over the phone, and once again we were pleasantly surprised! The best part was the outdoor pool, complete with a spiraling water slide. The kids had fun, but it was there dad who couldn’t get enough.

It was hilarious to watch. There was a big sign at the entrance to the slide that read, ‘DO NOT GO DOWN HEAD FIRST.’ I was just reading it as I watched Damian’s arms and head with a huge smile plastered on the front emerge first through the tunnel with two laughing boys on his back. When I questioned him about his judgment he just said, “They can’t read yet!”

Happy Father’s Day to the best and most fun dad on the planet, Damian! We are so lucky to have you and we all love you so much!

When we got back on the road we detoured through Smokey Mountain National Park. It was absolutely breathtakingly (is that a word?) beautiful! We stopped and hiked for a while on the Appalachian Trail. I was amazed to learn that it spans 2,500 miles and covers 14 states from Georgia to Maine. The kids had a blast running around and climbing and then it was one last motorcycle sighting before we were all buckled back in Oddy...

2008 Road Trip I

Why do things ALWAYS take longer than I plan? Even though I know they take longer and I try to account for my bad judgment of time? And when will I learn that I have to pack when Damian isn’t around or he will give me grief about every cotton pickin’ thing I add? This year he had the new excuse, “Every ounce we put in the car is going to cost us more in gas.” So needless to say I was grumpy and by the end I didn’t care what was packed, but I am sure my husband would now agree that at least an umbrella stroller would have been a worth the $0.02 it would have tacked onto our trip’s grand total!

Our ‘happy’ family FINALLY hit the road last Friday around 7:30pm. We had booked a Farifield Inn in Gulfport, MS that we pulled into around 2 am. I couldn't resist making everyone mad to catch this snapshot of our three cuties sleeping together. (The next picture I took they were all scowling and had their hands over their eyes.) What can I say besides I am a mom who can't resist my camera at a time like this. Maybe it's all the white that makes them seem so angelic?

After breakfast we hit the sand that was right across the street! I never know what we are getting into when we book hotels online, but this one was a nice surprise despite the area being hard hit by hurricane Katrina a few years ago. We actually found some pieces of roof in the ocean, and were amazed the water was only a couple feet deep almost a quarter a mile out. As we drove around there was more evidence that the storm left it’s mark. Several of the buildings were still damaged and we saw quite a few concrete slabs that were once foundations.

The highlight of Gulfport for me was watching Landon experience the beach. He couldn’t figure out how to walk in the sand because it moved every time he took a step. It took him a good 10 minutes of me encouraging him to get used to it, and then he met his match with the ocean. He got really upset when he realized that his feet had disappeared beneath the wet sand, but by the time we had to hit the road again it was hard to pull the little sandy beach bum away!

letdown...

I have been looking forward to my appointment with my endocrinologist for weeks. I almost woke up excited for it this morning! Don’t act surprised, you know I am odd. Becky even volunteered to come watch my kids so I didn’t have to pay a babysitter $30 and pay for parking! We love Becky! She has saved my life several times, but we truly became blood sisters as she agreed to a 6 day road trip with me and our four kids ages 5 and under last summer. I don’t know why she still likes me either, but I am so grateful!

So, I go running into the office. No, not because I was that excited…of course I was late! However, I did surprise Dr. Smith with an enthusiastic hug. I was perched on the edge of my seat waiting for him to give me the good news. TOTAL LETDOWN! I guess I shouldn’t use that word too casually since I am currently dealing with a little prolactin issue. I will spare you the details, but let’s just say that the girls have been working overtime and making my other hormones slack off.

I guess I was hoping that my doctor would tell me that my hormone levels look great, which means I should be on my way to becoming Mary Poppins! You know…a spoon full of sugar, merry go rounds, racing horses…and she does it all with energy and a smile?

No luck. So if you know where I can find Mary Poppins will you tell me so I can tell her where to shove her sugary spoon?

On a positive note, my next blood tests don’t require fasting! I mean all a girl wants is a little energy. Is that too much to ask? Don’t even comment and tell me to try working out…touchy subject at the moment.

The highlight of my day: watching my ripped husband and his three mini-mes exercise. Damian has been working out with P90x dvds. My favorite is a toss up between watching him do yoga and listening to our house shake when he does the jumping one. The kids love to work out with him, and Eden usually hangs in there for the full hour! You go girl! Here are my cuties who all have more energy than me.

Muscles as Big as His Heart!

Last Sunday at dinner Damian told Carter that someone from our church was moving. Damian asked him if he would like to go with him to help this guy move his stuff. I hope I never forget the look on Carter’s face! Precious! He looked at me first, gauging to see if he had heard right, and then this smile started to creep higher and higher onto his cheeks. Too cute! We could both tell that he thought he was hot stuff! He whole heartedly agreed that he was old enough to be a big helper, and proceeded to demonstrate his strength by standing on his chair and flexing his bulging muscles!

Every morning this week he has asked, “Is today Thursday?” Convincing him to eat extra healthy this week has been so easy too. Anything to make his muscles bigger and stronger! After breakfast Carter asked Damian if he was ready to go, and I thought the discouraged look on his face would break my heart when Damian told him he had to wait until after dinner. He was a trooper for the wait though, and his enthusiasm never waned.

As soon as Damian walked in the door from work Carter helped him take off his shoes. He then raced into his closet to pick out Daddy’s moving clothes, a t-shirt and ‘slippery’ (mesh) shorts, so they could match. We plowed through dinner with the promise of bigger muscles and ice cream with dad after the move.

On Sunday the new Elders Quorum president asked if Carter could come into Priesthood during the announcements. He proceeded to spotlight Carter for being so willing to come and for all the help he was during the move. Carter just stood there trying not to smile but couldn’t help himself when he was awarded a big bag of M&Ms for his service!

We are amazed at how BIG Carter's heart must be and can't quite figure out how one so big could fit into his little body! He cares about everyone and tiptoes around quietly helping others in any way he can. We are so proud!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, rarely does this helping include chores around the house.