4th of JULY

So when Wendi and Brian invited us up to Pinetop for the fourth I am sure they were just doing it out of obligation not thinking that we would ACTUALLY come with them but we did! We had so much fun escaping the heat and enjoying Brian's family cabins. Here is our travel log: Friday morning we arose bright and early (that would be 8:00 for us Knollmillers) and set out for the three hour drive. After a brief run to QT for some donuts and Diet Dew we were on the road. Here is a picture of our boys excited in the car - still in the garage. About 20 minutes into the drive Mason says - "what does that sign say - cabin soon?" Yep Mason, cabin soon. Thank heavens for portable DVD players. That pretty much kept them quiet most of the road and Jay and I enjoyed a little John Denver until the road got windy and I had to say goodnight.

We arrived at the cabin a few short hours later and Wendi and Brian, Brian's parents and grandparents were there to greet us. The boys decided pretty quickly to go fishing and somehow Wendi and I got the good fortune of staying home with the little ones (Talon and Hudson) and basically lounged around talking, eating and mostly eating. Here are some pictures of the boys fishing. I think they scared the fish though as nobody really caught anything.

Later that night after a yummy dinner the boys settled in to watch a movie and the adults attempted to play a game of Mexican train but the kids did not quite allow that to happen. We got through only two rounds but it was fun. Talon decided he did not need any sleep that night which made for kind of a long night for Jay and I but somehow we got a little energy together for the next day.

The weather could not have been more perfect and Brian's grandparents had plenty for the kids to do. We had a sandbox, dogs, pigeons, horses, swingsets, baseball, hammocks, FOOD, and bubbles for the little ones. They pretty much played outside for most of the time we were there. We did venture into Showlow and then decided to head up to Sunrise to do the ski lift. Not really having planned on doing this before we left we did not pack the appropriate attire for our kids and when we got up there it was about 50 degrees and raining. If you know my kids they have zero tolerance for cold weather









Here is a picture of Mason freezing his little buns off at Sunrise.

After Sunrise we were a bit hungry and figured what is more American than McDonalds? Yum.
We headed back to the cabin and put on our party hats. We had a fabulous dinner - barbecued beef, pasta salad, and a bunch of other yummy things I don't remember topped off with some delicious homemade ice cream. I of course made the boys sing their patriotic songs and then they did some poppers.







We finished the evening with a fireworks show in Show Low and here we are waiting for them to begin. The kids loved it for about 15 minutes and so we lasted about a half hour and then decided to hit the road.
Lucky for us the kids slept all three hours home and Jay and I just enjoyed being together in peace and quiet. So till next year Brian and Wendi!! Thanks for inviting us - Mason now wants to move to Pinetop and live in a cabin.

SO... where to begin??  I have been absent from the blogging world but decided tonight that I am feeling like "journaling" so here goes.  I am so glad to have last week behind me.  As most of you know I teach at a gym and about every three months or so we have a launch where we do the latest releases of all of our formats.  This time around I was launching four different programs and while I love all of them - it was a ton of work and consumed my week (I think it ended up being 12 classes or so but after about 8 who really cares?)  This is just one of the pictures from Bodypump where Lori and I went on a rock concert around the world.  It was a lot of fun.  Thanks Lori for helping me out!

There has been a lot going on besides the gym as well.  Jay was very excited this past weekend to take Mason and Brock on the Father and Sons campout.  They had a fabulous time with their Dad as usual, and I enjoyed a night with just Talon and me.  They said they saw a raccoon, squirrels and a dead horse although Jay was not so sure:)

Below is a picture of Easter.  The boys were able to go on many Easter egg hunts, including one at home, one at Grandma Janet's house and one at Aunt Lori's house.  You could say they are spoiled rotten!
I had to throw in this picture of Brock.  He is such a fun kid and always has me cracking up with his deep little voice.  Tonight he about broke my heart when he told me that he had no friends at the gym.  He is not quite as social as his older brother Mason but he is a heartbreaker.  He is doing well in preschool and loves to go see Miss Tiffany.  Their preschool teacher is awesome and they come home knowing all kinds of interesting things.
Okay - so I always made fun of those Moms that said they cried when their children went to kindergarten.  I CANNOT believe that Mason will be in kindergarten in the fall!  It makes me want to cry right now.  We are hoping that he will get into Franklin in the fall and take all of that knowledge from Miss Tiffany into school.  He is a very active child and keeps me laughing all day.  If only his teeth would come in!
And then there was Talon.  I can't believe my baby is ONE!  It just seems to go faster and faster with each one.  Talon is crazy and spastic.  That is the only way to describe him.  He is little and fast.  He looks way too small to do the things he does.   He reminds me a lot of Mason and is very headstrong.  Below is a picture of him at the boys' fieldtrip to the grocery store and he had to wear a hairnet.  You can tell he was really happy about that.  He is an easy kid though and has made the transition from two kids to three very easy on his Mommy.  Anwho - just a quick update and maybe I will feel like "journaling" again in another 6 months!

Cruisin

So I can't decide between facebook and blogging.  Facebook seems to be a bit easier for me to use but since I have a few extra minutes I thought I would talk about our vacation from last week.  We got to go on a cruise with all of Jay's family (there were 21 of us total including Talon)  We went on Royal Carribean which was fun because I had never been on that cruise line before and also because they had a really good kids program that kept the kids busy from 9 in the morning until 10 at night.  We did typical cruise things - eat, eat and eat!  I tried to be good but after about 5 minutes I said who cares!  It was yummy and I ate myself through the whole week.  Jay and I got off the ship in Catalina Island where he took the boys on a submarine ride and then we also went to Ensenada and walked around and bought a few things.  I got some good sun and had fun with all the family.  Mason and Brock had the best time for sure and wanted to know when we could get on another cruise ship!  Below are just a few pictures from our trip.

Updates

So it has been a few weeks since I have posted anything so here are the recent happenings in the Knollmiller home.  Soccer started last week and the boys had their first game on Saturday.  I did not make Mason's game but as I understand he was able to score a goal and according to his Dad (who is never biased)  he is the fastest kid ever.  He finally "gets it" this year and I think his parents will really enjoy watching him play.  Brock started his first year of soccer and after we got him over the wardrobe hurdles he did very well.  The most exciting part is that Jay is his coach and he tells everyone fifty times that his Daddy is his coach.  The least exciting part is that there are only two kids on his team right now (one of them being Brock) and so we don't know if Daddy will remain his coach as he might be added to another team.  We will just have to see.  I was proud of Brock for getting on the field and running around with all the other three year olds.  It is quite entertaining at this age.  Half of them are crying while the other half run aimlessly around the field.  But hey, you gotta start somewhere.

Another joy has been this little cutie pie Talon.  He is the most hyper baby I have ever encountered and very rarely stops moving.  I have enjoyed this one the most - probably because he is the third and I am much more relaxed and realize how quickly they grow!  It is kind of sad that he is almost a half a year!  Crazy how time flies.  Just thought I would post a few of our latest pictures.

First Day of Preschool

So here are the two boys getting ready for preschool.  This will be Mason's second year of preschool and Brockie's first year.  Brock got to drop Mason off at preschool all of last year so you can imagine how excited he was to find out that he got to get out of the car and go to school.  He was SO excited that he actually sat on the toilet and went poops AND if that weren't enough he let me put gel in his hair (that NEVER happens).  I dropped them off at Miss Tiffany's house and the boys were very excited to find that she had a bin full of plastic animals for them to play with.  When I picked them up Brock was very excited to show me the pictures that he painted and Mason told me that I was wrong and they DID have snacks at this preschool.  Brock has also been talking about a certain little girl named Lexi in his class that is so funny.  Tiffany - I think he may have a little crush on your daughter.  Anyways, it was a great start to Brock's many years of school.  He wanted to make sure that he could go back again.  YES!!  What I wouldn't do to have some time with just Talon.  

Happy Birthday to ME!

So usually I see on peoples' blogs all the reasons why they love their family members on their birthdays but since I am the only blogger in this household I thought why not say why I love myself?  So here goes - 32 reasons why I am fabulous.

1 - I can paint my own toenails like nobody's business.  People will look at my toes and say, "oh your pedicure looks really good."  Nope, did it myself.

2 - I have good taste in men - Jay was a great pick.

3 - I love to clean.  I can turn on some good tunes and go to town on my toilets. (They usually need this due to all my boys bad aim)

4 - I can get really tan.

5 - I am awesome at popping zits. (if you don't believe me ask Wendi)

6 - I am not at all hairy.

7 - I am the treat lady - ask my neices and nephews.  Logan at one point wanted to live with me because of our stacked pantry.

8 - I have a fabulous sense of humor.  If you don't believe me read my blog:)

9 - I have a very pleasant phone voice.

10 - I am a good wife.  I make dinner at least once a week.

11 - I am a great daughter.  My Mom tells me everyday.

12 - I can sew a straight line.

13 - I am a fun mom.  My kids and I make up dances in the car.  We have to do something to pass all the time we spend in the car!

14 - I have a very keen sense of smell.  This has been a blessing and a curse.  Mostly a curse.

15 - I am a faithful exerciser. (It helps when someone pays you)

16 - I am fantastic at multitasking.  I can drive, talk on the phone, eat and yell at my kids all at the same time.

17 - I am obviously very efficient with my time.  This post is proof.

18 - I think I am a good mom.  No one has ever called CPS on me - yet.

19 - I am a good sister.  Not great, but good.

20 - I have a hearty appetite.  I can really chow down for a girl.

21 - I have a genuine concern for our economy.  I shop everyday.

22 - I am musical.  I of course could not dream to sing as well as my husband Jay but I can carry a tune.

23 - Did I mention I am funny?

24 - I am good with boys.  I figure I must be because God gave me 3 good ones.

25 - I got mad computer skills.

26 - I am really good at watching tv.  I can find something to watch even when there is nothing on.

27 - I am young at heart.  I could sit and watch Sponge Bob with my kids forever.  (that show is funny!)

28 - Mom - I promise I do more than watch tv - I also enjoy a good movie:-)

29 - I have nice feet.  In our family this is something special.

30 - My Mom says I have good style.  What she doesn't know is that I go to Buckle and buy the things the young sales girl tells me to.  

31 - I am a good at hitting the snooze button.  I can hit it up to 5 times before I actually get up!

32 - Are we there already?  32 years young.  I hope this next year is as good as this past one has been!  Thanks to all of you who made this day special for me!

 

Updates

So it has been awhile since I have posted anything so I thought I would just update what we have all been up to. It has been a good summer although I am ready for cooler temperatures and a little more structure in our lives. Jay is keeping busy with work as usual but the excitement in his life has tripled this summer as we said goodbye to the old tv. It has served us well but we are now entering the high definition world. So goodbye old friend...

and hello new friend! Jay researched and researched and decided that this was the best deal we could possibly get on a new tv so here it is just in time for the Olympics! (I have to admit I am pretty excited to watch gymnastics on it!) So Happy Birthday Jay oh and Merry Christmas and Happy every other holiday because this is it!



So what have I been up to this summer you ask? Well, besides my three crazy boys I have been working my tail off to lose my baby weight. I finally decided that the only way I could accomplish this was to eat healthy. Yuck. So Kim, no more QT donut runs for me (at least for this month). Funny story, Kim and I took the kids to McDonalds to play and I ordered a chicken wrap and yogurt parfait (probably not even that good for you) and Kim says, "so this is what we've come to eh?" Yes Kim, I am afraid so. It is working though, I have lost a couple of pounds and hope to lose a couple more this month. We shall see how good my willpower is.

The Boys - oh my crazy boys. This pretty much sums up Brockie right here - cool kid.

We have been spending a lot of time with our cousins trying to keep busy. So here are some pictures of the happenings. I love this picture of Brock and Taylor. I think they will love to hate each other.


It is so fun to watch Talon grow. He is very entertained by his brothers now and they can make him laugh which is very cute to watch. Here is the crazy thing - he just turned 4 months old and is almost crawling. It is the craziest thing ever. He gets up on his little feet and scoots all around. Just what this Mom needs - another crazy active little boy!

So here are my little goofballs - they are my biggest joy and my biggest challenge. One minute I want to squeeze their cute little faces and the next I want to strangle them! I guess that is how motherhood works. So it has been a fun summer but we are definitely looking forward to the fall - lots of fun stuff coming up. Halloween, a cruise, Disneyland and Christmas! It doesn't get better than that!