Are we there Yet?!

OK, so our GPS, Karen, said it would be a 10 1/2 hour drive with out any stoping. Well throw in a 9 month old and a pregnant lady and we were guessing about 12-13 not too bad right? 6AM, backing out of the driveway and we hit the road running... as we drive along I make a mental note of all the places we (I) want to stop on the way back, there are just too many to list. So here we are in our 11th hour and time for yet another potty break and a change to change a diaper and let some little legs stretch out. Ethan has done a great job so far, we just have 2 1/2 more hours to go right? WRONG!!! Here's the story. Picture this: we are pulling out of the McDonald's parking lot. The traffic is too busy to cross the road to go in the right direction so we turn with the traffic just to get out of the parking lot. We decided to go to the next corner, turn around and head back in the right direction. Simple enough, right? You would think. we turned our corner as planed, then decided it to turn into the parking lot of the bank on the corner to make our U-turn. As we turn into the parking lot, POP! followed by a grinding noise that sounds like something is dragging under the car then the car stops moving. I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry. couldn't find anything hanging under the car, this can't be good. Good thing for roadside assistance the sent a tow truck and found the local Pep Boys. Keep in mind that it is now 5p on a Friday night, amost 7p by the time the tow truck came and dropped us off at Pep Boys and it is a holiday weekend. Are you kidding me? So we came to the conclusion that we are now spending the night in Wilkes-Berre PA. Good thing we had Karen, she found us a hotel just up the hill from Pep-Boys and they were gracious enough to send the hotel van to come and pick us up. So we grab our stuff and off we go. We get there and notice pack and play and diapers were left in the van. Front desk sent up a pack and play with blankets and they shared a parking lot with wal-mart. Pep Boys called before they left and said it was just the right axel and would be ready in the AM. What a releif, I could not sleep through the night knowing this was not going to cost me my 1st born child . As promised Pep Boys called 830A the car is good to go and all for under $200. 1st order of business, get the car, then breakfast! I was begining to have a Gilligan's Island moment our 12 hour "tour" was now on day two. We made it to our destination by noon and we were all glad to be out of the car!

Full of 1st!

So we finally made it! This was a trip that were full of 1st for Ethan......Enjoy, there are alot, but mostly pictures



We went to the local Labor Day Festival, it included a Tractor Pull, carnival rides, and ended with a parade.

Kevin, Ethan, Lawrence, Jessica and Beverly

The next day we went to a AAA baseball game

needed a quick cat nap between innings!

We then decided to go to the Adirondike Mountains for a couple of days...We were in a cabin, but I forgot to take pictures..ooops :( What a view.. this is of Moosehead Lake

Ended the week with some four wheelin'

Thank you Lawrence and Jessica (and their families) for letting us come and visit. We had a blast!

There's no place like home

So it is 6am, which means time to leave. It is a fridgid 50-something outside. We get to PA and it is raining. By the time we get to central PA it is pouring and seems colder than what it was when we left. So we will not be stoping at the places we (I) wanted to stop and see, too cold and wet! by the time we got to Richmond VA, it felt like it was in the upper 80's, were' almost home and with out incident, right? Why should the trip home be so boring. Well no car repair bills or overnight stays, just a speeding ticket. CRAP! that's right I was driving, and we were so close the the NC border, good times. It is sooooo nice to sleep in my own bed and not being in a moving vehical.

Peanut

Ok so we had an OB appointment today and here is the 1st pictures of our latest "peanut" we are just under 10 weeks along.....so small

Save the date!!

mark your calendars for 23 March 2010

As Promised

So here are the family pictures that we took on vacay.....

All of us

The Pressgroves

Just the Moms

Grandma and her cute grandkids

The Bartons

Has it really been THAT long?

It's amazing how time flies. The date was 10 July 1997... The place: Dallas TX LDS Temple... The event: Kevin and I got MARRIED!! So just for giggles, here are a few pictures of us before we got married and of our wedding day. Just keep in mind that these were taken way before the invention of digital cameras...I have more pictures of us since we were married, I promise I do, somewhere, in a box, in a safe place, collecting dust..... Here's to a million more years! I love you Kevin. (we have gotten old :( and not so skinny anymore)

Happy Birthday America

OK, since Billy and Melissa are only 2 1/2 hours away, they came up to visit us for 4th of July weekend. We hung out at home and then went to Ft Bragg for their festivities. We pitched our canapoy and camping chairs. There were definitely more people there than I remember last year. But the chaos was fun. We had Julian Huff, Jason Michael Carol and the Fayetteville Symphony perform through out the day. There was Uncle Sam on Stilts, bouncy houses and a train ride for the kids. Food vendors galore! Billy and Melissa braved the Funnel Cake line and were nice enough to bring us one too (thanks a bunch) while we had chickened out and headed back to our plot of the chaos. They did a cannon salute for all the US states and territories. Then there was a fun fireworks spectacular to top off the day

Back in the car

So after 2 weeks of non stop taco eating and dying in the sweltering heat and humidity, it was time to get back in the car one last time. 2 adults, and 7 1/2 moth old that is now mobile, 1 cat (who hates riding in the car with every fiber of his body, and he let us know), all of our stuff 1500 miles, 23 long, miserable hours ahead of us.... but we surrvived. No one was killed, left at a rest stop, and we are still married. We have also come to the conclusion, that we will NOT be making that drive again any time soon. We waved to Lori as we passed Auburn and stopped in Sumter SC to Spend the night and visit with Billy, Melissa, and Adi. Billy just finnished basic training/tech school with the Air Force and were sent to SC for their first duty station. They were kind enough to add Grandma Bandley's table to their moving shipment from UT and it made it safe and sound to our house.

What next?

Well after a exhausting day at Sea World, we jumped in the car and drove to Del Rio. Once there, we just relaxed for the week and it was great! We headed back to San Antonio for family pictures. here is one of the cousins I captured on my camera. As soon as I get my copies of the photos I will post some more.