Day Out With Thomas

Last weekend we went to "Day Out With Thomas" at the Illinois Railway Museum. I was so back and forth on whether or not we really needed to go, but I'm glad we did. It was Dillon heaven! His reaction when he saw Thomas for the first time made the whole day worth it to me. His jaw literally dropped and I hope to never forget the look on his face. The museum has all kinds of old engines to check out--I think the "steamies" were D's favorite. Check out the size of that wheel!! Dillon was so excited that he was able to get so close to the "traction rods"--yeah, he knows all the train terminology.

My handsome boys awaiting the big ride on Thomas.

Giving the conductor our tickets so we could climb aboard.

One of the highlights of the day was the boys' ride on the miniature hand car.

The workers said they'd never seen the younger sibling grab on to the moving handle. They had a blast! I love Wesley's hair flying in the wind!

Family shot with Sir Topham Hatt.

Up close and personal with each other, and Thomas!

They really are sweet little brothers.

The boys and I got some pretty awesome Thomas tattoos! Dillon's and mine were matching.

It was a fun day with our little family. I love being with my boys!!!

Wesley LOVES Dogs!

He goes crazy and starts barking whenever he sees one. Actually, he usually barks at the sight of any animal, but dogs are by far his favorite. Wesley got to play with a couple doggies while we were in Idaho and he loved every minute! Every time we pulled up to Grandma Lori's house he would start barking and looking for Addy. It was so cute!

He really liked giving her a bath. We also got to see Jake Detweiler's pup. She was really cute and kept licking dinner leftovers off Wesley's little face.

I love Wesley's "barking face."

Wesley honestly goes crazy whenever he sees dogs and I just think it's adorable! One of these days I may have to break down and let my little boys get a dog. But not until we have a fenced-in yard and the boys are old enough to help take care of the pup.

TFHS Class of '99!!!!

One of the big reasons for my trip home was our 10 year high school class reunion that we somehow ended up being in charge of. I think it turned out pretty well and everyone had a good time. Here are some pics of the big day. We had a great family picnic--the kids especially loved the Candy Cannon. I love this picture of all of them plugging their ears anticipating the big boom. (Check out Starley in the back helping his li'l one strategize the best way to beat the other kids to the candy!)

Dillon and Eliza McMillen were so cute together--we may have a future couple here!

Pretty sad that this is the best group shot I got. There are lots better ones on Facebook. But you get the idea--we had a great turnout and it was so fun to see everyone!

We decided we need to superimpose our pictures in the Senior Class Officer pics from high school. These ladies were all so helpful in all the planning of the reunion. Thanks so much!!!!!

So fun to see all our friends and remember the good ol' times. I'm particularly grateful to Bobby for helping me remember the story of when he popped out my contact lens with the bill of his baseball cap at an after-game dance! I had forgotten how SMOOTH he was!

I posted a lot more pics on Facebook so check them out.

Thanks to everyone that came. See you in another 10 years!

The Chandler Clan

I have the best in-laws. Here are some pics to represent all the fun we had with them:

Lots of fun with cousins!

Giving Addy a good bath--the boys loved it!

Snuggling with Grandma Lori. You are such an awesome grandma--my boys loved being with you!

Dillon LOVES Grandpa's new van.

Little family walk/bike ride--I LOVE summer evenings in Idaho!

The boys LOVE Grandpa's riding lawn mower.

We had a great time at the Luke Family reunion in Island Park. It was fun to see Don take Dillon under his wing--they speny a lot of quality time together. Thanks Grandpa!

Dillon had fun on the boat. He took a ride on the tube as well.

Our "Dancing Queen" number was a hit at the reunion talent show.

I love all of you and really couldn't ask for better in-laws. Thanks for letting me be part of your family! It was so fun to spend some good time with you--thanks for all the babysitting! We can't wait until we get to see you all again.

Fun with my fam

I took a million pictures while I was in Idaho, so here are just some of the highlights with my family:

Shoshone Falls

Getting the house ready for the big Homecoming Party

Having a little Puzzle Playoff

Snuggling with Aunt Richelle

Splashing with Aunt Diana

Swimming with Uncle Jason

Dinner in the mountains

Having a little too much fun with the auto button on my camera! Going for rides on the new office chair--my mom is such an awesome grandma--the ride made stops at Musicland (singing fun songs around the piano) and Storyland (reading a book on the couch).

Washing the car with Grandpa.

It was so fun to see everyone. Mom and Dad, thanks for letting me stay for so long--I know I'm not the best/cleanest house guest! Thanks for putting up with us. We love you all and miss you already.

Hobbs Homecoming

On July 1, my parents returned from their mission to North Carolina. We were able to be there for their homecoming. It was fun to see them with their missionaries. My parents have 400 more kids to worry about now!!!

We had a little lunch at the incredibly fancy house they are renting. A few of the missionaries found some hymn books and starting singing together.

My dad is not the tallest guy in the world, but he looks like a midget next to this elder!

The Chandler family at the luncheon.

A pretty decent family picture of those of us that could be there. Kamie, we missed you!

Back to Blogging

I have totally fallen out of the world of blogging. This last month has been crazy. I was in Idaho for nearly a month (we drove 23 hours straight, no hotels, just straight on through the night.) Any moment not spent with friends or family was spent putting together all the last minute details for our 10 year high school reunion. But I am back. Although I miss family already, it is nice to be home. I've come up with my top 5 reasons I love being home. 1. We're all in our own beds 2. No more living out of a suitcase 3. I have a bottle scrubber that gets in all those little spaces of Wesley's bottle. 4. Plenty of toys--it's like Christmas all over, Dillon is so excited to see all his toys. 5. We're getting back on a schedule. I hate being so far away from family, but is it so hard to travel with children. One of these days we just need to move closer to home so we can have the best of both worlds.