Leaving . . .

August 31, 2009 - I am leaving the country on Thursday for 11 days. I know! Crazy, isn't it!? My mom invited my sister Ashley and I to go with her to England way back at the beginning of the year. We had our tickets booked and things in motion at least a month before we had even found out about Cameron's diabetes. I am at the point now where I have planned and prepared and tried to get everything humanly possible ready for this trip. I've made and frozen meals for my family, made plans for a sub to take over for singing time for me, made lists and schedules for Tristan and Teresa (my wonderful mother-in-law who is coming to help out while I'm gone), stocked up the pantry and the freezer, notified the bank and the school, bought a foreign outlet adapter, half-packed my suitcase, and a hundred other little things that I hope make my family's life a little easier while I'm gone. I am looking forward to this trip and dreading it at the same time. I will miss my best friend, Tristan. I will miss having him with me everyday, and I'll miss his love and encouragement. We do obviously have the technology today to chat a little each day, but it won't be the same - I get homesick just thinking about it. And of course I will miss my sweet kids. It's not often I'm not with them every waking moment. That is not an easy thing to walk away from even for a week and a half. I will miss their hugs and kisses and their silliness and I will miss being the one taking care of them. I know I am leaving them in good hands, that is the only reason I am not totally going crazy right now. But it will be hard all the same. I hope I can relax and enjoy my little vacation. I'm really grateful to my mom for making this all happen - and it's not like you get to go to a foregin country every day! So I'll need to take a few deep breaths, give Tristan and the kids lots of love and kisses, and do my best to go have fun. Wish me luck!

Cameron's first day of preschool

August 24, 2009 - Cameron has been waiting for this day for a long time! He has patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) watched his big brother and sister go to school each day, and yearned for the day he would get to walk across the street with them and go inside too. I LOVE that we live across the street from the school! And I love that Madison has a preschool! Cameron got on his new Speed Racer jacket and Mario backpack and walked to school as a student for the first time. He was so cool and calm about the whole thing. In fact, I'd had to meet with his teacher and the school nurse a couple times the week before, so he told me "Mom I'm going to preschool and you not come this time." Needless to say, he was ready! He hung up his jacket and backpack and sat right down at his table to do a puzzle, without so much as a glance at his parents! We each kissed him quickly, told him to have fun, and let him get to work!

Cameron, and his buddy, Hudson

School time!

August 18, 2009 - The first day of school. Many a mother has shed tears on this day. Tears of sadness for the end of summer - the end of having no end to the possibilities of what we can do together today. I have to admit, however, that for the first time this year, I had no tears to cry on the first day of school. I feel kind of like crying about that! I miss my kids, but it feels normal and familiar this year. It's back to our routine htat makes up 3/4 of the year. I feel almost guilty in admitting that I have adjusted really well to the school year coming around again. Maybe next year when Cam starts kindergarten I'll cry. But for now, I am tear-free. And my kids are enjoying 1st and 2nd grade, and making new friends. And Cam and Reese and I are having more time together at home. Maybe that's not something I need to feel guilty about. Heaven knows, that list is long enough!
Becca and her buddy, Hatcher. Becca had it easy this year; her teacher and her entire class moved up to 2nd grade together. So she has all her same friends in her class, and no stress about a new teacher. (We love her teacher, Ms. Rose.)

Tristan getting ready to line up (his teacher, Mrs. Rice is in the background - she has taught a couple of Gearharts in her years at Madison.) I think she taught Trister's uncle Taft too.

Father/ Son Campout '09

August 15, 2009 - Tristan took the boys to the annual Father/ Son Campout, and it sounds like they had a good time. Fortunately, the rain decided to leave them alone! Here are some pictures from their manly excursion. (I'll have to remind Tristan to get into some of the pictures for next year, but for now, enjoy these of the boys!)

Does he look like a mountain man, or what?

rugged

outdoorsy

And that's all I can say on a subject I have a very limited knowledge of - like I mentioned before my kind of camping is in a nice warm duplex!

Here, fishy fishy!

Aug 15, 2009 - After our fun at the North Pole, the kids and I stayed the night in farish Park again wiht my parents. I was glad for the duplex we had reserved, because it rained a lot, again! We got creative and made our s'mores in the microwave! The kids thought it was pretty cool how big the marshmallows grew in the microwave. (It really is cool - you should it sometime!) We went out to the lake again in the morning (before the rain started) to try our hands at fishing again.

Sally, looking proud of her whopper!

Carmyn (my niece) and her fish

Cam, bored with fishing decided to go rock wall climbing instead

Reese, Mom, and Carmyn

The North Pole in July!

I don't know how many of you who live in CO have been to Santa's Workshop, but I have memories of going there as a kid - and now as a mom watching my kids enjoy every minute of it. It's pretty much a kiddie wonderland - a Santa theme park geared just for kids. We had as much fun as you can running out from under sheltered areas every time the rain clears up! I have never seen it rain so much there - it was really pouring, too. I was on a Christmas tree ride with Cam and Reese, where you rise inside an ornament that goes around the tree when the skies opened up and began to soak us. When it started to hail, I yelled out to the ride operator to ask him to stop the ride (he must have a different idea from what I do on reasons to stop a ride, or he would've stopped once it started pouring!) and we ran for cover. The closest non-wet area was the outside of a bathroom, where the overhang from the roof was providing a small amount of shelter. Eventually, the kids got bored, though, and decided to venture into the bathroom to play with the automatic hand dryers. After that, it cleared up some, and we did our best to ride everything we could before the rain started again. Reese was cracking me up! There is a mini roller coaster there that the older kids consider a "cool" ride that I would not have thought to bring her on, but she LOVED it! In fact, she raised her arms up high like a roller-coaster-riding-pro, and screamed the whole time! I really wish I had proof to show you, but since I was on the ride with her, the footage would proabably have been pretty bumpy!

Cam preferred the low key rides - and this one was right up his alley! Go Speed Racer, GO!

Tris, Becca, and Reese on the highly popular boat ride

Tris going for a cruise

Cameron made me do the Candy Cane slide with him several times in a row - there are a LOT of stairs - I got my workout on that one!

Biker Babes!

Waterslidin' in Broomfield

Aug. 8, 2009 - We had one last chance at some summer-time fun a few weeks ago and we took it! Grandma and Grandpa Gearhart invited us up to Broomfield to stay the night with them (Grandma made her famous cabbage burgers - yum!), and to go to the community water park with them the next day. We had a lot of fun this year - all the kids were old enough to do some slippin' and slidin'. The kiddie area was a big favorite for the younger 3, and we again took turns going on the bigger slides with Becca.

Whee!

Cam and Dad after an invigorating splash in the kiddie pool.

Girls just wanna' have fun, right?!

The whole family taking a break in the shade.

Grandma, Tris, and Becca, soaking up some rays.

This was Reesey's first and last solo trip down the slide. She loved the ride, but did not like the water that splashed in her face at the bottom!

Take Me Out to the T-ball Game. . .

Here are some pictures from the boys' last T-ball game of the season. I think they had a lot of fun. It was really cute, too, to see how much Cameron reveres his big brother. During many of the practices, you would see Cam standing so close to Tris that they were touching. He just shadowed him wherever he went. So if the coach wanted Cam to play a position elsewhere, she would have to physically guide him there and stay with him, or he would kind of gravitate again towards his brother! Tristan is a really sweet big brother too; he was always giving him tips, or just putting his arm around him. I love my sweet boys!. . .I mean, my super-athletic awesome T-ball players!

Tris and Cam posing for the best part of the season - the medals! Cameron couldn't wait until after the picture to sample his snack!

Cameron up to bat

Tris giving us a smile from first base

Trister's 6th Birthday!

July 24, 2009 - For Tristan's birthday this year we drove a minivan caravan to the movie theater to see G-Force, a movie about special agent Guinea pigs (I gave it about 1 star) then we met back at our house for cake and presents. Tristan had a great birthday - thanks everyone for making it special for him!

Tris with his homemade Bakugon cake

Opening presents with his buddy, Cormac.

Rock Band in my Sunroom

July 14, 2009 - Becca, Tristan, and their youngest aunts, Hannah and Sally decided to put on a concert for us one summer afternoon. As you can see, Sally was the lead on vocals, Becca rocked on the pink electric "Barbie " guitar and Hannah played the drums. Tristan saved the day when Hannah had to run to the bathroom in the middle of the show - and filled in as a back-up drummer.

Yes, that is my cake pan Tristan is using as a cymbal - How nice am I?

Becca, looking sassy in her gymnastics leotard and a gold-flowered belt!

Say Cheese Hannah!

The Chicago Children's Museum

Our last day of vacation, we hit the Navy Pier in Chicago and met up with my crazy brother, Ryan, and his sweet wife (for putting up with him), Cheron. The main attraction we visited there was the Children's Museum. The kids (and the grown-ups too) had a lot of fun there - it was a really nice museum. Reese driving an ambulance with Ryan and Cameron.

Ryan the Fire-fighter and me as his trusty pet, spot.

Cameron and Tristan in the building area

Becca serving us some gourmet cuisine!

Reese and Cameron selling hot dogs

Having fun in the water area - I love the little rain jackets!
You can't tell very well in this picture but Tristan (Sr.) is being very mischevious! He is pumping water as high as he can and spraying everyone in the room! Trister is laughing and running away!
Becca making a water structure - and from the look on her face - waiting to get squirted!
Reese just minded her own business and played with boats the whole time!!
Here we all are on the pier with the city in the background.

Tuned in!

I just thought this picture was really funny! Look at all of these little couch potatoes!

Cameron, Griffin, Tristan, Harris, Reese, and Catcher

Say Cheese!

Here is an amazingly good picture of all 16 Gearhart/Fleming/Keith cousins! All of Thom and Teresa's beautiful grandchildren in one spot. We were all really glad that Tamzen and her kids missed her flight the day before, because we got to play with them for one more day, and take this great picture!

Say Cheese!

Wisconsin Dells, here we come!

Thom had some really great connections, and somehow got us 2-day passes and an overnight stay for an awesome water park/ hotel in Wisconsin called the Kalahari. The town was amazing! Everywhere you turned there was another themed water-park/hotel. It was like a family friendly Vegas! Anyway, we had a lot of fun - the weather was perfect the first day, so we slathered up with sunscreen and played all day. It's fun to be able to do the "big kid slides" again. Becca is a brave little thing and likes to try out all the waterslides with us. Tristan and I have to take turns with who gets to play with Becca! It's also really fun to just sit and watch the little ones braving the mini-waterslides and splashing around together. The second day was kind of overcast, but lucky for us, all these theme park are year-round places with indoor slides too! So we got to try out everything indoors before we left. It was a lot of fun!

Becca after a thrilling ride on a tube slide with me!

Reese was determined to keep a hold of her towel, so she could wipe her eyes with it whenever she got splashed! I kept trying to convince her that it was just as soaked as she was, but she is one determined little girl!

Cameron, our almost albino child, seeking some shade!

Tris in front of the kiddie area - he had a blast running around and doing all the kid slides.

Cameron loved the little slides, he would go down one, and immediately climb the stairs for another go. He cried for a good 20 minutes when it was time to leave the theme park for good. He said he wanted to go back to the fun hotel!

(Below- Reese eating dippin' dots ice cream for the first time)

Before. . .

. . . After