New (to us) car!!

Jeff and I have been looking for a crossover/SUV type vehicle to purchase lately.

Reasons:

1). We will have a new addition to our family soon and would love the extra room. Plus the double stroller we bought is a little bigger then we anticipated and would be very difficult to get in and out of the Honda.

2). With Jeff's surgery coming quickly we started realizing that even when he is able to drive, he can't drive the Honda because it is a stick shift.

3). Its safer.

4). We want to.

So this past weekend we decided to look around at come dealerships and get an idea of prices and used models out there. I felt like such an adult looking for cars with Jeff and Thomas. I know that sounds silly but every once in a while you have experiences where you realize you are older then you feel. You know what I mean :)

To make a long story short we found a Kia Sorento in great shape and we were able to get a great deal. I love driving it and Thomas loves riding in it. Now he can see everything!

Although very excited for our new car I did have a hard time saying goodbye to my Honda and to the stick shift. It was a good car. A moment of silence please...

Thanks to the Harman family Thomas and I were able to partake in a birthday party/thank you party/meet our new baby party this afternoon. I have enjoyed visiting teaching Lindsey and getting to know her and her family better. She is always so welcoming and friendly. It was a perfect day to bbq outside in the company of familiar faces (and some new ones too). Thomas enjoyed the yummy hot dogs that Ed cooked up and of course the watermelon (his favorite). Ed snuck a party hat on Thomas right before we had to leave and to my surprise he left it on. When we got home Thomas chowed down on the delicious cupcake.

But was very upset when it was over.

Happy birthday Sarah!

Life's Miracles

The Collins family gained one more member early in the morning on August 9th. Her name is Alyssa Jean. No matter what, when I see a newborn I am overcome by emotion. The miracle of life is so amazing. Alyssa is the tiniest little thing. So fragile and helpless. All I wanted to do was hold her in my arms and stare at her.


Denise and I were talking the other day about high school and how we thought it would be so cool if we married brothers and were pregnant at the same time and lived next door to each other. 2 outta three isn't bad! :) I'm so blessed to call her family.

Welcome to the world Alyssa! I loved you before I even saw you.

Trip to Missouri

We just returned from a short visit to Missouri. It had been almost 2 years since I had been back to see my family. But this wasn't just some reandom visit. My dad was also getting married to his long time love, Leslie.

Our flight left San Jose at 7:00am, we had a layover in Denver and finally landed at the Kansas City Airport around 3:00pm. I was so excited when I saw Wendi, Mark and Samantha there waiting for us. It was such a great surprise. That was the first time I has seen my niece. I must admit that I cried when I saw her. She is just the cutest!!

The first night we spent with Dad & Leslie, Jeannie & Roger (Leslie's sister), Mark & Wendi and Kristin. We went to a great restaurant and had the BEST dinner then went back to their hotel suite and hung out till Thomas got tired.

The next day we visited Grandma and Grandpa Groves. Thomas took a liking to Grandpa right away which was great.

Grandma, of course, was in the kitchen making her noodles. They are the first thing that everybody wants when they go to Grandma's. They are soooooo good! We took some pictures of of everybody sitting on the swing. That swing is one of the places I have fond memories of from my childhood. These pictures meant a lot to me.

We also found the fake duck that has been in their backyard for years. We have a picture of Krisitin somewhere sitting on this duck when she was a little girl. We had to create a tradition :)

Ever since I can remember, my grandma has stood by the door to wave goodbye. I always expect it and I'm always happy to get that wave. Although blurry, I am even happier to have captured it with my camera.

Unnfortunately I did not take any pictures of the wedding or reception. However, I do have a lot of people promising me that they will send the picture they took. As soon as I get them I will post them. The wedding/reception was beautiful. All the little details made it even more enjoyable from the little M&M favors with their names on them to the perfect song that they danced too. Although Leslie has been in our lives for about 10 years now it nice to call her an official member of this family. She has done SO MUCh good in our lives. I can only imagine how much happier they will be together for the rest of their lives.

We made it home on Sunday. We were all so wiped that we dedicated that day for sleeping :) Once Thomas got a good nap in he was back to his old self. I think he was very happy to sleep in his bed.

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Update on the kiddos

Kahlia:

I've officially hit the 7 month mark! This means that I am on the downward slope to the delivery. I'm now considered to be in my 3rd trimester. This last week she has really grown a lot. My stomach feels stretched to the max. here is what http://www.babycenter.com/ has to say about this week of pregnancy

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

I've just started to feel her hiccup. I remember Thomas used to get them at least once a day. I've started using my kick card but she moves ALL the time so it doesn't take very long to get to 10 counts.

Most days October seems so far away and I wish I could just have her here. Plus I don't know how 5 more pounds are going to fit in this belly :)

Thomas:

He has gotten great on his feet and has now started to run. When he gets really excited he puts both hands up to the sky and runs with the biggest smile on his face. He babbles all time. Most of the time it sounds like he's saying "busy bee" or "yabba dabba doo" He can understand most things when I speak to him. Its so nice to finally be able to communicate with him. He says "up" and "ball" very clearly. And for the first time this week he said "ba-bye". He just recently mastered the shape sorter. If I show him where to put the shape, he can put it in the hole by himself. Thats his favorite new game.