Grama and Gramps and Fire and Camps

The first of October my parents drove 2,500 miles from Utah to Erie PA for a visit. My sister told me that my Dad said "Nothing sounds like more fun to me right now than a road trip" and my Mom's response was "Sounds like Hell on Wheels to me"! Those of you who know my Mother will know that she reserves swearing for the utmost of important occasions, so this was big! They came across the land in "the rig" their dually Chevy diesel truck with the camper on the back. It was a beautiful time of year with leaves changing and plenty of places to stop along the way. It took them about a week to get here, and about 4 days to get home. The kids were thrilled to see Grandma and Grandpa and of course play in the camper. Me, Reagan and Dylan spent a long and rainy night out in the camper with only about 10 "we are going inside moments" .... but we survived the night and came in for breakfast bright and early.

We hit the beach one night for a hot dog roast. There wasn't a sole in sight it was nice spending our time; running around, playing with the frisbee & sticks, eating, throwing Wally in the lake and trying to keep Jack out of the lake.


The folks were here over General Conference so they got the experience of watching it online with us. We have a windscreen I mac and once we got Conference to load (in English not French) it was great. We also did our share of sitting around watching the cute kids while they were here! Reagan did a little TaeKwondo for us, Dylan did some Light-saber moves and Jack showed his talents by eating things and getting into stuff. (pretty much his everyday) We also got to hit the Quaker Steak and Lube, and Wes had some time away from studying to come with us, YEAH! Thanks for the visit Grama and Gramps!
Glad it was warmer this time around :-)

Reagan is 9 .... what??

Reagan turned 9 this year! What a DOLL :-) She was my chunky baby girl, with a raspy voice and a LOT of attitude. 8lbs 3ozs 19 inches long and ALL cheeks! She came here knowing who she is and how to get what she wants in life, and that hasn't changed a bit. She is a happy kid with a lot of fantastic qualities and we are so glad she is with us! We had a small party at home with cake and a few tears (the boys kept blowing out the candles) and presents. Her favorite was that she got to go get her ears pierced .... so excited!

She of course also wanted a HUGE friend party and my friend Micah had a great idea for a fun party craft. She came over and helped the girls decorate composite notebooks, making them into cute journals, poem books, or whatever the girls wanted. Thanks Micah, I couldn't have done this without you! This craft required me to frequent many stores looking for supplies and just the right scrapbook paper to decorate with. It took over my LIFE for a while before the party, but well worth it. The girls seemed to have a good time, especially Reagan. We of course also did a pinata (my kids are addicted to them) and presents and had some pizza, with the small pack of girls at our house!
It was just a little crazy and a lot of fun! Happy 9th Sister we Love you!

Sing it Sister

Our Ward held the 2nd annual Erie Idol in September, a lip sink contest organized by the Youth of the Ward. (like my September isn't crazy enough) Reagan was really excited to do a number with a couple of her friends Miley, and Bella. It was a cute song called "This day is a Gift" and Rea was dressed as the gift. She got to throw candy every time they sang the words This day is a Gift in the choirs. It was a huge hit and they won second place, well deserved! She was SO excited. I "got" to participate with the RS in a fun number with the Ladies. And the boys did some watching and some dancing. Here are a few pics

Reagan's Marathon (done over 5 weeks)

Reagan decided to do the Children's Miracle Run this September. She had 5 weeks to complete a marathon, 26 miles at home and then the group ran the last 1.2 together on the final race day. She and I did the 26 miles of race training together. I'd like to say it was a lot of fun, but I can't lie. It was a pain in the butt! She wanted to run but not "that far or that fast at one time." At the end of each run she was never really that tired, but still rolled her eyes when I'd say "that wasn't so hard right?" The most we did at once was 3 miles and she completed each run. (even if I had to drag her) Towards the end we were short a few miles. School had started and life was getting crazy, but she was close enough to go for the final run. The finish line was the Erie SeaWolves baseball stadium, they ran into the outfield, pretty cool! They got trophy's and run "treats" and then they got to run the bases on the field. I think we will be doing it again next year with all 3 of the kids. Some kids did the entire marathon and some just did the race day run, so there are options for us all! I am proud of her she finished strong!

Dylan's 6th Birthday ... Holy Cow Dylan is 6!

I can't believe how fast the last 6 years have gone. Dylan Wes Ewing 7lbs 13oz 21&1/2 inches long was born 6 years ago on September 17, 2003. He was born bright eyed, and happily absorbing the world. He's had his share of struggles in life so far, and continues to have a lot of the difficulties he came to earth with. He's a positive kid and has always been fun and easy going. Dylan was my easiest baby and is a talented, determined and happy boy.
Dylan has brought so much joy and laughter to our lives and family! I still can't believe he's in Kindergarten ALL day. He loves his family, video games, school, friends, his teacher, & chocolate!

Dylan had a really crazy and fun birthday party with his friends in the back yard. We had a HUGE pack of kids there both boys and girls! We had a BBQ, shot marshmallows at each other (the Dad's liked this) jumped on the tramp, played games, hit the pinata, Dylan opened presents, and we ate cake. Talk about over stimulation! It was a fun evening and I'm so glad we have such great friends here in Erie! We hope you had a Happy Birthday Bubba!!