Life on the boat

Sam and I spent seven glorious days aboard the Carnival Conquest. Our biggest surprise was opening the door to our room and finding a balcony. We were upgraded from an interior room to a balcony room and it was wonderful. Instead of having to go up to the deck to see the water, we could sit out in our own little private area. The food was fabulous and I gained five pounds, but it was worth it!

Chuck E. Cheese 4.9.08

Mom, Laurel, Alycia, and I took all six kids to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. Everyone had a wonderful time playing on the toys. Carter decided that he liked Laurel and was content to let her hold him. Up until that day he only wanted me. Renée was thrilled because there were three different kinds of horses to ride. What more could you ask for? Gavin liked everything. I beat Alycia in ski ball, so I have bragging rights until we go again.

Pics from PA

Kendra is such a great aunt to Alycia and I's kids. No wonder they love her so much!


















Aunt Laurel reading bedtime stories.




















I really am not sure why Rene'e is covered with tape. Gavin and Sydney can be pretty creative when they are creative.

Brielle's Baby Shower 4.5.08

While in Pennsylvania, we had a baby shower for Brielle. She will be having a baby boy in September. Right now his name is Austin. My mom did a fabulous job making the food. I am glad it was so good because we were eating breakfast casseroles and bunt cakes for days afterward. It was a brunch and several family members traveled from western PA to be there. My dad and Dane took the kids to see the trains at Roadside America, visited Cabelas, and went to McDonalds. They were brave to do so.

My sister Brielle.

Laurel (my sister-in-law) & Grandma Gampe (my father's mother)

Aunt Christy (my father's sister in law), Larrissa (my father's cousin),


Liz (family friend)

Aunt Kay (my father's aunt) & Kendra (my youngest sister)























Me, Jenne' (my second to youngest sister), & Alycia (sister closest to my age)

13 hours to PA

Wednesday we drove to Pennsylvania to see my family. It was a 13 hour drive and we did it in 14 hours with stops. Everyone was good but it is tough to do it myself. Gavin is a little more help and can hand Renée and Carter snacks when necessary. Still, it is a really, really, really long day of driving. We were all happy to have it over.

Thursday was sibling picture day. This is the first time all my siblings have been together since Dane’s wedding in July. My mom arranged for us to have our picture taken by a local photographer. The pictures turned out so cute. I am used to taking my kids and hoping to get at least one good picture. Almost all the pictures were really good.

Panthers on Parade have their annual production tonight and Saturday. It is the high school play that my sisters, Jenné and Kendra, are in. They are performing “Rag Time.” Tonight I stayed home with all the kids and will attend tomorrow.

Southern Delights

Tuesday evening Grandma Lil took us out for good old southern fried catfish and hush puppies. Gavin, Renée, and even Carter loved the hush puppies. It was fun to spend time with Grandma Lil and Grandma Debbie.

Road Trip to Alabama

I have taken on quite the road trip. The kids and I drove to Huntsville, AL to visit Sam’s Grandma Lil. We set off on March 31st at 5:30am, I do better in the early morning, rather than the late night. Debbie came with us and it was so helpful to have her to take turns driving and to give the kids snacks. It was an 11 hour drive that took us 12 hours with stops. The kids were good thanks to the portable DVD player. We arrived in Huntsville at 5:30pm exhausted but happy to be out of the van.

On Tuesday we visited the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Gavin was in his glory. There was a ton to see and do. They even had amusement park rides. My kids were a little young for some of the rides, but they enjoyed the ones they could ride. The rockets were absolutely huge and they even have a space shuttle on display. It is also where they hold space camp which Sam attended when he was a kid. It was kind of neat because the doors read, “Welcome Future Astronauts, Scientists, and Engineers,” and years later Sam became an engineer.