And the Pictures Keep Coming....

1.  During Andy's spring break, we left the kids at home with Andy's mom and flew out to Houston (our next destination) to look at the area and hopefully find a home! Here we are, getting ready to board our plane.  Selfie junkies.  

2.  We were staying at a really nice hotel in Houston that also had a spa.  So you better believe we both got the luxury treatment.  I got a tired legs pedicure (that was simply wonderful) and Andy got a massage.  It was the perfect way to start our trip! 

3.  We also had some pretty delicious food...of course!  Really looking forward to the plentiful Mexican restaurants and BBQ restaurants.  And the plentiful free parking.  Something Boston rarely has!

4.  We found a house in Houston, close to Andy's work and a good elementary school.  All important things for me!  So, returning home to this princess was all the sweeter.  I really missed the kiddies, but boy is traveling so much less hectic without kids!  This is Clare completely entranced by the movie Frozen, the day we returned.  

5.  The second half of spring break, Andy took a guys trip with some good friends out to Park City, UT.  When he got there he made a quick stop at the Salt Lake City temple.  I loved getting this picture via text from him.  This is where Andy and I were married, so this picture was especially sweet (and is now the wallpaper on my cellphone too, I might add). 

6.  While in Park City, Andy also went skiing with his buddy Taylor.  He loved it and only fell hard one time.  I definitely think this is a hobby he might pick up in the future.  I mean, just look at that face! 

7.  The kids and I tried to find things to keep us busy while Andy was gone.  One day we went to Ikea.  Noah was especially happy because I let him have root beer AND an ice cream cone all in one day.  Lucky kid! 

8.  Clare missed her daddy a lot while he was gone (so did Noah, I might add).  My kids are just so much happier, as am I, when Andy is around.  Clare specifically asked to take a picture for daddy, and this is the one we got.  She is just too sweet! 

9.  We also spent a lot of time making forts in the kids room.  They loved it and would often just sit in their fort and chat.  It was perfect.  

10.  This picture just makes me smile.  This is Noah's artwork and these are sharks.  Notice the little fin on each sharks back and the sharp teeth!  The one in the middle on the left hand side is a hammer head shark, which is why he doesn't have a round face.  Perfection. 

11.  Then there was a day at the park.  A cold rainy day.  But the kids didn't bat an eye and that makes it all worth it.  

12. Shortly after Andy's return, Clare came down with either a bad cold or allergies from the slowly moving spring weather.  She was wheezing really badly and it scared me, as I could tell she couldn't get a good deep breath.  I took her into the Dr. and sure enough they had to put her on a nebulizer.  It helped, thankfully.  We also were prescribed some steroids and an inhaler.  Before too long she was back to her normal self.  

13.  Noah kept his little 'fort' up for a couple of weeks.  I loved walking into the kids room and seeing a little hand or foot hanging off the side. 

14.  Even though he has crazy hair (I have since cut it), this little guy and I had a lot of fun spending an afternoon just the two of us.  I sure love him.  

Primary Temple Trip

Last weekend we took a little trip to the temple with the primary from our ward.  The kids learned a little about the temple, made a craft and each had their pictures taken in front of it.  I was in charge of taking each child's photo and I was so happy with how they all turned out. 

We tried to get a group picture, but the sun was so bright.  This is the best we got... 

But I sure got a handsome one of the little guy...

We also made a little 'tapestry' that said, "I Love To See the Temple" and each child put their handprint on it.

It was a wonderful and special way to spend the morning. 

Traveling and the 24 Hour Flu

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!  That's the first thing that came out of my mouth when we finally made it to my parents house.  Our travels ended up being a lot more eventful than we had anticipated and it all started around 3am. 

Our flight left around 8am on Monday morning...so in attempts to save money on a hotel room...we decided to wake up early and make the 2 hour drive to the airport that same morning.  Andy and I woke up around 3 am to get ready and finish up all the packing.  Once on the road Noah fell back asleep and we were making great time.  Then, about an hour and a half into our drive Noah started gagging.  I figured he was gagging on mucus, since he has been suffering from a chronic runny nose.  I turn around to wipe his nose and realize that he is not gagging on mucus, but he is in fact, throwing up.  I crawl to the back seat and try to clean him up as much as possible, until we can pull over and change his clothes.  Once we were able to, we pulled over for a quick stop and changed his shirt.  We all felt better, and Noah seemed to be back to his old self.  I wasn't sure if it was motion sickness, or if he was actually sick.  So we figured motion sickness, since he seemed to be a lot better. 

After we made it to the airport and proceeded to check in, we headed down to the security check.  We were running a little behind, and our flight was jam packed, so we wanted to be sure to get through security quickly.  While I am taking trying to get things organized I turn just in time to see Noah throw up all over the side of Andy's face and down the front of his NICE coat and Shirt.  Awesome.  The TSA people were super nice and helpful and after a lot of adjusting (and wiping up puke off the floor), we made it though security.  Once we made it to our gate, I ran to buy Andy a new shirt so he wouldn't be drenched in puke all day.   Meanwhile I was praying that Noah wouldn't throw up on the plane. 

Well, after a 3 hour flight and 2 throw up incidences (thankfully we asked for barf bags that saved our life), we made it to Salt lake City.  At this point I hadn't given Noah anything to eat, for fear that he would throw up all over me.  I already had it on my shirt, on Noah's pants and socks, and also on my jacket.  So when we went to meet Andy's brother Greg for lunch, we figured we could give him a little something to drink and see if that would help.  It didn't.  He threw up in the middle of the restaurant.  Thankfully it wasn't much.   Poor guy.  All in all, after one more incident right before bed...Noah had a pretty rough day.  I am glad it was only a 24 hour bug, because you can imagine (after getting it right in the face)  Andy caught the flu just a couple of days later. 

There were some happy points of our short stay in Utah though....and here are some picture to document them.  Thankfully while we were at Temple Square, my dad was kind enough to stay at the hotel with Noah so we could put him to bed.  Thanks Dad.

The Denning and Oakey Clan

Alyssa, Whitney, Me and my Mom

Andy, Me, Gus, Greg, Finn, Allice and Cammie

This is what happens when you have the guys take your picture..........

Finally, a decent one.......

We had a great (but short) visit in Salt Lake, and loved that we could spend it with my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and also Greg, Allice the boys and Cammie. We appreciate everyone making the trip to come see us.  We are SO blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.  Seriously. So. Blessed.

More pictures and stories from our trip coming soon! 
PS.  If you are wondering why I am walking around in the freezing cold with my coat unbuttoned, it's simple,  I can no longer button it up without looking like this dude -  aka.  Fat Guy in a Little Coat

Wedding Bells

This weekend we took a short, but oh so very sweet trip to Utah. My cousin Bryce, and his fiancee Katie tied the knot - and we felt so lucky to be there to witness it. It ended up being the perfect weekend to make a trip. Andy's brother Corey and his wife Jenessa were in SLC for a wedding as well, and my BFF Chels and her husband Sean and baby Nash were also in town. I haven't seen Chels and Sean for over a year - and Jenessa had never seen Noah in person. So we had a lot of catching up to do, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Friday, I met up with Chelsea and Sean just to hang out and chat. It was the first time I had seen Nash, and the first time Chels and Sean had seen Noah. Even though they are about 6 months apart Nash and Noah instantly connected (I think)...and I am sure they will be the best of buddies. Nash is a cutie and we loved spending time with them.

Saturday morning, before getting ready for the wedding, Noah and I drove up to Salt Lake to catch a little breakfast with Corey and Jenessa. Noah loved staring at his Aunt Jenessa (almost as much as he loves his mom) hehe and we had really yummy food - along with a nice walk around Temple square. I was really so excited that we were going to be in Utah at the same time - and it worked out perfectly.

I love the Salt Lake Temple- partially because I always have, and partially because Andy and I were married there. Isn't it gorgeous?

Lastly, the reason we made the trip to Utah in the first place - Bryce and Katie's wedding. I apologize for the photo overload. My dad had my camera for part of the time - but we got some GREAT pics.

There you have it folks. Aside from having an extremely over tired baby (who wouldn't take a nap) - we had a blast. Andy can't wait until our next little trip. Noah has become quite travel savvy and is almost considered a pro. I love it!