Road Trip!!

The first week in June we were able to drive up to Idaho for my little brother, Coleman's, highschool graduation. We left around 8pm at night and ended up driving all night until we got to our friends, Jason & Karyn Vorhees' house in Tigard OR. In stopping there we were able to spend some nice time with them as well as their new baby girl, Hayden Elizabeth, who we were meeting for the first time.

Joy & JoJo playing dress up in the car.

Joanna, Joy and Hayden (my girls look SO HUGE!) :(

Once we left we made the rest of our drive up to Sandpoint ID to start all the festivities leading up to the graduation and party. The girls were SO excited to see Purple Grandma and to be in ID visiting family. Saturday was the gradutation and Sunday was his party. It was all great and we had a wonderful time. We were also able to meet a new member of the family, cousins Dan & DJ's new baby girl, Deanna Amber.

Coleman and I on his graduation day

Joanna and Libby at playing before the grad party

We even got an interesting special treat on Tuesday night while we were there. My mom's cousins in Alabama sent us Crawfish and Alligator for dinner one night....yes, I said SENT, in the mail, a HUGE cooler full of Crawfish and Alligator meat. I was a little skeptical at first, but I'll usually try anything once. Turns out, it was great - we all had our fair share, even Joanna (Joy was not a fan - I think she was more concerned about what they looked like). It was such a good time and a great story to share!

Crawfish anyone???

Joy & Mommy havin' some mudbugs

JoJo & Daddy...YUM!

The newest addition to the Resso Family, Deanna Amber

We left Thursday morning to drive back to OR and stopped this time for 2 days before starting our drive home. We visited Multonomah Falls. It was absolutely beautiful. It was so amazing to see these waterfalls and see what the Lord can make. You can walk to the top of the very tallest one and we made it pretty far up there, but with 2 little kids and a stroller, we weren't going to make it the whole way, someday though...If anyone is ever in the area, I encourage them to go...it's breathtaking. We then visited with Gomma, Pa, Nick, Ashley, Jason, Karyn and Baby Hayden some more before packing it all up and driving home Saturday.

Underneath some of the falls

Under the Falls w/ Gomma

JoJo & Joy in a little cave we found on our hike


Momma Karyn with her new baby girl

We finally made it home Sunday after a week and a half of LOTS of driving and seeing a lot of family!! It was a wonderful trip and I feel very blessed that we were able to go. Thanks to everyone for the fun times and for being so hospitable to us. Can't wait to come again!! :)

Mother's Day!

Every year for Mother's Day we try to make a trip up to Bass Lake for camping w/ Grandma Jerri and anyone else who may be home at the time. This year everyone was able to make it except Jerred, Tiff & the boys.

Uncle Joshy & Joy

TeTe, JoJo & Joy

Japheth, Adam, Lindsay & Jonah

All the kids toasting marshmellows

Manny helping JoJo with her marshmellow

Grandma Jerri w/ marshmellow face! :)

We had a great time - the weather beautiful and the kids had so much fun being outside the whole time. We took the boat up and were able to do some wakeboarding and tubing on Sunday. So much fun!

Daddy & JoJo ready to go on the boat.

We also went up and walked around Jerri's property on the way home Sunday...it was so pretty - the girls had fun on the old swing at the back of her property.

Me the my girls on Mother's Day

Miah drove back w/ us from the lake and the girls had such a good time w/ him in the car! It was a great weekend and a wonderful Mother's Day!

JoJo & Jeremiah

Jeremiah & Joy

Turtle Sandbox!!

When we got home from Arkansas, Grandma Jerri had a surprise for the girls...a new Turtle Sandbox! They LOVE it and were so excited to get sand and start playing in it! :) Thank Grandma! :)

Joanna & Joy playing in their new sandbox!

First visit to the Dentist!!

So excited & waiting patiently to get her teeth cleaned...

When we were in Arkansas, Aunt Tiffani was able to schedule Joanna in for her first Dental visit! JoJo was SO excited and couldn't wait to get there and have her teeth cleaned. She did awesome and all is well within her mouth. She even got a new princess tooth brush! :) What a big girl! Thanks Aunt Tiffani - I think this might have been JoJo's highlight of the whole trip!

Aunt Tiffani cleaning JoJo's teeth.

Using the "sucky thing"...Aunt Tiffani even let her hold it!

ALL CLEAN!! And a new princess toothbrush for the patient! :)

Thanks Aunt Tiffani - I Love You!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...it's off to Arkansas we go!

The last week in April we took a trip out to Arkansas to see Uncle Jerred, Aunt Tiffani, Jaxson and Jordin. It was wonderful! After a much longer than anticipated lay over in Denver, we finally made it to their place and had such a great time! The kids started playing together and loving each other right away. It was as if Jaxson and Joanna were never apart.

All the kids w/ their blankies...

Jaxson (3 1/2), Joanna (3 1/2), Jordin (22 mths) & Joy (14 mnths)

We got there on Thursday and Friday evening we all road tripped to St.Louis to meet Scott, Krista, Sara and Kelsey for the Cubs game that weekend.

On the road to St.Louis...

What a fun time. We stayed in a great hotel with lots of shops and fun things to see. We went to Cardinal's stadium to cheer on the Cubs, rode the train to and from the game, went on some paddle boats at the hotel, and of course visited the Arch. It was a great weekend!

Posing on the train at the hotel.

Kelsey, Sara, Joanna, Jaxson, Joy & Jordin

All the kids at the Cubs game!

Jaxson & Joanna ready to ride the paddle boats!!

Steph & Krista w/ our girls - who knew that one day the girls would out number the boys??

All the kids did great with all the traveling. On the car ride home we stopped in MI and got to go for a ride through a cave, apparently the only ride through cave in the US. It was really neat and the kids even got to see a little bat hanging out in the cave. That was Joanna's favorite part, although she thought he should have been bigger. :) We got back to AR Sunday night and spent the next couple of days playing and enjoying being together.

Scrub-a-dub-dub, 4 kiddos in a tub! :)

We had to go home Wednesday. It was very hard, especially with Jaxson asking his dad, "Daddy, I go Ah Stephy?" So sweet. Thank you Uncle Jerred, Aunt Tiff, Jaxson and Jordi for a wonderful trip! We love and miss you guys!!

He is Risen!!

I love Easter! Every year I look forward to it. It's such a great reminder of the sacrifice our Lord made for us in dying on the cross for our sins and the wonderful event of his resurrection into new life so that no one, if they've accepted him into their hearts, will ever die. Praise God! It's also a very fun day with little girls, because they get to get all dressed up in their Easter best, with new dresses, shoes and of course accessories! :) This year my friend Mandy and her husband Greg bought the girls some beautiful dresses for their birthdays. I thought they would be perfect for Easter, so I saved them and that's what they wore on the day. We actually didn't even make it to church because both the girls weren't feeling great and had runny noses, but we did go to Grandma Long's and Grandma Jerri's later that day for our Easter celebrations. It was a beautiful day!

JoJo's Haircut!! :)

It's been a while since she's gotten her hair cut shorter, but I never got around to posting about it, so here it is. Joanna's been wanting to get her hair cut short ever since we were in Idaho back in November and my cousin David's little girl Libby had short hair, so I told her that once it started getting warmer out she could if she still wanted too. Of course, she did and we HAD to do it while Purple Grandma was here to be part of it. Here's some before and after shots - it turned out super cute! :)