Jake's Big Announcement!!!

After school on Tuesday, he learned to ride a bike with no training wheels! What a big man!!!
We are so proud of him. It's wild (and sad at times) to think about how fast he's growing up.
Congratulations, Jake! We love you!!!

Drum Roll Please...............................

Yup, that right! WE GOT AN RV!!!!!!!!!!! We have had it for about 2 weeks now and already taken an AWESOME trip! It is just great having this thing! Considering that I have wanted one since I was a little kid, sometimes it's hard to believe that I actually have one now! What in the world are we going to do with all that time we have now that we don't have to bother all of the local dealerships with showing us different rv's????? I'll tell you what.....we're going to have the best time showing the kids all of the wonderful things around the US in our RV!!!!!!!!
We have been looking at every kind of RV you can think of for the past 2 years and things just fell into place recently and we got something better and nicer than I could have ever imagined, and we got it at a great price! I realize that given the recent recession, financially, it may not be the smartest move ever. But, our kids are only kids once and we are going to take the opportunity that we have been given to enjoy the heck out of this thing. We can't wait to explore areas we never would have under normal circumstances and take road trips to see family that live elsewhere. We've already got a pretty long list of places we'd like to go, and with the chance of me going to school in Colorado this summer, our minds are racing with the possibilities of what we are going to be able to do and see with the new ride. And one of the best parts....we get to take Abby with us!!! She normally gets car sick, but we took her to SC with us last weekend and she did wonderfully! I just can't wait to get on the road with the family and see everything that's out there!!!!

One of my favorite parts is the full sized fridge! I'm sure it'll make a big difference when we're on the road for a week or more. It also has hook-ups for a washer/dryer. I have heard that they're not the most efficient things ever, but I think it might be nice to have (especially with little boys that have accidents now and then).

I owe a big thanks to Jeremy (of course) for supporting my dream of having an rv. He loves it just as much as me and we're thankful for his experience driving big FedEx trucks. It made for an easy transition to driving a 37' RV. Thanks, Babe! Love you!

Lazy 5 Ranch

These are most of the pictures from our trip to the Lazy 5 Ranch with the Reid's. All I can say is.....Disney's Animal Kingdom can SUCK IT!!!!
It just doesn't come close to this place! You have a choice when you get here...drive your own car through the safari or for $5 more, ride in the horse drawn wagon. As you can see, we took the wagon ride. From some reason, Brian and Carrie didn't want to drive the Porsche through animals with sharp beaks and horns. :-) haha

All of the animals just wander peacefully around the property. Most of the seem to stay in groups, but the pigs run around everywhere.

We were actually able to feel these GIANT water buffalo. One of the kept running beside the wagon to try to get more food.

Our little terd, Rudy, threw food all over the poor buffalo's head.
:-(

Rudy, with his bladder of a 70 year old woman, had to pee about 5 minutes into an hour long wagon ride. We had just passed the buffalo and were next to the alpacas. The guy on the wagon said it would be ok if Rudy got out and pee'd behind a tree. He said that none of the animals nearby would bother him. I was a little nervous, but they(the animals) could have cared less!

We weren't allowed to feed the zebras because they're the only animals in the park with top and bottom teeth and they could get somebody's fingers. Carrie did get to pet one, though!

The rule was....if the animal has 4 legs, feed it with your hand...if it has 2 legs, feed it with the bucket. I think these were ostriches (?). You could see a giant lump in their necks as the food worked it's way down their throat. It was so creepy looking!

The giraffes were definitely my favorite part. I couldn't believe that we got to feed and pet giraffes!!! I never could have imagined that I would have a chance to do that! This place was so amazing!

We definitely did not touch or feed these guys!

The giant cow in the background is actually a holstein ox. He is the local celebrity, as he was painted brown and used in the HBO series, John Adams.

There were several kangaroos and with a lot of patience, you could coax them closer to the fence to feed them. The way they moved and hopped around was so neat. They use their thick tails to balance themselves when their back feet are off the ground. So Cool!!!

Jacob made a friend. This was the only goat that would let him reach in and pet him. Jacob decided to name him "Fredericksburg".

We had such a great time at the Lazy 5 Ranch. I would STRONGLY encourage anyone who reads this to head down and experience it. We can't wait to go back and see even more animals when it's warmer! Thanks Carrie and Brian for taking us!!!!! We will never forget the awesome time that we had!