Gomez Summer Getaway- Day 1

We decided quite unexpectedly to take off to the west and go on a little family summer vacation- just us! 

We loaded the kids in the van with plenty of snacks and movies and took off to 

South Dakota!

You might ask what is in South Dakota and why there?

Well, we had been toying with the idea of visiting the Grand Canyon, but its hot and its in teh middle of the summer and its over 13 hours to drive, so we thought somewhere closer would be nice- so, we looked around and mapped out a route.

Day 1- Drive 6 hours to Mount Rushmore. See Crazy Horse and the Monument. Stay in a hotel overnight.

okay, it is COLD here in South Dakota. The sun quickly got lost behind rain clouds and a fine mist started falling. But that did not stop us, we broke out the jackets (and I changed in the car into jeans:) and captured the sights on camera...

see the Indian in the rock behind them. That is the closest we got to it without paying more money to drive up the mountain to see it. We did tour the museum and it was pretty cool.

Here is what this monument is supposed to look like when they are finished...

Seems to me, they have a very long way to go... 

Next we drove up another mountain in teh Black Hills Forest to Mount Rushmore!

As we were climbing the mountain in the car, it was getting so foggy and rainy and my spirits were quickly dropping. I thought for sure we would see nothing at the top.

Well, I was right- here is the first picture we took...

Can you believe it- I was about to cry and the girls kept asking when we were leaving and going to the hotel:) Right after I took this picture and said a little prayer to God:), the fog began to lift and a cheer rose from among the spectaters! And we were able to snap some great pics of a very awe inspiring tribute to great men of our past! It really was breathtaking and jaw dropping to see it in person.

Our girls cheered and were SO excited while Elijah terrified us by running too close to precipices! 

It truly is something everyone should try to see in their lifetime!

We definitely wont forget this moment!

After walking back to the van, I looked back and the fog was rolling in again- I said a prayer of thanks to God for allowing us a quick glimpse of something I have forever wanted to see!

Next stop- our hotel- 

I was a bit nervous as we drove through dives of hotels around the area,

but I trusted that Priceline had not lied about our hotel being 3 stars for just $100! 

and we were not disappointed. It is a great hotel!

The girls tested out the bouncy-ness of their beds and it rated EXCELLENT.

Elijah was concerned with comfort and I can attest to the

fact that these beds are ever so comfy! 

And the Highlight of the whole trip so far (from the kids point of view)

was the pool.   I must admit, this is the Lexus of hotel pools:) They have this HUGE slide in their indoor pool that the twins did NOT want to leave. I was shcikced when Sophia said she wanted to do it herself and she did! It drops you in 3 feet of water, so she coudl easily stand up. She must have done it over 50 times, giggling all the way! Arianna caught on to her bravery and joined her for the last 15 times. Ella went 2 time and had enough:) Elijah and Daddy went about 10 times, Elijah begging over and over to go again!

And we relaxed in the hot tub to end the night off right:) Tomorrow a new set of adventures begins!

Cody, Wyoming- Here we come!~

I believe I may need to buy myself a pair of cowboy boots for the next pics:) I need to fit in and all:) 

since we're going to a rodeo!

Happy Birthday, America!

Happy 4th of July!

We enjoyed a very WET picnic and fireworks. 

Littleton Bible Chapel had a great picnic with food and kids activities. 

We went for a whole 20 minutes and then got rained out. 

( I LOVE this pic- Clara thinks Elijah is funny or something!)

We then invited the Lutzs over for games. It was fun:)

We attempted to go see fireworks, al the while rain, thunder and lightning were abounding.

We parked and when it was time the rain lightened enough to get out and watch! 

They were beautiful!

I am so thankful for the great country we live in. I am privileged to be an American.

I am so thankful for the men and woman who have fought and are fighting to give my my freedom.

I am also so thankful for freedom in Christ! 

I am a child of God's and He has freed me from the bonds of sin. 

For that, I am eternally grateful.

Remembering 2 Years of Life

Hard to believe that 2 years ago today, I was in labor at the hospital getting ready to deliver our FIRST baby boy! After about 7 hours, Elijah Benjamin arrived into the world!

He seriously was just perfect! 

Here are a few glimpses of his first year of life!

Elijah's first Bronco Game- 2 moths old

playing with his best friend, Clara- 3 months old

Looking all handsome for church- 4 months old

Elijah's first Christmas

Learning to sit with Clara- 7 months old

Elijah's first birthday!

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

We are so blessed to have you in our family! 

You fill our house with love, SMILES and laughter!

We pray that you will grow into a man who loves and fears God! 

Hurray for Date Nights!

Last night was Date Night for Mark and I and it couldnt have come at a better time! 

Going on a date with my husband is something I look forward to more than anything.

It is SO nice to get away with your love to talk without any interruptions! 

It's wonderful and so needed for all relationships(especially if you have 4 kids)!

One of our favorite things to do is to try new restaurants.

I think if I was loaded, I would spend a lot of money on fancy restaurants:) 

We headed over to The Melting Pot in Littleton. It is a fondue place. It is very expensive, so we have never gone. But thanks to a VERY generous gift from one of Marks students at Valor, we went last night!

We started with a Spinach Artichoke cheese fondue- they make it right at the table in front of you and give you bread cubes, granny Smith apples and an assortment of veggies to dip.

We ate it all:) 

After that is the salad. 

Mine was a Spinach Mushroom salad with bacon, red onions and the best raspberry vinaigrette I have ever tasted! Mark got the Ceaser. 

After that came the meat- I got a sampler platter with shrimp, steak, salmon, chicken- and the sauces they gave you were amazing! You would throw all the raw veggies in the boiling broth and then cook you r meet on the skewers. It was delicious! 

Then came dessert- we got a Turtle Fondue- milk chocolate, caramel and pecans. They flambéed it right in front of you and served it with marshmallows, rice krispie treats, bananas, strawberries, cheesecake, pound cake, and brownies. AMAZING!  It melted in your mouth. oh, the creamy, chocolaty goodness!

It definitely was a wonderful night and a cool experience.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to a daddy who...

is patient, loving and kind

makes the best waffles ever

loves to wrestle and fight with Elijah

reads and reads and reads and reads and reads to his kiddos

makes us all laugh

loves the gospel and the Word

loves others and loves having people over:) 

loves the church

works SO hard to provide for our family

is a GREAT teacher:)

is the love of our lives!

We Love you, Mark 

and are blessed to have you

 as a husband and father!

xoxoxoxo

Ready to Smile?

Seriously, is he not the cutest thing ever??

Dino Ridge

Every Friday, I try to take the kids on a little trip to area attractions,etc. Two weeks ago we went to Dinosaur Ridge. It was full of dinos and bones and tracks. Pretty cool stuff. 

We went on a shuttle bus up the ridge and a guide showed us all the tracks and bones. His talk was filled with "millions of years". I tried to explain to the girls that we do not believe the world is millions of years old, but they really have no idea what I am talking about. They are not good with time. Everything is "yesterday" to them- even if it happened last year. I told them that God created the dinos and they probably died out after the flood. Needless to say, it was a good trip and we enjoyed having Mark with us too!