On our way to and from California we stayed with my Aunt Trish and Uncle Dan in Utah. On our way day we had the opportunity to see a TON of my Dad's family. It was kind of fun because we had family there that lived 25 minutes away from us in Virginia. My girls got to play with someone they knew! My grandparents were there, several aunts and uncles and a whole lotta kiddos. There was no where else I'd rather have been than in the company of family.

You most definitely cannot have a summer in Idaho without attending the Western Idaho Fair! I think not! And what is a fair without a turkey leg! Or anything deep fried and delicious? We had a blast this year! The girls had so much fun I don't think I cared it was past their bedtime. Abigail went on her first carnival ride, the train, and had so much fun we let her do it again. She was shouting, "Whoooo, Whoooo!" It is so fun to watch your child smile and laugh and have fun. It warms my heart to be able to do fun things for my kids. This was certainly one of those days.
When it got dark veryone but Savannah and I went home and we had a wonderful mommy-daughter date!  She went on at least a half a dozen more rides. We went on the ferris wheel together and who'da thunk we were a mom and child? We were singing at the top of our lungs. Heck, I was acting more like a child than she was! I didn't care who knew it. I was having fun with my sweet girl.

Well, the journey has begun. As of July 12th we are officially homeless, or living out of suitcases at least. We decided to put our household goods in storage while Eric went to Officer Training School. With girls in tow I took off on a 7-hour-6-potty/food-stops drive for Ohio where all the family met for a wedding! The last Robinson girl to wed was married on a beautiful July afternoon! Rachel and Chris Mattocks are now a happy Mr and Mrs. I'm sticking around Ohio for a couple weeks to watch six crazy kiddos while Rachel has two-week drill.

In the beginning of August we'll board a 747 for Idaho, leaving my car in Ohio. There we'll have fun with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Kiki, Uncle Austin, and little man Hayden! This map doesn't reflect all the mini road trips we're going to do. I'll have been in Idaho for two weeks before we have for the Oregon coast for nothing but water parks, zoos, museums and family fun. 

In between the Oregon trip and the next trip I'm squeezing in a Luau Birthday Party for the girls! Abigail turns 1 on August 22 and Savannah turns 4 on August 26! Woohoo! I've thrown a luau every year for Savannah's birthday party and all my decorations are packed up in storage in Virginia. Anyone who knows me knows how much I like to throw parties and decorate. What am I going to do in this situation? Get new decorations! I booked a bouncy castle booked so it should be AWESOME and I can't wait to post pictures about that! 

My youngest sister and the last Robinson girl to have a baby, Emily, will be delivering the end of August. Kiki, the kids, and I will head to California on another long road trip where we'll stop in Utah to stay with an Aunt and Vegas to stay with a friend! Can't wait to see the Andersons and the Banfields! We'll stick around Cali for a few weeks to help out with Emily. Kenny should be returning home from the sandbox just in time for the birth of his beautiful baby girl! The rest of September will be spent in Idaho having fun with friends and family.

Sometime in mid-October I'll fly back to Ohio to get my car. Kiki has graciously offered to join me in my madness of a roadtrip. We will head towards Virginia the next day and meet the movers who will be picking our belongings up from storage to head to Florida. Note to self, trying to plan a move while several states away is not easy. At all costs, try to avoid such a predicament. 

If it all goes according to plan, which of course I realize may not, we'll leave immediately following checking out of the storage unit and head towards Alabama with one night stop somewhere along the way...TBD...where we'll attend Eric's graduation from OTS. It would appear he has free time starting Saturday, so I'm hoping to be in the state by then. While there, I have the luxury of attending a formal dinner event called a "Dining Out" where the military wear their mess dress and the spouses where tuxedos or ball gowns. I've certainly been doing some ball gown shopping and for any girl who likes to shop, ahem, like me, this is certainly something exciting!  His graduation will be equally as awesome because on that day my husband will commission from his old rank of an enlisted Technical Sergeant to butterbar...err, a Lieutenant!  I'll have fun answering everything with a Yes Sir or No Sir! The second he is released after graduation we are hitting the road and heading to Florida where we will find our new home and our new life. Whew! What a journey! Don't worry, I'll keep ya'll update along the way!

 Hooray! Grandma May came to town! I had the luxury of spending the last two nights with family. We were sitting around the living room just chatting and I look over at her, she's crying, and she says, "Oh Lynney, one of these days you'll learn what it is all about." "Grandma, I already have." Some of the most special moments in life are in the company of family.

 Sure do love my Grandpa!

Uncle Mike and Mary+Uncle John and Aunt Kathryn+Aunt Jenn and Uncle Tripp (not pictured)+Grandma and Grandpa May+ Eric and I=a FABULOUS afternoon!

 

 Camping Hotel Owens style! Check out this tent Eric bought for $80 off of Craigslist! It worked out perfectly! We put Abigail's pack n' play in one room and Savannah in the other! Our good friends like to "hang" and brought hammocks instead of tents. Lil Miss tried one out and by the looks on her face, can you tell she thought it was totally awesome! We did dutch oven style dinner and had fun hanging out while it cooked. This is kind of our last little hoorah before everyone moves. There are at least six families I can think of off the top of my head that are moving. We made sure we had fun this weekend!!

 For all you wildlife lovers out there, this campsite...Shenandoah National Park...had tons of deer roaming around. The kids thought it was super cool to see them so up close! I wasn't a big fan of two of them racing through the bushes at two in the morning...that sure can unease your nerves! So, by the way, there were owls hootin and a tootin all night too. I don't consider myself a light sleeper but all those darn animals sure did know how to keep me up! I of course didn't help getting some Z's when I decided to stay up all night laughing around the campfire! Furthermore, not limiting the amount of sugar my daughter consumed didn't help her going to bed on time either. Hey, we're camping, gotta have fun!

 Soooo, all the hard work I've been putting into losing baby weight was undone when I decided to practically inhale all things cobbler! It was SO good! It wasn't by accident I sat at the dessert table...all night. Hehe!

 Nine families on a camping trip is recipe for awesomeness. Abigail was no stranger to fun either! Her and her friend Charlotte made darn sure they didn't miss out on the adventure just because they were babies! Why yes, that is a bow you see in her hair! You betchya! Even in the wilderness my kids are dressed to impress! It is something I enjoy I suppose...doing hair. Well, okay, so pulling aside a few strands of hair to clip in a mini-bow isn't technically doing hair but I have fun making my girlies look cute...not that they need my help in any way to check that box off!

The next day we packed a picnic lunch and went for a hike! Big sissy decided she doesn't get enough time with her two best friends, Noah and Allison and spent as much time with them as possible. How in the world am I going to tell this little girl she has to move away from them? Good thing she is social (like her mommy) and will make new friends quickly. The hike was to a little waterfall where the kids made no hesitation to rip off their shoes (and clothes for some!) to jump in the icy cold water. What on Earth made these kids jump into that water? I put my feet in and it was cold enough it felt painful. Big wuss! On our way out of the park we saw this cute cuddly little bear...yeah right! I'm just glad this picture was taken several miles away from where I decided to rest my head and eat my dinner.

 My friend Cindy had already taken off before this picture was taken. Here is a moment where I wish I had some photoshopping skills because her sweet face would make this picture perfect. I will miss all my girlfriends. They are such a blessing in my life. Love these girls!

Yo! The Dudes! What a great group of buddies Eric has! It makes me happy to know that all of my dear friends have amazing hubbies to be their protectors and companions! 

I can't believe we got a picture of all the kids sitting in one spot long enough for a camera to take a snapshot. I'm even more impressed that not only did they sit long enough...they're actually looking and smiling! What a fun adventure! I love these kids!

I feel like these past few weeks deserve their own post for these very special guests we've been having. I've been watching a couple kids for a friend three days a week. While it may be a little extra work, it really is such a treat for Savannah to have full time friends over! They sure do know how to have fun...and look cute doing it! Awesome!

Our oldest has gone camping once before but it happened to be with me while my husband was deployed last year. Now she can officially say she has gone camping with both parents. In a couple of weekends we will be able to go together as a whole family...finally. This chick ate 3 hot dogs, bun included, some yoohoos, and 2 smores. Hungry little pig ate more than her daddy! They had a blast around the campfire, played with friends and came home wreaking of smoke. Hooray for the daddy-daughter campout!