Tyler is 3 weeks younger than Emma and Ben's brother. Note the cast. And cupcake remains. (and YES, he usually does wear a shirt, but COME ON! We're visiting Kentucky where shirts and shoes are optional.)
Aliya is 4 months younger than Emma and Ty Ty and is Matt and Corinda's oldest.
Joseph is our newest cousin as of May and is Aliya's baby brother... best baby EVER! Only time I heard him cry on our 2 week trip was when Matt dropped his car seat carrier on the steps. Smooth move Exlax.
Emma's only requirement when told we were visiting Kentucky was that she see horses. She reminded my parents of it EVERY SINGLE TIME we spoke on the phone. And my Dad did not disappoint! He even got us hooked up to RIDE horses and Emma had the time of her life!
Stopping for a photo shoot. No joke - she seriously posed herself like this. I think she has a bright future in modeling, don't you?
One of the sad moments of our trip was saying goodbye to Uncle Bubby (John) for 2 years!! She refused to take the picture without Mickey.
We had a wonderful FHE evening at a jump house. Emma had never been to one and had the TIME of her LIFE. They had an area specifically designated for 3 and under. It was GREAT!
We took a Saturday hike to Raven Run - which seemed like a great idea - until we realized we had a SLEW of children and the hike was 1 mile down to the Kentucky River and 1 mile back up. Pictured here are some of Emma's adopted cousins (Sarah, Jacob, Josh, Annabelle) who belong to Sean and Amber Marcum. Sean lived with our family on and off through middle and high school and we love having them join us on adventures.
I believe this is the only moment where Emma was standing on her own two feet. She was not feeling well that day...
So the princess was carried down by Grandpa Krebs (yes she is 20 pounds too heavy for the infant backpack).
And carried back up by Uncle Bubby. What a lucky girl!! (a phrase she says to me often)
The cousins helped do Saturday chores... which at our home is a rite of passage.
We played at MULTIPLE parks on MULTIPLE days.
We splashed in the fountain in the middle of downtown Lexington. It's kind of what white trash families do for fun - but HEY the kids were hot and we're proud to claim a white trash title for their sake.
We enjoyed a fun trip to the Children's Museum where they could build life size lego castles...
And play in toddler size sinks full of water and toys...
And relax on an Emma size couch to read a book! What a life.
This was Emma's prized possession while we were visiting. She came with a Mickey fetish and when she found Glen's life size Mickey (from when he was a baby) - she flipped a lid. She carried him around everywhere. One day she yelled from the living room that she was "cuddling with Mickey", when I went to check on her she was actually laying on top of him giving him hugs and kisses. Guess we better work on "For the Strength of Youth" concepts NOW. And NO, for your information, she still sleeps in a crib still and has never "walked in" on anything...
The cousins enjoyed eating together...
And ROCKIN' out to Rock Band together...
And making play dough with Grandma Krebs together!
Emma thoroughly enjoyed all the extra attention and was pretty disappointed to come home to just ME during the days again.
My parents bought the kids a Slip and Slide while we were there and it was a hit for a few mornings. Of course, Emma did not like it to spray in her eyes and instisted that the water stay OFF while she ran along the slide. Kind of missed the concept, but whatever.
And when they hadn't gotten enough water outside, they came inside to play together in the bath tub.
Here we are making cupcakes for the wedding reception. When I got there, all the assignments had been given out, so they gave me the "difficult task" of putting the jelly beans on the cupcakes. I kind of felt like the token disabled employee who was allowed to participate... but just BARELY.
Special thanks to Julie Nicholls who let us use her AMAZING kitchen for the festivities. My Mom's recipes were incredible and it was as much fun to taste them as it was to make them.
The kids LOVED reading books with Grandpa, and this scene with the four of them surrounded by a book on his lap was a frequent occurence.
Of course, Emma (always the Mother) took it upon herself to read to Aliya when she was commandeering her baby brother's swing. How kind.
