We celebrated Thanksgiving in Destin, FL! When Steve proposed skipping the usual family Thanksgiving and heading for the beach instead, I was totally on board. We had been away from each other for 3 months and we were eager for our own family time. So, where better to do that than at the beach? But as it got closer we both had a lot of doubts. Going to Florida meant not being with the Izatts for the feast...the turkey, the rolls, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing and oh, the pies. As the day approached, we debated whether to cancel our reservations and stay home...and then we looked at the pictures of our hotel and the view from our room again. Palm trees, sand and the blue ocean won. We headed for our one bedroom apartment at the Fort Benning Recreation Area on Wednesday night and woke up to sunny Florida on Thanksgiving morning. Steve had found this resort for military people with incredible rates, especially off season. It was really private and had pools, playgrounds and a pier. It was the perfect place for families. So, Thanksgiving Day, after exploring the beaches for several hours, we went and picked up our Crackel Barrel Thanksgiving meal. We then ate turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pies on a picnic table by the ocean. Ah, what a day! I'll never look at Thanksgiving Day the same again! We stayed through Saturday and spent as much time as we could playing on the beach. The weather was sunny and cool and breezy, but all we needed was a light jacket. As you can tell from the pictures, it didn't keep me and the boys from going up to our knees in the water and it didn't keep Steve from diving in. : ) There were hardly any people so it was perfect for marine life sightings. We saw dolphins, crabs, and sting rays so close we could touch them...of course, we didn't! (I have been to Destin probably 10 times in my life and have never seen any of these.) The boys absolutely loved the beach. Everytime we would go back, Oliver would say, "sand, more sand, more sand," and point all around. His favorite thing to do was throw the frisbee and dig with the shovels and buckets. Caleb liked looking for shells and experimenting with mixing the sand and water. And Peter would not keep his hands and feet on the towel he was on. He kept scooting over (he's almost crawling now!) so he could get at least one appendage into the sand. Thankfully, he didn't put any in his mouth. We had such a great time and made some really fun family memories. We were so enamored with the place, Steve made a reservation for a 3 bedroom villa for my birthday in May!
Oliver LOVES taking baths so I thought a bathtub cake would be appropriate. The execution was a little rough, but it turned out okay.
Oliver loved it and, unfortunately for the rest of us wanting cake, dug right in with both hands.
He got a bike helmet like Caleb and wears it for hours around the house.
His favorite gifts were definitely his guitars, a classic one from his Izatt grandparents and a toy one from us. He's such a musician and singer. His favorite song right now is "How Firm a Foundation." Yes, it is hard picturing a 2 year old singing that song, but he's good.
He also really loved the drum and music set he got the following day at our Labor Day picnic.
Everyone from the Izatt clan was there. It's amazing that we are able to get everyone together on a fairly regular basis: my parents, 4 kids and spouses, and 12 grandkids. 
Gorgeous day with daddy.
4th of July: Steve left for JAG training after the fireworks.
Can you tell I love my sling?!
He drives me crazy, but I can't help but love this face.
A typical 6am morning includes cartoons and crying.
I got these funny animal noses at a garage sale before I even had kids. I was sure they would be hilarious...they are!
Carrots please.
After several weeks of not seeing Daddy, we decided to meet halfway in Knoxville, TN for the weekend. Steve came in after I put the kids to bed and when they woke up and saw him, they couldn't resist a little wrestling along with the hugs and kisses.
We went to the Knoxville Zoo. Altogether a pretty lame zoo, but the camel was nice.
After not seeing my husband for a while, this view almost made me cry.
Oliver's courageous act of touching a hedgehog. For as wild as he is, he is pretty cautious of animals.
They may not be girls, but they LOVE playing dress-up.
Does this make me look fat?
"My hands upon my head I'll place..."
With daddy gone, I decided to forego doing haircuts myself and let the professionals have a shot at my wiggly crew. It was their first "real" haircut and they were great. (Which actually kind of bugged me because they are SO HORRIBLE when we cut their hair.)
Oliver finally learned how to climb out of his crib so I moved him to a toddler bed. This is how I found him the first night.
This was the second night. I almost panicked when I went to check on them and couldn't find Oliver. I searched all over the room and the house before I saw his two little feet poking out from underneath Caleb's bed.
This was the third night. It completely baffles me how and why he would fall asleep under a bed that is only a foot off of the ground. Thankfully, he finally got the hang of it and now sleeps in his bed and not under it.
A couple of weekends later we met Steve again in Knoxville and decided to see how they make cheese at a dairy farm. It was fun, but way too hot. Don't you love the "cow-poop protection" booties? You might notice the boys are all in red. Besides being kind of cute, I've decided color coding my children is the only sane way to keep track of them in public.
This was a children's area at the zoo that we missed the first time and went back to see. I didn't know there was going to be water so I didn't bring their suits, but they didn't seem to mind.
Caleb: I'm getting soaked, Mom.
After our big trip to Wyoming, it was time to relax back at home with the Izatt cousins. 
I still get lonely in the evenings without Steve, so I try to stay busy. Usually I'm unpacking boxes and cleaning, but my parents bought me a changing table (I'm on my 3rd kid and I've never had one. Thanks mom and dad!). It was supposed to come mostly assembled. Ya right. This is normally Steve's job to assemble things, but... in the words of Kate Gosslin, "I am resigned to try things I have never tried, do things I have never done."
After several hours and a lot fewer cuss words than I thought I would have to use, Ta Da! I even used it today and it didn't fall apart! Shocking.
I just had to stick on the end this picture of Peter that I took today. He is just learning to smile and coo and is the sunshine of my day.