We're baaaack!! Over a week ago we headed to Mark & Stephanie's house for a little Missouri fun in the sun. The ride up was a little rough and Allen was very tired of his car seat by the time we arrived. He was a pretty good sport considering he has some molars coming up top. Katy did great with her potty training and even used her potty seat that we brought along for the ride. She had a few accidents early on, but has been accident-free for several days now. YAY!!

We did some lounging around and some light shopping. The kids loved seeing their cousins and Boone dog. Katy even loved the stuffed animal Boone dog. We shucked corn with Grammy & Papa, jumped on the trampoline, rode on trikes and boated down the river. Fun, fun, fun!

Next on the agenda was a trip to Nauvoo, Illinois for the official family reunion. Not everyone could make it but a lot of folks came from far away to be there. We took in shows and ate and ate and ate. The best part for me was when we took Katy to the pioneer games and let her have some old fashioned fun. Allen was napping under Grammy's care and Papa came with us. Every so often we would meet up with Jerry, Mark or Rick's family, but Karen's family eluded us most of the time. I took 2 gig of pics on the trip, and for the month of July so far I've taken 3.6 gig of photos. Cuh-razy!

The only bad thing that happened was whenI was swinging Katy by her arms (with the help of a cousin) and her elbow popped out of socket. I guess it's called nursemaid's elbow? If it happens once it will happen over and over again. We only swung her down from a bench and she started crying immediately and dramatically, which is very unlike my brave, tough girl. She settled down to a whimper and fell asleep in the van so we didn't know anything was wrong until she woke up holding her arm against her body. Poor little bird. At the hotel all her little cousins were cheering her up and making her laugh. She even told me that her cousins made her booboo feel better. But we ended up at a clinic that night, only to have Katy's elbow fix itself on the way over. The doctor didn't have to do a thing and Katy was fine after that. It was scary. I don't like seeing my babies in pain. Makes me appreciate how blessed we have really been.

Since potty training has gone so well, Katy was rewarded with a giant sucker which she steadfastly insists is a ring pop. She identifies when it's time to go and even dropped a plop plop in the pot on her own today. Didn't call me over to crow about it or help or anything. Lovely and disgusting at the same time because she forgot to flush it and that's how I found out about her new-found independence. Allen likes sharing in Katy's prizes, too!

OK, guess I'll close with some Katy-isms:

* chocolate = chockit

* frosting = rostings (and it's the only part of the cake that Katy will eat)

* busy = dizzy (I was told Katy was too dizzy to help me clean up toys)

* broked = broken (as in it's broked but Daddy will fix it)

* drink coozy = cozy

* the ABC song ends with "now I know your ABC's"

Mom missed us so much that she kidnapped Katy for me most of the first day we were back so Allen and I could do laundry and clean up. She took care of the kitties and the yard, mail, papers for us while we were gone. Suh-weet!

Like Dorothy from Oz, I must say there's no place like home!