The Estes Ohana

On Tuesday, July 8th my sister's, kids, and my mom all travelled to Albuquerque, NM to attend an adult volleyball camp at UNM. We all camped at Starr and Eddys home. Thanks! The camp started on the 8th and went to the 10th; every evening from 6:00 pm till 9:30 pm. My mom was so wonderful to come along and volunteer ;-) to watch my kiddos. Super thanks mom!

So it was Tessa, Starr, Amber and I - all us sisters getting to spend 3 hours a night learning and practicing volleyball. It was so much fun. We were able to practice every aspect of volleyball and also tried to learn knew things! I enjoyed spending the time with my sisters! I love you girls.

While we were in NM, we dediced to go to the Zoo. Always a fun family outing... love those cool animals! Here are all our kids... (the only one missing was my brother Talon and his kids)

From L to R: Davin, Dalyce, Treston, Aiden, Brayden, Dash, Kailea, Chloe and Caleb

The week continued with more fun sister outings. We left back to Colorado on July 11th. July 12th, Tessa, Starr and myself entered a trail run. There were two options, the completely kill yourself hill or the feel good about yourself trail. I had already chosen to do the completely kill yourself hill. Tessa also chose that hill. Starr was the smart one of the bunch, she stuck to the 4.5 mile feel good about yourself trail... and kicked butt! I am so proud of her for sticking with it... and kicking our butts! Way to go Starr! Tessa and I did the 1,500 foot elevation gain 7.5 mile trail run. It was super fun! I now know that I love trail runs... they are much better than just running on the pavement for miles at a time. The large climb to the top of the hill was a bit hard for me - I am no longer used to the elevation! Yikes, I got pretty dizzy. But, with a little break and water - I was on my way. The downhill was also extremely steep, but it was fun! (I do have a picture of the three of us getting ready for our run... will post as soon as I get it from my sister!)

The submarine says, "USS LaJolla and Defending Our Freedom."

The parade was fun, but Treston and Aiden were ready to get the boat off... duct tape is also heavy when used in large quantaties! :-) Who knew?

Then came the fun times of carnival booths. The kids were able to shave balloons, face painting, shoot at water ducks, purchase goodies at the nearby grocer, pet goats, ride ponies and a few other super cool things. Our booth idea came from my super fun sister Starr. We had everyone trace their hands and then write a message on them. Then Starr crafted a cute, and very sentimental, hand bouquet. It was beautiful. There were so many hands! And the little tiny baby hands were so precious!

Kailea enjoying the Face Painting booth

Afterwards, my Aunt Barb put together an arm wrestling competition. It was so fun to watch all the girls "try" to get down to business. All us mom's ended up getting beat by my cousin Tambre (she has been lifting weights!) Way to go Tambre! I will be practicing for next time! :-) Thanks Aunt Barb for getting that together!

We partied on into the night with yummy food, music and dance. It is so wonderful having such a large family... and hey! actually getting to see them all. I had a great time chattin' it up with everyone! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Ross for such a wonderful celebration of our Ross Family! We love you tons!

Aiden on our Vallecito Creek hike.

Mom and Kailea on the Vallecito Creek hike.

Our small Ignacio High - Bayfield Ward Seminary
Kailea Sue just loved this kitten. She played with it all night!

We left Las Vegas, Nevada on June 10, and the kids and I drove across to Ignacio, Colorado. That was an interesting drive... a 8-9 hour trip easily turns into 12-13 hours when traveling alone. The kids actually did pretty good... except Kailea, she was DONE 2 hours in. We were in trouble. So I pulled over in Flagstaff and went to the super Wal-Mart... found a smokin' deal on a portable DVD player ($50!) and let them each pick a $5 movie. I just love Wal-Mart! It saved the trip. She still cried a bit, but for the most part she was interested in the movies.
For the first two weeks, my sister Tessa and I were able to attend a 3's Queen of Court volleyball tournament. The first week, we were sure we should not be there... we totally needed some extreme training. We did not give up though... we stuck with it and by the second week we did ok. No matter what... It was a blast. I had tons of fun to throwing my body to the ground to get THAT ball! I LOVE volleyball!
For the next couple weeks, we spent time on the farm with my mom; chillin' with Tessa and kids and playing at the park. And I took the kids horseback riding a couple times. All in all a great beginning to our stay in Colorado. (I am terrible about actually taking pictures, so they are kinda speratic!)

We started off on June 4th crossing the big Pacific Ocean. The kids did great and we made it to Las Vegas, Nevada with no real stories to tell. We were able to spend a week with Stephen's family, before heading onto Colorado. We had a complete blast... so many cousins and super fun activities planned for us. The kids just loved spending time with their cousins, and I had a great time actually getting to know Stephen's family. It was a good experience for me. We were even able to have a "Girls Night Out". We went and had a great dinner at the Cheese Cake Factory! So yummy. I had such a sugar high from the cheese cake - but I would do it again! We laughed every time our waiter came to take our order... because his name was "Bif". Poor guy! Thank you to everyone that took time out of their busy lives to come and see us. We love you all!

It is so good to be home, in my bed and enjoying the pleasures of my own home... but, I must say I will miss the fun times I have had this summer! It was a summer to remember, I was able to hang out with my family and get to know Stephen's family so much better. A true blessing to be able to work and play alongside your family! And now I know why I love to work so much... it was bred into me!
So many fun times to post about... but I do not have any pictures as of yet. My camera was full; so my sister transferred the pictures to her computer so that I could take more. Pictures are in route, so I will update as soon as I get them.
We are on the final stretch of Stephen's deployment; we are making it! Somedays the flood gates open up, but my faith in Jesus Christ continues to pull me through. I sure love the man that married me almost 7 years ago... and thankfully he fully loves me too! I am blessed! I love my kiddos... I love the flavor they give each day.
Well tata for now! Pictures and updates coming soon! We start our little home school semester tomorrow.. so I must get busy!