The Great Road Trip of 2012 First Day

We took off on Tuesday, June 26th with a new transmission, a loaded car, and high hopes!  We were shooting for about an 18 hour drive to Grand Junction, CO, as our first leg of the trip.  Our first clue that plans might change came in Amarillo when that shiny new transmission overheated. 

Our next clue came when the highway signs started to come in the shape of OK, which we never intended to pass through!  Why is it that the men in our lives literally cracked up when we asked for help since our GPS wasn't getting signal?

Soon the clues started coming fast and furiously (and on 2 lane roads thanks to our foray into OK).  By nightfall, that shiny new transmission was overheating too frequently for comfort, and we turned back toward TX (we were only about 3 hours from our destination!  :(  ).

Heading back after 18 hours--and with 5 (OK, make that 7) incredibly disappointed faces staring out the windows--we overheated two more times between Trinidad, CO, and Raton, NM.  At the first stop it appeared that a trucker was going to stop to help us.  While we might have welcomed that during any of our many daylight stops for car trouble, this made Mom and I pretty darn nervous.  By the time one of the kids asked why we were nervous when the truck might be stopping to help, the stress must have gotten to Momba because she replied, "Because it might be an ax murderer in that truck, OK?"  All eyes a little wider we watched as the truck continued down the road feeling more than a little relieved.  This stop took quite a bit longer to cool the car down, and anxiety mounted as Momba, Michael, and I took turns holding up the hood (which wouldn't support its own weight for some reason) because we heard a pack of wild dogs.  It didn't really peak, though, until we heard the gunshot, which caused us all to pile in and try once again to continue on.

We overheated one more time before deciding we needed to sleep in the next town rather than trying to continue our homeward trek--this time literally right next to a bear crossing sign.  I asked the boys to keep an eye out for bears (thinking that 5 children watching their mother mauled by a bear would NOT be the perfect end to our day), but they were already worked up about the ax murderer comment and wouldn't believe bears to be possible.  Luckily, none showed up, and by using the last bit of extra water Momba had bought us, we were able to cool down just enough to make it to Raton (overheated again in the parking lot!).

December 2011

 More crafts and friends in prep for Christmas.  Here #3 and his friend Caleb make Christmas notebook gifts.

My Daddy turned 60, and I got to go!  In fact, all of us kids surprised him.  First we gathered at Wendy's, where Em invited Mom for a frosty.  She had no idea we'd be there, and it was super fun to see her reaction, especially because the day before she'd told me she wished she'd thought to bring us all out.  I'd just told her we could've thought of it, too...  :)  Then Gene and Quynh took Dad to dinner like they always do, and we all walked in after they were seated.  It was funny because Dad said he really felt like we were all coming, so he was let down when he got home to a quiet house and again when we weren't waiting at the restaurant.  Glad we waited to walk in!

 This is our baby sister Allie (#5 in our family) and my beautiful niece, Cienna.

 This is my Dad and next younger sister, Annie (#3).

 This is my nephew, Charlie, and I (#2) at the San Francisco zoo.

 Quality time by the hippos--our favorite place to stop for lunch.  Dad's holding Max next to Quynh (married to #1).

This is my brother, Gene (#1), and my nephew, Preston.

This is my sister, Emily (#4), holding Max.

 

Charlie got his very first haircut during our visit.

 #1 did the Christmas tuba fest again this year.  We sent videos to Grandma, who LOVES tuba music, and really had a blast listening to their fun music.

 More friends and crafts

 We got Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas this year.  It was wonderful.  My parents come about once a quarter, and it is really fun to watch their relationships grow with these boys.

November 2011

 My kids often get to repeat what we did in preschool.  Here's #3's efforts after we talked about "feelings" in preschool.

 We had a super fun visit with Uncle Rob.  They played frisbee, rode bikes, jumped on the trampoline, played some serious dodge ball, enjoyed every minute!

 These pictures always remind me of ET in the closet among the stuffed animals.  :)

#1 got his wisdom teeth out.  You can't see it very well here, but he was about as swollen as I've ever seen anyone get!  At least he got to miss some school.  ;)

Nana and Papa joined us, too.  Here's #3 with his special buddy and a tag-along.  :)

October 2011

 Fall soccer team of #5

 #5 individual

 #4 with Coach Danielle (also #5's coach)

 Mom's favorite birthday gift

#2 practicing

Yummy mummy cookies we attempted

 #4 is getting better and better--really fun to watch because his teammates have been playing a lot longer, but are supportive as he improves

 Halloween trunk-or-treat.  #1 is the 'Y' (flanked by Landon and Ty), #2 is the Roman centurion, #3 is the Star Wars trooper, #4 is the Gronkel from "How to Train Your Dragon," #5 is the bat, and my nephew is Iron Man

 Gronkel face paint job

Mom's job was passing out candy.  People couldn't figure out who she was until she smiled.

 New nephew, Max!

Aunt Emma came for a visit.  Zack was a trooper to keep the kids.  We had such a great time--I cannot believe this is the only pic I took!!  We did Sam Moon and all the usual things, plus she did my dishes and we laughed and laughed and laughed.  Come again soon!!!

For the actual trick-or-treating, we switched it up a bit.  #s 1 and 2 passed out candy; #3 went as Noah (you'd think the ark would make him pretty recognizable, but I guess not too many people figured it out--one guy got close, guessing Moses...); #4 opted for Dracula; and #5 stuck with the tried and true bat.

August and September 20

 Shrinky-dinks: a thing of the past?  I think not.  (#5 agrees.)

 We absolutely love making edible necklaces.  Who can resist fruit loops, lifesavers, gummy peaches, keebler striped cookies, etc.?  Not even my nephew can!

 First day of school

 #2 entering middle school...7th grade!

 #3 entering 4th grade

 #4 entering 2nd grade

 #1 BMOC...8th grade

 End of summer scout progress.  We finish the entire rank for the year during our goal time scheduled in the summer time.  Then we add an arrow point or belt loop here or there to keep it interesting throughout the year.  Here #3 gets his Bear Scout advancement.

 #s 2 and 5 absolutely LOVE to play in the rain.  Since mom is just as much a kid in this respect as they are, TX rainstorms are a whole lotta fun at our house.

 #1 getting some award from the assistant scout master

 #s 1 and 2 got to go to a BYU football game (here with their friend Landon).  They each had to buy their own ticket ($60), but they made it and had a blast on the overnight trip.

 

#4 lost his first tooth!!  You may remember he was the first LeBaron boy to learn to ride a bike.  He loves it so much there's frequently a gratuitous bike helmet in our pictures now.  At least he doesn't wear it everyday like he did when he first got it.  In fact, he wore it in to the Lego store and promptly stepped away from his Dad.  He then quickly and happily found a store employee and told him he was lost (about 2 feet away from Mike).  By the time Mike figured out what was happening (Mike swears it was less than 2 minutes), they already had a mall cop and a make-you-feel-better-toy involved.  Not sure whether the helmet had anything to do with the extra attention he got...

 Lots and lots more swimming!  Last year mom was finally confident she could take the whole crew swimming without risking losing track of one of the heads.  We even took friends!  #3 is now an excellent swimmer like #s 1 and 2.  #4 and #5 know enough to stay safe.  YAY!

 Gotta love a good TX thunder storm

 We even got a visit from Grandma! 

#5 gets tired, but can't stand missing any of the action, so we sometimes find him sleeping in unusual places, like the top of the stairs.  Of course, this particular staircase looks a bit different right now since we've had to take down all the pictures.  It turns out that if you find just the right angle, you can watch TV in the reflection after bedtime.  #3 and #2 were a little surprised when we discovered their new passtime!