The Fun Days of Summer

Well, June and July brought lots of fun. The kids just had a great time playing outside. It's so fun to see them be able to enjoy the outdoors a bit more AND I don't have to worry about any busy streets! They can play in the front, back, wherever. It takes some getting used to, but we're enjoying it.

One of the fun things we did was to enjoy the hometown 4th of July parade. The kids thought it was great. For my big city friends this will give you a sense of where we live. We have local 'hot rods', otherwise known as race cars, and tractors in our parade. :) We even had "Herbie" going through the streets of Middleton. The best part was at the end. You will see (almost see) a firefighter at the top of the ladder on the truck. As the firetrucks go throughout the parade they randomly turn on their fire hose and spray the spectators. This picture is basically at the end of the parade and it became a fun water war between the firefighters driving through the parade and the one on the ladder. Even the person on the ladder was not dry when all was said and

done. It was fun to see a small town having a great time and what's a little water when it's a hot summer day! That evening we had a fun celebration with family and lit off some fireworks out in our field. Last year we had more than sparklers and this year had to be just as good, thanks to my family members. Let's just say we're glad our neighbors still like us after only being here a few months!

Life's a Zoo

Jeepers! The whole moving thing, getting school finished with the kids and keeping up with family has literally been a zoo this summer. I don't remember the last time I was this busy during the summer. Life has been good and as you can see, I'm still not able to keep up with my blog yet. I hope to get back to that real soon and move on with my photography as well. So, here are some random pics from some summer fun. To be continued...

This is Alys and her best friend Emery. They went to school together and enjoyed playing together too. Emery just moved to California though and Alys is going to miss her a lot.

This is Ethan, Creed and Alys. Creed is their cousin and is Ethan's age. They've been able to play together a lot more since moving to Idaho and now to Middleton, but they are going to miss him and his brother and sister as they have just moved to Nebraska. I love this picture 'cuz it shows the fun that they always had. Benjamin is in the previous picture because he was sitting at the other table. He loves to play with the older kids!

Home Sweet Home!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 was a big day for our family. That was the day that Woody and I signed our life away for our new home. We now reside in Middleton, Idaho and hope to reside here for a really, really long time. We are out in the country on 5 acres where people still drive around in covered wagons. Just kidding! The country is what I grew up in so for me it's familiar but I do miss some of the city conveniences. For Woody and the kids it's a little different because the city is really all they know other than visiting grandparents or other relatives. So far we love it though. It's so quiet, we have space to breathe in and even our dog, Sage, thinks it's great. Mind you, it is a lot of work but it makes for good family time. We have some great neighbors too. Right next to us our neighbors have a horse arena where they do steer roping quite often. It's fun to watch and the kids think it is great. Ethan just got his first cowboy hat and Alys is already asking to put it on her list. As for Benjamin, dirt and water are right up his alley! I told Woody we traded the soft sounds of the symphony for brawling cowboys. Gotta love it! We'll keep you posted and try to get some more pictures.

Happy Birthday Alys!

Our little girl turns 5! It was a festive birthday week for Alys, full of birthday activities and family and friends to enjoy it with. It was crazy for Mom but I think she enjoyed it. Since her dance recital was on Monday we had family over to help celebrate. That made her recital extra special since she got flowers for her recital, rice krispie treats and gifts for her birthday. On Wednesday, the 13th which is actually her birthday she had school. So, we made a krispie treat flower bouquet to enjoy with her classmates. That was a lot of fun.

We also celebrated with her that evening and she got a new bike and helmet. She was so excited and couldn't wait to get on and try it out. The funny thing about her birthday was that I asked her if there were any special meals that she wanted on her birthday and she said pancakes.... Pancakes for breakfast, pancakes for lunch and yes, pancakes for dinner! I think we had pink, blue and green pancakes. Needless to say I don't think we had pancakes for a while after that.On Friday, she wanted to do something fun with a few friends. We went to "Artist for a Day" and they painted some cute little ceramics. They had fun and she got to share her Tinkerbell cake with them. I'm so glad you had a great birthday Alys.

Dancing Around the World

This is Alys' second dance recital and it was much easier to get her to actually go out on stage. Her group danced to the Mexican Hat Dance song and a chinese song. They're costumes were cute and she did a great job. I think she really enjoys it and it gives her something fun to do. Her teacher Ms. Macie is great too. Thanks for showing us a few moves Alys!

Eggs, eggs, everywhere, but no Alys!

This year for some Easter fun, we decided to visit the Middleton Easter Egg Scramble. This is where Ethan had been playing soccer and he was to have a game after the hunt so it was quite convenient. Anyway, the kids were to gather at their appropriate age group for the "hunt". Well, as you can see, it was quite the hunt. :) We were all set to go, waiting for the horn to blow, signaling to go get eggs. Everyone was excited or so we thought. Ethan and Benjamin went scrambling for eggs. I was all set to take some photos and I hear Alys crying at the top of her lungs just standing there. Evidently the crowd of kids rushing for eggs scared her and she wasn't about to go get them. So, we have no pictures of the egg hunt! Ethan and Benjamin

thought it was great and even got a few prizes in their eggs. Fortunately, the egg hunt at Aunt Tammy's was a bit more fun for Alys even if it was getting dark. Better luck next year Easter Bunny. I guess they've got to warm up to you.

The Lightning Bolts

The soccer season finally came to an end after 5 or 6 weeks of practices and games. Fortunately, Ethan was able to play on the same team and have the same coach as he did in the fall. His team did really good and won more games than last time so they were excited. Ethan learned to be more aggressive but really enjoys playing defense. It was always fun to watch him play and see how he's improved as well. Benjamin and Alys also enjoyed the soccer season because that meant playing at the park during practices. The weather was a little crazy and cold at times but we survived. Thanks to those family members who helped support him. Here's a few shots of the games and Ethan receiving a medal from Coach Baird at the end of the season.