The Last 8 Months!

I knew it had been a while since I last posted, but 8 months! I just read an article about a family that blogs together in my Family Fun magazine. It inspired me to update and maybe repent and do better. This is the only journaling I really like to do. So, I better do it more often. Here is the run down of our last 8 months.

MARCH:

Spring Break was a blast! We stayed home and had a "Stay-cation". We turned our house into the "R & R Bed and Breakfast". After we checked into our "hotel rooms" we headed out for a hike up to Table Rock, where we ate sack lunches at the top, explored the top and caves surrounding, and picked up litter. Then we were off for a treat at Powell's Candy Store. From there we went back to our hotel, ordered pizza, and played the Wii in the hotel lobby. The next morning we woke early to grab a quick breakfast at Tully's and visited some historical places in Boise. We ate a great lunch at Elmer's and headed for our next activity, miniature golf at Boondocks. I believe Dad ended up winning, but the rest of us were not too far behind! We ended our evening with a private movie at Timberline with pizza (of course) and snacks from the concession stand. The next morning the boys woke with their favorite complimentary breakfasts delivered to their rooms. It was so much fun! We can't wait for our next stay-cation!

APRIL:

We celebrated Parker's 4th birthday on April 6th. Parker woke up to some of his favorite things on his Birthday Couch (a Cars blanket, playdoh, m&ms, fruit snacks, sidewalk chalk, balloons, capri sun, goldfish crackers, and a new birthday outfit). We went to his choice of restaurants for dinner. His choice was the wonderful McDonald's. For his cake I made him a big, yellow smiley face. this was a perfect cake for him because he is always smiling, even when he's being naughty. He is such a wonderful part of our family. Full of energy - I love it (most of the time :o)). Also, I was called as the Young Women's president in my ward.

MAY:

We had 2 birthdays to celebrate in May. First was Taylor's 10th. He decided to celebrate his with an overnight camp-out in the backyard with a few of his friends. We roasted hot dogs, had a Dutch oven dessert making contest, had Wii competitions, watched a movie on the trampoline with a projector (it was really cool), Tol and the boys slept in the tent while I got the cozy bed to myself. Taylor's Birthday Couch consisted of Cheetos, Jerky, cotton candy, fiddle faddle, twizzlers, Sunny D, Webelos book and neckerchief, bubblegum, The Candy Shop War book, Butterfinger bites, and a new outfit.

Brayden's birthday pictures are lost, I can not find them or his baptism pictures anywhere! But I can recall what we did. His theme was a sports theme. We had a HUGE birthday party down at Timberline with about 20 kids. We had each kid check-in and make up a nickname for themselves, which they were called by for the whole party. The Timberline mascot, The Boss, came by and kicked off the party and played Red Rover with the kids. We played soccer, had scooter races, an obstacle course, Blimpie sandwiches and cake. His cake was a huge soccer ball, with cupcakes decorated like basketballs, baseballs, footballs, and soccer balls. It was chaotic but a lot of fun! Brayden's Birthday Couch consisted of BBQ chips, Cracker Jacks, bubblegum, Holes book, Wolves book and neckerchief, Crunch bar, Bolt the movie, powdered candy man, Sunny D, and a new outfit.

Also, in May, Tol received his Masters from U of I in Administration. We are so proud of him!

JUNE:

June was a busy month. It started out with Brayden's baptism. We had lots of friends and family that came to celebrate with us. Unfortunately, I have no pictures! Brayden is such a joy in our family. He is so smart and easy going. This day was a great day for him. He was asked to speak about his big day in the Primary program in September. He did an awesome job. We are so proud of him!

We visited Tol's grandpa in Sandpoint. We love Sandpoint. It is so beautiful and relaxing there. While we were there we went to Silverwood Amusement Park. We started our day with the whole family going on the Timbers of Terror roller coaster. After that, Taylor and Parker were not too keen on the big roller coaster rides. But, Tol, Brayden and I rode them all. It was a lot of fun!

We had a family camp-out in McCall with Tol' mom and dad, Joe and Janice's family, and us. We spent most of our days down on the beach and our nights around the campfire. Only one injury...the first night we were there, Parker grabbed the top of the lantern and scorched his hand. It was awful, but he was tough. The next morning he was checking out his wounds and said, "Look, Mom, this is a cool owey!"

We also celebrated Tol's birthday. I think we lost those pictures, too! To celebrate his birthday I planned a whole day of outings for him. He was served breakfast in bed with a breakfast made by Taylor. He and Taylor ate breakfast together. Tol had class to go to. When he got home, he was met at the door by Brayden. Brayden and I had packed a lunch for the two of them. Brayden had Tol drive them to a park for a picnic and some one on one time. Next, Parker was waiting for him when they got home with 2 movie tickets. He took Dad to the movie "Up". I honestly, can't remember if I took him out for dinner or I made him dinner. Either way I am sure it was fabulous! :o) I know I made him his favorite pie, blueberry cream. YUM! I just remembered! We had to set up for our yard sale that night. So, I bought some Sushi and we worked all night. So, maybe it wasn't so fabulous. But we did make $250 that night while we were setting up.

JULY:

Fourth of July we started our day with a Pancake Breakfast at our church. The boys participated in a Bike Parade while were there. They decorated their bikes with red, white, and blue and joined other kids in a parade around the church. We went swimming at the pool and headed to Lisa and Brian's for a BBQ and fireworks! The kids loved the sparklers and Brian purchased big fireworks, too, that the the kids and adults were mesmerized by. My favorite part was when the next door neighbor's dog came out and tried to attack the fireworks. It was a fun 4th and no injuries. :o)

Tol and I, along with my parents, went down to California to watch my brother, Craig, compete in the 2009 Crossfit Games. What an amazing competition! I was so impressed, not only with Craig, but all the elite athletes that competed. It inspired me to do better. While we were there, Tol and I took an afternoon and went to the beach. I love the ocean.

At the end of the month we went to my family reunion with relatives from my mom's side. Island Park is where the reunion took place. So, we went a day early and went to Yellowstone. It was so amazing. We only scratched the surface, but what we saw was breathtaking and beautiful. I was a little disappointed we didn't see any bears, wolves, or moose. I kinda had this picture in my head that we would see all these wild animals all over the roads. Like, we would have to stop for herd crossing. But, that wasn't the case. We saw deer, elk, and finally buffalo. We actually got pretty close to a buffalo (not dangerously close, but close enough). It was pretty cool. I got a little scared. :o)

The family reunion was really great. My great aunts fell in love with Tol. They thought he was the best (and they're right). We rode motorcycles, 4 wheelers, went boating, swam, sang by the campfire, reminisced, ate way too much, and had friendly competitions. One morning I went running with my mom and dad, which was fun. At the end we sprinted to the top of the hill where the cabin was. My dad and I were neck and neck, man he's fast, I just couldn't shake him. It was so fun to see people I hadn't seen for a very long time and introduce them to my little family. I can't wait until our next!

This is my sweet, sweet grandma (on the right) with her sisters, Wilma and Alice. They were a HOOT!

To Be Continued (just a couple months to go:o))......