Their Just…… Boys

I love how my boys love the outdoors. They are so active and their imaginations are perfectly wild! We went down to my sisters for Thanksgiving, and all they wanted to do was be outside.  I honestly have stopped telling them to not climb. It is a waste of my precious time and breath.  I’m sure this annoys other people to death.  Actually, I’m positive it does.  After dinner we took a short walk to the river, you know, to make room for dessert!  The boys were so happy. They could have skipped dessert if it meant staying there a little longer.  Running, jumping, climbing, exploring, inventing new characters to be. They just love it there. The English language doesn’t have the words fully express how much they enjoy their time outside…. especially when water in involved!  If they are anything like their father this love will follow them into adulthood.  I love to be out there too, but at the end of the day, I’m ready to return to my house and relax.  Not those three. They could pitch a tent and live happily ever after, out in the outdoors. It makes my heart happy to see them in their ‘natural habitat’.

 

Summer in Picures

Trips to lots of parks
 

We went camping with my family. The boys spent more time in the water than the fish did. Not that we caught any.

Lots of produce from our garden. This is my first potato harvest. This was ONE plant! I had 5 plants total. Tomatoes were not so good this year.

 

Many drives to the desert.

One of them was to Qwyhee State park in Oregon. The boys want to move there. I told them not to forget to write.

Another of them was to Celebration Park. Fred ended up going back here a few weeks later when school started for a field trip.

 

 

Two Photos

It’s almost as if these two pictures that are almost identical could tell two different stories. I love this state.

 

Old Buildings

Jason and I just love old buildings. We love the way they look, the way they feel. I dream about the stories they hold. I wish I knew all of the stories.  We love to go for drives and look at all the dilapidated old houses and barns. We don’t always have to drive far either. I also love the buildings of old downtown. Any downtown, I don’t care where it is! So many people are so quick to tear down ’some old house/building’ just to build a new, usually unnecessarily too big new and improved building. If only more people were willing to put the same amount of time into repairing what we already have, our economy would be in better shape. We wanted to buy an older house so bad. But at the time, the market didn’t want us to own one, so we built a new one instead.  It still saddens us to know that we could have an older house. Maybe one day, but I guess by then, this house will be older! This 4th of July weekend we went on a drive and got some good photo’s of what we think are stories waiting to be told. Some are less obvious, and some are blaring, but either way they are just waiting for you to quiet yourself long enough to listen.

 

Vacation

This year we went to my sisters house for our vacation.  Her property in Rupert boarders a state park, so there was a lot to do.  We had free room and board and all I needed to do was help Jenny with her VBS.   We took our camera but we were a little lazy on taking pictures.  It was a very nice and relaxing week.  It was cut a little short, though.  Jason’s aunt was very ill and in the hospital in Florida, so we left a day early so we could get Jason to the airport for his flight.  Nothing very exciting happened on our trip, only good times with family, so I’ll just post some highlight photo’s.

Fred climbing during his cousins t-ball game.

We went fishing but never caught anything.

But it was great practice for casting.

And good cousin time.  These boys (minus one who stayed home to nap) played nonstop the entire week.

We went on a lot of walks.  The scenery was so beautiful.  Bug spray was essential on all of these walks.

It was even nice when the clouds rolled in and it cooled off and threatened to rain.

The boys approved of this years vacation and we are all excited to start planning for next year!

 

Busy Spring

As usual our spring has been very busy. Not a single day on the calendar was blank!  It’s fun and exciting to stay so active, but it is very draining at the same time. Since I’m not a spring blogger, I thought I should consolidate it all down to one entry. You know to keep everyone from being bored to death.  I would hate to be the cause of such an unfortunate event!

First, Bam went on his first ‘real’ field trip. That’s what he called it because he went on a bus, and it wasn’t just to the local civic center. We went to the zoo. He loved looking out the window, being so high up. He could see the truck drivers! He sang to himself most of the way. I’m so glad I got to be a part of that. I just happened to get done with work the day before!

Fred turned 9 this May. All my family came up for Memorial Day, so we celebrated his birthday a day early. He was overjoyed to be turning 9. One more year ’til double digets. That’s all I was hearing from that child! I am so blessed and greatful that God has chosen me to be this boys mother. He is really amazing. I love him more than any words would ever do justice to.

Fred was also in a church play. It was called Camp Wallaballa. The bus broke down on the way to church camp, and all the kids had to rely on God for all their problems. It was super cute. He did a really good job. My batteries died so I wasn’t able to get all of his parts on video, but I was able to squeeze in a few photo’s.

The last day of school is Field Day. Jason was able to attend this year, so I put him to work on camera duty. I am so glad I did too! I am never able to get pictures because I’m always working a station. While I was working the water balloon toss, Jason followed the boys around and got some awesome shots. Bam was beyond excited to finally be able to participate! Fred won his classes sack race. Jason got this on video, so no pictures. Luckily for me this station was close to mine, so I was able to cheer him on! Bam is very much like his mother so this day was just a wonderful exuse to be social!

After field day we went out to lunch, and then Jason was off to Cascade for a fishing retreat. He didn’t catch anything, but he came home refreshed and rested. He had a good time, which make me very please. While he was gone the boys and I went to go see ‘Up’. Cute cute movie.

And finally, this Monday, Jason and I celebrated 11 years if marriage bliss. Ok well not all 4015 days have been bliss, but it’s been prety darned close! Fred was our anniversary photographer.  He did a good job!

That wraps up our busy spring. Typing it up it suddenly doesn’t seem so busy! But I guess I was just hitting on the main points. Summer break has begun and the pace of our lives has definatly slowed to a crawl. Now it’s all about enjoying every second before we are all wisked away, back into the busy schedule of the next school year.

 

Easter 2009

This year Easter was a little different.  Well it was a lot different. First of all we were at my parents house instead of here at home. It was the first Easter we spent somewhere else.  Saturday after the boys soccer game we headed out.  We got to my hometown just in time for my nieces birthday party. She turned 3 on tax day. That was my grandmother’s birthday too. She had a funny joke about that.  It was a fine birthday party and like any good auntie, I forgot to take pictures. I have no idea how this happened, other than after 2 hours of soccer and another 2 hours of driving, my brain was mush.  This sounds like a good enough excuse to use.

Then Easter morning we went to church service with my sister.  We are Protestant, my sister is Catholic.  It was quite different, and it started VERY early. So no family picture this year on Easter morning. I will have to take one some other morning…. we’ll pretend that it’s Easter! 10 years from now, no one will ever know the true story. Except for you because I just told you.  After the service my sister’s friends invited us over for breakfast. It was a very nice visit, with great conversation plus homemade waffles and strawberries while listening to the boys laughing and playing with the cousins equals singing in my heart. We got back to Nana and Papa’s house and the daddies went and hid the eggs.

We got some funny pictures of the cousins, some were happy, some crying,  and some just not paying attention.

After evaluating their loot we took the boys over to Shoshone Falls.  I grew up with the falls being right there and being able to go see them whenever, but my boys have never seen them! This is an absolute tragedy to me. The falls do not fall all year round. This is because there is a dam upstream that holds the water all winter, then they let it go when they know they have enough for all the irrigating for the summer. Easter weekend was the first weekend that the falls were flowing. It was busy but as usual it was beautiful. Breathtaking beautiful, even though I have seen it a million times. Perhaps even more so because I was seeing it with my kids for the first time.

It still brings tears to my eyes. Is is even possible to look at this magnificent falls and NOT see the power and awe of The Lord? Look he even puts a rainbow in it!  What a beautiful Easter treat to us! He has risen indeed!!

I can not wait until we get Fred’s little disposable camera to see it through his eyes. They loved it.

After the falls we headed over to my brother’s house for some a yummy Easter dinner. My bother had smoked a turkey and it was delish!  YUM! Then before we headed back home to get those boys in bed for school the next day we headed over to the park by his house to let the kids run around. My children climbed trees instead. Of course.

That was our 2009 Easter.  A little different than our traditional Easter but one that I will treasure forever!

 

Long days, flying by

These past weeks have been so busy. Time is flying by at a snails pace! It’s always easy to tell when spring break is getting close because this phenomenon get more and more unbearable. And my garden space starts whispering my name. As each day clicks by, the voice gets a little louder.

Our Child Slave Labor, helping daddy dig out forthe patio.  Garden space in the back. We are going to enlarge our garden this year.  YEEEE!!

Our patio mark out…. snowed on.

I love spring.

 

A Generation of Lies!

I’ve decided that time is not on my side after all.  The song lied. And it lied big time.   I was at work yesterday when I suddenly realized that January, the most despised month of all, is almost over!  Only 3 more days. I seriously have no idea how this happened. Really.  But the good news: that January only has 3 days left!  WhooHooo!  

Maybe the sun doesn’t like January either, because it’s been gone for a majority of the month.  But I’m counting on it being here everyday come February.  Or else.  3 days people!!!!

 

The second Tuesday in November.

So today I went to do this:

Afterwards I went to get this:

I did not do this,

just to get this.

While I LOVE this,

I did this

because I believe in this,

and I want it for this:

 

 

DID  YOU???