McCall - One Last Time

Before school started we were able to go to McCall one last time. It was nice to be up there with just my kids. I find such peace up there and I just enjoy my kids. There are no calls to make, no errands to run, and no pressing vacation must-do's, it is just me and my kids doing whatever they want. It is good for all of us.

We got there late Thursday night and the kids played while I chatted with my Aunt Kalleen and Uncle Jed. Most of my memories of McCall have them in it so it was wonderful to spend some time with them. They also took us on a boat ride to Ice Cream Alley, something I could not have accomplished on my own.

We took a walk with our berry picking buckets and in no time found huckleberries. The kids were busy filling up their buckets, all except Kate who ate every berry she found. We soon discovered that only Andrew and Kate even like the berries, so those two feasted (evidenced by Kate's purple tongue).

The kids built forts which became cages while we pretended Zoo. We swam in the pool, built sand castles and interesting water ways, and the kids all swam from the shore to the end of the dock over and over (with life jackets) but as usual I took no pictures.

Greg came up Friday night and enjoyed a day of vacation, played some tennis with the kids and took the boys hiking. It was such a nice way to end the summer. I love that place..

Basketball

Mack played on his first basketball team this summer. Watching a bunch of 5 year olds learn to dribble can be pretty amusing. Greg and I were out of town for his first game but my sister took him. After the game he told them exactly what the score had been (the coaches and ref don't keep track). Is he Greg's son or what? Then he said that he thought he was going to have fun playing basketball because the boys on his team had "nice faces". So cute.

Well he never touched the ball the first game and rarely did so in the games after that. I started getting ready to sign him up for fall soccer but he said he wanted to do B-ball again- I'm thinking why? He just didn't seam to be catching on - until the last game. I guess he had just been observing before to make sure he understood what to do. He stole the ball once and played good defence. Then he actually shot and made his first two baskets! Afterwards he was so excited and told me, "I made 2 baskets. That's why I want to do basketball again."

Lellowstone

We wanted to go to Glacier National Park this year but as the summer came to a close 10 hours in the van didn't sound very exciting to anyone, so off to Yellowstone. We all love Yellowstone, though most of us call it Lellowstone.

On the drive there the tire pressure light kept coming on but we managed to make it to our campground where I ran the battery dry shinning lights so we could set up our tent in the dark. Luckily, after a few minutes, we got the van to start again. After a cold but decent nights sleep we woke to a flat tire. It didn't slow us down much though. It was patched and we were ready to see some carnivores.

The kids were so excited to see wolfs and bears. We saw tons of bison. So many that after the first day even Kate could spot them. I will spare you the pictures.

But, we did take an amazing hike. The kids managed to go for three hours all through bear territory. I'm not kidding the trail head said don't go with less than four people (I don't think they meant kids). No bears, but the sights were so beautiful and Natali did spot a weasel (the only carnivore they saw in Yellowstone).

The kids did great on the kike but their favorite was the geysers. So much so that in every picture we tried to take in front of one Andrew wouldn't look at the camera because, "I just want to see the geyser".

We tried to see Old Faithful, but happened to arrive at the same time as The President, so we found ourselves a nice little stream to explore. The grass was super long so the kids hid and I tried to find them before they jumped out and ate me (they were usually some kind of carnivore - big shock). We had such fun, even after Natali put both feet in a hidden fork of the stream.

Don't you love Kate's outfit. She insisted on wearing her favorite dress over her pants and turtleneck. And the red jacket was the perfect touch.

We all had such fun exploring Yellowstone, but the kids were disappointed not to see the big carnivores again (we didn't see any last year either). However, we drove through Grand Teton National Park on the way home and a grizzly bear ran across the road just a few cars in front of us. All the kids watched it run across the meadow. We couldn't have asked for a better end to the trip.

Another Summer Come and Gone

It has been a while because I have been enjoying summer. I'm not even going to try to catch up but here is a list of some important firsts from the past three months. Sadly, most of them have no picture. I enjoy the moments and usually let someone else take the pictures. Which works great when there is someone else around...

Mack learned to ride a bike. One day he wasn't close--the next day he was riding. He taught himself how to get started and ride over the curb. Nothing stops that kid once he's decided to do something. He also learned to swim (cousin pressure)!

Kate learned to float on her back. A skill she rarely uses because she usually just walks around the pool looking cute. A baby sitter painted Kate's nails pink, and they have been pink ever since. She loves it and shows everyone her "pink".

After a summer playing Rock Band with Uncle Spencer and the cousins my kids can sing every word to "Eye of the Tiger" and "Livin' on a Prayer". Andrew does sing "we're naked I swear" instead of "we'll make it I swear", but close enough right?

Natali learned the breast stroke, loved the big rides at Roaring Springs, and misses all of the cousin sleepovers.

I loved spending time with our families. Watching the kids play with their cousins. Swimming everyday and playing hard. I'm sad it's over but it will probably be good for all of us to back on schedule. Good bye summer.

Turning 4 at the Zoo

Andrew requested to go to the Zoo for his birthday. No big surprise since tigers, or animals in general, take leading roles in 90% of the library books, bed time stories, and games Andrew picks out. His favorite shirt (he is wearing it in the pictures) is an 18 month shirt (yes he is turning 4) but it has a tiger on it so he really won't let me take it away. We ended up spending about 6 hours at the zoo and he loved it.Some family joined us and I forgot my camera, but luckily Aunt Kerri acted as photographer. We played 'Candle, Candle, who's got the Candle' and 'Simon Says' . Aunt Val would do everything Simon said and the kids thought it was so funny. This picture is great because it catches Val pretending to be bugged that she messed up again, and shows Andrew cracking up. I brought candles but forgot fire, so he pretended to blow the candles out. I love Kate's cupcake face. All the kids needed a good wash down by the end.Well Andrew loved the zoo. Seeing real Tigers, Snow Leopards, Lions, and Bald Eagles is pretty cool for your birthday. His Grandma Dame even gave him a whole family of Tigers, which made it onto his birthday cake later that night, along with the snow leopard from his cousins.All but one of his gifts had tigers on it in some form. He can tell you which tigers are the biggest, what they eat, where they live, and that they have the biggest canines...he even corrected my brother when he tried to convince the boys that only dogs had canines, hence the name canines.

Andrew is such a fun, energetic kid, but he also loves to snuggle up on my lap and be read to, especially if the book as to do with tigers. He keeps me on my toes, and keeps us all laughing, we love this guy.

I'm Grateful

Last night as I was saying prayers with Kate I realized that my prayer was laking in "We're thankful for...". As I said my own prayers that night I asked for nothing; I just expressed thanks. I felt such peace when I was done. All the things that weighed on my mind seamed lighter. So in an attempt to continue to show more gratitude here are a few things I have been grateful for this spring.


I am grateful that my kids have enjoyed soccer. Natali and Mack have improved a lot. Mack has lived for practice and games. He plays soccer in the backyard, at his practice, with Natali's team practice, and at his games. He really loves it and is getting pretty good. I will miss watching his passion for it. However, as much as I am grateful they loved it, I am more grateful it is over. We have our Saturday's back (not to mention Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights).

I am grateful for the celebration of Easter. I know that Christ truly lives, that it was He who created all the vibrant colors and new life of spring. I can't comprehend His love for us, but when I think of the love I have for my own children I am overwhelmed with how much greater His perfect love must be. I am so grateful for His sacrifice and His infinite love.
I am grateful that after writing this post I may have finally cemented in my brain the the correct spelling of grateful (that is the correct spelling right?)

I am grateful for Mother's Day and the chance to reflect on the powerful example of so many mothers in my life. My mother's patience and soft, gentle voice. My mother-in-law's passion for learning. My Grandma's faith and determination. My sisters teaching me through their experiences. Friends letting me know I'm not the only one who has rough days.

Thank you.

Boys Will Be Boys

When I got in the shower last week the boys were playing happily in the sand box (clothed I might add). This is what greeted me when I got out. They filled each others underwear with sand and eventually took the undies off as well. Hilarious.