Summer Rain

It's been a particularly hot, dry summer, so my kids could not have been more excited about a recent rain storm.  It was a down pour and they did not hesitate to go play in the rain!  They are always partners in crime these days.  Love them!

Zoo Day With Ella

Steve recently had to take some lawn equipment up the the Eastern Idaho State Fair.  It was going to be a quick overnight trip, so he offered to take Jack with him.  I jumped at the opportunity for both of us to have some one on one time with our kids and we sent him on his way.  While the boys were gone I decided I should make the most of the day and enjoy some Ella time.  We have a zoo pass but haven't been all summer so Ella and I went to check it out.  School was in session so the zoo was a ghost town, but it's still nice weather so they had a lot of the shows going on.  It was a great day to visit the zoo.

Ella watching the seals eat.

The polar bear put on a great show for us

She was intrigued by the giraffes.

And to top it all off, a ride on an ostrich.

1st day of Preschool

 Jack had his first day of "official" preschool.  This year we're not doing mom switching preschool, it's the real deal.  His teacher is Miss Amber.  She lives in our neighborhood and I've heard great things about her teaching.  She had an assessment a week before we started to let Jack see her preschool room and to see what he already knows.  It was cute to watch him.  He knows all of his colors and shapes.  He can write his name (it's almost legible).  He recognized 2/3rd of his letters.  I know he knows them all, but the flash cards and quick thinking were a little much for him.  He counted to 16 (he threw in his favorite number "eleventeen" which is not to be confused with 11.  It's an entirely different number).   He could make a pattern, cut a straight line, sort things into appropriately colored cups.  I was so proud watching him.  It was one of those mom paydays where I felt like trying to teach him instead of letting him watch TV all day was paying off.  I'm excited to see all the things he learns this year and know he's going to have a great preschool experience!  Also, I just took him to his 4 year well check and here are his stats:  Weight 35.8 pounds (45th percentile), Height 39.76 inches (43rd percentile).  This is good news since we're heading to Disneyland in a couple of weeks and you have to be 40 inches to ride a lot of the rides.  I think he'll just make it with shoes on.

Bear Lake

Bear Lake is one of our very favorite places to visit during the summer.  We had been excited for months for our trip there with the Crawford family.  It was kind of a reunion.  A chance to catch up together with our recently returned missionary Grandparents.  We stayed in some fun condos right near the beach and rented a boat.  Steve reserved the boat in March, and it was a nice one.  We both love boating and were excited to get out on the water.  Bear Lake didn't cooperate as well as we had hoped.  We had some bad weather two out of the three days, but we still managed to have a great time.

5 of the 9 Crawford cousins that made it to Bear Lake

Jack thought the best part of boating was holding up the flag.  That was before he tired tubing.

These two are inseparable these days!

This is the best family shot we could manage

Jack and Kynzie.  She's not only his cousin, but also his favorite babysitter!

Ella catching a cat nap on the boat.  She was a good sport like always.

We had to talk him into trying the tube, but once he got on he did not want to get off.  He kept yelling faster, faster!

Our handsome boat driver!  Steve was nice enough to drive us around most of the 3 days.

The boat we rented was great for wake surfing.  Steve could tell you all the specs, but all I know is it had two tanks that you could fill up to make either side of the boat heavier, and thus, make a nice wave.  Steve has wake surfed before and got right up and showed us how it was done.  I gave it a try and got up the first time.  Not too bad for a 30 year old.  I love trying new things and liked wake surfing quite a bit.  I didn't get it figured out too much in my few attempts, but liked trying.  Steve and I have said since we got married that we would be boat owners one day.  We've had a boat fund and everything.  We know they're not practical, but think that they're a lot of fun and good family time.  I think this trip changed our mind.  The wind picked up one day in the afternoon out on the lake.  We anchored the boat and let it sit while we waited for the wind to calm down.  It's not unusual for the wind to pick up in the afternoon, but it always seems to calm down in the evening.  A few hours later it was blowing harder than ever.  It was getting dark and we had to take the boat off of the water.  The lake was so choppy with white caps everywhere.  We had 5 men and two teenage boys, so we thought they could do it with our man power.  Steve drove the boat over to the dock and said that water was coming in over the bow every time he hit a wave.  Long story short, we're super lucky they got it out of the water safely.  The boat almost got blown into the rocks.  The waves were so strong that they were pushing Steve's truck sideways while it was backed into the water to load the boat on the trailer.  Not a highlight of the trip.  It did turn out ok though.  There were no casualties other than a few people with bumps and scratches.  The saddest part is that our boat dream is over.  The water can be so dangerous and unpredictable.  If we hadn't had so much help there's no way we would have had such a positive result.  So, now we need a new dream.  Any ideas???

Chalk Creek

This year with the Binghams we had a "stay"cation.  Ryan, Malya, and family were here visiting, and instead of going somewhere together, we did several smaller day activities.  It was a lot of fun, and some great cousin time.

We decided to go up to my Dad's families property, Chalk Creek, and camp for a couple of days. Camping is a lot of work with little kids, but so worth it.  My kids loved every second of it.  Setting up the tent, riding ATV's, the campfire, catching butterflies.

Grandpa said, "we could have stayed home and let the kids play in the ranger in the driveway"  It was their activity of choice a lot of the trip.

I was surprised by how well my kids slept.  They both slept the entire night without making a peep.  It was a huge success thanks to a lot of hard work by my parents.  Chalk Creek is so beautiful, and we were literally the only ones there.  It was fun to enjoy the quiet, and the serenity of such a beautiful place.  We will be going back for sure.

I saw more of Chalk Creek on the ranger this trip than I ever have before.  I love it up there.

Aunt Timari showed us how to make melty marshmallow, candy treats in an ice cream cone.  They were delicious!

Jack enjoying his treat! I love his dirt covered camping face.

Ella's first tent camping experience was a success!

We made it home with two exhausted, filthy children.  Jack took a shower and noticed that when he blew his nose black stuff came out.  He asked what it was and Steve told him it was bugs.  This made him start uncontrollably gagging, so Steve had to tell him it was actually just dirt.  We were all happy to get cleaned up and sleep in our own beds.

Jack is 4

Jack turned 4 the end of July.  Yes, the end of July.  That's how behind I am at blogging!  He has been excited about his birthday for months, so we tried to make a big deal about it.  I'm not one of those moms that goes all out for occasions.  Gift giving just isn't my love language.  So there aren't any pinterest worthy pictures, but I know that he had a great 4th birthday.  We started off the morning with a scavenger hunt.  He saw the idea on a show he watched and talked about it a lot, which gave me the idea.  It was simple.  A note on his door lead to a few other clues and ultimately a present hidden in the dryer.  He loved it!  The day was off to a great start.  My brother and his family were in town visiting, so we had some Bingham family plans that week.  We spent the day at Cherry Hill swimming with his cousins.  The kids had a blast.  Jack and his cousin Dallas were fearless on the slides.  By the end of the day, their dads had them going down the slide sharing a mat, unaccompanied by an adult.  After a few hours of swim time, we went home and had a pizza party with the extended family.

We had plans to go to a bees game that night, so we had a very informal baseball theme.  Jack loved being the center of attention and everything about the party.  It felt rushed to me since we were squeezing it in the middle of a very busy day, but the kids didn't mind.

It's much more fun to open presents with an audience.

He's been asking for a remote control car since before Christmas, so we figured it was time.

Pizza, presents, cupcakes, and a baseball pinata to wrap up the party.  We then put his newly acquired toys aside, and headed out to the Bees game.

He has loved this tractor.  Thanks Grandma Mary!

Ella loved the party, especially the food.

No folks, that's not a bloody nose.

It was a beautiful night, and a fun game.  Dalan saved lives by sacrificing his hand and snagging a foul ball. We had kettle corn and drinks.  We even stayed all nine innings!  It was a great, exhausting day.