Jed Turns Six!

Jed Turns Six!

4.26.2016

What is your favorite color? Blue

What is your favorite toy?  Legos

What is your favorite movie?  Star Wars

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Pancakes with peanut butter

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?  Peanut butter chicken and pancakes

What is your favorite snack?  Fruit snacks

What is your favorite drink?  Milk

What is your favorite thing to play?  Dinosaurs with Brennan

What is your favorite animal?  Teddy

What is your favorite song?  Edelweiss

What is your favorite book?  The Jack and Annie Magic Treehouse Books 

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Play with friends

What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas and Easter

Who is your best friend?  Brennan and Bryce and Abram and Ollie and Owyn

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A dad

What is your favorite thing to do with Mom?  Play with her 

What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?  Wrestle him

What is your favorite thing to do with Levi?  Play games with him

Where is your favorite place to go?  The ice cream store and the park

What are you most looking forward to as a six-year-old?  Going to Bass Lake and then first grade

Sorry I don't have a birthday letter for you this year or much at all, big boy!  I am so sick during this first trimester I can barely function.  But you had an awesome Star Wars themed birthday party with all of your little friends.

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Easter 2016

Easter 2016

3.30.2016

 ^^Friends and neighbors.  All ready for the giant Easter Egg hunt!^^

I wouldn't say we enjoyed our week long Spring break.  The weather was cold and blustery.  And we all wound up coming down with a nasty case of stuffy noses and coughs.  At least it knocked me out of commission for a full day!  Also, the afternoon I did take the boys out to see a movie at the planetarium, Levi pulled a number of terrible-three stunts.  I drove home thinking, "That was supposed to be fun.  It totally wasn't."  But Jed and Levi did appreciate the slower days, just being able to hang out at home together and play.  And fortunately, Easter weekend arrived as a pleasant bookend to our week.

The fun started Friday afternoon when we, along with a host of other friends and neighbors, were invited to the Taylor's home for a giant Easter egg hunt!  It was probably the highlight of my boys' week.  Not kidding, there were at least three hundred eggs dropped and hidden throughout the property.  I thought the eggs were all going to blow away on the wind, but the kids were fast and quickly grabbed them up!  Then Jed and Levi sat excitedly opening every plastic egg to discover their spoils and surprises.  Afterwards, we adults enjoyed a warm potluck meal and conversation while the kids played on a sugar high.  Good memories.

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My Spring Break in Arizona

My Spring Break in Arizona

3.20.2016

Last weekend I got to ditch the blustery gray early Idaho spring for a trip to sunny Arizona to visit my sista, Lauren, and her family!  The whole point was to meet and squeeze my newest niece, June.  Born on February 20th, she was just three weeks old.  Plus, it'd been four years since the last time I'd visited my sister's hometown.  A visit was waaaay overdue.

We actually didn't do too much.  And yet, it was fun and relaxing.  We just chilled and talked and laughed and made sure the kids were fed and entertained.  I think that's actually the best kind of catching up we could do!

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Brains at Stricker Station and Other Weekend Happenings

Brains at Stricker Station and Other Weekend Happenings

3.07.2016

^^Levi kept reaching into the creek and pulling out dripping wet leaves.  "It's brains!" he teased.  "Eeeew!" Jed retorted.  Then they both laughed hysterically.^^

^^Playing cowboys and Indians. Interesting thing is, these 19th century cellars really were used for for "food storage, a temporary jail, and protection from Indians." It's a lot of fun to pretend to step back in time!^^

^^Shhh! No one tell the boys that dandelions are really a weed. They so lovingly pick them for me and I can't get enough!^^

Top 5 Weekend Highlights:

1.  The little boys and I enjoyed our Friday afternoon at the "beaver dam" (aka the historical Stricker Station).  Playing in the old cellars and exploring the creek never seems to get old!  We all love it.  We played til Levi slipped--I knew it was coming but he didn't--and got himself all muddy and soaking wet.  Haha.

2.  A girls' night out at the Pizza Pie Cafe for me!  It was followed by a Target trip, of course.  

3.  We spent a beautiful warm Saturday afternoon at Dierkes rock climbing with friends!  Bron was the first in our group to conquer a particular route.  It just so happened to be rated a 5.10a.  Go Bron!  There are no words to describe how addicting and fun that sport is.  And need I mention how healthy it is for the kids to run around, climb, and play too?  It's a win for everyone.

4.  Sunday morning we woke up extra early to make it to my niece's baby blessing in Hamer, ID.  (They still had snow on the ground over there!  Eeew.)  We attended church, ate a delicious lunch--I tried every single soup on the table--and gabbed with family.

5.  The bad news is that our refrigerator stopped working over the weekend and we have to buy a new one. The good news is that we were able to move all the food to the fridge and freezer in the garage before it spoiled (...except that old fridge smells like there's a dead mouse stuck up inside somewhere. There probably is.) The bad news is that the boys were a pair of monkeys in the stores today. They opened every single refrigerator door on display and thought it was funny. The good news is that I wasn't planning on buying a new refrigerator today but I just happened to score exactly what I was looking for (minus the water dispenser) in the scratch and dent section at Lowe's for a steal. It arrives tomorrow. Yippee!

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Snapshots of Life Lately: Wrapping Up Winter

Snapshots of Life Lately: Wrapping Up Winter

3.04.2016

A freezing cold walk in the fog one morning.  We don't get fog around here very often, so we took advantage of it while we could!

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Taking a Hike and State Wrestling

Taking a Hike and State Wrestling

2.29.2016

This weekend was another good one.  It started bright and early Saturday morning when we all piled into the car to head to the Idaho State Wrestling Tournament in Pocatello.  We arrived in time to see Bron's little brother Call win his first match, the semi-final!  He earned himself a seat in the final round for first or second place.  Woohoo!  The whole family was there and we were all so excited and stoked.

We then had lots of time to kill.  I'm talking alll afternoon.  So I spoiled the kids with lunch at McDonald's and ice cream cones!  Then we headed to the theater to see the new Star Wars movie!  The boys were over-the-moon excited.  And honestly, so was I!  Jed and Levi sat on either side of me, eagerly awaiting the movie to begin.  It was so cute.  Levi wound up falling asleep in my lap during the climax (nap time), but somehow that didn't stop either Jed or Levi from loudly announcing every spoiler possible to Bron when we saw him back in the arena around 4:00PM.  Hahaha.  Oh well.  I'm just happy I got to make that little memory with them.
            
Ohh, watching those wrestling matches is so intense!  Call tried to take control in the second period but was over turned and pinned.  It all happened in less than five seconds.  What an emotional killer!  Second place has got to be the absolute worst.  Such high hopes slaughtered at the last second.  But Call handled it really well.  He had a smile on the medal stand.  Second place in state is still really impressive!  He should be proud of himself because everyone else sure is.

It hit me like a ton of bricks at the tournament.  I first met Call when he was just six years old.  Jed turns six years old next month!  I feel like all I did was turn around and now Call is exiting childhood and getting ready to go on a mission.  That all happened so fast!  I'm grateful Call is such a good example for my little boys.  They watch him closely whether he knows it or not.  I wouldn't mind a bit if my boys follow behind in his footsteps.

^^Call winning his first match of the day!  Ready for the final round.^^

Late Sunday afternoon we headed to Indian Springs for some fresh air.  It just so happened that our good friends, the Horsleys, were right behind us!  Great minds must think alike because they happened to be heading to the same spot.  Either that, or we hang out too much?!  Haha.  Nah.  The kids were thrilled to see each other and we had the best time just wandering around.

As a bonus for me, I was thrilled to find so much color at the tail end of winter: red rock, green grass, blue skies!  I've been spending hours studying post-processing techniques in Photoshop the last few weeks and was able to apply a few things I've learned in these pictures.  I love bright, bold colors.  It's encouraging to see my style emerging little by little.      

^^"That's when I shoot the bad guy with my green gun!" Levi said when he saw this picture on my computer. This kid is so animated! His facial expressions crack me up. Glad I caught this one.^^

^^Bron with his girl, Addy.^^

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