Pumpkin Time

My whole family tries to get together every Thursday night for dinner. We call it "Family Night." It generally happens at our house because we are the middle point between my brother in Boise and my sister in Nampa. It's usually a noise, chaotic dinner and then entertainment provided by the cousins. (Tutus and microphones are often involved.) But not last week - last week was our annual trip to Linder Farms! We had a beautiful evening of hay rides, pumpkin picking, petting zoo, bounce houses, mini donuts and fiddle music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Somehow, Chuck and Missy didn't end up in any of my pictures this year...sorry guys!  I loved your pictures on FB.

Ladies' Retreat

I was able to get away to McCall last weekend for a quick retreat with about 100 ladies from the churches in our area.  It was a wonderful weekend - just way too short!  I posted a little recap about the retreat on our Women's Ministry Blog.  Click here it you are interested in reading about it.

Homeschool Pictures

I have been having trouble uploading pictures to Blogspot lately, but I think that I have finally figured out a way to get back in business.  So - here are some random pictures of our first few weeks of school.

 

The first day: 

 

 

Our reward at the end of the first week of school was an early morning field trip to Ann Morrison Park to watch the hot air balloons lift off for the Spirit of Boise Classic.  (I love this tradition!) 

 

 

We are studying Earth and space for science this year.  The girls loved using play dough to make the Earth's layers - so much better than worksheets!

 

 

 

How do you like our snazzy school pajamas uniforms?!

(Ah, the joys of homeschooling!)

 

 

Back to school means back to piano lessons.  We didn't really plan to take a long break from those...but our summer just got way too busy.  I was afraid that the girls would have fallen behind, but they seem to picking up the pace quite nicely from where we left off.  It helps to have Grandma as their teacher!

 

 

 

And if you're wondering what Valerie does while we work on our lessons - you should check out my sister's blog.  I love her for it!

 

The Gift that Kept on Giving



    

     5/09/1976

     5/11/2009

     6/17/2006

+   6/25/2004

A whole lotta birthday presents to buy

 

So this year my sister came up with a plan.  Why not have the whole family pitch in money for a family season pass to Roaring Springs?!?!  Um....yes, please!

 

Under normal circumstances this kind of a treat would not fit into our budget, but with the rest of the family pitching in we were able to enjoy our birthday presents ALL SUMMER LONG.  And, boy, did we!  It was great fun to zip over to the water park for a couple of hours in the evening after all the tired families had gone home and enjoy the slides and swimming pools without the crowds.  We averaged one trip per week.  It was so nice to be able to play for a few hours and then head home when the kids got tired or hungry, rather than pushing through a whole day and being exhausted afterward.

 

 

 

Valerie loved to race down the toboggan slide most of all!

 

 

 

 

 

So, thanks again to my family for giving us this special gift.  We have some wonderful memories of our summer and the tan lines to prove it!

 

Croquet

Our girls have croquet in their genes.  Marc and I have enjoyed playing together since one of our earliest dates.  (Never mind that he always gives me a two stroke lead and still beats me every time!)  It had been quite a while since we had pulled out the croquet case...but I'm sure that our mallets will be getting a lot of use in the future.

Who needs a splash pad...

... when you have a clogged drinking fountain?!

(P.S. - Susie and I are accepting nominations for "Mom of the Year.")

Northwest Passage Camping

What could be WORSE than...

... stepping into a steamy outhouse in the middle of July?

... sleeping on an ant hill?

... dropping your toothbrush in the dirt?

... being eaten alive by mosquitoes?

... not bathing for four days straight?

What could be BETTER than...

... spending a week with your favorite people?

... jumping into an alpine lake to cool off?

... eating s'mores around the campfire every night?

... picking huckleberries on a beautiful mountain slope?

... watching a caterpillar spin a cocoon on your tent cover?

... having a stare down with a moose?

... feeding a deer from your bare hand?

... going to Ice Cream Alley three times in one week?