find joy in the journey

week in the life // wednesday

Wednesday, July 27th

75 degrees

breakfast:  Special K Granola + skim milk

lunch:  vanilla yogurt + granola + peaches

dinner: potluck picnic

other:  swedish fish, grape tomatoes + avocado, white sheet cake

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I'm participating in a Week in the Life Project hosted by Ali Edwards.

week in the life // tuesday

Tuesday, July 26th

partly cloudy, 75 degrees

breakfast:  Special K Granola + skim milk

lunch:  turkey sandwich and potato chips

dinner:  fish sticks and salad

other:  swedish fish, mint chip ice cream

 

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I'm participating in a Week in the Life Project hosted by Ali Edwards.

week in the life // monday

This week I am participating in a Week in the Life project, hosted by Ali Edwards.  This is my third go around at this and I love the results every time.  

The first time was May 2005, I was pregnant with Anna (in fact, we found out her gender during my week in the life project).  That August I attended CKU-Albums in Provo and was in Ali's track where we spent 3 days putting everything together in a gigantic "week in the life" album.  Really, the album is ginormous.

The second time was September 2008, Anna was turning 3.  I was the soccer mom and carpool mom. I followed along with Ali on her blog and used her digital templates to create my pages at home.  

Now it is July 2011.  Summer vacation.  Anna is 5.  Payton is 8.  Conner is 10.  Life definitely has a different rhythm and flow than it did in 2005.

That's what I love about this project.  Taking the time to document life . . . real, everyday, in the trenches, folding the laundry, loving & hugging, grocery shopping, bedtime routines kind of life.  And how it changes from year to year.  Because it does.

So this week I'll share some of my photo highlights.  I'm taking notes along the way as well.  And next week I'll decide how it will all come together.

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Monday, July 25

overcast, a few sprinkles, 70 degrees

breakfast: Special K Granola + skim milk

lunch:  vanilla yogurt + granola + peaches

dinner:  leftover tuna casserole and salad

other:  swedish fish, rolo McFlurry

 

favorite moments of the past week

1.  Seeing my scrapbook room totally clean for the first time in . . . . a year?  I spent 2 days sorting, purging, and re-organizing and it feels good.  Here it is in the "disaster stage."

I am vowing to myself that I will keep it clean and so far I've stayed good on that promise.  Although, a few things are temporarily displaced in this room due to favorite moment #2

2.  Starting a loooong over-due, long planned project.  Painting the master bedroom.  I painted our bathroom last August.  Yes, nearly a year ago.  And now I can see the light at the end of this bedroom-sprucing-up project.

3.  Hearing Scott and the kids playing, laughing, having a great time with the trampoline + sprinklers + squirt guns while I was painting upstairs.  The kids thought Scott was just coming out to set up the sprinkler, so they were thrilled when they saw he was ready to play.  They had some game going that involved bombs and choosing a super-hero identity . . . whatever it was, it sounded like fun because everyone was cracking up.

4.  Watching Payton mow the lawn from my second story view.  I think this was his 2nd time at it.

5.  Spending an evening with friends, enjoying a delicious outdoor meal, chocolate cake, working/crafting with laptops all around, and laughing about a certain someone's love of "big nuggets."

6.  My new favorite line . . . . On Saturday, Scott and I were standing in the kitchen doing a little kissing when Anna came out of the downstairs bathroom.  She stood in the doorway looking straight ahead at us, and said, "Oh, there's the love!"  

7.  And my number one favorite moment from last week . . . . face painting at the local outdoor concert / market.  While the kids stood in line I asked Anna what she was going to have the girl paint on her face.  She smiled and said, "it's a surprise."  I stood back and let the kids do their thing -- the face painters were youth from our ward.  As Anna is explaining her request Rachel looks to me like "is this okay with you mom?"  So I walk closer to hear what Anna has to say:

"I want a curly moustache and glasses that are just on one eye."

Yes, my 5 year old girl requested a moustache and a monocle.  I laughed and told her to go for it.

She soon became the talk of the playground.  Blake (who gave my boys skulls with fire) thought it was awesome and dubbed Anna, "the coolest person I know."

Where did she get this idea?  My only guess is the movie Underdog (which we watched months ago) because she kept saying, "You can call me Sherlock Bones."

Anyway, it made for a very entertaining evening.

summer fun #5: be in a parade

I love parades.

Not sure what it is about it, but I love a parade.  Waving to people you don't know, clapping and cheering for patriotic displays, seeing all the fanfare and festivity . . . it's all good fun.

So when my dad suggested that we put together a family/business float in my home town's 4th of July Parade I was thrilled.  What a great idea!

So here's a piece of history . . . . Back in 1983, at the tender age of 3 1/2, my parents entered me in a little pageant that our town held during it's 4th of July celebration.  This is way back before the days of Toddler & Tiaras and pageant moms.  It was just something for fun.  The kids walked across the stage, answered a few questions like "what is your favorite color" (and in my case I sang I Am A Child of God), and then we sat on the stage while the rest of the contestants did the same thing.  There were no sequined dresses, no rehearsal, no dance numbers, no make-up, no hairspray (well, maybe some hairspray - it was the early 80's).

End of the story . . . I won.  Little Miss Gustine.  I got a trophy and a crown. And I got to ride on a float in the parade.

(Don't I look thrilled?  I think I was annoyed with having to keep my legs still and straight so no one would see up my dress.)

Then in 1986, my brother Sam was also in the pageant and also won Little Mr. Gustine and also rode on the float.  (Sorry, I don't have any photos of him in my possession)

So the theme for our float was obvious . . . . Former Little Miss and Little Mr. Gustine and their children.  Not our children (we don't want people thinking any more crazy things about the Mormons).  But our respective children.

All the float pictures came from Heidi . . . she was the photographer for the day and she did a great job.  Thanks Heidi!

It was holy hot that day.  104 degrees.  During the float assembly that morning we had the great idea to put the umbrella on the float.  The parade route is all of 5 blocks, but thank goodness for 5 blocks of shade!

And here we come . . . . 

Don't we look so patriotic!  My mom made the red, white, and blue pendant banners ahead of time.  And we helped with the tissue flowers.  Sam had a banner made at kinko's.  Just add some cute kids and you've got yourselves a first place float.  (Yes . . . we won 1st place in our division!)

 Conner and Payton walked along either side of the float and threw candy to the kids.  Scott and Mason also walked behind to supervise and refill their buckets.

We pulled the trailer back to my parents' house and cheered for what a great ride it had been (and for the A/C relief).  Really, it was such a fun experience to put a patriotic float together, ride down main street in our hometown, dad driving the semi, and grandkids waving and throwing candy.

It was fun to see a few familiar faces and classmates along the parade route.  Some semi-familiar faces walked out of the crowd to take our picture.  My dad's former banker actually hopped up on the semi steps to say hi while we were at a stop.  My mom walked along the parade route and almost like a spy reported back to us all the nice comments and moments of recognition ("hey, that's Shannon/Sam.") she overheard.

I think the whole experience left us with a little high that day.  Doing something with the community, doing something patriotic, and most importantly doing something as a family.

Dad, this was a fabulous idea.  Thanks.  Next time . . . water jets and confetti guns.  :)

serious fun on don pedro lake

All I have to do is think about this day and I'm instantly reminded of the seriously fun time that we had on the lake.  Just like that Friday song . . . "fun, fun, fun, fun."  And hey!  We were even there on a Friday.  :)

Good friends of our family, Sandi & Steve, graciously hosted our brood on their houseboat for a day.  I've never been on a houseboat before, but wow, they are nice!  A living area, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, a slide!, a full length upstairs balcony/porch/platform for chillin', a front porch for BBQ-in' . . . . Then throw in a ski boat and jet-ski and we're talking ultimate fun.

We spent the whole day alternating between tubing, wake-boarding, jetski-in', sliding, swimming off the back of the houseboat, and eating.  

Here are the kids loading up for the first run of the day.  The water in the lake was so warm . . . jumping in, swimming, or falling off the tube was no big deal because you didn't have to deal with an icy shock.

Ohhh, I think we're having fun now!

I was back on the houseboat when Scott, Payton, and Conner caught some big air.  (Thanks Heidi for sharing pictures with me).

Oops, we lost Conner.

Later, when I was tubing with Anna and Carlee I also lost Anna over the back of the tube.  She was a good sport about it.  When Steve turned us around to pick her up she said, "That was awesome!"

Everyone on the boat was having fun . . . 

Everyone got a turn on the jet-ski . . . 

And then it was time for wake-boarding.  I tell ya, Sam and Heidi are the super pros at this one.  Scott was just happy to get up.  And me . . . I've never done it before.  I've been anti-water-skiing since I was a kid and dad would take us out on our boat, The Nutbuster (he is in the walnut business).  Tubing works just fine for me.  But today, Heidi was working on me something fierce!  Dropping hints right and left in her sweet little way.  So at the very end of the day I gave in, and figured what the heck.  At least I can say that I tried.

Here's my first attempt . . . all smiles & fear

And my 6th attempt looks pretty similar . . . . although a bit more grunt than smile.

In the end, my wimpy arms just couldn't hold onto the rope long enough to get my body up.  But, I tried!  Thanks Heidi for the encouragement -- I think I would have regretted not giving it a shot.

Conner also tried the wake-boarding.  Watch this little video to see how it went.

We were pretty proud of this little kid.  All 61 pounds of him.  :)

Remember that slide I mentioned?  Plenty of fun was had with that.

At the end of the day I took some photos of the kids playing and swimming on the back of the boat.  The sunlight was just gorgeous.

When it came time to go back home Scott and I looked at each other and agreed that this had been a seriously fun day.

 (photo by Conner)

 A BIG thank you to Sandi & Steve for being such great hosts and letting us invade your houseboat right before the 4th of July weekend.  It was absolutely wonderful!

in our vocabulary

 {anthropolgie window.  photo taken while on a date with my dad.}

For the past 5 months a new word has been a part of our family's vocabulary . . . 

cancer

In february my dad let us know that the doctors suspected something was there.  In april the diagnosis was official.  And in june there was surgery.

Our vocabulary has also included the words . . . . prayer, fasting, blessing, priesthood, inspiration, faith, tender mercies, and "say 8".  :)

{I'll keep this post short, because I know my dad does not like a big deal being made of this, but I figured since my mom blogged about his road to recovery I'm allowed to share a little snippet.  There's a lot more I'll record in my personal journal to document details, and feelings, and the e-mails that went back and forth.}

What I do want to share here from my/our experience:

*It is a strange feeling when, for the first time, you have to consider your parents' mortality.  Especially when they are so young.  (55th birthday just last month).  And in this circumstance knowing that this disease took my grandpa in his 60's.

*The power of the priesthood is real.  I am lucky to have 4 brothers who are all worthy priesthood holders. 

*Faith is real.  This word has been my motto and driving force.  I really, truly believe that through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be made whole.

The surgery was successful.  He is free and clear.

When we made our visit he was just 4 weeks out from surgery, still having to be careful, moving a bit slower, taking it easy.  I was excited at the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with him when he suggested that just the two of us go out for the afternoon.  We did some light shopping, ate lunch at BJ's (ohhhh, the pizzookie goodness), and had some good conversations in the car.

Like any trial or crisis this has helped us to be closer, more mindful of each other, more prayerful . . . and despite the magnitude of the situation we remember to keep our sense of humor.  Just utter the words, "Say 8! Say 8!" and it's all good.

summer fun #2: go to california

okay, back to the summer road trip . . . 

Here's a few random details from the California leg with posts covering some of the bigger events coming later.

All dressed up for church on Sunday . . . 

And just our family . . . 

My dad currently serves as a counselor in the branch presidency of a Spanish Branch in their area.  (A branch is a church unit that is smaller than a ward).  He learned the language in Argentina while serving his mission and he still uses it nearly everyday as most of his employees are Hispanic.  My mom helps out in the branch as well, so we all decided to attend.  Usually the missionaries will translate the talks & lessons into English through listening headsets for visitors  But there was some confusion this Sunday as they were meeting in a different building due to construction, a different time, etc.  So the whole family got to enjoy an hour of Sunday School, all in Spanish.  

The best part of the day happened as we were sitting in the room before the meeting began.  A hispanic gentleman introduced himself and shook hands with the family.  As he went down the line Conner stood up and said, "Buenos Dias!"  We all got a little giggle out of that.  I love that he was just trying to be friendly!

Of course we did a whole lot of swimming.  After watching Mason's tricks all week, on our last day & totally unannounced, Conner attempted his first ever flip off the diving board . . . and nailed it!  It was awesome.  (Mason was home to help my parents with some upkeep around the property.  It was great that we were able to play with him too.)

Payton finally got really comfortable in the water and was swimming and jumping all over the pool.

and Anna was just cute.

 

Of course all this swimming and the comfortable temperature of the pool was made possible by the hot hot summer days.  We sat in the low 100's everyday, except for one day when it dipped down to 98 and I have to say it almost felt kind of cool.

The timing of our trip was very intentional.  We wanted to get out of Oregon as soon as school was out, and go to a place where summer existed in the month of June.  (Now look at us, in mid-July, still hovering around 70 and still getting rain.  I tell ya, )

While we're enjoying the sun and heat, the frogs are trying to escape it.  I caught this one in the hallway outside my bedroom.  We think it hitch-hiked on a damp pool towel.

This frog was not so lucky.

We also enjoyed spending time with Sam & Heidi and their kids.  At the lake, on the 4th of July, and for dinner at the house.  Their kids are so cute.  I love watching Carlee and Anna together.  Preston is all boy, tough but with a soft side.  And Audrey . . . I could just eat her up.  Conner also really likes her and when it was time to say good-bye he was so sad.  "Awwww, but I haven't finished her kung fu training!"  We decided that he could make some kung fu training DVDs and send them to her.

We enjoyed a few outings during this trip, but mostly we just hung around the house, swam, relaxed, and soaked in the love from grammer and papa.

more california posts to come:  on the lake, 4th of July, cousins, a date

one day we went shooting

there was a BBgun

a .22

a .223 (mini-14)  I don't know what these names mean, I just type what I'm told

and some gigantic orange ear plugs

we used rock chucks, squirrels, coyotes, and raccoons as target practice

some were not pleased with their aim

but kept at it

eventually they all went home with a target they were proud of

 

the end.

nickelodeon world

today was . . . 

busy.  all about cleaning.  getting the kids' bedrooms in order.  laundry.  etc.

We took a leisurely morning.  I slept in.  The kids got up as usual and helped themselves to Star Wars Episode II.  Once I was showered and ready I assigned them each to strip the sheets off their beds and get to business cleaning their rooms.  And I don't mean pick up a few things from the floor and move them to a corner.  I mean every particle of something on the floor needs to find a home, clean the dresser tops, the shelves, and show me that a table exists under all those lego projects.

Meanwhile, I cleaned my bathroom, vacuumed, kept the laundry going, and had to step in as the task master every 5-10 minutes.  

And yet, kids kept disappearing.  Outside kicking a soccer ball.  Downstairs watching tv.  Getting distracted in the kitchen.  Focus people!  Do not even attempt to leave the upstairs until I have inspected your rooms.  

Needless to say, the morning drug on and on, I may or may not have raised my voice more than a few times and voiced threats of chores to consume the remainder of their summer vacations.  I told them there was no lunch until the bedrooms were clean.  We ate at 1pm.

Anna was her usual cheery, joking self and said, "We need to move to Nickelodeon World.  Because everyone there is happy.  Ya, no one is angry."

I couldn't help but smile.  "That's right!  What a great idea.  And everybody has good manners."  I pictured this little animated utopia with neighbors like Dora and Ni-Hao Kai-Lan and Team Umizoomi.  Those kids are all so polite and helpful and kind.  That would be pretty darn nice.  I laughed at the thought.

Anna says, "Oh!  I finally made you laugh!"

Yes, yes you did.

I feel like my patience has been worn thin the past week and I need to get it back.  All the big things on our summer calendar (road trip, day camp) are over and now we're beginning the at-home summer routine.  I want to have fun with the kids, I want to do/make/cook fun things, and we have plenty of weeks ahead of us to make that happen.  Just gotta find my zen again.

I read this article on a blog today and thought it was perfect:  5 Secrets to Being a Super Fun Mom.

Literally, just perfect and what I needed.  The "Pajama Run" sounds awesome.

Tonight the plan is waffles and bacon for dinner.  Maybe I'll take a tip from Secret #3 and serve our dessert of ice cream first.

quiet

Scott and I escaped to Sun Valley, Idaho for a one night stay while Grammer and Papa kept the kids.  It was perfect.  Relaxing for sure.  At the end we decided the theme for this getaway was . . . quiet.

quiet hotel . . . We checked in and the staff was super attentive.  Taking us up to our room, showing us around.  She informed us that we were the only ones on our side of the hallway so we had the entire balcony to ourselves.  Nice!  Before leaving she said, "Make sure you let us know what time you want breakfast."  How about 8:30?  "Okay, I'll let Sandy know."

We lounged in our room watching tv, napping, enjoying the view and the absolute quiet that surrounded us.  Ahhhh.

Later we left for dinner and were greeted by smiling faces at the front desk and they waved us on our way.  On our return, again their ultra-attentiveness was peaked and they asked where we dined and how the meal was.  (Ketchum Grill -- excellent.  I had shrimp cakes, duck, and rhubarb crisp with vanilla bean ice cream.)  On our way up to the room I told Scott, "I think we're the only ones staying here tonight."  There had been other people on the grounds for a party and dining at the inn's restaurant.  But the way the staff was super clued into our every movement made me feel like we were their top (and only) priority that evening.

quiet breakfast . . . . Morning came and we came down to the breakfast cafe room.  It was empty -- no guests, no staff.  But every table was set with silverware and white cloth napkins.  The serving counter held trays of hot biscuits, bacon, scrambled eggs with herbs, banana bread, fruit salad, homemade granola, juices and milk.  It was delicious.  We sat there alone, no one to bother us and we soaked up the quiet stillness, giggling every once in a while at the odd scene we were a part of.  We grabbed our things from our room and when we returned to the main floor the doors to the breakfast cafe were closed and it was dark inside.

And we instantly realized . . . they made that breakfast just. for. us.

And our walk into the parking lot confirmed my earlier suspicions.  Ours was the only car in the lot.  We had just spent an evening in a 26-room inn all by ourselves.

quiet shopping . . . we were there on day 1 of the summer season for this resort town, so it was still pretty empty.  We walked up and down the streets looking into shops, trying to keep our jaws off the floor at the outrageous prices for everything, and stocked up on some Rocky Mountain chocolate.

quiet gondola ride . . . Once the doors closed on the gondola it was like the outside world went on mute and it was just us, and a beautiful view as we rode up the mountain.

quiet mountain top . . . just check out this view.

and a quiet outdoor lunch at 7700 feet.  The Roundhouse restaurant and grill is located mid-way up Bald Mountain.  Quite the view and quite the elevation to take in a great summer lunch.

Scott took matters into his own hands and brought his own diet Pepsi up the mountain -- everywhere we went they served only Coke and he does not do Coke.  He was now a happy camper.

quiet drive . . . an hour and 40 minutes each way, we leisurely drove without time constraints, I learned a bit more about Idaho geology (who knew they had fields of volcanic rock in Idaho), we tried to imagine the possible delivery or carry-out methods for a 52 inch pizza that was advertised on a marquee in Shoshone (still stumped on that one), admired the dozens of private jets at the Ketchum airport (wonder if any celebrities were in town), and just because we felt like it we pulled in at the Trading Post for a look around at wall to wall Native American merchandise and ended up buying souvenirs for the kids.  Rain stick, piece of quartz, and a rabbit's foot.

So that was our quiet, relaxing, fill our bellies full of delicious food getaway.  Thanks Scott for planning everything.  Love ya.  

And now I need to get to the business of eating the ginormous bag of fresh kettle corn he just walked in with.  He knows the way to my heart.

feeling left out

Did you know that Scott was very much into the ladies in high school?  Dated lots.  It's part of his history.  I'll get back to that point in a moment.

Near his home is the "Niagara of the West", Shoshone Falls, located on the Snake River.  But most of the time there is no water running over the falls or just very little.  The water is diverted for irrigation use and Idaho has had many drought years so there isn't much water to begin with.  In all of our many visits we have never actually gone to see Shoshone Falls.  Because there hasn't been anything to see.

But when we came for this trip we heard that the water was falling and it was spectacular.  Day 1 we hopped in the car to see for ourselves.

You be the judge.

look, a double rainbow!

So back to my original point . . . as we're driving down the canyon to the park Scott tells the kids that in high school he used to take girls here to kiss them.  (That may sound bad, but remember he was an Idaho Mormon boy, a good boy.  But I did have to smack him for sharing that kind of info with your kids.)  So I turn to him, after the smack, "but you've never taken me here!  I feel left out."  A little playful pouting.

So on the viewing deck we had to make things right

and one more,

how to pack for a trip

So in our packing for the mega road trip we brought . . . .

• 3 duffel bags
• 1 rolling duffel bag
• 1 swim bag
• 2 computer bags
• 1 camera bag
• 1 hanging garment bag
• 2 temple bags
• 1 food/snack tote bag
• 3 bicycle helmets
• 2 ipads
• 2 guns (I'll get to that later)
• 1 ammo box
• 3 road trip boxes filled with activities for the kids
• and 4 golf club bags

That's right.  4 golf bags.  1 for Scott and 3 for the kids.  Scott was planning to golf.  That is a given.  We discussed the possibility of him taking the boys out, but it didn't work out.  Soon, our time in Idaho was growing to a close and those 3 extra golf bags were still sitting in the garage unused.  Nothing steams me more than packing super large items for a trip and then not using it.

In our early married days we lived in Utah, and from time to time we would drive up to his parents' house.  Scott would always bring his golf clubs, his bowling bowl, and his roller blades . . . . just because you never know what you might be in the mood to do.  Ackk!  The excessive packing drives me just a little crazy.

Anyway, with just 2 evenings left in our stay in Idaho we packed up the golf bags and headed to the driving range.  Tantrum averted.

Here are some photos from our delightful evening at the driving range.

See all the balls lying just inches from Anna?  The reason for her frustration.

But on the good list is getting to collect all the balls that are 10 steps away . . . . to hit again!  It's almost like an easter egg hunt.  :)

Some pointers from dad . . . 

He swings and . . . ooo, it's a miss.  Nice divet.

Placing his tee for the next shot.

Scott getting slouchy with Anna's driver.

Golf was something that was completely foreign to me before meeting Scott.  And now I have to say that I quite enjoy scenes like this (below).  It makes me happy.

My boys with their bags (see Conner's monogrammed golf towel?) after hitting a bucket of balls on the driving range.

summer fun #1: go to idaho

Our road trip began in Idaho.  Scott's hometown.  It's always nice to go to my in-laws home and spend some time relaxing and allowing Scott to get his fill of golf.  Well, maybe not his fill.  But four rounds of 18-holes without totally neglecting your family on vacation isn't too shabby.

Here are a few around-the-house highlights, and just some pictures that I thought were too cute not to share.

Washing the cars.  The kids know the routine.

Anna was very helpful and often asked to set the dinner table.  Probably just so she could ensure her spot next to Grammer.

In the morning we would ride bikes or go to a park.  But once the heat of the afternoon set in you're likely to find a scene like this. 

Some kind of quiet activity indoors because my kids would otherwise melt in the heat.

There's Conner on the ipad.  Somehow he conned convinced Grammer Valerie to download Dungeon Defenders on her ipad.  A combination of incessant asking and a cute/awkward face.

Anna with Grammer's vintage lacing cards.

And Payton on the iTouch.  Probably playing the penguin game.

We took our park trips while Scott & Dennis were playing golf.  We'd all hop in Valerie's car while she drove from park to park, asking the kids to take a good look through the windows, and let her know which one they wanted to stop at.  It was usually Candy Cane Park.  (This name came about in Scott's childhood because the playground equipment was painted with red and white stripes -- like a candy cane.)

It isn't red and white anymore.  But the name still holds.

I didn't want to move out of my chair in the shade so when Anna asked for a push on the swings I told Conner he should push her 20 times.  Valerie added the reward of 10 minutes on the ipad.  He got a big grin on his face and straightaway got to the business of pushing his sister.  After a while I noticed that he had long passed the required 20 pushes, and he was still happily (at least without complaint) pushing Anna.  I wonder if he's expecting to get 10 minutes for every 20 pushes?  Sure enough.  I asked him and he was on 73, licking his chops as [he thought] the ipad minutes racked up.

A kill-deer made a little nest in the empty lot behind the Browns' home.  Everyday Valerie would escort one of the kids slowly towards the nest to check on the eggs' progress, and to watch Maisy's show.  Maisy is the mother bird's name.

As you approached the nest Maisy would hop up, run off to the side, squawk, spread her wings out, and start limping and stumbling.  It was all an act to make herself appear injured -- a distraction so any predators would stay away from her babies.  It was quite a sight to see!  

As the week went on, and our visits continued, she abandoned that tactic and started charging us head on.

Don't the eggs look like little rocks?  Great camouflage job Maisy.

The birds hatched 3 days after we left.

Other happenings in Idaho . . . 

We ate at Maxie's pizza twice.  Scott had a major hankering for his favorite pizza.

We watched a cool lightning storm from the back porch.

We intended to go to the temple and brought our bags with us.  But wouldn't you know it?  The temple was closed that week for cleaning.  Darn.

Two trips to Kiwi Loco were in order.  Self-serve yogurt is my absolute favorite.

Scott's social streak randomly and bizarrely appeared when one night he got the sudden urge to create a facebook group page for the singing/dancing (Glee-esque) group he was a part of in highschool.  It was all kinds of fun to watch him welcome new members and reminisce.

Valerie has two really old raggedy ann and andy dolls from her childhood.  They usually sit on a shelf in the upstairs guest bedroom.  The last time we visited Payton stayed in that bedroom one night.  In the morning he said, "those dolls are freaking me out" with a freaked out look in his eyes.  So for this visit she removed the dolls from the room.  But he still wouldn't sleep there.  We joked how funny it would be to place one of the dolls on the bedside table where he was sleeping in the basement.  Can you imagine his reaction when he woke up?  

more idaho posts to come:  golfing, shooting, quiet, and the falls 

3070.3

That was the number on our van's trip odometer when we pulled into our driveway last night after a 17 day roadtrip to visit my parents and Scott's parents.

It was a great vacation.  And we all have tan lines to prove it.

Today the house is quiet . . . 

Scott and Conner are off on a hike with the Boy Scouts,

Payton & Anna are playing Bejeweled 3 on the computer,

I'm doing laundry,

making phone calls, sending e-mails, checking forms, and making to-do lists for Cub Scout day camp next week,

considering a fridge deep-clean, seeing as it is pretty empty right now,

waiting for the mail man to come so I can pay some bills,

feeling the cool breeze that is still coming through our windows at 11:30.  We're expecting a high of 77 today.  A far cry from the triple digits we experienced everyday for the last week.  Here's the funny thing . . . I was actually getting kind of used to it.

I have much to blog and share, but it will come slowly, bits & pieces at a time.

Just wanted to say hi.

oh, and share something from pinterest