Stay-cation

Sometimes we forget that we live by some honestly beautiful landmarks.  It's easy to to take for granted the humongous canyon and enormous bridge just five miles from your house when drive by them all the time.   For this summer, I would love to fulfill my goal of having a Stay-cation and take the kids to see all the amazing things we have an hour or less away from Twin.  There is City of Rocks, Balanced Rock, Craters of the Moon, Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls and so many others.  

Last night to kick off our Stay-cation Summer,  we took the kids and walked around the Snake River Canyon edge and the Perrine Bridge on the paved walking trail...but let me tell you, the kids had a very difficult time staying on the pavement.  Rocks, dirt, sagebrush and emanate death are just too tempting for kids.

The best cousins in the whole world.

Uh...I must have been excited about something.

Saylor was obviously not.

Hurray for I.B. Perrine!

I wonder if he liked getting his armpit tickled when he was alive.

I was fooling with my camera, trying to get the right setting for this picture.  I just about had it - the next shot would have been perfect - but Andrew got freaked out by the vibrations from the cars passing overhead and refused to sit here any longer.

 

Steve was not freaked out.   He was remembering his glory days when he did crazy things like cross the bridge underneath...and throw things off.  (The shopping cart we saw down the canyon I'm SURE was from someone else and not my husband)

Getting a picture of five kids happy is not easy.

In fact, I think it is impossible.

Looking for lizards.

Still looking for lizards.

Found one.

We got lucky and saw two jumpers fly off the bridge.

Twin Falls is the base jumping capitol of the world you know.  

After many questions about parachutes opening vs. not opening...I'm really happy both parachutes opened while my children were watching.

Playing under the bridge on the way back to the car.

Nope, this is not the bridge.  

This is what our office looked like as of yesterday.

Last Days of School

School if officially over for the year in 15 minutes.

I'm at home with a sleeping Saylor and Steve luckily has a break in his schedule and is picking up Andrew and Carter so Say can continue sleeping.  (saintly husband)

It has been a fabulous school year.

Both Carter and Colby had terrific teachers- the best of the best.

Colby had Mrs. Roy.  

She is the ultimate kindergarten teacher.  Colby loved her and was happy to go to school everyday.

This woman dances on tables, has the best witch laugh in the world (only used during the month of October mind you), sings songs, reads stories, has perfect control of the classroom at all times and radiates love for her kindergartners.  If I could only clone her.  Every five year old needs a Mrs. Roy for kindergarten.

Carter had Mrs. Adams.

I love this woman. 

Carter has learned more self discipline and reliance this year than I could ever imagine.  He has learned that school is an adventure everyday and has grown scholastically more than I could have dreamed.  He has learned what teachers are supposed to be...amazing, dedicated and challenging.   I have never been in a classroom like Mrs. Adams classroom.  It was what you would describe as awe inspiring.  I wish I could start school all over again and have her teach me.

In addition to everything she usually does as a teacher, Mrs. Adams learned diabetes in and out.

Steve and I have discussed how sometimes we forget that Carter's diabetes is a life and death situation everyday.  We choose not to dwell on the gravity of the situation because that is not what we want Carter to dwell on.  However, sending a 8 year old to school with a disease like diabetes is scary...wicked scary.

Mrs. Adams took diabetes and owned it.  We called and texted multiple times a day and she, with Carter's help,  kept Carter's blood sugar in check.  

I wish I could have Mrs. Adams move up to third grade and teach Carter again.  Oh how I wish!

I went in with four other moms on a gift for Mrs. Adams. 

Here are the four little buddies in Carter's class.  They presented the necklace and flowers to Mrs. Adams at their picnic at Frontier park today.  I wish I could pull strings and have them all together again next year!  

(When they graduate from high school together, I'm going to take another picture.)

Wyatt is with us again this week (score!) and came along for the last day of school picnic.

I caught him mid-chew.

Saylor admiring her freshly painted nails.  She was too pretty to play apparently.

(Note to self:  unless you are a professional manicurist, do not buy red nail polish.  It looks like Saylor's fingers are bleeding.  I'm going to need more practice at this.)

Wyatt showing me his hurt shin.  Playgrounds are precarious places.

(Check out that gap in his smile!  He lost his top tooth at home this last weekend.  Adorable!)

I got a small glimpse of what Carter's recesses have been like for the last year.

Colby way too high up than I choose to show.

Juices are not just for diabetics.

The picnic crew.

...now bring on SUMMER!

Some Pictures We May Have Forgotten To Include

Big brothers are a pain in the back.

Once again with the stink-eye.  

What did I do?

"Hey Carter..this is a huge donut."

"How big do you think it is Wyatt?"

"I bet it is as big as your head Carter."

"No, I don't think it could be THAT big."

Yep...it's that big!

Friday and Saturday

The past two days have been jammed packed.

I haven't had much time to sit down, but I feel we've made the best and the most of it.

Our family is rolling along with whatever comes our way.

Such as...

Saylor ran a fever the other night and complained that her diaper area hurt. 

I was worried she might have a bladder infection.   The doctor put a little bag on her to catch her urine and gave me instructions to give her soda to make her produce.

We stopped by Sonic and got her her own little drink and then stopped at Kmart to buy fingernail polish.  If she was uncomfy, she might as well still look pretty.  The fingernail polish worked as a fabulous distraction.

Turns out she did not have a bladder infection...whew, but just a crazy virus that we will wait out.

In the mean time, Colby has had a low fever and a nasty cough and actually missed his kindergarten graduation Friday.

  I'm sad.

I'm hoping to bribe his teacher into letting me take a picture of him in a cap and gown on Monday.

He told me he didn't care and that he sang like a girl and didn't want to go anyway.  Nice.

Andrew had a field trip to Nat-Soo-Pah and came home with a sunburn.

We had invited a friend of his over and they spent Friday evening staring intently at the tv playing Skylanders.   I'm happy to let his brain rot for a few hours to save his face from getting more sun.

Saylor spent most of the evening in my bed.

We broke out the fire pit in honor of the good weather.  

Don't these five people look so enthused?

Roasting hot dogs must be really tedious or just massively enthralling.

As the night cooled down, the neighbor kids came out.  I took this picture from my front yard just to show the gaggle of children outside willing to play. 

We love our neighborhood.  It's quiet, calm and full of friends.

 Steve drove the tent trailer in the back yard and spent the night with Wyatt and Carter in the tent.

Before I even got out of bed this morning, Steve had breakfast cooking on his camp stove for us and a few neighbors.  Who needs to go camping when you can do ALL of the fun stuff in the backyard?

There were even donuts.

Ahh...donuts.  The key to my kids' happiness.

 The breakfast crew.

 The frosting face.

This afternoon, we broke out the new cheap backyard pool.

It wasn't supposed to make its debut until school was out...but the last three days of school are worthless anyways.

I'm not sure what made me deserve the stink-eye from Colby, but I got it anyways.

Maybe because I took a picture of his farmer tan?

I just made the kids' day even better buy purchasing a Costco size box of corndogs and served them up for lunch.

Thrills are cheap around here.

So...in the past 24 hours my kids have eaten hot dogs, bacon, donuts, ice cream bars, chips and corn dogs.   I'm feeling really responsible right now.

Wearing a watermelon and eating watermelon.

I can't resist this girl in this suit!

Thinks he so tough...but still plays with Legos in the pool.

The best cousins in the entire world!

(Too bad I sunburned my nephew.  Two applications of sunblock and the mandatory wearing of the shirt later in the afternoon did nothing for this pale-skinned boy.  Sorry JaNae!)

Tonight Steve and I want to walk around the new office, put the kids to bed early and then watch a movie.   I've had enough excitement and sun for the day.

my past week in grainy pictures

We finally ordered me a new camera battery charger.  It will be juiced up and ready to go in no time.

But for now, my phone has been doing it's best to capture my life in grainy style.  It has worked hard and I am grateful.

Without it, I would have missed out on all these photo opportunities.

Such as...

 Driving home from taking the kids to school last week and I passed this house.  

I drove around the block, parked myself infront of the house and snapped this beauty.

It made me laugh and gave me the urge to buy a flock of pink birds myself and flock someone else's house...such as maybe my brother's.  

(it makes me giddy just thinking about it.)

Andrew went to the fish hatchery for a field trip last Friday.  He brought home a fish painted t-shirt and a real dead fish.  He wanted desperately to cook it, but it spent a little too much time out of the cooler to be considered safe eating.   He's been promised a new fishing trip and grilled trout.

Wearing the fish shirt will be a requirement for both.

We have my darling nephew Wyatt staying with us for the next week or so while my sister recovers from surgery.  (she is home and hanging in there by the way)   My kids are still in school, so Wyatt is getting dragged around to all my errands and adventures.  One of these errands is Carter's lunch.  Lunch with Wyatt is always better than lunch without Wyatt.

(Um...you have Pirate Booty on your lips)

Was in Target yesterday and saw this posted.

I'm not telling my kids.  

I ran out as soon as I could before I was tempted to buy something.

Whew....made it.

We can almost taste summer.  It's really close.

We broke out the propane campfire last night in honor of there being only five...count them...five days of school left.  

Roasted marshmallows are delish.

I keep telling myself that I am a good parent.

...sure I am.

Lunch with Wyatt again.

Corndogs are tasty.  Mystery yellow goop is not.

Lunch...again with Wyatt.

(because I don't eat cafeteria corndogs)

Wyatt was REALLY full when we got home.

Colby was a bit more chipper filled with cheese and orange Fanta.

The office as of this afternoon.

It's huge.

Really huge.

I'm having a heart attack it's so huge.

Good thing half of it will be rented out huge.

Me in our future entryway.

Part of our old office flooded from all the rain mixed with a leaky roof last weekend. 

This new office couldn't come at a better time.

Last, but not least- here's proof that I am planting a garden this year.  Everything has come up but my squash. 

This picture doesn't show it, but the soil my dad brought in for me is amazing.  Hopefully my garden will be the best it has ever been this year.

...and hopefully I'll get out my decent camera this weekend.