Party Time!!!

Saturday afternoon we had a party for Austin's eleventh birthday. It felt
very strange to have a birthday party without any family here. We had a nice turn out though from the good friends we've made and all the boys in the neighborhood (Austin forbid me from inviting girls!). We splurged this year and rented a bounce house which the boys used mostly as a wrestling ring. Austin received mostly cash for his birthday which was just fine with him. By the time he finished opening his cards he was $140 richer! Cash gifts are a lot easier when you live in a town that is 35 minutes away from a Walmart or Target. I still can't believe that my little boy is eleven years old now. Where does the time go?

Time On My hands...

I am still adjusting to having ALL of my kids in school. For the past eleven years I have had at least one little buddy at home to keep me company. Today I find myself walking in circles, wondering what I should do with myself. I know I should probably just enjoy the moment but all of a sudden I am realizing that until Lauren graduates from High School, I have to find something to do during school hours. I am tempted to get a job but it is so important to me to be home when my kids are home and a job may interfere with that. It's not likely that I would find a job that would work me strictly during school hours, plus give me all of the school holidays and vacation times off (unless the job was actually at a school). It kills me to think of my kids coming home to an empty house or sitting home alone when they have a day off. I'm sure eventually I will come up with something productive and enjoyable to do. After all, I have plenty of time on my hands to think about it.

Farewell To Summer

Fall is coming. The temperatures have cooled, the kids are back in school, and our daylight hours are shortening. Although Fall has always been my favorite time of year, I am sad to see this summer come to an end. We had so much fun this summer camping, swimming, floating the river, and playing, playing, playing! It seemed like we never ran out of things to do. Our neighborhood is filled with kids and I loved having the whole gang running through our house and staying for sleepovers. There was a T. P. war raging all summer and about every fourth night we'd wake up to a yard full of toilet paper. My kids had more adventures this summer than they've had in their lifetimes. It was great.

Fishing at Brownlee

We had tons of fun this weekend camping and fishing at Brownlee Reservoir. We went with four other families that we have become friends with and they gave us lessons in catching, gutting and frying fish. Austin was the first and only person to catch a fish Friday afternoon. He waded out into the water, cast out his line and in less than 2 minutes had a bite. Imagine our excitement when he reeled in a 20 in., 4lb. bass. He was so proud! The next day Aaron caught a catfish that was almost as big as Austin's bass. Even Lauren got in on the fun and caught a 12 in bass! It was nice to spend three days in the great outdoors just hanging out, relaxing and being with friends.

So Sick...

Three days ago our family was hit with the worst head and chest cold ever. It hit suddenly and it hit hard. Actually, Aaron and I got it the worst and Austin and Lauren had a more mild version. Amanda lucked out as usual and hasn't come down with it yet. Yesterday Aaron stayed home from work and we rented a bunch of movies that we watched all day long. It was kind of nice to spend the day together, but it would have been better if we weren't feeling so miserable. Today I'm feeling a bit better. I hope by tonight we are cured because tomorrow we are supposed take off and go camping for the weekend!

First Day of School!

Last Friday was Lauren's first day of kindergarten. I have wanted so badly to freeze time ever since she was born so I could keep her my baby forever. Sadly, I just couldn't figure out how to do that. Now she's five years old and so confident and secure she wouldn't even let me take her to school on the first day! She decided she wanted to ride the school bus with her sister and neighborhood friends and even though I asked her 50 times if she was sure, she wouldn't change her mind. So Friday morning we walked to the bus stop (I should be thankful she let me do THAT) and waited for the bus to wisk her away. Sure enough, as soon as it pulled to a stop she jumped aboard without looking back and off she went. Oh, the ache in my heart...

Visitors!

Last week Aaron's brother Leif and sister Constance came to visit us. We had so much fun hanging out with them and showing them why we love our new home in Idaho. I think we may have sent them home a bit waterlogged because we spent so much time jumping into the canal, swimming in the reservoir and floating down the river. Luckily they both love to be outdoors and especially enjoy the water. The longer they stayed the more the small town charm of Emmett seemed to grow on them. We are so glad they came to visit and hope they make it back before too long.

Yee-Haw!!!

Living in Idaho has inspired our family to try some new things we've never done before. One of the things I decided to do was take horseback riding lessons (or "horsey lessons", as my family calls them). I met the most amazing woman named Sonja, who trains horses and gives riding lessons, and spent the next three months learning basic horsemanship. I usually rode Flip (in the pic) and he was such a sweet, gentle spirit. I truly fell in love with him and each week I could hardly wait until the next lesson to see him again. Sonja and I became great friends. She and I agree that God must have brought us together because both our lives have been so enriched by knowing each other. We would go on these long rides in the hills and totally forget we were having a "lesson" because we had so much fun just yacking away. Ever heard of a "horse whisperer"? That would be Sonja. It's almost eerie how well she understands the way horses think. It's like she can get right into their heads. She has spent a lot of time studying how horses interact with each other and uses that knowledge to train them with their own "language". I am no longer officially taking lessons but Sonja and I are still friends and she has taken me along to watch her train horses. I'm so grateful I had this opportunity to learn something exciting and make a great friend in the process.

Fresh From the Font!

Last night was very exciting for Amanda and our family. Amanda was baptized! She has been excitedly waiting for this moment to arrive and she was absolutely beaming when she came out of the water. She said that it felt so good when she was getting baptized. Amanda truly has a testimony of the gospel and was so happy to take this step. I feel so blessed to have Amanda as my daughter. She has so many gifts that were given to her by her Father in Heaven. She has an enormous heart, full of love and compassion. She is very thoughtful, sweet, and full of fun. She is very outgoing and makes friends wherever she goes. One thing I admire so much about her is that she is so positive and always looks on bright side of life. I feel so honored that I was chosen to be her mother.

Getting Started...

I am really excited to join the world of blogging. With our family and friends becoming more and more spread across the country, this will be a great way to keep everyone posted on what's new in our lives.