Part 2

Mylie had a great first day of school!  Her teacher is very nice, she found her friends and made new friends.  Lunchtime went well AND they get 3 recesses!  My favorite moment of the day though:



 Look at the two of them holding hands in the back of the van on the way home today.  Melts my heart!

First Day of First Grade! (part 1)

There's a pretty excited little girl at our house this morning!!

Big A - what do you think about those shoes?



Summer 2011

This summer just flew by!  I can't believe its the middle of August and school is about to start.  Here are some highlights from our summer:

Dinner at Jaker's to celebrate Craig and Kristine's 40th Anniversary!

The whole ham-damn fam!  There are pictures with Blake and Dad looking at the camera, but I love this one because I think it really captures how those two feel about each other!

Trip to Bend - meeting Elena for the first time!

"Sisters, Sisters ...."  Trip to Sisters, OR with Leslie and Karen to the quilt festival.  Delightful trip!

Jeff's D.C. Trip

Jeff's summer injury.

Time for a little fun in the sun - Eagle Park

Lake Lowell

Kickball at the family reunion

Mini-golf at the family reunion

Other highlights include:
*10 days spent in Idaho Falls with all the cousins
*Blake's first stitches (in his chin)
*Putting lots of miles on the new mini-van
*Mylie taking tennis lessons
*Jeff's stitches
*Lots of crafting
*Blake's new love of all things superhero
*Jeff biking 1000 miles
*End of summer puke fest - ok not really a highlight, but certainly memorable. 

Another great summer in the books.  I start classes Monday.  Mylie starts 1st grade on the 29th and Jeff starts his master's degree on 9/6.  Even though the school year is always busy at our house, I enjoy the routine of it.  Last semester was really tough getting into the groove of full time work, but I feel like I have a better handle on it and am hoping we have a smooth transition into the school year.  Cross your fingers for us!

Happy 40th Anniversary!

Happy 40th Anniversary to my wonderful parents!  Earlier in the month when we were all home, we were able to surprise them with an anniversary celebration.  We had such a delightful time and I was glad to be able to spend that time with them.  There are so many reasons that I love my parents.  For starters:

• They are funny (and sometimes they don't even know it).
• They are great parents, and have taught by example.
• They are hard workers.
• They take good care of their parents. 
• They are a wonderful example of a good relationship.  They always make time for each other - but also each have their own interests and they encourage each other to pursue those interests. 
• They are fabulous grandparents. 
• They instilled a strong value system in me. 
• They love me no matter what!

Without a doubt, my parents had a huge part in shaping the woman I am today (especially the good parts).  Here's to many more happy years together!

So much to blog about ...

I have so much to blog about ... 9 super days in Idaho Falls, my adorable nieces and nephews who I am head over heels in love with, my upcoming trip (like in 7.5 hours) to Sisters, Oregon, cool scenery from last week (see below), and a surprise 40th anniversary party.

But, since I don't have time at the moment to do that I will simply share two observations from today:

1. I was in the store today and walked past the ladies' underthings aisle.  Do you know what they sell?  They were seriously selling a "booty pant" - translated, some sort of panty that makes your butt bigger?  OK, I want to meet these women who actually want a BIGGER butt and are willing to fork over their cash for a "booty pant."  I have other expletives to share about this ... but my mom reads this blog, so I'll refrain.
2. Tonight, while on iTunes (preparing the fabulous Sisters Playlist) I clicked on the section "oldies."  Do you know what came up?  MUSIC FROM THE 1980s!!!!!  Are you serious?  Who considers the 80s old?  Am I old?  Is it the same people buying "booty pants?"

Sigh. 

Bike riding pro!

Wallowa Lake

This past weekend we rented a cabin at Wallowa Lake, near Joseph, Oregon for a little family trip. We had such a delightful time! I had never been there before, but had heard how beautiful it was. We will definitely be returning there. Here is the cabin that we stayed in.

This was the view after a 2 minute walk from our cabin.

Mylie, giving Blake some pretty serious posing instructions.

We got up close and personal with some wildlife.

Blake was determined to climb this tree.

We saw where Chief Jospeh is buried.

On Saturday it rained all day. We still had a great time hanging out at the cabin reading, watching movies, and playing. After lunch all four of us climbed into the big king bed and took a long afternoon nap. Mylie was snuggled up on one side of me and Blake on the other and as I listened to their quiet snores, I had to thank God for blessing me with this life.

After our nap, we decided to drive to the Hell's Canyon overlook. It was still raining .... (don't worry, Jeff was driving).

It was so foggy when we got to the top, that we couldn't really see anything.

Like, I could hardly see my kids!

Foggy family picture!

On Sunday, we decided rain or shine, we were going to ride the tramway to the top of Mt. Howard (8150 feet). Now, I was nervous about this as I have a bit of a fear of heights. But I told Jeff I would. Here was the base ...

And here was the top ...

Of course, I had to make the kids pose, whether they were freezing or not!

What a wonderful trip and a wonderful time spent with my little family. The kids were so good. Within the first 15 minutes that they were playing outside of the cabin, they made friends with the kids at the next cabin over. They were good in the car and thought the cabin was about the coolest thing ever!!

I probably sounded like a broken record (or like my mom), as I kept telling Mylie that some people live their whole lives and don't ever get to see the type of beautiful scenery that we get to see all the time. Though after about 90 minutes into the windy, foggy road to the Hell's Canyon overlook, and hearing me say that over and over again, Jeff and I figured if she could, she would say "lucky bastards." Haha!

Here's to many more long weekends at Wallowa Lake!