Bike Riding

I've asked the girls all summer if they would like me to take off their training wheels to no avail. With no prodding Taylor asked me yesterday to take hers off. I told her I would, but that I would not be putting them back on. She agreed and did fairly well as long as we continued to hold on. Of course Dani couldn't be showed up, so she wanted hers off too. Now the girls can't ride their bikes until they've mastered riding on their own. The little neighbor boy, Zane, was enjoying this process and wanted to be a part of it (having already mastered it himself). I was surprised that he could actually hold Dani up and that she even let him. From the video you can see that they had a good time with it. No bike riders yet, but the fact that they're interested is a start. Sam just hangs out pretending to mow the lawn.

Swan Falls

After our little hike to see the canyon, we drove down into it, which Dani was not excited about. She liked it once we were down there. We watched some people fish and walked across the dam. The children enjoyed it and promptly came home to call Papa to see if he would take them back to fish. We tried to have a nice little picnic, but the wind was enough for us to finish it up in the car. The car ride home wasn't that long, but the kids fell asleep anyway. Any day spent with dad is a fun day.

Bird's of Prey

Mark was gracious enough to spend part of his day off taking his family on an outing as opposed to doing homework. Our first stop was to see the Snake River and Bird's of Prey. The kids had all kinds of questions for dad, which he patiently answered as best he could. It was a nice day, but very windy. We're glad we had the foresight to bring jackets (especially with hoods).

Eating corn

Do all little kids love to eat corn on the cobb? I think there is some kind of fascination with them getting to hold it and bite it off. We thought Sam had it figured out, but he always reverted back to eating the end of the cobb. It couldn't have tasted that good.

Riding the bus

The kindergarteners didn't get to ride the bus for the first few days. Taylor had no apprehensions getting on and announced how fun it is because she doesn't have to wear a seat belt. We are lucky enough to have the bus stop right outside our back gate, so we don't have far to walk and if siblings are sleeping, I can still go wait outside the gate without having to worry about them. I'm happy that the kindergarteners all sit up front, but I'm sure that won't save them from all the lovely things that go on during the bus ride.

First Day of School

The day has finally arrived. We sent Taylor off on her first day of school with mixed emotions. Of course there was nothing to worry about- - right? She loved every minute of it. She went right into her class with very little, if any anxiety and enjoyed her day of learning.

Ward Olympics

Our ward held an olympics in honor of the real olympics. We weren't in a big hurry to get there and it wasn't much fun for me not being able to participate in anything. Taylor tried the long jump and all the kids threw the "discus." Taylor was real disappointed that we missed the family relay (I was taking Dani to the bathroom) so we decided to just leave. The kids are still asking for ribbons. Oh well, our family just isn't the most athletic bunch. Later that evening we enjoyed a corn feed and the kids enjoyed playing on the inflatables, but I forgot my camera, sorry.

Cowboy Sam

I can't send Mark to Wal-mart any more. He comes home with interesting things and spends $70 when I sent him to get something for $2. This time he brought home a cowboy outfit for Sam complete with hat, belt, and guns. He would have bought the boots too if they had them in his size. Dad just couldn't wait to show him how to shoot and of course Sam loved it. And then look who he turns around and shoots - yep, mom. Thanks Mark for teaching Sam all those things he wouldn't learn from me.

Swimming with friends

The brave award of the day goes to Dani. Sam is our little fish, and Taylor enjoyed experimenting with new things. Some good friends of ours invited us to their family pool for a swim and boy did the kids love it. They haven't been swimming much this summer (in a real pool anyway). I was surprised that Dani climbed right up the slide and decided she wanted to go down. She has always been the one afraid to do things like this. After her attempt the other kids decided they might enjoy it too. I was also surprised that Taylor would try it after her near death experience earlier this year with slides. She still didn't like the water in her face so after a few times I couldn't get her to do it again for the camera. Dani also decided to brave putting her face in the water, so we were proud of her today. Sam was scared of nothing. After jumping right in several times he wasn't even affected by his mom having to run in and save him after having his face in the water for several seconds. You have to keep an eye on that one. Thanks to our friends for the invite and it was good to see you Sheri and Jen.

Family Fun Night

Our community held a Family fun night filled with free pony rides, inflatables, magic shows, dancing, etc. We went to check it out. Most of the lines were way too long to bother standing in, but the kids had fun looking around at everything. They loved seeing the princesses advertising the costume shop, jumping inside Clifford, going fishing, watching the clowns and getting free bottles of milk. Any time we do anything together as a family it is a treat for the kids.

Twin Falls Temple

Twin Falls Idaho (about 2 hours from us) was fortunate enough to have a temple built in their city. For the past month or so the temple has been open to the public for tours. I hadn't intended on going because I figured I could go another time, but the more I thought about it the more I realized what a great opportunity it was for the children to see where it is that mom and dad go and get some of their questions answered as to why we go and what we do there. Unfortunately by the time I made this decision there were no times available when daddy could come along. We invited my sister in law and nephew to come along with us instead. We all loved the temple, the children's favorite being the baptismal font. It is very beautiful inside and as always a very peaceful atmosphere. It was a long day driving, but I think well worth it.

Sunday

For a lack of anything else to post, I snapped these pictures today because I thought they were cute. They have several previous pictures in these outfits, but that's because they love them and they look so coordinated when they all match.

Picture in the Idaho Press Tribune

16-month-old Sam Jepson walks around the grass at the Nampa Civic Center during a celebration for graduates of the Nampa Public Library summer reading program “Catch the Reading Bug” on Monday.
Charlie Litchfield/IPT

My kids love to mop

Every time I get the mop out (which is more often than I would like) the kids get real excited and beg to help. Sam chases after Dani and slips a hundred times. When he actually gets the mop he bangs it into every wall, so luckily I found a little pretend mop and he loves to follow Dani around as if he's mopping. Of course, I have to finish up the job, and it's ready to be done again tomorrow (or after breakfast depending on when during the day I do it).