Rodeo

Mark has been dying to go to the Snake River Stampede and would have gotten the best seats in the house if I had let him. As it was we were still in the front row aside from the VIP seats. The kids loved it. Sam even got to be on the big screen for quite some time. We happened to have cowboy boots and hats for all the kids even though none of them were quite the right size. I'm sure you'll see us there again next year.

Mario Kart

I love to watch kids play with controllers because they over-control. The sad part is that I did the same thing when it was my turn. We had fun celebrating Aunt Kari's birthday.

Masks

Just wanted to add a few pictures with these great masks. It's probably a better look for at least me. Joseph was sure intrigued. We enjoyed being able to see grandma. It was for a very short time, but we were okay with that since we get to spend time with her in a couple of weeks.

Day trip to Baker

We visited with family in Baker City, OR on Sunday. The kids enjoyed jumping on the trampoline and I was surprised to find Mark actually got on as well. They were very disappointed when he got off.

Swimming Lessons

The girls are in swimming lessons again this year. We skipped last year because the girls refused to put their head in the water, but they're doing it this year and are doing very well. They love it - especially Dani the fish who will not be still once in the water and said she wishes swimming lessons would last for "77 minutes" so she says.

Bathtime

All my kids have enjoyed their baths and Joseph's no exception.

4th of July

We spent a lot of time with family over the weekend and I did manage to remember my camera. Unfortunately the memory card was still in the computer at home. My sister-in-law took several pictures that she promised to send, so we'll see if those come. This is my kids and their cousins at the parade we went to.

Ann Morrison

We finished up the field trip at the park for a picnic lunch, play ground fun, and running through the fountain. We enjoyed our day.

Anne Frank Memorial

We also visited the Anne Frank/Human Rights memorial and the children got a brief history lesson of the holocaust. Taylor has already read a whole book on Anne Frank since we've been and now wants to borrow her diary from the library.

Train Depot

To make the summer more enjoyable for all of us, we decided to go on "field trips" once a week to places we might not otherwise go. Today was our fourth week and of course I've forgotten our camera every time. I finally turned back for it this time. The first week we visited a pet store and then watched employees make donuts at Krispy Kremes. The next week we played at Planet Kid (an indoor playground) and had some others join us. Last week we tried out the free bowling (which turns out not to be so free with the charge of shoe rentals). This week we first stopped at the Train Depot and learned all about Old Mike, a locomotive engine that is retired there. Now that I think about it, I should have gotten pictures in front of the train. Oh well. We did get pictures in front of the depot and overlooking the city of Boise. The kids loved watching the fish in the ponds.

Dairy Days Parade

We've made the Dairy Days parade an annual event with some of our friends. This year it happened to be raining, but we still had a good time. The kids love to use umbrellas and it didn't rain the whole time.

Sitting up

Joseph is at that age where he's starting to sit on his own. He still likes to take face plants, so he has to be watched.

Dani and Joseph's lastest pictures

Our yard

Even though our backyard is in desperate need of shade, we never planted trees because we didn't expect to live here long, and then we got too busy. Now due to limited space we decided if we were going to plant trees we wanted fruit trees. We already have an apricot tree and now we just got our first apple tree. Can't wait to see some growth. This is also the first year we've had time for a garden and I don't think it's doing too shabby. The majority of it is corn. We didn't get a lot of variety this year, but now that we know we can do it, we'll try some different things next year. We also have onions, tomatoes, carrots, peas, and whatever the kids planted (flowers I think).

Rock Stars

The kids found these guitars at a yard sale and had to have them. They have been rocking out and putting on concerts ever since.

Dani's Birthday

Another five year old already? They grow up way too fast, but we're excited for what the new year will bring. Dani is ready to do have all those fun experiences that Taylor has had over the past year or so, including staring kindergarten in the fall. At her request we went to Pojo's again for one of her gifts. The kids had a good time on the carousel, bumper cars, and with the games. The teeth are the prizes they won with their tickets. Unfortunately it got a little too warm in our house before we were able to get to the cake, so the frosting all melted off. Luckily I took a picture so everyone could see what it looked like at one time. Thanks to everyone who supported Dani on her big day.

Kindergarten graduation

Taylor is done with Kindergarten and sad to leave. We're even more sad to realize her teacher is leaving as well, so no return trips to the classroom to say hi. Dani is disappointed she will not have Ms. Wright next year, but maybe it's for the best so there are no sibling comparisons. These pictures were taken at the Kindergarten celebration with her teacher Ms. Wright and classmate Nalah.