First Day O School 2011

They are all officially back in school - and I have also finally posted it!  I can't believe how old they are all looking!  Rae is a sophomore - Brady an 8th grader - Reese is in 5th grade - and good ole cousin Jeffrey is in 6th grade.  Kelly is in some grade or another.  He seems to have done this a few times.  : )

Bran is also headed to preschool this year.  I really didn't want to send him this young - but he needs the speech help (What?  My kids?  Need speech help?  Sheesh!  How did all four of them manage not to talk! Well okay - they all talked but very very badly!!) so he's at the Development center two days a week for a couple of hours.

Anyway, here we go - ready or not!

Lava Hot Springs

So the friends were called and plans were made on one of our last free days before school starts.  Let's go swimming at Lava!  Yes!  Fun stuff - lots of water slides and such!  Okay!  Here we go!  Three moms and TEN kids in tow.  We get up early, pack lunches, drive and get excited --- and then we arrive!!  Oh the swimming joy!!

....... And WHAT?!?  It is closed?  Why?  Who did this?  Whatever do you mean?  CLOSED???

Now three moms and ten kids are standing glumly in an empty parking lot.  Oh the misery! 
Hey -- isn't this a movie?

Well, now we are in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho at 11:00 in the morning with not much to do.  So we had lunch at a park, were kinda sad, and then noticed . . . hey!  Aren't those tubes for rent?  Really big raft-like tubes?  That looks kinda fun . . . .

So we floated some local river on fun tubes instead!  And we did have fun.

So why are all my photos kinda funky?  A little bit blurry and bright?  I was asking myself the same thing.  I couldn't figure it out.  Until --- I uploaded them all and see this at the beginning of all the photos-

And yep I turned my camera around and found a very large smear on the lens.  If you only knew the extent of the troubles that this kid creates.  :  )
But we did have a great day and a really fun time.  I guess Lava will wait until next year. . . . .

Cousins!!

We had a fun cousin- filled summer!  I was going through photos and was amazed at how much stuff we did.  It was great.

Wow!  Lots o cousins!!  We had tons of fun.
I was just remembering the last time we were in Mesa staying with the AZ cousins and Bekki was combing Maura's hair in the morning.  Maura was obviously excited that we were there because Bekki was saying "Wow!  Your hair is snarly.  What slept in your hair last night?  A rat?  A squirrel?"  And Maura replied, "Nope - cousins!"  :  )

Jackson Lake

We had a couple of fun trips to see Grandpa Jonesy in Jackson this summer and had fun going on the boat in Jackson Lake. That place is awesome!!

Drivin with Grandpa! Great stuff!

Father's Day

My favorite people - the dad and the kids!  Fathers Day 2011 (still catching up!)

Guns and Dirtbikes

Remember that Kelly and I have a redneck baby? We really think he was switched at the hospital or something. Wait - I think he was the only baby born that week at our hospital. So that's probably not the case. He just hangs around Uncle Trenty too much! Oh yea I already told ya that (see lawn mower post).

Anyway, anyone who is around this house very much knows what is important. Guns. Dirtbikes. We can't even call them motorbikes or motorcycles without the redneck baby insisting that it is a dirtbike. It must just sound much more manly and rednecky to his little ears.

Serious fun!

Happy Birthday Brady!

Yes - his birthday was on June 14th! And yes - I am very VERY slow at blogging this summer! But I shall catch up! Wait and see ----
The boy turned 14 - and is so darn awesome. I love that Brady kid.

Of course he had a GOLF cake.  It was pretty sweet.  Now Bran is convinced he wants one too.  He hasn't really figured out how far away February is.

Many exciting presents were opened - including a ---wait for it----PHONE!  And no.  He never calls anyone.  Well, sometimes me - sometimes Kelly.  Never fear - you know what would freeze entirely over before this kid texted a female!  But we do have a way to find him on the golf course now.  : ) 

So happy birthday Brady! We had a good one - and you are a good one!