He sleeps.

I love finding little treasures like this when I check on the kids at night:

(By the way, isn't my baby getting so big?!  Geesh.)

A walk in Cherry Springs Nature Area.

Today the weather has been decent enough to actually go outdoors and do something.  Chris and I decided to take advantage of one of the 3 remaining days before the kids are out of school for the summer to go for a walk and picnic with just Nicolas at some nearby nature trails.  It did rain a few drops on us, but it only lasted a minute before passing and the sun came out again.  We have seen moose and deer in this area before, but today all we spotted were many, many chipmunks and this cute little baby bunny.  :)

Sun Valley!

Last week Chris had the opportunity to go to Field Training Officer School.  The region he works for here in Pocatello is going to be getting a few new state troopers soon, and they need additional training officers for them.  He left last Sunday and had a full week of training.  The state put the 4 men up in a hotel in Hailey, ID, which is in the world famous Sun Valley region of Idaho.  Since Chris and I both had birthdays recently, we had received a little birthday money from friends and family, so I decided to book a room in the same hotel where Chris was staying for the last day he was scheduled to be there, and then we could stay there as a family for the following day as well.  I picked the kids up from school on Thursday, and they had no idea what our plans were.  We drove for 3 1/2 hours to the town where Chris was just finishing his day's training, picked him up and then went to McDonalds for dinner.  The kids were elated to see their dad and to get to stay in a hotel with a pool.  The next morning Chris had more training until about 2 in the afternoon, then he was free to be with us the remainder of our time there.  I took the kids to the pool where we spent most of the morning.  Using a map of Hailey that Chris gave me to find my way to the Sheriff's Office where I had to pick him up later, I found a park that looked pretty big, so we decided to check it out.  It was awesome!  The kids had so much fun on the huge, wooden play structure, swings and slides, and lots of grassy area to run around.  After we picked up Chris, we went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant, then went to the downtown area for a little walk and to explore the local shops.  On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Baskin Robbins - the best ice cream - for cones, then headed back to the hotel to swim and relax.  The next morning I was able to go out for a 2.5 mile run on some trails in the area, and it was a glorious and sunny morning.  After we packed up and checked out from the hotel, we made the drive home, this time going through Arco, and passing through Craters of the Moon Nat'l. monument.

I don't know why, but lately I've felt a strong urge to pull my family close, to focus on spending time together, to make the most of every moment.  It seems there are times in life that we pass through without paying attention, really, time slips by and all of a sudden we realize a year, or two has gone by without much fanfare.  Other times it seems there are constant reminders around us that keep us aware of how fragile and precious each of our lives are.  Tragedies, illnesses, deaths, divorces, sadness and unhappiness, all remind us that we should not waste the time we have been given.  I have been so keenly aware lately of the richness and fullness of our life here.  I cannot express, honestly, in words how grateful I am for my relationship with Chris.  We have somehow managed to create a partnership of mutual respect and reliance, where we challenge each other, love and accept each other all while appreciating the differences and uniqueness we each bring to the table.  As we have all seen that things can change, literally, in an instant, dreams and hearts broken, lives shattered, I have resolved to make the best memories for my family, my eternal companion and those I love most, while it is something I have even an inkling of control over.

Party time!!

The month of May is a busy one, lots of things going on for us anyway.  Chris and I both have birthdays (mine is tomorrow and his is the 12th), and since he will be leaving Sunday for Field Training Officer school for a week, and tomorrow our whole family will be going to an all day Jamboral for the Cub Scouts, we decided to celebrate today with the kids.  We started out with some bowling, which the kids loved, of course.  Then we had a late lunch at Pizza Hut, followed by Icees from the gas station and stop at the park to swing and play on the playground.  When we came home I made a chocolate cake, and we decided to just add up both of our ages and put that many candles on the cake ~ 68 ~ which the kids thought was hilarious!  I made the comment that we would be putting half the candles on for Chris and half on for me, and Chris was quick to point out that, well, actually MORE than half were for me!  It's so fun; I'm frequently reminded that I'm the oldest one in our family. ;)  The kids also gave me the gifts they had made for me at school (actually for Mother's Day, but doubling as birthday presents.)  I love my kids, they're the sweetest.  We will miss Chris while he is gone, and we even had to cancel a camping trip we had planned for the end of the month because of an additional two days of training he just found out he needs to attend.  We are proud of him, though, for all his hard work.  He loves his job and he is good at it and that makes us all happy!

Grandparent's Day, May 2010!

Every May the kids' school hosts a Grandparent's Day, where the kids have a chance to show off some of their work. Since none of our kids' grandparents live close enough to attend, I've posted some of the pictures I took so they can at least enjoy them online!

Here is Sam with a couple of his art pieces (to his left).  His class also sang a few songs and did a skit about the solar system.

Here Sophie is showing off some of her Native American pieces, a rain stick, dream catcher and sand art.  Her class also recited a poem and sand a couple of songs.

Noah's class read stories and did a skit about Greek Mythology.  Here he is with his terrarium/goldfish bowl.  (The goldfish, which you can't see in the picture, is on the bottom part of the terrarium, and Noah said his name is Flame.)

Then in the evening, just for fun, I made a giant pizza sized cookie, and the kids had a "sleep over" in the living room while watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "Alvin and Chipmunks the Squeakquel".

Traditions, Traditions!

Of course I have to document our annual May in Idaho snowfall:

A short visit with family.

On Saturday we made the four hour drive to Chris' hometown to visit with some of his family.  His youngest sister was having a birthday party (15!) and his next youngest sister just had a baby and was having her blessing on Sunday.  The kids were super excited because they haven't seen their cousins in a while.  We spent Saturday afternoon and evening at Chris' dad's house out in the country, where the boys got to run around and be wild outside, exploring the "cool, secret hideouts" in the lofts of the old barns and outbuildings on Grandpa's property. 

Sophie was also in her hay day, getting to spend some quality giggle time with some of her girl cousins.  On our way to church on Sunday, we stopped at the cemetery where Chris' mother is buried for a quick visit, then we stopped and visited with Chris' brother Brandon's family for a while.  Sophie spent the night there, trying to squeeze in as much time with the girls as possible !  (Thanks for having her, guys!)  Then we went to the baby's blessing, which was very nice, and after that spent a little time at Brittania's visiting, eating and enjoying loving on that new baby. :)  On our way out of town we stopped at another of Chris' sister's homes and spent another few hours visiting.  We didn't get home until almost 1 in the morning, and though it was worth it to get to visit with our family, I hope the kids are okay at school today!  They were pretty tired this morning.  Oh, well.  Only 3 weeks of school left for them!