Today was Sam's first day of cub scouts. He was super excited. Tomorrow he will be getting baptized, and he is very anxious about that event, as well. He is such a sweet boy and we love him so much!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Isn't it great to be 8?!
Today was Sam's first day of cub scouts. He was super excited. Tomorrow he will be getting baptized, and he is very anxious about that event, as well. He is such a sweet boy and we love him so much!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A Great Fall Trip!
I'm pretty sure I've blogged about this before, but for my newest readers, here's a brief explanation of what has become a tradition for our family. Almost 5 years ago when we moved to Idaho, Chris was still in school and we wanted to take a little weekend trip to break up the middle of the semester, and see the best of the fall colors. We came up with the idea of going to Jackson Hole, because it is only about 2 - 3 hours drive, and October is the off-season, so we were able to find a deal on a hotel room. We enjoyed that first trip so much, that we decided we would try to do it every fall, if possible. Since then, and with each subsequent trip to that area, we've had the opportunity to explore lots of different places, including Moose and Moran, WY, Grand Teton and Yellowstone Nat'l. Parks. Chris and I both also enjoy photography, so we try to capture as many beautiful images as we can while we're there. Last year, Chris was able to take a spectacular photo of a bull moose, which we've had blown up and is hanging now on our living room wall.
This year we got extremely lucky, as far as spotting some excellent wildlife and landscape moments. The weather in the Tetons can be very unpredictable this time of year, and we usually encounter some clouds, snow and cold. This year, we enjoyed a lot of sun, though cold temperatures. It was gorgeous. The kids are anxious to go to school tomorrow so they can tell their friends and teachers that we saw: antelope, elk, bison, coyotes, a wolf pack, deer (including some great bucks), moose, and two different black bears. We feel so blessed to live where there is such beauty all around us.
Here are all the photos from our trip: |
| Jackson Hole Trip Oct. 2009 |
Saturday, October 3, 2009
We're celebrating!
Happy birthday today to our Sam, who turns 8 years old! It's completely ridiculous how fast the time has gone. Four years ago when we moved to our current home we started a tradition of going to Jackson, WY to see the fall foliage in early October. So, since it usually coincides with Sam's birthday, he's gotten accustomed to celebrating his special day together while on our trip. That's why the photos of him opening his gifts were taken in the cabin we're staying in. This year his main present from us was a t-shirt we had made with a picture of Zipper on the front, and he LOVED it! I wasn't surprised, I knew he would. He was such a cutie, and seemed to have a very happy day. 
(In the days to come I will post more about our trip.)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
It just wouldn't be Idaho.
We didn't even make it to October...
This picture was taken this morning from the hill in our backyard.
This picture was taken this morning from the hill in our backyard. Monday, September 28, 2009
Painting pumpkins.
Isn't fall the best season?! Tonight the kids painted small pumpkins, and it was so funny to watch and listen to them as they tried to decide what to create. Such a big decision! Surprisingly, only Nicolas decided to do a "face" of somekind on his, the other kids all made shape designs.The weather has been pretty warm the past couple of weeks, so it hasn't seemed much like fall yet, though the leaves are starting to change a little. But we do have a high of 45 degrees and possibility of SNOW for Wednesday...quite a difference a day can make.
Nursery Rhyme Program
Every year the 1st/2nd grade multi-age class puts on a program in which the children each choose and memorize a nursery rhyme to perform for all the parents. Here is Sophie with her rendition of Jack and Jill...Monday, September 21, 2009
Island Park
When I found out a while ago that one of my good friends, a companion I had when I was on my mission, was going to be taking a trip with her family to Yellowstone, we agreed that we would try to work it out so we could get to see each other. They had their "base camp" in West Yellowstone, MT, which is only about 2 and a half hours from us, so we decided to take a camping trip to Island Park, ID (20 minutes from W. Yellowstone)and meet up with them for some fun family activities.
We had such a great time! The weather was beautiful, the fall colors are just beginning to make their appearance, and I was so happy to get to spend time with my friend and her sweet family. The last time we saw them, their now 5 year old twin girls were only 8 months old. I really wished we could have spent more time with them, as I was reminded why we got along so well as companions.
After we set up our camp at the Upper Coffee Pot campground in Island Park, we met up with them at a place called Big Springs, where the kids fed the fish, ducks and a couple of muskrats, then we went on a walk along a nature trail. Once the kids (and adults, let's be honest) were sufficiently tired of being out in the sun and getting hungry, we all headed back to our camp where the kids all had a blast running around and getting to know each other. Sophie was quite taken with the cute little twin girls, Audrey and Chloe, who were very quiet and shy. It took her some time to get them comfortable enough to come out of their shells a little, but once they did, she was in seventh heaven. She was crying for a good hour that night after they left our campground to head back to their cabin.
Anyway, after we let the kids play and get very dirty, we enjoyed a meal of "camp food", and then splurged on some dutch oven cobbler with ice cream, and later, of course, s'mores. We attempted to walk a trail along the river that evening, that leads from the campground to the Upper Coffee Pot rapids, and we made it a little ways before half of the group decided they wanted to head back to camp and play some more. So my friend's husband took those kids and headed back, while Chris, Lindsay and I continued on a little further with the remaining kids. It was really pretty, but it started to get dark before we could make it to the rapids.
So the next day, after tinfoil breakfasts on the campfire, we took our four kids and hiked the whole 4 miles (round trip) to see the falls. The kids did complain some, but did better than I expected. Later in the afternoon, we took a drive and saw some antelope and elk. The next day, after packing up, we started the drive home, taking a detour to spend some time at Harriman State Park. We took a 2 mile hike on one of the many paths, hoping to spot some elk or moose, but all we saw were some pelicans, and the beautiful scenery. I would love to go back there and spend more time exploring, maybe on horseback next time. The kids were pretty much done with the hiking by that point. Finally, we made one last stop at Mesa Falls before heading home. To see all the photos from our fun weekend, visit the Picasa web album:
We had such a great time! The weather was beautiful, the fall colors are just beginning to make their appearance, and I was so happy to get to spend time with my friend and her sweet family. The last time we saw them, their now 5 year old twin girls were only 8 months old. I really wished we could have spent more time with them, as I was reminded why we got along so well as companions.
After we set up our camp at the Upper Coffee Pot campground in Island Park, we met up with them at a place called Big Springs, where the kids fed the fish, ducks and a couple of muskrats, then we went on a walk along a nature trail. Once the kids (and adults, let's be honest) were sufficiently tired of being out in the sun and getting hungry, we all headed back to our camp where the kids all had a blast running around and getting to know each other. Sophie was quite taken with the cute little twin girls, Audrey and Chloe, who were very quiet and shy. It took her some time to get them comfortable enough to come out of their shells a little, but once they did, she was in seventh heaven. She was crying for a good hour that night after they left our campground to head back to their cabin.
Anyway, after we let the kids play and get very dirty, we enjoyed a meal of "camp food", and then splurged on some dutch oven cobbler with ice cream, and later, of course, s'mores. We attempted to walk a trail along the river that evening, that leads from the campground to the Upper Coffee Pot rapids, and we made it a little ways before half of the group decided they wanted to head back to camp and play some more. So my friend's husband took those kids and headed back, while Chris, Lindsay and I continued on a little further with the remaining kids. It was really pretty, but it started to get dark before we could make it to the rapids.
So the next day, after tinfoil breakfasts on the campfire, we took our four kids and hiked the whole 4 miles (round trip) to see the falls. The kids did complain some, but did better than I expected. Later in the afternoon, we took a drive and saw some antelope and elk. The next day, after packing up, we started the drive home, taking a detour to spend some time at Harriman State Park. We took a 2 mile hike on one of the many paths, hoping to spot some elk or moose, but all we saw were some pelicans, and the beautiful scenery. I would love to go back there and spend more time exploring, maybe on horseback next time. The kids were pretty much done with the hiking by that point. Finally, we made one last stop at Mesa Falls before heading home. To see all the photos from our fun weekend, visit the Picasa web album:
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| islandparksept09 |
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