Staying Cool

We have been "enjoying" some serious Summer heat lately (over 100 degrees). The kids do their best to stay cool. Lots of water fun, and popsicles. :-) I am so grateful for grass and huge shade trees in the backyard! The hammock has been my friend while the kids spray water everywhere. :-) This is not my favorite time of year -- with the heat -- but Fall is just around the corner!

Stanley Saturday

We took a little Saturday trip to Stanley, Idaho. It was a 3 hour drive, and we got a late start. We just wanted to see if we could get out of the heat -- it was 105 degrees! Anyhow, we made our way towards Stanley, on an extremely curvy (very beautiful) mountain road. There were tons of deer and we hit a few field mice, it was a pretty exciting ride -- especially the dark return trip home!

Stanley was beautiful. The Sawtooth Mountains provide a glorious scene. It is just a tourist town, with a population of 100. It seemed like there were tons of camping places along the way, and it looked like an awesome place to camp. We drove through the Ponderosa Pines, which are so pretty, and they smell so good in the night air -- like Christmas! :-)

We found a school park for the kids (and us) to play at. The teeter-totters were the big hit. We spent most of our time on them.

Up and down, up and down . . .

Charles and I had a blast on the teeter-totter. We would take turns with William. Whoever did not have William would fly into the air -- it was hilarious. We have not laughed that hard in a LONG time!! It was WAY fun!

Our biggest problem was getting off. Getting on was a trick -- but off was just silly. The first time I knocked Charles where the sun don't shine, and I fell flat on my bootie. We got a little more skilled over time. We were very careful not to endanger William. If Charles would have gotten off with William still on, William would have shot straight up -- like a cannon into the sky! No wonder you don't see teeter-totters around much!!

We had an awesome time! The weather was perfect there, about 85 degrees. It was a nice relief from our heat wave! It is always fun to go on day trips. I love discovering new places. I think we will venture off to Stanley again. :-)

Hot-Head

What a pretty little device...who knew???

Why didn't anyone ever tell me about a flat iron?? I guess I knew they existed, but I never considered the fact that I NEEDED one! The last time I went to the hair salon (which I do once a year) the lady that did my hair used a flat iron to style it. I thought the results were mainly from the hair product she used, and I thought I could recreate it with a curling iron -- wrong. Anyhow, we were at Costco the other day and Charles insisted that I get one (he liked the way my hair looked after the salon) and so -- I got one! :-) It was so fun to use! It is just what my fat hair needs! It takes out the "fluff" and the weird kinks in my hair, and leaves it straight, smooth, and it looks longer and healthier (at least I think so!) Hooray for flat irons!!

Picture of fat hair after shower and dried. (Taken more than a year ago!)

After the flat iron . . . (make-up helps, too!)
The pictures are lame because I took them, and the kids helped. :-) The real difference is the way that it feels on my head! I am so excited, it is like having "normal" hair -- rather than a horse's mane! :-) Flat irons are awesome!

A little Star Wars Moment

This is a video that my brother showed us while in Alaska. It is pretty entertaining. My family likes it because they (not me) are totally Star Wars nerds. Sammi and Daniel are working on learning the song, and they were just in the kitchen practicing their Wookie noises. :-) At first I thought it was actually him singing, but upon a little investigating found that he is lip syncing (vocals by moosebutter). It is still entertaining, and makes for a great four-part harmony skit (I have seen a few of those, too.) :-) Oh, and YES! John Williams is the man! :-)

(Just close the ads appearing on the bottom, so they are not in your way)

4th of July

This year for the 4th, we had lots of fun! We were so inspired by Ray's firework display in Alaska, that we (Charles) decided we should do our own! We went to the local fireworks stand and got a "few." I just love blowing money into the air -- what a thrill! :-) I gave Charles a budget of $20.00 and well, he blew it!! Literally! Anyhow, it is one of those things. The kids will never forget it! It is amazing how money sparkles when you light it on fire!

We started the evening by watching the National fireworks broadcast on TV (with our new converter box!) :-) We now actually get clear channels! Hooray! The kids loved the Sesame Street part, and they were dancing around the room to the music. :-) They also made their own little flags to wave around.
We then went up to "our spot" that we went to last year to watch the city fireworks. It is a great spot on the hillside, you can see all the fireworks for miles around. As we backed our car into our spot, our friends from church were in the car next to us! It was great to have the Harlins there. The kids loved being together, and then we decided to take the party to our house after the city show. We combined our fireworks together for a pretty good street show! :-) It was great!

On our way up the hillside, we saw this....

I thought it was suppose to be a road-crossing chicken?? Anyhow, I had to take a picture, it was pretty funny! I have no idea where it came from?!

Well, that is another holiday down. The Summer is flying by at a super-fast pace! Oh well, my favorite time is Autumn and the "good" holidays! Hooray!

Happy Birthday Johnny!

I will always be your big sister watching over you . . .
Even though we may be seperated by distance . . .

We will always be buddies. . .
You will always be my favorite younger brother, forever and ever. . .

I love you Johnny!

Wedding Photos

Click on the link below to view wedding pictures, videos, etc. :-) Enjoy!

http://web.me.com/edlindquist/Wedding/Wedding_Pictures.html