Grace is 7!!

My sweet, energetic, funny, and outgoing little girl turned 7! It was a great, much anticipated, day.  She woke up wanting Cocoa puffs, and a chocolate donut for breakfast in bed.

After school she had 10 friends come over and we decorated cupcakes, and cookies. Then we all went outside to play on the slip n slide, musical chairs, decorate chalk outlines, and do a few obstacle courses. 

I was so happy to have help from my two sisters in law that live close by.  She got a lot of fun presents from them that we stayed up late helping her set up.

Shortly after everyone left, Gary and Susy came by and we had pizza, cake and ice cream. She got a new lego set, little pet shop pets, and a new brush. Hopefully this will help make mornings a little easier!

Tradition in our family lets the birthday kid stay up as late as they'd like. We all tucked in around 11. It's a fun thing that really gives them all of mine and Nolan's attention and we really get to enjoy her and her new presents.

Canoeing at centennial park

We were so excited this year when we found out Nolan would get Labor Day off.

 It was suppose to be perfect weather, so we loaded up our canoe and decided to canoe the snake river through the Twin Falls Gorge. 

 Gary and Susy joined us and they were a huge help keeping James contained. Below you can see the bridge that we drive over every time we go to twin. It was strange being below it.

The one time we did let him into the canoe with us, he suddenly leaned a little too far to dip his hand in the water and fell out.  The water was COLD, but he stayed really happy and un-phased by it all.

I really loved the peacefulness of the water.  Having the talk rock walls on either side of us made it feel so secluded.  There were little "Caves" all along the water line.

After about an hour of paddling you get to some beautiful waterfalls.

 This was the end of our journey and we parked our vessels and wandered around the rocks for a bit.

It was here that I learned how much my kids love walking and exploring among-st the rocks.

 Emma especially could have done this for another 30 minutes.

Grace was happy to be off the canoe, although I don't know what's so hard about sitting in a canoe being fed treats while someone else paddles you through a river. haha!

Afterwards we went to Gary and Susy's for a wonderful dinner. It was a perfect day. I sure loved having Nolan with us!

First Day of School!

Thomas, our third grader, Grace in First Grace, and Emma starting Preschool. Emma started two weeks after the older kids. It was pretty cute. On her first day Grace woke her up when she woke up and brought Emma up with her clothes to get ready. I wasn't sure who was more excited. Unfortunately I had to break it to both of them that school started at 12:30 for Emma, not 8:20!

Emma was probably the most excited! She couldn't stop talking about the school bus and her backpack. 

I wasn't going to send her until next year, but after the older kids started I could tell she needed something during the week.

Grace approached school with her usually confident personality.  I was worried for her because her class had a lot more boys than girls and the girls that were in it she wasn't that close with. So far she has seemed happy each day coming home, so we'll hope it continues.

Thomas' class was in a different position this year. They had always been split into two until this year, and are now one big class. I was excited, and I think he loves it. He also has an awesome teacher who has instituted a Harry Potter theme in her class. Nothing could be better for Thomas. I have high hopes for this year.

We should definitely take a picture with our arms around our shoulders!" Grace exclaimed as I positioned them for a back to school picture. Even with all their fights this summer, they are looking out for each other. Made me happy they had each other. My favorite thing on the first day was taking Grace to her classroom and while talking to the teacher Thomas helped her take all her stuff out of her bag and set up her desk before even finding his class. They're all going to be just fine! 
James and I are lonely without these three. Hopefully I can put this time to some good use!

Last summer hurrah in Boise!

I knew I wanted to escape to Boise one more time before school started and once Grain Harvest was in full swing. I had no idea my fabulous sister was planning a trip at the same time! 

We were so busy taking care of our 7 (soon to be 8) little ones that we rarely had time for pictures of ourselves, or for applying makeup, but all was well.  I was so thrilled that we would get a week with our Seattle Superstars!

I felt like it was a rarity that we were ever at my dad's house.  But when we were there Papa Blodgett as there to tackle and hug.

We followed a pretty strict schedule, of getting up going to a splash pad or park, eating lunch, putting babies down to sleep while we shopped, then going swimming, eating dinner, riding bikes, eating popsicles, and going to bed.

Not sure what else you can ask for as a 2-9 year old kid.  With that sort of a schedule, the kids basically lived in their swim suits. I'm so glad I had RaeAnn there to talk to pass the hours away with while the kids lived it up!


James had a pretty good friend at the park. He didn't cry no matter how many times he hit him, and he was always there for a high five.

I'm not sure if there is a more favorite pool to me than the one in my dad's subdivision. It has a huge shallow area with beach entry and sprinklers. The babies stay occupied and save there for hours. The  max depth is 5ft. So the older kids can challenge themselves but get out of trouble if they need to.

Anytime I take a picture Emma asks me to take on of her. I oblige and this is the pose that usually follows.

One of Grace's favorite things to do lately is climb trees. She loves the ones that are a gradual incline that she can just balance beam it up them.

My favorite day may have been our last day. We spent our morning at this quiet, warm, sandy, little spot on the Boise river. I think it's fun to watch their imaginations at work in this setting as opposed to the pool or park.

Macey was so cute. Always holding something. Whether it was a stick or a bag of goldfish.

As usual there was always a debate of who was cooler. My sister or me.  I mean I had a mini van with a movie playing wheverver we went, but RaeAnn would buy yummy treats for us all to share.

I know you're thinking no contest, treats win, but it was debatable.

I was happy we were able to go see the Meridian temple in construction. If Nolan were here, I may have thought about sneaking in to see the inside!

Thanks RaeAnn for having kids close to mine in age, and for making me feel a little more normal in public! Strength in numbers! Also thanks for the trader joes run, and changing my opinion of Zupas forever! I love you poppy! I hope this can be a summer tradition!

Thomas first year of 4-H

Well it's strange to say it because a year ago I would have no idea what 4-H entailed, but we're officially a 4-H family. 

 Thomas did Sugar Beets for his 4-H project.  We did this board together, and he worked so hard on writing it and all of his beet book which is like a 30 page book detailing how often the beets were watered, sprayed, fertilized, and all sorts of other information.

 He had to take 3 beets to the fair and that may have been his favorite part.  He was excited they won a red ribbon.

 He also was to partake in a service project. He and his cousins that were also doing 4-H saw a need to weed a neighbors garden while they were out of town.  It took a couple hours, but they made it look so good.  Above is the before.

And here is the after.  Thank goodness our cousins do it or we would have not a clue at what to do.  It was a good experience and Thomas really seemed to enjoy it, and we all learned a lot more about what goes on to make a sugar beet a sugar beet.