Cole's soccer season

The local rec center begged me to be a coach after I said I was willing to "assist" a coach.  So, I ended up coaching for the 1st time - I learned a few rules along the way and I also had a great time getting to know each of the kids on our team.  As coach - I was on the field being referee and coach for each game.  I'm sure Shayne would have been willing to go out there and do it for me - but honestly, I felt like I knew their names the best and I was a part of that team!  Cole was a good sport for most games and most practices.  If he didn't get his way - he'd pout and I'd have to ignore it because I had too many others to pay attention to!  He REALLY, REALLY wanted to get a goal - and he kept "quitting" during the game when the ball would be taken from him.  Shayne got a great shot of him sitting in the field - crying and complaining.  Soooo perfect.

One of the reasons that Cole decided to give soccer another try was because Emily was going to play too.  They were on the same team and that girl has SPUNK and SKILL!  I loved having Emily on our team.  After the final game, we got a picture of the two of them together - notice that Cole grabbed Emily's hand and this made Emily's eyes get REALLY big and she just giggled.  Cole was very matter-of-fact about it!  So cute!

Hunter is 9!

I barely got to the point that I really knew that Hunter was 8 - I didn't quite believe it for the whole year!  Now he's even OLDER!  I told him to stop growing up - he just laughs at me.  We do birthday parties on even-year birthdays and birthday dates with mom & dad on the odd years.  I did my best to make his day memorable and happy!

I surprised him at school with a happy-meal during his lunch time.  I had sent him to school with a sacklunch and he complained when I made a PB&J sandwich when he really wanted a "Lunchable" - I said "Sorry, it's already made.  You'll live."  I did it on purpose because I packed a lunch I would want to eat!  When he figured it out later - that really cracked him up. 

Danny and I watched Hunter play 4-Square.  This is is FAVORITE recess activity.  The big boys were especially nice to him on his b-day - doing "truces" and letting him cut in line.  4-Square was a lot different in my day...

On his birthday - I was busy teaching lessons all afternoon and our wonderful babysitter, Marissa, made cupcakes for us and even stayed to help us celebrate.  It was an impromptu family birthday party - even Grandma and Grandpa showed up!

That weekend, we had our birthday date with our big boy - we went to the Barnum and Bailey Circus.  I wasn't super excited about it - but it really surprised me with all the amazing acts and costumes.  We really enjoyed ourselves!  Our favorite part was the tight-rope walkers -but I did all videos (rather than pics) of that part.

We finished up the date with Mexican food - Hunter's favorite.  He ordered his burrito and ate TONS of chips and salsa.  I love that my boys love Mexican food!

Things about Hunter:
He has officially moved downstairs to his OWN BEDROOM!
He got a new alarm clock and that kid doesn't know what "sleep in" means... someday I'm sure there will be a change!
He saved his own money for the last few months - including all his birthday cash and purchased his very own I-Touch for himself.  I'm so proud of his money savyness and his self-control to save, save, save!!
He loves to play soccer and occasionally I'll find him shooting hoops in our backyard too.
He loves Legos and can spend hours working on projects and playing with them.
He is known for being helpful and especially kind to others in his classroom - what mom wouldn't beam with pride for those traits?
He loves his new school, teacher, and class.
He is an excellent student.
He loves cheesey Disney sitcoms... not mommy's fav.
He is an amazing pianist - with an amazing memory!
His favorite foods: homemade burritos, nachos with pepper-jack cheese, tomato soup w/cheese sandwiches, and pork chops (thanks to Cherae's recipe).

I love you HUNTER!!  You are such a blessing in our lives.  I can't imagine a day without you!

Cravings

Pregnant women are notorious for having cravings... so I thought I'd take note of what I have "craved" during this pregnancy.  Nothing too weird - but still kinda funny to me! (PS I found pics online - these are not from my kitchen!)

Sourdough Bread- this has been a definite "CRAVING" - yummy, yummy.

Spinach Artichoke Dip  - I finally splurged and made myself a batch. 

I wanted/CRAVED Zupa's tomato basil soup - but then Rach showed me a homemade recipe that ROCKS and was soooo wonderful.  I ate it all in 2 days.  It's time for another batch.  (e-mail me if you want the recipe)

I definitely have a sweet tooth after lunch time.  I'll just grab myself a few of those "cotton candy taffies" and it makes the day feel so right!

There's definitely a pattern for craving "comfort foods."  This week I'm fixin' for some peach cobbler... it just sounds so good!

Bribery

Grandma shared this story with me and I want it written down...

Grandma took the boys to Cole's soccer game so that we, Shayne and I, could attend a parent meeting at Hunter's school.  After the game, Cole was given a bottle of Gatorade. This is the conversation Grandma overheard...

H:  I will tell you about my science experiment at school today if you let me have 1 big gulp of your Gatorade.
C:  ::Grand Pause:: - thinks about it - then replies "I want to know the WHOLE experiment, what you did AND the results - not just the experiment.
H:  Ok, then, I'll tell you about the experiment from beginning to end AND the results for 3 big gulps of Gatorade.
C:  No way, that's too many gulps - it would be all gone.

Grandma was just giggling and I have to laugh too.... when do you hear kids bribing each other with details about their school SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS?   And I don't remember if Hunter did ever win a gulp of the beloved drink!

Kitchen re-DONE!

With help from my mother-in-law, I learned how to do DEEP cleaning!  We went through each and every cupboard and drawer in my kitchen - cleaning and reorganizing.  I really can NOT thank her enough for spending a week helping me with this DAUNTING task!

In the process...

 

The pantry before... 

It probably doesn't look amazing to you, but when I look in this picture I see ORGANIZATION and even floor space!!  

A love note from Shayne

It's a bag filled with my favorite candy - Cotton Candy and Vanilla flavored taffy.  He's so sweet!!

I love my simple garden...

BUT I HATE THE SPIDERS!

Adventures in Jackson

One of our favorite family vacations is to go to the Tetons and camp close to Jackson Hole - it's such an adventure every time!  This time we invited along our good friends Chris and Kristy and their family since they have never camped up there - I'm pretty sure they LOVED it.  It proved to be a fantastic vacation with a little "never will forget that ER" experience in the middle (more further down).  Here are a FEW of the hundreds of pictures I took!

Our campsite ROCKED.  It was a "group site" and since it's equipped to handle 50+ people, we had empty campgrounds all around us.  Our kids had free reign of the trees, rocks, and all that was surrounding us.

Our new tent - looks small from this side view though!

Another bonus of a group-site - we had LOTS of table space.

Plenty of trees to climb!

The kids made a "playground."

"Bed-Head" by Hunter...

I was trying to be a fancy photographer for them...

Wait?  The sports section in the woods?  I guess it got burned in the fire that night...

We did some fishing.  After setting up Cole's line, he immediately complained, "This is taking too long," "this is boring," "When am I going to catch one?"  and then he says within 5 minutes - "I got something."  Shayne didn't even hustle over there - we figured his line was snagged.  He started to help pull it in - figuring it was another thing to fix - and then exlaimed - "Cole really did catching something!"  It was a HUGE trout - and luckily it was such a fine catch since no one else had the good luck of making a catch that morning.

I'm so grateful that Taylor knew how to gut and take care of this guy for us - he was honestly giggling from the joy of gutting the fish!

Emily was very patient.... very, very, very patient.

I wish I had taken a picture of Max's line when he just left it there... he'd go wander and play - then come back for a 3 second check and back to roaming the beach area.  I thought that was funny!

 Danny ate all the snacks - and played with rocks.  That's what fishing is all about.

We hiked the "Hidden Falls" by Jenny Lake.  Before we started this little adventure, I kept complaining to Shayne about serious pain in my lower abdomen area.  I had taken some Tylenol and honestly felt a 15 minute break from the pain and though - oh good, it's over now.... whatever was bugging me.  So, here we are posing with the falls....  first this beautiful family!

then ours... (look at that belly!)

We got a group shot - I LOVE this picture.

After our hike, the pain returned and it was a fierce, sharp pain in my left side.  There happened to be an "OB" in line with us and he suggested that it was a muscle spasm from my hike and told Shayne to rub the spot.  It helped a tiny bit - but then again, not much.  By the time we were back in the car, I was in agony.  I couldn't sit, I couldn't lay down, I felt nauseated, and I just wanted to throw up and shrivel into a ball.  It hurt SOOOO much.  During our 15 minute drive back to the campground, I called the on-call Dr at home and he said "go to the ER."  So, we did.  The boys stayed at the campground with our friends - and Shayne and I drove for the next MISERABLE hour to Jackson Hole for their little hospital ER.  I made threw up on the way there (I don't throw up, not even when I'm pregnant) and I really wanted Shayne to get pulled over so the police would just escort us there even faster.  The ride was too long.  I really can't express how much pain it was - or how fiercely constant it was.   By the time I saw an OB, it ended.  The pain was dull and honestly - it just ended.  She ran a series of tests and determined it was an infected bladder  - it couldn't possibly be a kidney stone since I certainly wasn't acting like a person with a kidney stone.  That's when Shayne spoke up and said, "oh not - you didn't see her an hour ago... this is what it was like."  He describe how it had been for the afternoon and then she (the Dr) knew it was definitely a kidney stone.  Unfortunately, they did not give me any pain meds until AFTER the worst of it.  Memories, sweet memories.  I didn't have to stay the night - but it was definitely appealing to get meds into me, sleep in a bed (rather than on an air mattress), and I didn't know if it wasn't going to come back or not.  The pain did not return and sure enough, I passed a kidney stone the next morning.  I should have had a picture of it - but it was a lously looking prickly thing - kind of like a burr.  All that for that?!?!?!  The boys came to pick me up the next morning...

And we continued our vacation as usual!  Our traditional photo op by the park.

A hike in the woods - where is everyone?

catching frogs...

Rock skipping contests can entertain kids (*and husbands) for hours...

They rescued a butterfly from the lake.... so sweet.

Sarah caught a fish!

Food, lots and lots of food.  Nothing healthy of course.

Having fun hanging out by the fire.

Strike a pose, there's nothing to it.

Ummmmm, it was Shayne's idea to let him learn.  We stopped before anything(one) got caught.

Thanks for going with us Kristy and fam!!!  I hope we do this again NEXT YEAR!