IDAHO!

It was fall break and we miss our friends who just moved to Idaho - so off we went!  

Shayne has been to Boise many times for work - so he was excited to take the family to Dave and Buster's and play the first night we got there.  The big boys watched the Boise/BYU game and everyone enjoyed the arcade too.   

I just loved this tree right by Rachael's house - sooooo picture perfect.  The colors were spectacular!

We were in Boise the first day while Shayne worked and I just let the kids veg and swim in the pool.  We later met up with Rach/Greg and headed to McCall - a place that Rachael was determined to introduce us and it quickly won us over!

Eating out!

Playing games back at the house we rented together while in McCall

We got in hikes, biking, more biking, and shooting - and lots of food too.

We've been friends for 16+ years!

Eating at The Pancake House - note to self - plate sized pancakes are PLATTER SIZED PANCAKES.  See that sausage patty on the first plate?  That's as big as a regular plate!  And the third plate - that's 1 cinnamon roll!  We took a lot of left-overs home!

Biking with the troops on the city trails.

The grown-ups went mtn biking and had so much fun - we had to go back and get the big boys to do it with us too!

Cole wasn't so happy about the climbing part (can you tell?)

This was a Rach's brand new bike she just got - so glad we got to help her break it in!

This is one part of the bike trail - who can do that?!?!  

(FYI I can't)

Shooting targets

These boys didn't handle the guns - they kept themselves completely entertained close to the cars.

These two have been friends for their entire lives - I'm grateful they still find things in common and get excited to see each other!

Thanks Rach and Greg for hosting us and making it such a wonderful, relaxing, adventurous, and FUN weekend!  Can't wait to do it again!

October happenings

October started with the first ever Lego Derby for our cub scouts!  Danny's car won "Most Creative" and he also did super well in the races.  He didn't place in the top three but I think he was 4th or 5th - OH SO CLOSE!  His car has an elephant on it...

I loved seeing these little boys huddled together to watch the races - Corban, Chase, Skyler, Griff, and Danny.  (Skyler's posse)

Got our house all decked out for the month of Halloween

Our newest and best improvement for this year...

Devri made these books for us - aren't they awesome!?!?!  

I took Skyler and Danny with their best friends to Cornbelly's.   This is now my favorite way to take my kids to this fun place - with a best friend along, they were good for HOURS and HOURS of playtime! 

"It is called Cornbelly's mom"

This is a random pic - but Shayne, myself, Hunter and Carson went to a scary haunted house.  You could pick levels of scariness - Hunter and I decided to go down one notch from the scariest.  Carson got separated from us in EVERY SINGLE ROOM by the workers and he was tormented.  It was hilarious.

Maybe someday, Cole will understand that pictures are faster when you just smile and let them happen.  He is such a STINKER!

Here we are with Great Grandma on her 95th birthday.

Some serious gaming (Shayne & Curtis)

Skyler - my little monkey

While I was paying for the climbing place (in a matter of 5 minutes) someone broke the window of my car and stole my purse.  Fortunately, there wasn't anything of great value in my purse - I had taken my wallet inside with me.  I knew better than to leave my purse - but I also thought I am at a window-store front business, it won't happen here.  Lesson learned.  They are quick and efficient.  They hit another car in the same lot - neither of us had been away from our cars for 5 minutes.

Skyler is now talking about robbers all the time.  He is always relieved when we get to our car and no robbers have come again.  He asks me all sorts of questions about robbers and makes comments like - they must not have kids and robbers always wear black.  I felt violated and vulnerable - and ANGRY.   Apparently there has been a huge increase of such robberies in our area and it's been linked to a national chain that moves from one city to the next.  I'm grateful they didn't get my wallet and I'm grateful nothing happened to my family.  There is a silver lining... right?!!