Balloon Chasin

So Friday morning a few weeks ago I was putting the dishes away and Jake was out on the deck and started yelling, Bawoon, Bawoon!!! So Jaxon went outside and yelled at me to come and looked. I walked outside (in my pajamas) and there were hot air balloons everywhere in our neighborhood. The kids kept watching them and telling me when they got close to the house. Finally I changed and we went out front to see how many more there were and there was one right above us. The boys as well as myself were pretty excited. I have always wanted to get in one of those. Well I saw one had landed at the church and it looked like this one was on its way too. We ran down the street with Connor in tow to watch. We didn't know we were going to be so lucky, but they let all the little kids get in and ride twenty or so feet over to land. The boys loved it. Well, Mari showed up with the girls and we went balloon chasing. The smiley face one was what we were after but we soon found another closer and they tethered the balloon and we all got to go on a ride up about 30 feet or so. Needless to say my funny dream has come true partially, thanks Mari for the picture taking and the good chasing!

Right over our house!
Getting ready to deflate the balloon
It was pretty loud in there when they pulled on the string!
I look like I am having more fun than the kids!

4 things...

4 things...
4 things I like about by husband:
-His laugh
-His eyes
-The way he makes me laugh and makes me feel all better when I stress out
-How smart he is and hardworking

4 Movies I have watched more than once:
-Overboard
-Cars, not that I wanted to, it was funny though
-Crocodile Dundee:a fav when I was little
-10 things I hate about you

4 TV shows I watch:
-the ten o'clock news
-Lost
-Seinfeld reruns (thanks to jeff)
-nothing else really, I only like Lost to tell you the truth

4 Place I have been:
-Belize
-Hawii
-Mexico
-Honduras

4 People who email me regularly:
-Bev
-my mom
-sadly no one else, can you count your blog its lots better than email in my opinion as far as keeping in touch
-

4 of my favorite foods:
-Trifle
-Chocolate chip cookies
-Roast and potatoes
-Ribs

4 Places I would like to visit:
-Scotland, the homeland on my mom's side
-Italy
-Israel
-China/India, can I have 5 since I skipped earlier ones???:)

4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
-Two kids potty trained would make my year
-Getting pregnant
-More lake trips
-finishing my downstairs projects
4 people I tag: four of my past roomates you fight it out which ones

Crazy for the Cabin

This past weekend we went up to the cabin Friday and Saturday. We had a load of people and it was such a blast! Our friends the Demille's and Gunn's came up with their sets of four and two, as well as Jayme, Logan and Logan's parents and brother with his son Caliber, and Bev and Joe came too. I think we had a total of 24 with all the kids included. We ate dinner Friday night while Jeff and Blake went hunting, thanks so much Dani for bringing the salsa and salad they were yummy. We had peach cobbler for dessert and we should have made two pans because it was gone in a flash. The kids had so much fun playing together, especially on the slide and in the fort. We are so lucky to be able to fit everyone in to sleep over. Saturday morning was beautiful as usual with the sunrise in the canyon. We continued our fun with a hike with the kids and then they found the fort out in the trees and they were seriously there ALL day especially Aria and Brock. The made a little table and Aria picked flowers, a great decorator. It was such a blast to have everyone up there. The Larson's even stopped by the say hello and it was fun talking with them and their girls. Thanks everyone for such a fun weekend and we will for sure do it again before it gets too cold!
P.S. I could shoot myself for not bringing the camera, leave it to my memory to forget something like that!!!

Canning Craze

This week as well as last week too has been nothing but vegetables and fruit!!! Every day for the past two weeks at about 9am we take the kids over to Grandma's to play (its much more fun than our own house) and we start to bottle peaches, green beans and make jam. The kids have been so good and Grandma has been awesome to let us invade her house, make a mess of the kitchen as well and everything else and watch the kids when she gets home. We are going to do our first round of pickles. I have never done them before and we planted three cucumber plants and we can't eat anymore of them, as good as they taste. I am also planning on doing a batch of spaghetti sauce too if I can find the time. Sometimes I feel like a pioneer, this is just what the HAD to do to live on through the winter. We are so blessed with so much! So hopefully by the end of the next month of two we will have our stores of food for the winter. If anyone wants some fresh veggies we are happy to share our produce, especially cucumbers, so just come over or call.

Hogle Zoo

The white alligator.
Our favorite thing at the zoo
We just loved the giraffes, there was even a baby one.
This gorilla cracked me up. Here he is sitting them with a burlap sack on his head, a little hot fore that day I suppose.
The train ride!
We finally made it to the zoo. I have been wanting to take the boys forever and we finally found the time. The boys had a lot of fun. I think the carousel though topped all of the animals for them both. My mom and dad were great to come and haul the kids around with me and they are so much fun to play with. We saw every animal we could find, thanks to Jaxon, he made sure we got to them all. The bird show was fun, but by that time both the kids were about asleep.

Summer Fun

This summer has been so fun and we are hoping it lasts a little bit longer. Lately the boys have just wanted to swim so, thanks to Kristina's genius, we pulled out both pools and the slide for our own little water park. The kids have so much fun and are so cute when they get a little chilly and lay down on their towels. We were lucky one day to go over to Mari's on her big slide and I wished I would have taken my camera they all had a blast! This is what summer is all about, water, friends and sunshine.

Google eyes! They love the pool

Showing off their cool tricks

Pool Pals

(L to R)

Connor, Jaxon, Jadyn, Bode

Cousins are the best friends!

Xterra Race Pictures

Pre-Race

This is Nate and my dad setting up transition!

Run Transition

I waited here for my dad to come in on the bike, parched from lack of water. Note: always carry water with you!!!

What a Stud!

He did awesome!

Soon to be triathlete!

Jaxon couldn't stop telling all of us how he wanted to run in the mtns and bike on the dirt and here he is looking cute in Nate's swim cap.

What a swimmer!

Nate did awesome, here he is after, always so chill.