We ran until we crashed!!

Wow! What a crazy few months it's been. Fun. Busy. Memorable. But crazy.  Kids and I have been on the run all summer.  Accomplishing Summer Bucket List tasks (why I created such a long one I'm not sure, but I'll make sure to decrease this list next summer!),

birthday parties, family fun, trips to the lake, go, go go.  Until we crashed.  Last weekend.  All three of us.  Colds. Runny noses. Exhaustion.  Yep, that's us and we are tired!!  (too tired in fact to edit pictures!)


We are resting up and getting ready to attempt the last part of the summer with more fun, more running, more family time, and more memories:)  We love summer.  Winter in Eastern Idaho is just plain depressing.  Even now, early in the morning, you feel the fall cold creeping in.  It's still dropping in the 50's at night.  This morning, 48 degrees! Brrrr.  But at least we get warmth during the days!
We find things to do. We just can't sit still apparently:)

 

First up was the 4th of July! We actually drug the kids to the parade again.  The lame, Idaho Falls parade.  It's nothing like a parade should be.  No floats.  I can't imagine the excitement of seeing an actual float parade.  The kids would love it. This was the first year Reagan actually even watched an entire parade.  Thanks to the two strangers who befriended her and made her forget all her fears!

 

 
I just LOVE this picture :)
 

 
After the heat of the parade and the early morning we all napped and then headed out to a tiny little farm town called Menan.  We ate way too much and had a little fun prior to staying up way to late for fireworks.
Totally proud of his "bolts"

Would we expect anything not pretty
 .
Kade's very first pony ride!
 
But she's a pro

Killed some time playing Go Fish



We make these sunglasses look cool

And then we went to SLC for some parties and fun

How awesome is her sun-kissed skin






Kade had his first Slurpee which he thought was totally yummy
 And was exhausted on the drive home


And then we met Ella, Emmett, and Jessica at Ross Park in Pocatello for some swimming fun.....






and then some S'more fun....






and some Lake fun....








and fun practicing snorkeling in the pool


And Kade just loved all the attention Ella gave him. Here is his "kitty face" she drew for him.


Then it was a Chukars baseball game.  Kids totally dug it.  They did awesome, although Reagan continued her absolute fear of Mascots and cried hysterically for the first 20 mins...

 Girls Rock

 So cool

 How cute is this??!! Standing and being reverent for the National Anthem

 

 

 And we had our first neglected pick of the summer....a HUGE zucchini

 And painting rocks wasn't as fun as they anticipated....

Mini-golfing...Kade lasted about 3 holes before he smacked himself in the face and that was all she wrote....they both were done by about oh, hole 7.

 

 And last their was fishing.....of which mostly the kids were totally disappointed that every time they (or dad) casted out there wasn't a fish instantly attached to their pole :)

 

And next up is round two....Island Park, a family trip to Montana, concerts, rodeos, camping, trip to see family, and finally....school starts!!

 

 

The Year She Turned 7!!...and we partied!

It's official.  Our little girl is officially growing up.  When they tell you they can't wait to be seventeen it's a little much and you just wish, that for some time, you could push pause and enjoy the all-too-fleeting-moments!!

This year, Reagan chose to have a "Hawaiian" party.  She counted down for a month and the big BIRTHDAY day FINALLY arrived.  She had such a fun day and loved having all the friends over.  Thanks to my little sis for coming and helping out with all the decor and party stuff.  We (tried) to play hula hoops games (there were only 3 kids that even knew what it was!!), and limbo-ed under the noodle, opened gifts, and made candy leis.  Then the blow up slide routine with the pool was the rest of the entertainment.  That was the best investment for a summer birthday girl!!  

They snacked on Beach Balls (cheese balls), Tiki Sticks (pretzels), Fruit skewers, Coconut Cake Pops, and Hawaiian punch.  We worked on birthday etiquette prior to the big day.  Going over the importance of making everyone feel special when you open their gift.  She did great!! She didn't rush through everything and opened each gift and thanked the person.  I'm sure that takes out some of the fun, but I just worry that kids are too greedy (mine included) and they don't really appreciate what it means to take time to buy a gift and be excited to see the person's reaction when they open it.  So proud of her! 

These were Coconut Cake pops made to look like a coconut drink.  The girls were not about to eat them just as they were until they had no other "cake" option!  Then they were gone but really, it's a cake on a stick chillins!

We then traveled to our parents on Friday and enjoyed a family party on Saturday.  In the middle of a heat wave I was really nervous for everyone to be stuck out in the heat.  Kids had time to enjoy the pool and slide and then a big wind storm heading in and caused us all to be stuck inside!  We munched on Kahlua Pork, Tereyaki Chicken with coconut rice, lots of yummy side dishes, and Coconut Cream Cheese cake!! Then I had made a special Luau Pig for the birthday girl :) 

With both parties she got great gifts.  Barbies, barbie clothes, doll stuff, workbooks, games, sketch books, color books, fingernail polish, jewelry, and clothes.

She is always pushing our buttons, testing the waters, and sometimes talks back a little too much.  But she also is very full of life, very funny, always wants to entertain, cares about others, loves to read, swim, and socialize, loves to listen to music, snuggle, and still loves her daddy.  We love her and are so grateful for her.

We were all so exhausted after getting home last night!! Last birthday for the year.  Now I need to figure out something else to celebrate :)

Here's a hundred picture we can enjoy over and over!

 Is she not the cutest thing?!

 The piggie cake

Mesa Falls

Our first day trip this year was to Mesa Falls in Island Park.  It's considered part of the Teton National Forest and close enough (70 mins) for a fun day trip.  The drive is beautiful right now.  There is lots of farm land between here and there so everything is lush and green.  About 45 minutes into the drive you hit the mountains and it's such a pretty trip.  We did a short hike and had a picnic.  Once Reagan noticed the Beware of Bears sign, she was not about to venture too far.  She was almost as terrified as I am/was, or maybe more!  We did buy bear spray this year though.  And as always, my kids are so loud I don't consider the animal a threat, it's more my kids :)

 They loved looking for animals

 The upper falls

 Touching the fuzzy bug

 Eek!!

 Kade couldn't stop picking me flowers.  So sweet, but I wish he would have left at least the roots of most of them;) Especially since the signs all over say "Do not pick the flowers"!!