Camping and other happiness

Parker, Lincoln, Anndra, and I spent Friday & Saturday at Hungry Horse Reservoir with friends.  Forgot to take the waterproof camera and didn't want to risk dropping the phone while kayaking.  So unfortunately, you'll just have to imagine the BEAUTIFUL scenes we enjoyed out on the water.

Sharpening sticks for roasting hot dogs over the fire

Anndra was convinced that our friends' hot chocolate was better because they called it hot cocoa

Parker and Graham building the fire

Lincoln's hands were always cold - next time we'll bring gloves!

S'mores + kids = marshmallow mouths

Pretending to be cats and the tent is their cage

Anndra loved hanging out w/ Jessica - so glad she's in Montana!

A few weeks ago we went to a birthday party for Lincoln's friend at Whitefish Lake.

Not a great pic of b-day boy, but notice A napping behind L

Took a second kayaking trip down the river behind our house. At the park when we were done and waiting for Todd to pick us up:

We were joined by the teen girl I'm mentoring this year

 Our backyard on a particularly lovely day earlier this month

Road Trip Part 2

Todd had more free time on the 2nd day of his conference, so he went with us to the Mormon Battalion visitor's center.  It has been recently remodeled and we highly recommend it to anyone planning a trip to San Diego.

Later, when the kids were trying out their new wetsuits in the hotel pool, Parker attempted to teach Anndra to swim:

I came down with the flu our last night in California, which made me thankful that we had planned to have Todd drive with us to Oregon instead of flying back to Montana without us.  I was too sick to do much of anything for several days and never could have gotten the kids home on my own!

Our last stop (in Prospect) was WONDERFUL.  Not only did we get reacquainted with Grandy and Grandpa, but we got to see Aunt Erika and her girls too!  Anndra and Addie were two peas in a pod:

The kids and healthy grown-ups went hiking:

Grandpa Paul and Lincoln Paul

 

I'm so glad my little ones "remembered" my parents (weren't shy around them like they are with strangers) even though they were so young when G&G left for this mission.

Anndra jumped right into a game with Grandy just moments after waking up.

 

First Summer Road Trip

We returned this week from a little road trip - 4 days of driving and 3 destinations: South Jordan, San Diego, and Prospect.  We had a combination of reasons to set out on this particular adventure - Todd had vacation days to use, a medical conference to attend, and a need to escape his normal routine for a little while.  Also, my parents returned from their mission and I didn't want to wait until our family reunion at the end of July to see them!

On the first day of driving, we stopped in Idaho and had lunch with friends:

After arriving in Utah, we enjoyed a visit with Aunt Jessie and her kids:

We spent the next day driving to Southern California, where we tucked 3 very tired little ones into 1 hotel bed (Parker's just barely short enough to still fit in the bed the opposite way):

The next day, while Todd was at his psychiatry conference, I took the kids to the pool in the morning and the beach in the afternoon:

Well, that's pretty much the first half of the vacation... more to come in the next post!

Boats, Bike, Beauty, Birthdays

As the school year ends, each member of our family has been busy with different things.

PARKER

Last cub scout activity of the year: Rain-gutter Regatta.

5th Grade Science Olympiad

About to test how many pennies their tin-foil barge will hold without sinking

He was especially proud of the mouse-trap car he built with his partner

Parker won FIVE ribbons! (more than anyone else in the grade)  Check out his reaction when they announced his first win - look toward the left-hand side of the video and you'll see him start to jump up as he hears them say the distance his paper airplane traveled.

Enduring oral surgery:

End-of-year Piano Recital:

LINCOLN

Learning to ride his bike without training wheels:

Saying goodbye to beloved preschool teachers:

Getting face painted at end-of-year preschool carnival:

Learning to sew:

ANNDRA

Face-paint at Lincoln's carnival. Isn't she a Beauty?!?

Making pointy hats at library story-time:

Good times with play-dough

Hanging out in Parker's classroom during Science Olympiad:

And, of course, falling asleep in the middle of dinner:

MOM and DAD

Birthdays:

Painting our garage doors:

Bought the paint months ago and were waiting for enough warm weather

Enjoying the blossoms in our front yard:

Goofing around with the kids: