Snake River Youth Jam

The Snake River Youth Jam was this last weekend, it actually ran from Thursday to Saturday but with all our other things that go on we didn't get a chance to make it down there until Saturday

It was a little chilly but we bundled up and Walker had a blast

Here he is painting the big xylophone and then he grabbed a mallet and played it for a little bit too

The graffiti wall, he thought it was really neat that he got to paint on a wall and not get in trouble for it, I had to make sure to stress that wall painting is only ok at the river...lol

This is Junk Jam, they have all sorts of things strung up and there are bats and sticks and tennis rackets to bang on all of it, he had to make sure to hit each and every thing that was up there and told me all about the different noises each one made

He wanted to go to the little overlook thing and see the falls, I couldn't pass up the chance for a cute photo

"The Duck" every year there is a duck race you can adopt a duck and if it is one of the first ones to go over the falls you win a prize. Walker thought this duck was "AMAZING" he told me that he had to have a picture because "its bigger than daddy"

The Fireman Challenge was here this year, we started to watch some of it but as Walker is only 5 he got a little restless, they had this area set up for the kids challenge but it wasnt going on while we were there, the nice people let Walker put on a hemlet and fire jacket so we could take a pic.

It was about 3 hours well spent mommy and Walker time. I love the fact that things like this take place along the river, its something different to do and helps break up our semi boring lives

Camping

What a wonderful weekend we just had, spending time with family out in the great outdoors.

The "Family Reunion" Camping trip turned out wonderfully. Tendoy is such a beautiful place, so quiet and peacefull (even with the kids running around crazy)

There was lots of time to chat and catch up with each other and everyone got a chance to ride the 4-wheelers.

Regan and Leah Playing

Sara, Nancy, Grandma, Natalie, and Abi playing cards while waiting for dinner

Uncle Wynn and Uncle Paul hanging out before dinner

Eric

Kris working on the ultimate "Harry Potter Stick" for Tal

Donalee and Tal playing the bean bag game (I can't ever remember the name of it...sorry)

Im sure that Donalee got way more pictures of everyone and better ones as well, I was doing too much "relaxing" I think to take many pictures.

All in all it was the best weekend of the summer. Walker's first camping experience, first 4-wheeler experience and first mosquito bites lol.

I look forward to doing it again next year!!!

Thank you everyone for all the work you put into planning and excuting this fabulous weekend!!!

6 years

I can't believe that it has been 6 years already....where does all the time go?

Jeremy,

I love you, you have made my life so wonderful. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for us. Thank you so much for being such an amazing husband and father. I am truly blessed to have you in my life.

Road Trip

A couple of days ago I was talking to my sister Keri, she is getting ready to move to Alabama for her job. The best part is that she will be able to come visit before she has to go that far away. I will be going with her on the drive over there so she doesn't have to drive alone. I am so excited! There will be fun stops along the way like Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower, and Nauvoo. A couple places that I have not been before and one that I have always wanted to go back to. I will be flying home on the 29th of Aug, just a few short days before my baby starts school.

There will be lots of pictures when I get back, but I was just so excited that I needed to blog about it lol.

Sleeplessness

How is it that all daylong while I'm running around, trying to keep up with a 5 year old that only has 1 speed (super fast), barely able to stay awake that when the time comes to go to bed I'm stuck lying there staring at the ceiling?

So, since it's 1 in the morning and I'm wide awake I figured that I should use this time to update.

Summer has hit us (finally) and Walker is enjoying every minute of it, he is almost always outside on his bike or in the "kiddie" pool or playing with the neighbor kids. I'm so grateful for an apartment with a yard, and not to mention the church parking lot across the street that has become the best place to try to teach him how to ride his bike without training wheels. I have to admit that I am so nervous about taking them off his bike, and thought that I had hid it very well. However he is adamently against removing them. He tells me that he can go faster with them on, they are his "power boosters". School will be starting in about a month and I'm dreading and looking forward to him going to kindergarten. I'm still in shock that he is old enough (maybe it's denial), I have waited for this time to come forever it seems, and now I'm not ready to let him go.

I can't wait to see how much more he learns, we have been working on what we call pre-school time (basically me sitting down with him and some printouts of letters numbers and recently started small books) for several years, and he still amazes me with what he has learned. Just tonight he came up and told me what our phone number was, I haven't even really focused on that yet.

Jeremy is still plugging along at Wal~Mart and trying to survive the remodel of the store, he comes home almost everyday with a new story about what department has been torn apart and scattered across the store. I think that he will be so glad when it is done. I do have to admit that I don't like to go in there while they are working on the remodel, its a mess and things are hard to find.

I have hopes to be able to go camping at the end of the month around Jeremy's birthday with the family, I think Walker would really enjoy it since his only outdoor sleeping experience was in our backyard just a couple weeks ago. Being a typical boy I am sure that there will be lots of dirt and mud involved, but the experience is worth it. I spent many wonderful summers camping and I want to be able to share that with him.

I am grateful everyday for everything that I get to share with Walker, I feel like I missed out so much when he was younger and I was working, I value being able to stay home with him and see him grow. Honestly, this is the best job I could ever have, and he reminds me of that every day.

4th of July Outfits

Once again my friend and neighbor and I decided to make all the kids matching outfits for the 4th.

this is the group minus one

Our friends girls Megan, Katie, Erynn, Melissa's neice Kaycee

Melissa's son Alex, her neice Ashlynn her daughter Gaby and Walker

and our neighbor Chelsea's son Hunter

and ofcourse one of Walker

A day at the river

Walker and I decided since the weather was nice that we would pack a picnic lunch and go to the river and eat and feed the ducks/geese.

He had a blast throwing the bread and he made it all the way around the greenbelt, Im so proud of him!

The gaggle of geese in the flooded area of the greenbelt

The rainbow that Walker saw and made me stop and turn around to see, it is pretty awesome

Walker thought it was really cool to feed the geese and that the baby ones would walk close up to him to get the bread

Some of the greenbelt has flooded and the kids and ducks/geese alike are loving it