First Trip of the Summer

It truly is summer.  My standing blog posting time has gone out the window.  I have been super lazy lately.  Luckily, the very first week of summer the kids and I went to Jackson Hole, WY to visit Joanie and the boys.  My kiddos love the boys.  Joanie was suppose to be going out of town for work so I jumped at the chance to head up there.  It worked out even better because Joanie ended up just working a few long days and stayed in town.  Isaac threw up the day before we left and I was freaking out about it.  (Why do children have to get sick when it is least convienent?)  By Monday morning he seemed better than fine so we loaded up and were on our way! We were also lucky to have Alex with us who was kind enough to reach back and pick up whatever Sam dropped on the floor. 
After we arrived in Jackson, I knew we needed to stretch our legs so we proceeded to the park.  It was about to storm and the kids were nervous, but I love being outside in the stormy wind, smell of rain in the air, and unpredicatable feeling as the trees stir.  Before we could make it to the park, it stormed and we turned back.  It was, perhaps, worse than what I expected.  The microburst brought down a few trees around the park.  We had spagetti and meatballs for dinner; Alex showed me his garlic salt in the noodle water trick.  When Joanie came home she took us to a little walking path and we enjoyed pleasent company. 
Tuesday morning I got Alex off to school, made eggs, talked to Jake, and was planning the day for my kids thinking, piece o' cake.  Then Sam woke with dried puke covering his face and pjs.  Lovely! Time for another freak out.  Wash everything: Sam, bedding, bathrooms, doorknobs, light switches and anything that could be harboring a fugutive germ.  Then pray!  Luckily, nobody else felt sick until Friday.  (Logan felt under the weather.  I'm not sure if the two sicknesses are related.) 
During the week, Alex took us to the visitor's center, Teton park, the candy store, Grace on a hike up high school hill, and we saw Logan preform in his end of the year school music show. 
Jake came on Thursday evening in preparation for our Yellowstone trip.  Friday, after school, we left for Yellowstone. We saw some hot pots, Old Faithful and a BEAR!  We then saw and heard the rain come down and were very glad we amended our camping to condo-ing in West Yellowstone.  It was cold!  Saturday morning the kids swam with Jake and then we made our way to a few more sites.  We had a late lunch and then parted ways with Joanie and the boys. It was a very fun trip for most everyone (except maybe Logan, who took issues with the sulfur smell).  Alex was the tour guide due to his great trip planning skills and his extensive knowledge of Yellowstone. Jake, Alex and Grace rode together and Joanie and I with everyone else.  Alex is very against electronics in trips where something might be missed out the window so their car was electronic free.  All kiddos in the other car may, or may not, have had an electronic device (Ipad, kindle, etc.) at some point. 
Other highlights of the trip: Joanie's cupcakes,a large iguana on a trip all the way from New York, rhodes rolls pizzas, go gurt, and fudge.  Isaac also was delighted to recieve for breakfast one morning an eggo waffle sandwich with peanut butter frosting in the middle.

Yellowstone with the Tidwells was the perfect way to start the summer!  

Any time now

Pictures by Sam

Ruby is pregnant and should be having some chugs anytime now.  Chugs are chihuahuas mixed with pugs.  Jake says the babies will either be really cute or really ugly.  I think they will all be really ugly.  Conversations about chugs have included words and phrases like, awkward, "I hope she spits them out", Pa wawa, fat dog, gross, and other lovely things.  I am kinda stressed out about the whole things.  Obviously, this is Jake's idea.  I am ready to get this over with.  Pray she doesn't die trying to push out their big heads.  She is now sequestered behind a baby gate and has stopped eating.  I think we will go swimming or to IKEA so I don't have to be here.  Baby humans I can do, Baby dogs don't even open their eyes for like two weeks and Ruby will eat their poop.  I think I feel sick.  There was a time I would have loved this, reality has set in.  Laundry will have to be done, poop to clean up, puppies to wean.  I am officially no fun.

When the wife is away...

Last week the kids and I went to Jackson Hole.  Of course, Jake texts me the next day and says he bought something.  I am not surprised.  AND I actually know what it is before he tells me. It is some sort of little boat.  Something for the river.  Something that must be bought while I am away so he doesn't get the immediate eye roll.
It is a canoe.
Disclaimer: Some thought has been put into this.  KSL has been checked for weeks.  All sorts of boats have been looked at. 

It has already been used many times.  Jake and the kids love it.  I am sure I will like it too, when I go in it.  What is the best part is that we can walk it out the back gate, and into the water.  It can be paddled to the park just about a quarter mile away.  It reminds me a little of Alabama.  Would I liked to have known before hand about this purchase... maybe, but there have been much, much worse.

I just can't help myself.

I like pinterest.  I know some people have mixed feelings about it, but I think mine are pretty clear.  It may even be a bit of an obsession.  It is such a part of my life right now that I knew I had to shout it from the roof tops.  (In a few years, I will look back and laugh.)  So I thought I would post some of my more successful pinterest projects to date.

Italian Sausage, Spinach and Orzo soup
and
Cookie Cupcakes
are probably my favorite recipes I have made from pinterest.

Here are a few pictures of mostly completed projects:

chore system using multiple ideas from pinterest

hooks using plastic dinos cut in half

homemade lego table

plain marker-stained table, now fun with a stenciling idea I saw

Sandbox Jake made with pin-ed idea.  the benches fold down for a cover

In our backyard

In our backyard we have birds, kids, snails, and snakes! 

And we love them ALL!

Grace's Dance Festival

Grace's last week of school started out with a class party complete with cotton candy provided by Jake and I.  (Side Note: In two weeks, we made over 75 bags of cotton candy.  If we have to have a cotton candy machine, we are gonna dang use it!)  Then she had field day and a dance festival. Thursday was just long enough to say goodbye and the school year was over.  Grace has learned alot this year and we have had some good times and some not so good times.  I think we are getting into a groove and 2nd grade will be even more awesome!  She was sooooo cute at the dance festival.  She was concentrating so hard and she did a great job.  She preformed the dance again after she came home.  I will definitely have to get the video done on this one.  Grace is so fun, and I love her so much.   (She is on the back row looking serious.)

Con-grads!

Isaac graduated from Preschool! He is going into kindergarten in the fall!!!  He was very excited for his graduation day at Cabelas.  He sang very well and loud.  I think he will have a great time in kindergarten even if we are still working a little on the alphabet.  Isaac will be a great helper to everyone.  I know he is excited and I love to watch Isaac learn and grow. 

Memorial Day

This may be one of the first Memorial Days we have spent as a family.  It is one of those days that is great for construction workers to work because nobody else is working.  When Jake was home around 11:00, we didn't know what to do with ourselves.  We did some projecting and then we went to Marley's for a burger.  Jake has been dying to take the kids these because they serve the food in little cars.  The "Rob" was a darn good burger too! Plus I love skinny fries.  It was a great day; the kids played in the new sand box; we all went to bed happy.  Thanks to everyone we honor on Memorial Day!