Ten on Tuesday

{1}

Never take a properly working refrigerator for granted.

Ever.

{2}

Never take for granted a husband with a surprising knack for appliance repair.

He's a keeper.

{3}

Photographic proof that he is a keeper:

{4}

Less than two weeks until my half marathon, which means this is the toughest week yet.

{5}

This noisy little popper finally popped its last...

...and mommy and daddy slept a little more peacefully that night.


{Justin took a photo of this as proof that these rough and tumble noisemakers do, in fact, eventually break.}

{6}

Speaking of rough and tumble, we sure are getting a kick out of the personality emerging from this fella'.  If I ever catch his 'head down, charge like a bull' crawl on video it is sure to go viral.

{7}

This kiddo has been walking a few weeks now - although I call it wiggling, not walking.

{8}

For those who aren't aware, after a lot of back and forth over the last six months, Justin and I finally decided to wait a year before starting Kendry in kindergarten.  I love knowing I have a little more time at home with my little man.

{9}

Is anyone else as excited as we are that its football season again?

All together now (except for Cohen):  TOUCHDOWN!

What's a brother photo without a little biting?

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

A fun weekend with Justin's family.

Its always a fun time when these six are together.

Hiking Dworshak

Labor Day Weekend

Not wanting to be fuddy-duddies by staying home the entire three-day weekend, we took a day trip, strapping on our hiking gear and heading up to Dworshak Dam, a short 45 minute drive into Idaho.

This is for you trivia buffs (here's lookin' at you, Steph):
At a height of 717 feet, Dworshak is the third tallest dam in the U.S., and is the tallest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere.

All together now: "Oooooooh...aaaahhhh."

The state park had a nice grassy area and playground that all three boys enjoyed.  On a side note, if Cohen doesn't tumble headfirst off playground equipment by the age of two I will be shocked.

We only hiked about 1.5 miles in/around the reservoir as it proved to have a lot more ups and downs than we anticipated, some of which proved a little tough for Kendry.  I'll admit I'm part to blame as I let him wear generic Walmart tennis shoes with zero tread - not exactly what you would call trail shoes. Lesson learned.

I don't know much about reservoirs but since there were boats all over I thought we would come across as least one flat, beach-like area where the babies could sit and play. Not so. Instead it was all stair-stepped rock. Kendry got to do lots of rock-throwing, but the babes remained confined to their packs.

After a short break on this jetty of rock we headed back to the park area for lunch - or rather our 'Ladybug Picnic'. We had spotted countless ladybugs all over the wood picnic table when we arrived at the park, but didn't think much of it other than Justin commenting, "There must be a nest nearby."

Huh.

"Do ladybugs nest?" I thought.  (You're wondering the same thing now, aren't you?)

After hiking back to the park area, I played a little game of peek-a-boo with Jack by hiding behind a large tree. After noticing how red the bark appeared I took a closer look.

Yikes!

Kendry loved it. I found it kinda creepy.  Ladybugs are cute and whimsical in small numbers, but throw a couple thousand at me and suddenly I'm smack in the middle of a Hitchcock movie.

{My subsequent research indicates that they, in fact, do not really nest but infest.}


In all it was a fun outing, particularly since I finally caught some genuine smiles from this five year old.

Its a Boys' Life

How we have fun on a weekday morning:

Step 1:

Get yourself wet. I mean really wet.

A garden hose is essential. 

A water table works great too.

Step 2:

While still dripping wet, insert yourself into the nearest dirt pile.

Maybe bury yourself a bit.

Help yourself to a bite or two.

Mommy is always telling me how much she loves diapers embedded with gritty sand.

Just remember to keep the hose handy; that dirt can really dry out your mouth.

Step 3:

Smile innocently.

Bonus Options:

20 bonus points to each boy accomplishing this messy feat before 10:00 a.m. PST.

50 bonus points if said feat is accomplished within 24 hours of your last bath.

Can you see why I need this sign?

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Kendry's shoes after this particular morning adventure:

Its a good thing I'm not a clean freak, right?

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

Yeah, baby!

{2}

"Houston, we have a walker!"

{3}
Meanwhile, Cohen has decided that walking is for amateurs and has opted to focus on his climbing skills instead.

{4}

This Lego obsession brought to you courtesy of The Lego Movie and several Lego-crazed Alaskan cousins:

I know what Kendry is getting for Christmas.

{5}

Kendry and I had a date night for Movies on the Wall.

When you can't get a 5 year old to smile for the camera, join in the goofiness.

{6}

Presenting our “new” patio furniture!

In case you've forgotten what it looked like before:

{7}

Kendry finished another swim lesson course this week. We love seeing his confidence in the water continue to grow.

{8}

Parental quote of the week:

"I'm not sure pogo-sticking naked is such a good idea."

{9}

I don't give up on books very often - to do so gives me the OCD shakes - but I just couldn't bring myself to turn another page in this one.

Sorry, Sarah.

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

An aquatic adventure on our friends' boat.

Being on and in the water is great therapy for these hot summer days, and Kendry put some of his new swim skills to the test.

Cohen was a little overwhelmed by the life jacket experience.

Thank you, Michelle and Forrest!

Ten on Tuesday {Summer Style}

Welcome back, folks! Let's see if I can update you on our recent summer fun. Although we didn't make an official "Summer 2014 Bucket List", it seems that with each week we've been checking off some fun activities.

{1}

Family Hike at Elk Creek Falls

This was actually over Memorial Day weekend; although the calendar would say otherwise, I consider Memorial Day the official start of summertime.

{2}

Jack took his first steps last Sunday evening. 

He hasn't attempted any since. I have reason to believe he will be the more cautious one of the three boys.

{3}

With the temperature on the rise a little beach time is a necessity.

{4}

We got this "new to us" wood furniture from Justin's parents a few months ago. Believe it or not, this set is older than Justin - and still in great shape! Although it is indoor furniture, we had the idea to use it on the patio. Justin has been painting it this week. I can't wait to show you how it turns out.

{5}

We attended the annual Dru Gimlin 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament in mid-June, where Justin opted to lace up his shoes and play again this year - a decision that resulted in a week of ice and elevation after he developed turf toe. These 30's are a little tougher on the joints than the 20's ever were.

Kendry is quickly mastering his dribbling skills.

We love you, #21!

{6}

Bike Ride on the Levee

Although we have a wonderful path along the Snake River in our valley, we live a few miles away and at a higher elevation, thus making bike rides on the levee a little more challenging. For this ride we opted to just haul the bikes and trailer down to the river in the old pickup.

Jack appears a little skeptical here; he must have suspected Daddy had some swing shenanigans planned for the playground.

Sure enough!

{7}

Last week I took the three boys up to Spokane for a quick over-nighter with Justin's sister and her family. We visited Trader Joe's (a huge highlight for Mommy, not so much for the boys) and walked to the splash pad park.

{8}

We had a wonderful 4th of July, starting with what has become a traditional July 4th morning run, and ending with firework fun and great friends. In between we attended a community Old Fashioned 4th of July where Kendry and I got to ride an old fire engine.

{9}

Now, lest you think our days of summer are all sunshine, fun and smiles - as one might incorrectly infer from the above photos - let me assure you that in reality most of our days look like this:

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

Between church and the grocery store on Sunday morning, we misplaced Jack's lovie, Mr. Frog. I fretted the whole drive home, sure I was going to have to fork out the money for a replacement, and do it quick so it would arrive prior to our flight. We pulled into our drive and were elated to find Mr. Frog propped up against the door, as though he had hitchhiked home and was just waiting for us to unlock the door for him. As it turns out, some friends from church found Mr. Frog in the parking lot and recognized him as belonging to our boys. They drove him all the way across town so he would be home for afternoon nap time. Thank you so much, Misty and Matt!

Jack with Mr. Frog at 6 months: