Warning

Lots and lots of posts ahead. Major catch up being done, and sadly, still a few more to actually publish. So stay tuned!

Braden

What can I even say about this little guy? A little peanut butter sandwich will go a long way. Like all over the blinds hanging on the back door. A few notable items from Braden lately. He has learned to climb - EVERYTHING! I have found him on the table, computer desk, counter, every piece of furniture and his new favorite is standing on top of his very unstable, little plastic bike. Hmm...I wonder when his first hospital trip will be?

water park

Braden at the water park. He really liked it, but since this video, has sure LOVED the sprinklers outside. I am sure once we take him back to the water park, he'll be even more soaked through.

Girls Camp 2010

I had the opportuntity to attend girls camp for just a day - on Tuesday - the second day that they were there. Camp sure is extremely different than from when I went! However, other things never change which is great too. So our theme for the year was YAGOTTAWANNA - F.O.W.Y.A. (YA GOT TA WANNA FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE). It was kind of an indian like feel and theme. The girl who made the banner did an amazing job so I had to take a picture of it.

It was awesome because before camp, we made these really awesome drums that sound so cool - especially when everyone is drumming.

This is one of the parts that has drastically changed. If I had stayed at camp with the girls overnight, this is where the leaders slept. In these nice trailers! Yep, a girl could use to that!

Another part that has changed, we were only allowed to ever where long pants, no open toed shoes, etc. Every single minute of our time it seems like we were doing "certification". We had a little free time, but not like these girls. I was there on Tuesday and after the morning devotional and study time, everyone got changed and headed to the lake. Before the leaders got there, the girls had hopped in the canoes and they were off. It was an extremely windy day and long story short, the two priesthood holders were there had to get in canoes and go rescue the girls who had drifted too far from the lake. There was a lot of time that was spent jousting and just lounging. The entire day was free time. I got to spend my time writing little cards to the girls, doing some crafts and just enjoying their company.

As a side note, I took one of the first groups of girls back to camp and as we were walking, there was a snake in the middle of the road that slithered really close to me. YUCK!

Another side note, it was so windy, I did spray sunscreen on, but because of the wind, I don't think I got any on me. I was redder than a really ripe tomoato! I am still peeling.

Anyway, over all, it was a fun day and glad I had the time to spend with the girls. All total we had one sprained ankle and one broken leg, but other than that - a very fun and successful camp.

Flag Shirts

These are the little people in their flag shirts this year. It is a really big deal to them to have a flag shirt. Sorry I didn't get one of them all together, maybe on the 24th I will.

Morgyn

I hope my sister doesn't mind me sharing this, but it is too funny not too. This is Morgyn. She is cute. She is EXACTLY like a little bobblehead. Seriously. She loves this jumper thing and really, I think she could be the perfect spokesmodel for it. Hmm...I wonder at what age you don't have to worry about shaken baby syndrome anymore?

July 4th Parade - Whoopee!

The Whoopee Days parade is always great times here in Rexburg. (You obviously can't hear the sarcasm of the statement - but let me just tell you, there might have been a little.) We woke up super early to go get a spot. I dropped Allen off and kept asking him - or saying to him, don't you think you should put a pair of pants on instead of shorts? He kept telling me he'd be fine. Well it was winter like weather that morning. The breeze was strong and with the windchill it was only in the 30's. I finally got the kids up and we made it to the waiting spot around 8:30 a.m. where we took our turn waiting while Allen had to run home for some things. It was FREEZING! My poor little kids all wrapped in heavy blankets. Typical for this area I guess.

We were so excited to have my sister and her family up here to visit with us. I think they were a little shocked at the weather - but none the less - they came ready to collect candy! This is them...aren't they such a cute little family?

Their youngest daughter - who is so cute!


Loving the float, but ready for candy!


I swear I have a picture like this every single year. McKenna with her arms folded. Maybe because it is so cold? Sometimes I think it is just a little bit of her personality though.

Despite the coldness of the day, the kids were successful in getting candy despite the crazy woman who was fighting them for it. Yes - an older lady shoving the little kids out of the way. She wasn't even collecting it for her children or little grandchildren - just herself. Gotta love the parade!

July 2nd Fireworks

Sadly, there aren't too many firework shows around Rexburg, except for the one at Rigby Lake which just started a couple of years ago. We have gone twice before, and this time we went with our neighbors. They like to park in a little field and so we thought we'd try it this time instead of actually going to the lake. It was a lot of fun and it was awesome because you could actually see the entire firework. We got there early around 8:30 p.m. (despite trying to be "ditched" by our neighbors - j/k) and glad we got their when we did. We had snacks and visited, we had glow sticks and some sparklers to pass the time. When it did finally start, it was filled in with a lot of people but it was super easy to get out and back on the highway home. It was great and think we'll give it a go again next year! Here are some of our random pictures from the night.

How many people does it take to figure out how to light a sparkler?

(Ha ha, j/k. Maybe if the lighter had fluid in it, it would work better!)

All the kids on our van. They sat on the top instead of their chairs.

All of the kids on the other van.

This is where Braden sat. I wasn't sure how he'd take to them, but he did just fine and was surprisingly content to just sit and watch for a little bit - seeming almost bored.

Fun With The Blake Cousins

The last weekend in June we were so lucky to have my brother and his family come and visit. We tagged along with him in all of their adventures. The first day we went to daylight donuts and got the exciting "filled" donut and headed over to the zoo in Idaho falls. It isn't anything like a big zoo, but it has definitely gotten better since we were last there nearly 8 or 9 years ago. It was fun to be with the cousins and we were grateful for the last little bit where teh clouds came in and started raining a little outside. Here are some fun pictures from the day.

Some of the Blake cousins - minus Garrett and Braden.

After the zoo, we headed back to mom and dad's house where we ate dinner and then played outside for a long time until most everyone was eaten alive. Some fun pictures from that!

It sure was awesome to have them come and visit. They were even brave enough to come to church with us! It was fun playing with them and hopefully we'll get to see them all again soon.