4th of July Fun

Nothing beats the 4th of July in our little town. A whole week of fun, food, and festivities! Thought you might enjoy a few pictures and a video of Todd playing in the summer marching band. He's the snare drum player closest to the camera. He looks so little with all those big high school kids!

Happy 4th!

Just a little video of the kids singing at the town's Patriotic Program last night.

Aren't we blessed to live in this great nation? I am so thankful to the founding fathers and mothers who gave everything that we might have the lives we have. I pray that we will have the strength and courage to preserve that gift for our posterity.

Happy Independence Day!

"Mother of the Year"

Okay, sheesh, I know I do a lot of things that qualify me for the **sarcastic quotes ** "Mother of the Year Award", but this one takes the cake -- I took 1 (one), yep, uno, picture of Halloween this year. It happens to be of Todd in his classroom during his Halloween party at school. I have no idea how I managed to not take any pictures of the other two kids. What in the world was I thinking? Sometimes I amaze myself! The kids promised they would put their costumes back on and let me snap a picture tonight. FHE will be on awesome parenting skills. :)

They truly looked adorable, though I have no proof. Todd was a Newsie (who else LOVES that movie???), Kate was Shirley Holmes (Sherlock's lesser known, but highly intelligent little sister), and Jack was the ever popular dragon. We had a wonderful night. I love it when Halloween is on Saturday.

I also love the night Daylight Savings ends. It's the best day of the year, don'tcha think? :)

A Peaceful Sunday Morning Idea

I don't know how many of you have had the opportunity to listen to the Mormon Channel radio station. I LOVE it!!!! Rather than listening to the station live, I have my list of favorite features that I just download and listen to at will. These segments are available as podcasts that can be downloaded into any number of programs including iTunes. You can subscribe and iTunes will continue to download new podcasts every time they become available.

One of my kids' favorite things to listen to is the Scripture Stories podcast. A moderator meets with a group of primary aged children and they read stories from the scripture readers, then discuss the lessons learned, the feelings and motivations of the people in the stories, and the decisions we make in our lives that are like the decisions faced by those people. All my kids enjoy this, but Kate (7) especially loves it. She sits with her reader and follows along, answering the questions posed by the moderator right along with the kids on the podcast! It's adorable, and very gratifying watching her learn to know and love the people in the scriptures. It is emphasized quite often that the people in the scriptures are real people, which is such an important concept in this age of cartoons.

For the adults in the house, some of my favorite podcasts are "Legacy" and "History of the Hymns". We are so blessed to have this wonderful resource. If you're so inclined, take a minute to subscribe and enjoy a peaceful Sunday morning, afternoon, or anytime.

Great Summer Readers - Principal's Walk

Todd and Kate both participated in their school's summer reading program. They went to the school library twice a week and read and tested on AR books. They really enjoyed it and it was a nice way to keep them fresh for the new school year. As a reward they were each invited to participate in the Principal's Walk. Brad worked from home on each of the mornings they were being honored so he could be there for them. What a great dad!!! :)

Rock Climbing at the Fair

I wasn't feeling well so Brad took the kids to the Cassia County Fair in Burley so they could climb the rock wall. They had the best time! Todd was pretty fearful... he inherited his mother's fear of heights -- but he overcame his trepidations and successfully made it to the top 3 times. Kate was the one who really wanted to go (she wore a skirt when we were there the night before so she couldn't do it then). She scurried up and down that wall several times with no problems. She apparently inherited her Dad's climbing abilities! All the kids were impressed with their Dad as he scaled the wall. He really hasn't climbed much since they've been born. Too much to live for, I suppose!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Lake Cleveland FHE

Last night we took the Jeep up the mountain past Pomerelle ski resort to Lake Cleveland. We had a picnic and then hiked around the lake. It was gorgeous! We all had a great time. I had to laugh at our little safety kids, as we were preparing to leave Todd was packing his own bag with flashlights, bandaids, neosporin, pocket knife, leatherman, slingshot w/rocks, sunscreen, and bug spray. Kate insisted upon bringing the GIANT first aid kit. :) She did scrape her leg, which Todd then doctored up for her, so all the preparation was not in vain. It's nice to know they're looking out for us.

My Favorite Thing Lately

Lately I've walked in on the kids several times laying in one another's beds (sometimes all three kids!) reading stories together. It's a really sweet scene. Jack loves it so much when the big kids take the time to read to him. It's strange that he allows them to do it since he's in a really independent phase right now. Periodically we hear quite a bit of yelling and screaming when things don't go his way ... these little moments of respite are heaven sent.

Park Valley 24th Celebration: Part II

Todd and Hannah rockin' the 3-legged race!

Todd with his prize money -- $0.50!!! Inflation is real, I'm pretty sure I only got a quarter when I was a kid.

Kate and Chloe showing off their winnings.

Jack cried his eyes out when he didn't win his race! Maybe he'll be our athlete. He's certainly got the competitive spirit and thirst for victory part down.

Kate's ready to run!

Our little miracle boy, my nephew Brigham, ran darn near every race with utter joy just 4 short weeks after having undergone open heart surgery. Miracles do happen. What a blessing.

Kate prepping Briggy at the starting line.

Jack and Lily racing against the old kids. I LOVE the determination on both their faces. Who cares if the other kids are twice their size!

Jack at the starting line.

What a tease!

Ross Park: ACA Annual Party (Water Pics)

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Ross Park: ACA Annual Party (Picnic Pics)

One of the favorite activities of the day is the water balloon launcher. Always a huge hit!