Sunday, September 28, 2014

A year of summers


 I keep joking that we have had a full year of beautiful summer weather, but it's not really a joke.  We moved from Phoenix just as the really hot summer began and came to Idaho where the beautiful summer is like the lovely Phoenix winter.  I hate to say it, but I think the pleasant weather ended yesterday when rain and thunderstorms blew in and seem to be here to stay for a while.  (I hope we don't have a year of winter to follow our year of summer :)  I guess since summer is officially over, I better wrap up the events of the last month or so.

We never had a chance for a true camping trip this summer, but we did squeeze in a quick overnighter to Island Park.  We enjoyed the cool weather, pine trees, s'mores and wading in the river.

Berry keeping me warm


Wading in the river
A cool treat on the way home
 We received good news from T-man and Shar that they decided to move to Utah (It's not 3 minutes away, but we will take 3 hours over 15 hours)!  To try to help them with the move, their kids came to play with Grandma and us for a week.  We had plenty of cousin play time the last week before school began.


Berry and Lyssie
 Curly and Lou were excited and nervous to begin a new school year at a new school.  Their worries were gone after a few days as they realized this school is just as great as their old and there are plenty of friends to be made.
 T-man and Shar came for a few days to pick up their kids before moving into their new house. We actually ended up closing on our new home the same day they did - we like to do things just like them (we got married the same day also :) We followed them back to Utah and spent Labor day weekend visiting family. 
In Utah, Fisher and the girls had a fun daddy-daughter outing with cousins and Uncles while I went to Swiss Days with Lynette, Ba and Jenny.  We also enjoyed a beautiful canyon hike with Oma and Grandpa, then visits to the new Utah Museum of Natural History, Grandpa and Grandma Woodbury, Pehrsons, and K-Rae.

Cousins and cones at Oma's

 Once school was under way, we began slowly moving into our new house.  It took a few weeks, but with lots of help from lots of family we are now settled and enjoying our new neighborhood and home.  I have been able to walk the girls to school in the morning (something I have never been able to do because school has always been too far away) and then watch them get off the bus in the afternoon.  We have loved seeing the change in season and beautiful fall colors.
An Autumn evening walk

Who needs to hire a piano mover?
 Our biggest project has been trying to get our yard done before winter.  This is a huge undertaking and I can't even begin to describe how many rocks we have "harvested" from our backyard.  My dad and Fisher (with some help from me and my mom) have spent many, many hours preparing the ground for a sprinkler system, grass, and trees.  If the rain ever stops, we might get it done!
Hard at work on the back yard
Two cute, little thieves sneaking snacks in the pantry

Sunday, August 10, 2014

The in between parts

Welcome to Idaho sign by Paisley
I know summer isn't over yet but before the business of back to school begins, I wanted to make sure to record all those things we have been doing "in-between" the big events of the summer.  We have played hard this summer and had so much fun!  Here are a few of the little things that made up the day to day.

Berry has become buddies with our adorable neighbor

Learning Russian games and dances at Summerfest


Visit to Grandma Betty

Spud wrestling cousin Nels

Visit from our dear friends, the Bakers

Getting settled in our cute apartment
Lots of bike rides...
... and cold treats!

Picking huckleberries
Eating huckleberries
Treats after picking huckleberries
Playing in dirt
Finding a house
Playing in the rain
Curly making clothes for her doll

Beautiful Sunday walks
Celebrating our 12th Anniversary!


Sunday, August 3, 2014

Lake Reunion 2014

"Deep Roots, Many Branches" was the theme for our Lake Reunion this year.  We all gathered at LLL Ranch for three days of fun.  While we mostly played, we did plan a few activities that centered around our families heritage, such as a kids game of "Do you know your grandparents?", skits about different ancestors and a "Heritage Dinner" potluck where everyone brought a dish from a country we come from or an ancestor's recipe.
The Super Slides
The great thing about the LLL Ranch is that there is plenty to do and open space for kids to run without parents having to worry.  The kids played with their cousins all day, every day and had a blast.  They also never got into any arguments, which I thought was amazing for three days of playing nonstop.
Great Grandpa Lake eating with the kiddos
 I wish I had taken a picture of the food at the "Heritage Dinner."  We had a wide assortment of dishes - green pepper lemon jello, cream of wheat supreme, streussel kuchen, spaetzle, enchiladas, english scones, and carrot cake.  It was fun to hear where the recipes came from and also memories of eating many of those dishes at Grandma Velma's house or growing up in the Lake family. 

 Seeing the skits each family presented was very fun for adults and kids alike.  I learned many fun stories from our ancestry.  One of the more memorable stories was of Fisher's German grandfather who escaped from a Russian P.O.W. camp by pretending to be a Polish soldier.

The weather was beautiful and everyone the most courageous kids (and adults) braved the freezing, cold waterslide.  Ba and Ryan made a "blob" which was like a big waterbed that kids could play on.

Besides the waterslide and big slides, there was ziplining, paintballing, s'more roasting, golfing, game playing, crafting, make-believe, ping pong, pool, and lots of fun.  We really did have a wonderful time!

Paintball casualties

mmm s'mores
A plethora of cuties!
Family Tree artwork
circle o' cousin love
Oma and Grandpa



Cute Bow n' Arrow craft (Thanks Stacie!)
Service project - Staining the shelter

Visual family tree