Music in the Park

Last night we took our family and met up with my mom, Jim, and Nedra at music in the park.  It was great weather and I was surprised how many other people were there.  I had a great time relaxing in the shade listening and visiting.  LeeRoy and Emily weren't big fans of the music but enjoyed spending time with the family.  Wendy had fun too but let me know we need to pack a lot of snacks next time we go!

Geocaching

Last Saturday LeeRoy planned a great day of geocaching for us. He woke up early and spend most of the morning planning out the perfect geocaches, the perfect route to drive, and the perfect rest stops to make. He even loaded all the coordinantes into all  three of our GPS for the kids and me to follow along as we drove. We started out up Wolverine Canyon and our first stop was a huge cave on the cliff side. It was too steep for the kids, but we got to splash in the creek and cool off. We did have success on our second cache at the 'W'. Then after a quick lunch we trekked to the third, but it was hidden on private land behind fences and tall weeds. Our 4th and 5th were almost back to Ammon and were easy finds alongside the road at the wind farm. 3 out of 5 isn't bad and we took the whole day out as a family!

 

 

Dutch Oven Dinner with the Calls

The Call family were camping up Scout Mountain and they were nice enough to call and invite my parents and our family to come up and have dutch oven dinner with them last night.  We had so much fun!  The girls went on a hike with LeeRoy while the rest of us visited and waited for dinner to finish cooking.  It was so good!  Then, LeeRoy and Emily gathered a group to hunt down a nearby geocache but by the time they got close it was too dark to find.  Wendy was a little disappointed but they still had an adventure and made it back just in time for dessert.  By the end of the night I told Andy he had made a new friend in Emily and Wendy also loved playing with Caden, or "that boy" as she calls him.  We had to haul out of there before the gate to the road was locked up for the night but we had so much fun!  Thanks again Calls for inviting us!

Learning to Ride a Bike

I realize admitting that until recently my 10 year old was unable to ride a bike without training wheels is great proof that we are horrible parents.  However, I will refer to the famous saying "better late than never" and quickly move on.  Emily was pretty nervous but caught on amazingly fast.  She was riding a bike in no time.  The balance part came easily but she really had to adjust to the steering.  She kept wanting to move far left or far right instead of smaller movements, but a little practice and she had it.  We have been going to the greenbelt around the grove to let the kids ride around while we walk.  The weather has been great and it has been so fun.  Wendy named her little bike "Princess Wheels" and honks her horn constantly.  LeeRoy and I love watching them!

This was Emily's first time riding without LeeRoy holding on.  She panicked for a bit but the next time he let go she just kept going like a champ and had it from then on!

Pride Days

It is pretty sad but this is the first time we have made it out to Pride Days.  It was so much fun.  We went and had breakfast in the park and took a train ride all around the grove.  We also walked around, watched some snowmobiles race, and sometimes sink, across the water, and participated in the ping pong drop.  The weather was perfect and it felt like most of the city was there.  A great way to spend a Saturday!

 

Boating

Emily had so much fun boating in American Falls with the Call Family.  She was so scared to ride on the tube behind the boat but once she tried it she loved it and rode as much as she could.  

 

4th of July

Thanks to the Call Family Party we look forward to the 4th of July every year.  It is so fun getting together and this year was extra special because if my grandpa were still alive he would be turning 100.  In order to celebrate him all the kids brought pictures and Evelyn talked about his life.  I was able to hear stories about him that I had never heard before.  The party was held at a park in Pocatello and while LeeRoy and I played games and visited Wendy rode her bike all around and she and Emily played on the park toys.  We all had a blast!

After the family party we headed to Blackfoot where we attended an Independence Day concert put on by members of the community at the BPAC.  Then, we went to the Palmer's house to watch the fireworks show and light off fireworks of our own.  The kids actually stayed awake this year! They loved it.

Water Fun

It has been so nice and hot lately so we decided to have a water party with our neighbors the Cottrells.  We set up all our water toys in the yard and let the kids go crazy while the adults sat in the shade and visited.  It was so much fun, especially when the kids baited LeeRoy into a water fight with them!  We will definitely have to do that a lot this summer.