Idaho Trip: Part II

We went to Tauphaus Park quite a few times while we were in Idaho. The girls loved the toys--the swings, slides, etc., until they discovered the little kid theme park. I'm not sure how much money was spent there, but I'm sure the park made bank while we were there. (Good thing we had nice family to pay for it half the time!)
The girls riding the train at Tauphaus Park.
Claire on the planes:
Summer on the planes:

One of the fun things we did in Idaho was get to spend a weekend with the Kartchner family before Andrew, Maria, and Inara left for Sweden. It was a present for Grandma Kartchner--a last family get-together for a while. We were sad not everyone could make it, but we sure loved getting to spend time with everyone who was there.

Claire helping Morgan play Kube.The majority of the weekend we spent playing "25 Words or Less." Here's Summer and Grandma giving clues from their cards.

And Summer ready to head home from the cabin retreat with the Kartchners. She had such a fun time with all her uncles who gave her so much attention. (She's even named her male toy doll "Morgan.")

Claire in her carseat . . . again. She did such a good job of being pleasant on the road. I'm so proud of her!

The last thing we got to do, before say our goodbyes, was visit the Tauphaus Park Zoo. The girls loved it--and actually, Rhett and I did too! It was quite impressive--they've made a lot of changes and improvements since the last time we'd been there (for grade school field trips).
Here's Rhett and Claire looking at the red panda (I think).
The girls and the monkeys:

One of the best parts of our trip was getting to do family pictures in Island Park. We decided to do bright colors--and when I started seeing everyone getting ready, I wondered--"What have we done?!?" But I think they turned out great! And thanks to our amazing photographer Katelyn for such a great job!

The Kartchner Klan

The Cute Cousin Pictures

Summer

Claire

Thanks so much Kate! We love them!

Idaho Trip: Part I

To give Rhett a break from us while he studied for the bar (and took it), the girls and I headed to Idaho. It was quite the drive--supposed to last only 8 hours but ended up being 12 hours with all the car trouble we had. But we got there safely. And the girls did such a great job. Most of the time, they were singing their guts out to our kids' songs cd, reading and trading books, and looking out the window. There were a few melt downs and screams, but on the most part, I'm proud of how well they did--especially amidst the car malfunctioning.

Our first stop was to Grandma and Grandpa Searle's. Aunt Jill and cousins Noah and Brigham were there, along with Aunt Ang and cousin Graham. We hadn't seen everyone for such a long time, and we had such a good time playing together.

We also got to spend time at the Searle Cabin. Here's Claire experiencing her first S'more:

And Summer getting a ride with Grandpa:

We also got to meet up with our dear Spokane friends who moved to Utah. It was so great to see Jen, Brookie, Kaley, Rachel, and Lyla! I couldn't believe how much everyone had grown in such a short time.

I don't know where Summer and Brookie found these, but I turned around and they both had them on their heads like this. So funny!

Kaley, Lyla, and Claire on the swing together. So big!

Then we got to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Kartchner. We went to the 24th of July parade (which the girls loved!) and played at the Sandbar in St. Anthony.

Summer--scoping out the area:

Claire, lounging in Grandpa's lap:
This was the first time we've been to G&G K's house with their tire swing up. The girls LOVED it! Grandpa probably built some mega muscles after pushing them for so long!

This is a clip from the Searle get-together at the cabin. Grandma Searle taught us this new song, and all the grandkids got props to wave around. From left to right: Anniston, Claire, Graham, Brecken, Summer, and Mabree. The lone wanderer: Noah. Too little to sing or hold a prop: Brigham. And in case you're wondering who's singing the "solos" when we're supposed to skip the word: that's my singing Summer. :)

Even now, every time we see a flag, Summer busts into this song. But for some reason, she's changed one of the lines. Now she sings:
"There are no bananas in the flag, in the flag! There are no bananas in the flag, in the flag! There are stars and there's stripes, and a merry go-around! There are no bananas in the flag, in the flag!"

4th of July and a Birthday

This year's 4th of July was one of the best ones we've ever had. We attended the 4th of July parade, got a TON of candy (which the girls thought was AWESOME!), and then went to the concert in the park that evening. Summer got to go up on stage with our neighbor friend and they danced to the music. It was a lot of fun. And since Liberty Lake shoots its fireworks from the lake, and because we live right next to the lake, we were able to sit on our back porch and watch them. We had a great view, and the girls loved it. (Well, Claire did. Summer was a little nervous the "fire" was going to fall on us and start us on fire.) It was so great getting to spend the holiday with our little family!
We were able to celebrate Summer's three-year birthday a few days later. Here are some shots from our "party."

Combing Rapunzel's hair from Grandma Searle (with her new glasses from mom):
Waiting for mom to open Summer's new pair of kid-safe scissors (her first pair ever):
Playing the fishing game with Claire (that mom and dad made):

And . . . Ta Da! Her pink spider cake (per her request)! :) (And my first experience cake decorating.) The cake didn't actually turn out how I had planned--I cut the recipe by a third so it wouldn't make three round cakes, and then realized my cake pan was actually ten inches instead of eight. So the cake was very, very thin. And then, when I went to make the frosting, I realized we didn't have enough powdered sugar. So it was pretty much butter, with a hint of powdered sugar. (I was in a hurry and couldn't run to the store.) Rhett and I scraped the frosting off, but the girls loved it! :) (Summer's hand is in the picture for scale.)
We had a fun little party for her. We can't believe she's been with us for three years now! What a big girl. She is such a joy to have around, and we can't imagine our lives without her!

Coming next -- our trip to Idaho.

Practicing

Last weekend, we went over to visit Andrew, Maria, and their new little baby Inara Loretta. What a little angel! She was such a sweet little baby--so precious. We loved getting to hold her, kiss her, and watch her funny faces.

We stayed the night at a hotel, and the next morning when we were heading back to visit them again, Summer said, "Inara is soooo cute."

Claire just loved holding her. When her turn was over and Rhett went to hold Inara, Claire got mad and started crying. She wanted to hold her more. It was so cute . . . which is such a relief. I'm glad she enjoyed the baby and got a little practice, because she'll be needing it come November when she gets a little sister herself!
PS The girls just love Andrew. We will sure miss their family when they leave!

Five Years Ago . . .

Five years ago, today, I was out chasing cows, and Rhett was chasing girls. No really. It's true. Our cows got out the morning of the 4th of July, and I was helping my dad herd them in while Rhett was calling to invite me to "hang out." He ended up going to the parade with some girl, then we hung out for a little bit before the fireworks, where he dropped me off home, and picked up some other girl to take to the fireworks.

Though I like to tease him about it now, I know I'm lucky that I'm the one that got him, and not someone else. It was a hot competition.

Five years later, here we are . . .
I'm so lucky.

Father's Day Weekend

We are sure loving the nice, sunny weather here. A while back, I got out the sprinkler to let the girls run through. It took them a little time to warm up to it, and they would only get close to it if it was just a tiny sprinkle. But they had a good time with it.
Summer thought it was fun to spray Claire with it. Claire thought it was fun too--for about a half a second.

Grandma and Grandpa Kartchner came to visit us for Father's Day. Our friend Lindsey graduated from Wenatchee, so we headed over to stay the night at a hotel and attend the graduation. The girls got to swim with Grandma and Grandpa. They loved it.

We also got to visit Smallwood Harvest Farm while we were in Wenatchee. It was so much fun.
We got back to Liberty Lake Saturday evening, and Sunday morning, Grandma helped the girls make breakfast in bed for dad.

The girls also dressed up in Grandpa's swim gear. Claire loved running around with the cap and goggles on.

A few weekends ago, we shopped through the Liberty Lake yard sale (a Saturday morning where about a hundred houses have yard sales so you just wander the streets and yard sale). We got this awesome swimming pool for 5 bucks. Thanks to Grandpa for helping us blow it up. (Yes--he used his own breath!)

Grandma and Grandpa got to swim a bit in the lake while they were here, so Dad wanted to try it out too. (Grandma's in the background, waiting in the water for Dad, and Claire couldn't figure out what dad was wearing.)
The return:

Playing in the sand:

We had a great weekend, and are so grateful that we could spend Father's Day with our special Dad and Grandpa.

Blast from the Past

Brittney: 1 month
Me again: 5 yrs
Gotta love this one--the bangs, the bow, the pants: 10 yrs

One of my favorites: (Check out those bangs blowing in the wind--or maybe the wind wasn't blowing. It was all about height back then.) 15 yrs
Me working in Yellowstone Park as a construction flagger: 20 yrs

Cute little super-premie Rhett: 6 weeks early

Look at this guy. How could you not fall for him??? 5 yrs

Wonder if I could get him to wear Wranglers again sometime . . .: 10 yrs

Love that smile: (in Brazil on his mission after finding some cotton candy in the street. Yes, he ate it.) 20 yrs

Our wedding day: August 10, 2007

How it all began . . .
Rhett, lead guitarist in his band, and me, the groupie (the only girl in the picture). (July 24, 1999)

Aaaaah, memories . . .