the jennings

workin' hard or hardly workin'?

2012-01-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

at dinner tonight...
eli to adam - so, are you kinda like a boss at your work?
adam - yes.
eli - so...you don't have to work hard anymore?

:)

i love snow days…

2012-01-18T13:34:00.001-08:00

it’s finally here! (for the next few hours at least)

you can guess where this snowball went as soon as i put the camera away

his second tooth fell out the other day…

lyla REALLY wanted jesse, molly, shane and most of all, hailey to come play in the snow with us.

she totally looks like she’s boarding here…wahooooooo

eli’s climbing tree looks beautiful snow covered

hopefully bogus will open soon!!!

the beach in black and white

2012-01-12T20:27:00.001-08:00

the four

2012-01-12T20:05:00.001-08:00

baby Donovan

2012-01-10T22:02:00.001-08:00

dave and joanna had their first baby while we were in so-cal. perfect timing! he is such a cutie pants.

the kiddos posing (using that term ever so loosely) for a group shot…

a game of chess must be had when these two get together…

joanna’s dad (on the far right) was so sweet to lyla. he was trying his best to befriend her. anyone who knows lyla knows that she decides on her friends, not the other way around. in the end she gave a goodbye five and a sheepish smile. success!

all of us…

watching tv

2012-01-07T15:13:00.001-08:00

they almost never sit normally on the couch…and lyla is in, what i'm sure pediatricians call, the “i love cardboard boxes” stage.

Christmas part 2

2012-01-05T21:52:00.001-08:00

Christmas day was spent at grandma and grandpa hobb’s house. we opened presents, played some dodge ball and had dinner. i'm following last years post with a photo of each grandchild, starting with the newest member of the family.

piper (she slept most of Christmas day and i never got a great picture of her. this doesn’t do her cuteness justice).

francis

bailey

lyla

hailey

eli (smashing cans, a favorite activity at grandmas house)

clark

jake

julia

ben

shane

isabelle

and some more random pics from the day…jesse sporting hailey’s feathers…

kylee and francis

i LOVE this picture. hailey took such good care of lyla during the whole trip. she wanted to help her every chance she got, even buckling lyla’s carseat. she shared her toys, her food, her pokemon cards and was just all around sweet. on our last day when she found out we were leaving she looked at lyla and said, “i'm going to miss you lyla.” sniff, sniff :(

kylee and i soaking up some of that beautiful california sun…

cousin emily and aunt twylla…

Christmas from grandma’s point of view…

dodge ball…

a beautiful day! Merry Christmas!

ewww....

2012-01-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

after dinner lyla went under the table and the following ensued...
adam: what are you doin' under there?
lyla: i ate a cheerio...off the floor....it was stuck and it was yummy...mmmmmm.
adam: you shouldn't do that.
lyla: yum, it was stuck and it had a hair on it, but i couldn't even taste the hair.

maybe i need to take some cooking classes if she would rather eat a hairy cheerio than her dinner.

the camp family

2011-12-30T21:09:00.001-08:00

power outage…

2011-12-30T21:04:00.001-08:00

lucky, grandma and papa got them flashlights for Christmas. good timing!

love these beach days

2011-12-29T00:17:00.001-08:00

coronado ferry

2011-12-28T22:58:00.001-08:00

the fam took a little trip across the bay to coronado for a picnic. we’ve been having amazing weather…even for san diego. this was a great way to take advantage of the sun.

julia, clark, isabelle, eli and ben taking in the view…

love these two…

these two had a really great time together...

once on coronado, they found a fish carcass. it was a great source of entertainment and was well traveled by the time we left.

isabelle and julia. with the above going on, these girls must stick together.

us!

Christmas part 1

2011-12-27T23:57:00.001-08:00

the beeman family came to visit on Christmas eve. we had a nice dinner with adam’s dad and ellen and then opened gifts with the following kiddos…

why is it that hugging always turns into choking with these guys?…

julie bought them matching pj’s:)

lyla proudly wearing the hello kitty necklace grandma ellen gave her…

merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T08:13:00.001-08:00

straight to the beach

2011-12-24T15:54:00.001-08:00

we made record time here, 16.5 hours! we arrived, unpacked, and took a walk to the beach…

eli with grandpa scott

lyla LOVES the beach.

adam with his dad…

crab parts!

adam found this beautiful snail, ain’t she pretty?

we also found these strange creatures. the one in the front looked especially wily….

happy Christmas eve!

kristin’s happy birthday

2011-12-22T08:47:00.001-08:00

our good friend, kristin, is celebrating her 40th birthday this year. i'm so thankful for her and her fun little family. she is a fun mom, a great friends, a loving wife, a rocking coach, a giver of great conversation, an adventures soul, a lover of God, a servant, a strong and independent lady, a tender heart, a source of much laughter and a true gift to those who know her. in honor of all of this, we had a SURPRISE! party for her…she was surprised:)

here, her husband explains the multitudes of lies he told her that day. sorry jason:(

the kids checking out the smorgasbord of desserts…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR KRISTIN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

some of the party goers...

love this one of zoe…

kristin and her sweet daughter…

the ladies…

happy birthday, kristin!

painted ornaments

2011-12-20T09:26:00.001-08:00

eli and lyla’s…

adam’s and mine…

loved this project!

farmstead

2011-12-14T11:24:00.001-08:00

i can’t believe i forgot to post these! farmstead is something we look forward to every year. as always, the bounce pillow consumed most of our time…

adam’s favorite part was the cow barrel ride…

our little farmers…

eil liked shooting the pumpkin and corn guns…of course!

lyla hitching a ride…

yay for the farmstead!

our six year old

2011-12-08T17:20:00.001-08:00

eli turns 6 today. he’s been well celebrated over the last few days. he decided that this year he wanted an “all boy” party (this makes me sad because we have many, many great friends that happen to be girls). so the boys went and shot at each other in a nerf battle. eli was beyond excited and could hardly control himself. he was jumping on and wrestling anyone who would allow him.

the boys, readying for battle…

cocked sideways like a gangsta’…really?

i think the dad’s looked forward to it as much as the kiddos…

julia came and played with lyla while the boys shot each other

the battlefield…

my sister in law had the awesome idea of a candy cake. eli LOVED it. the best part was that he got to help decorate it. he loved that too:)

the gang enjoying cake and ice cream

my grandma (turning 91!) has a birthday right after eli, so we had a family combo birthday for them…lyla helped her blow out the candles.

it’s nice having cousins to celebrate with…

i sat down to think about what to say about eli. it came to mind that i did that last year, so i went and saw what i wrote about him. apparently, he hasn’t changed that much…i could have written this about him today!

what eli is like at 5…er, 6

funny - loves hitting his forehead with his fist while hanging his tongue out of his mouth.
silly - has a great fondness of saying nonsense words and being "funny" (see above).
loud - see above
loving - always comforting lyla when she's hurt or sad.
persistent - persistent, persistent, persistent in everything.
sweet - to babies, especially girls.
rowdy - loves to wrestle, hit, fight and growl.
snugly - loves to snuggle. loves it when lyla lets him snuggle her.
inquisitive - about everything.
favorite toys: guns, knives, swords, axes and legos.
favorite foods: fish, steak, pancakes, french toast and anything with a good amount of sugar.
favorite pastimes: fighting, wrestling, pretending to be wild animals and video games.

Happy Birthday Eli!!!

Christmas is coming!

2011-12-03T21:52:00.001-08:00

and we’re getting ready! this week has been full of cookie making, decorating, wrapping, tree chopping and Christmas music.

first of these was the cookie making. until looking at the pictures, i didn’t realize cookie decorating was such serious business. many of the pictures captured furrowed brows and the concentration tongue.

lyla liked the purple frosting…well, she liked all the frosting, but purple happens to be her favorite color. she had eaten so much of it that by the time we finished she said, “my tummy hurts. i'm never eating frosting again…until i'm unsick of it.” she’s a quick thinker.

there was much of this going on…

see what i mean?…

33

2011-11-19T21:46:00.001-08:00

a few days ago i turned 33. the excitement for me came when i realized i was, in fact, not turning 34, but 33! that realization came just a few days before my birthday. i gained a year, wahoo! talk about a good birthday present.

it’s fun that the kids are getting old enough to participate and understand the celebration. eli and lyla enjoyed the festivities and each made me little notes to attach to the gift they (their dad) gave me. my favorite by far was one from eli, it read “i love you so much i might faint and punch myself in the face.” we’re in the process of a copy write, so back off hallmark.

anyway, this post really isn’t here to talk about my birthday, it’s here because this picture makes me laugh every time i even think about it…

fall

2011-11-12T15:27:00.001-08:00

we did leaf cleanup today. and we all know that means the piles MUST be jumped in…

the first…

2011-11-04T12:11:00.001-07:00

…SNOW

carving

2011-11-03T08:27:00.001-07:00

pumpkin carving day was a much anticipated event by the kiddos. eli has never been a fan of taking out the “guts,” but after lyla proclaimed herself brave and offered to clean out his pumpkin, he quickly overcame his dislike. she loved the guts and used her hands…

eli mostly used the tongs… :)

lyla loved her little pumpkin…

eli with one of his pumpkins…he’s really working those blades!

halloween

2011-11-03T07:48:00.001-07:00

we had a great time on halloween. wolverine and fi-fi the pink poodle went trick or treating with isaac and thomas and some neighborhood kids. adam made wolverines blades…aren’t the cool!?!

love theses shots

corrie came to visit for the weekend. it was SO GREAT to see her. we had a fun weekend of shopping and eating out. a shout out to adam for being mister mom while corrie and i played:)

love that guy

2011-10-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

eli and lyla were getting into bed tonight, chatting it up as usual. i was putting some stuff away and half listening when i heard eli say to lyla, "you can call me dangerous. it's like...we're the same. danger is me and i am like danger."

i'm glad he sees himself that way.

it finally happened!

2011-10-25T22:06:00.001-07:00

eli was riding in the car with adam and my dad when he wiggled his hanging-on-by-a-thread tooth right out. afterward he said he felt nauseous and adam said he “didn’t look good.” a little pale. hope the next one is easier!

i'm sad i wasn’t there. before the loss, every day he would ask me to wiggle that tooth. it’s been loose for months, so i figure i've wiggled it at least 80-90 times. and to not be there for the finale?!?!

if...

2011-10-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

"if God had a backpack He could put me in it and carry me around" - lyla

a grave confusion

2011-10-18T22:26:00.001-07:00

the grave fascinates eli. being the boy he is, he always points out cemeteries and a conversation ensues about what goes on there, what’s down there and how they get down there.

in the car today…

eli - look! a graveyard!

lyla - if we go there, will we die?

eli – no, that’s where they take your body when you die. your head, arms and legs go to heaven and they only put your body in the ground.

lyla – oh.

me – oh....i have some explaining to do.

so, i will think twice next time before i say, “when you die you’re spirit goes to heaven to live with God, it’s only your body that goes in the ground.”

he keeps me on my toes.

lyla is an “in the box” type of thinker…

2011-10-18T20:57:00.001-07:00

just a picture…

2011-10-10T22:00:00.001-07:00

…of lyla being big. when i saw this shot i felt time flying by and standing still at the same time. i feel the years zooming past at full throttle, but a snail could beat me through a day. how is that possible?

a rainy day at our house

2011-10-07T21:47:00.001-07:00

we’ve had a few rainy days back to back, which means a lot of indoor play. the kids have been entertaining themselves pretty well…it gives me some hope for the winter.

lyla contemplates her block tower…

eli in silly boy mode…

“okay mom, now a serious one.” he’s so funny.

yes, under there somewhere is our living room floor. I’m learning to roll with it as long as they are playing well:)

time to put away the blocks…

now we’re ready for some sunshine!!!

boys and their toys

2011-10-04T21:46:00.001-07:00

both adam and my dad got new guns last week, so they went out this weekend to break them in.

the adventures of flower and bear

2011-10-04T21:37:00.001-07:00

lyla has been asking to be called “flower” lately. today, on our first rainy-stay-at-home-day of the season, she and bear were quite busy. take note of the two bags hanging on the handles…they are full of this and that…things they may need for the “camp out” they were on.

i love how bear is holding the umbrella…

the camp out…

lyla thrives on this play time. she keeps herself entertained and is most “her” when we’re home. her crazy self is rarely seen in public, but is constantly on stage here in our living room…

she is such a silly, serious, lovely gift.

first day of school

2011-09-28T20:49:00.001-07:00

eli’s first day of kindergarten co-op

lyla’s first day of preschool co-op.

the two of them…

lyla’s first person

2011-09-27T21:06:00.001-07:00

lyla was in the corner drawing this afternoon and came out with this…

her first drawing of a person…actually, her first drawing of anything recognizable. complete with toes, ears and a spear in his left hand. she said, “he has a mean face and he’s fierce.” after mean-faced-fierce man, she drew these…and said they were happy:)

i love these first artistic accomplishments. and i love my little girl, still learning how to smile for the camera, holding her creation.

air show

2011-09-20T22:52:00.001-07:00

my dad and i took the kids to the air show while adam was backpacking last weekend. i wish i could say we had a wonderful time, but this…

…is what most of my day looked like. there were a few good moments, though they were few and f a r between.

this was when we first got there, all was still somewhat peaceful. seriously, could lyla have any more head gear?

eli was not about to be outdone in the head gear department…

i wish i could see what was going on in his head while he was checking out these bullets. i'm sure things were exploding all over the place…

in the back of a tank…

i told eli to keep an eye on lyla as they waited to go further into the tank, then this caught my eye…

i just love that about him.

on top of the tank…

these are just amazingly huge…

eli taking a rest inside…

that crazy thing coming off the front is an in-flight fueling system.

i think we'll wait a few more years/decades before i take lyla to another air show:)

new do

2011-09-20T22:22:00.001-07:00

i've been fighting it. i but the other day i came to the point where i just could not stand to put one more hair accessary on her head. if three rubber bands and two clips can’t keep the hair out of her face, then it must be cut. at least that’s the conclusion i finally came to. but bangs? yikes. bangs are a scary thing. getting them…how much to get?..straight or swished? will that calic be the end of good hair days?

but back to lyla. she now has bangs and i love her new do…

before

after

qutoes of the day

2011-09-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

eli after eating ice cream, "mom, i just had a delicious burp!"

lyla after a bath, "now i'm all clean and nice and FLUFFY!"

funny kids.

the beemans come to idaho!

2011-09-14T22:42:00.001-07:00

we had a great time with adam's sister and her family last week. they came to visit for five fun filled days, which i'll cram into this blog:)

we went to the river (of course!). cousinly fun was had.

love this picture of adam and julie…

miss bailey…she has a pretty constant “thinking brow.” such a cutie.

racin’ at the bike park…

oh, i love this face!

lyla loves the dirt at the track…the “pile” at her knee was her pride and joy. she kept saying, “mama, you see my pile!?!” and “where's my pile!?! oh (much relief) there it is!” pretty funny business.

the beeman family:)

my parents and aunt joined us for a dual raft float down the river…

bailey enjoyed lyla’s stroller…

we also went for a ride on the greenbelt….

i made a hat for bailey…when i put it on she wouldn’t move her head and gave me this look…

a visit to the zoo and a shot of the monkey exhibit, hahaha.

lyla, jake, eli and bailey. eli reminds me so much of adam here…

petting the hedgehog was a highlight (for me, at least). they are SO cute! i want one. don’t know if i could handle feeding it grubs, though. i was sitting just a few feet away during his “snack” time and the crunch, crunch, crunching was enough to turn my tummy.

thanks for visiting, beemans! it was fun having you:)

mass camping

2011-08-30T20:38:00.001-07:00

this was the first mass camping I’ve experienced since I was a kid camping at san elijo. it was fun. we spent the weekend at sagehen lake with seven other families.

our site backed up against a forested hill, which the kids took full advantage of.

there was much warfare…

the lake shore was covered with baby frogs. this was the early morning hunt…

jon leading the kids in a rock session around the fire…

zoe was wielding this weapon like a true soldier…until the camera came out, then it was just a photo prop. it was hilarious watch her go from shooting to hugging.

taking a dip in the lake

a successful fishing trip…

birthday celebration…happy birthday colin!

enjoying the fire, my personal favorite part of camping.

there was a lot of this powwowing going on. little huddles of kids here and there. they just had a blast.

reese showing off her larger than life personality.

eli finally partaking of s’mores.

these butterflies were abundant around the campsite…

super.fun.times~

“this is AWESOME!!!!!”

2011-08-25T22:41:00.001-07:00

the much anticipated fair came to town this week. and for these small town people without six flags and disneyland, it’s a BIG deal. the kids have been watching the field for the last week. watching the trucks move in. watching the tents go up. watching the rides take shape. turning a grass lot turn into fast, spinning, screaming fun.

we met up with the porterfields and rode some rides with the girls (and greg:)

eli was soooo sad that he was not tall enough to ride the upside-down rides. i CAN’T WAIT until he’s old enough to go on them. meanwhile, the swings and the viper were his favorite.

lyla enjoyed the rides too…

my sweet girl

i love how eli is looking at her here…

this is her, “I gave the goat the food AND the cup” face.

if i said we got the wrist bands just for the kiddo’s, i’d be a big, fat liar. i love fair rides and was super excited about a specific tall ride that they had this year. while eli was all amped just to watch me ride, lyla began crying, “i don’t want you to go on that ride.” i say this to set the seen for after I got off the ride. both kids ran over and gave me a great big hug. one, because she was happy her mama was alive. and the other because he was just so proud/excited. it was super cute.

so we’re sitting at the top of the farris wheel when eli says...

can I throw my shoe?

no.

can I spit?

no.

i was telling adam this when we got down. he laughed and said, “i was just thinking while you were up there that i hope nobody throws their shoe or spits.” it must be a guy thing, it really never crossed my mind to do either:)

i was trying to get lyla to put her hands up, but she wasn’t havin’ it.

this was eli’s favorite ride of the night, the viper…i went on it with him once, but that was all my stomach could handle. the spinning within the spinning was just too much for me. when we rode it together he kept yelling, “this is AWESOME!!!!'”

if you’re wondering where adam was, he was our photographer. he’s not a huge fan of fair rides, so he opted out of the wristband. all in all, a successful night. fun had. goats fed. second mortgage taken out to pay for it all.

a decade later

2011-08-17T23:29:00.001-07:00

we celebrated our 10 year anniversary with a trip to seattle. 10 years? really? yep!

we began our weekend with a ferry ride to bainbridge island, took a nature walk, ate some wild black berries and headed back. the ferry was a beautiful way to view the city

us on the ferry…who would have thought that you would need to BUNDLE UP in AUGUST?!?

the next morning we headed to the market. crazy place. the fruits and flowers were just as impressive as the famous fish.

adam picked up this sandwich for breakfast and and said, “it’s so nice, I don’t want to open it.” but “it” contained food, so he did. behind him are sacks of cheese cloth draining the whey off to make cheese curds.

see the headless fish flying through the air with the greatest of ease?

the candy shop. was i buying candy for the kids? nope. they carried some violet candy that my mom and i love. it’s hard to find any more, but it’s fun when i find it. it reminds me of going to seaport village when i was little.

after the market we rented some bikes and toured the olympic sculpture park and the seattle center. my feet hurt SO BAD from all the walking. I was so, so, so happy to be on wheels.

adam said he loves this picture because it was just ”you in real life” :)

we got a new camera while we were there and were messing around with it while waiting for our lunch…so this is what we look like at 33.

this picture reminds me of the one with the farmers…adam, where’s your pitchfork?

our hotel was beautiful. built in 1927 and full of character and class. we really could not have been in a better location, the walkability was perfect.

another one of adam’s favorite pics. he had the fish and chips here and said they were the best he’s every had:)

so that sums up our trip. beautiful weather, good food, time alone! and the space needle. who could ask for more?

Thanks, mom and dad, for watching the kiddos!

letting go

2011-08-14T07:14:00.001-07:00

we went for a river float with the taylor family yesterday. along the way there was a rope swing that we had to take advantage of. eli wanted to to it, I was hesitant to let him. but as we climbed the bank my anxiety melted away. “there is no way he’ll do this,” i thought to myself. the bank was steep and around 8-10 feet tall. after seeing isabelle and i go, he still wanted to do it. truthfully, i did not want him to. the mama in me was scared. but he stuck to it and held on...and let go! so proud:)

isabelle…

me…

the crew…

h2o accomplishments

2011-08-11T21:42:00.001-07:00

we went to ivywild pool a few evenings ago. we had a BLAST. the kids loved the waterslide, even lyla! she saw me go down with eli and told adam, “I wanna’ do that!!!”

before they braved the slide, we were all playing in the kiddy pool. lyla was putting her face under water which it was just hilarious. she would open her mouth and sort of gargle until she came back up. I was almost crying from laughter. she was soooo happy with her accomplishment that upon surfacing she would do a little ballet twirl. it was really one of the most fun, funny, precious moments with her I can remember.

going under…

coming back up…

eli is turning into a little fish. he and isabelle were having a breath holding contest. isabelle won, but the fact that he goes UNDER WATER and comes back up still breathing (and not choking) is a new break through. he is now swimming under and above water. yey for him!!!

clark chillin’ with my mom

sharks…

I want a pool.

boatn’

2011-08-10T21:10:00.001-07:00

we had a nice day on the lake the other day with chelsea and the kids.

the kiddos had a blast on the tube…

under the pontoon boat

the taylor fam

good times.

grandma ellen and grandpa jennings

2011-08-10T21:00:00.001-07:00

the last of our vacation…eli LOVES grandma ellen’s ipad. she was very generous in letting him play games till his little eyes blurred. the morning we left he was getting in one last pad session.

happy birthday francis!

2011-08-08T21:25:00.001-07:00

we happened to be in town to celebrate her first birthday. she looks so happy because she knows she gets to eat that cake:)

francis was nice enough to share her birthday with lyla. it was nice to be able to celebrate with our S.D. family.

julia, isabelle and eli

twylla, kylee and brian…again, I wish I would have taken more pictures:(

more cousins

2011-08-08T21:03:00.001-07:00

eli had a blast with cousin jake. they are only 2 months apart and both all boy. guns, wrestling, fighting, video games=a perfect day.

eli showing his softer side cooing at bailey. he thought she was “soooo cute.” I agree!

not a great shot, but the only one with all 4 of them. look at those silly boys…

we had a good day at the beach…

we love our cousins!

birthday treat

2011-08-07T21:19:00.001-07:00

jesse and molly took lyla (and us:) out for a fondue dessert to celebrate lyla’s birthday. it was delish. lyla got a special birthday strawberry that she enjoyed. thoroughly.

did I mention “thoroughly?”

the boys loved the “swords”

hailey too:)

I’m always sad that I don’t have any pictures of the adults. but if I took one, a picture of jesse and molly would be here with a big “thank you” for dessert, a beautiful place to stay and a super fun time. we love and miss you guys!

the fountain

2011-08-03T21:58:00.001-07:00

san pedro has a beautiful water show set to music in the evening. it was really impressive. it took lyla at least a half hour to take her hands off her ears and realize that it wasn’t loud. she then made the comment that “those fireworks are the quietest ever.”

those goofy kids

shane posing for me. he’s such a cutie.

it was a beautiful evening…

after the water show we took a trolley ride. it was a nice cap to the night.

the beach

2011-08-03T21:37:00.001-07:00

out of our eight days in so-cal, we spent 4 of them at the beach. it was great:)

our sweet niece and nephew...

lyla loves to snuggle in blankets, pillows and towels. I think that was her favorite part of the beach, she loved getting all warmed up in her towel.

shane went out with adam and caught his first “real” boogie board wave. molly and I watch the beautiful ride from the shore. this picture is of him right after, you can see the excitement on his face. notice the tongue, it must be a camp trait.

eli loved the waves and the water. he loved the sand and the sand crabs. he just loves the beach.

happy birthday to our sweet 3 year old

2011-07-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

lyla at three…she loves: pretty things, getting her toes painted, her stripped dress that twirls, purple, holding hands while she falls to sleep, pillow pets and snuggly blankets, unicorns and pretending she’s a puppy.

dinner with the thomas fam

2011-07-30T22:05:00.001-07:00

we were lucky to catch dinner with corrie and mike before we left san diego. they borrowed their niece and nephew so the kids could play while we visited. it worked! we had a great time visiting and the kids were insta-friends. we were only there ten minutes when lyla came out with braided pig tails, compliments of lily. it was really cute.

after a delicious dinner (thanks guys!) we went to the park where mike was making good use of his go-pro cam…

now adam wants a go-pro and I want a fish eye lens for our camera:)

the marshmallow roast…

2011-07-30T21:44:00.001-07:00

these little ladies have had a lot of fun together

priorities

2011-07-30T21:34:00.001-07:00

for the last few years we’ve been visiting c.a. in the winter to escape the cold. but then we miss the good beach weather. so this trip, the beach was a priority. our first day here was somewhat cold and cloudy, but that didn’t stop the kids…

well, maybe it stopped lyla a little…she napped on the beach under a blanket for most of the time. when we finally woke her up to head for the car she said, “that was fu-uun!”

we’re having fun

2011-07-26T23:49:00.001-07:00

hailey asked if they cold do a “funny one.”

I love when friends visit

2011-07-26T23:43:00.001-07:00

dave and joanna came to visit this weekend. we had a fun couple of days.

on the first we day floated the mighty boise river. lyla made it the whole way! (last time we had to bail out and call adam to come pick us up).

a little fun along the way

the kids loved, loved, loved having guests.

a little goofy going on at the capitol

we rode from adam’s work downtown to bittercreek for dinner with the lawrences. eli rode the whole way with his gearless bike. I was impressed:)

you can smash a lot of fun into a few days if you try really hard:) dave and joanna, it was super having you guys here!!!

lyla loves her new hat…

2011-07-14T07:53:00.001-07:00

big bro, little sis

2011-07-11T22:09:00.001-07:00

thank you wendi, I love this shot:)

happy 4th!

2011-07-08T09:02:00.001-07:00

i love fireworks. i love freedom, family, friends and parties. which must be why i love the 4th:) this year was a blast, as always. here are some brave boys getting ready to be dunked…kedrick is taunting his dunkers, funny guy.

lyla liked the dunk tank. she hung out watching it with papa and grandma much of the evening. the picture on the right is when someone got dunked, “whao!”

the kiddos with grandma and papa

tats

my sweet girl

my crazy boy taunting scott in the dunk tank

caycee and elicia rocking the marshmallow catch

the water balloon toss

lyla enjoying the emptying of the dunk tank

Happy Independence Day!!!

why I’m enjoying our rental….

2011-07-03T08:05:00.001-07:00

kids, kids everywhere!!!

first bike

2011-07-01T21:37:00.001-07:00

lyla got her first bike the other day…

mr. slug

2011-07-01T21:26:00.001-07:00

we recently had a HUGE slug in our yard. the kids adopted it and made a little home for him. he loved the apple eli put in there…you could see his little nibble marks. all the munchin’ and crunchin’ led to the slug using his home as a toilet. apparently slugs don’t mind eating an apple while sitting on their own…stuff. the awesome part was when eli woke up in the morning and checked on the slug…”mom! the slug had BABIES!” you can imagine his disappointment.

eli’s rendition of mr. slug ~ this is one of my favorite drawings. i love how the slug is smiling, so cute.

a sweet ride

2011-06-29T20:31:00.001-07:00

yesterday was adam’s b-day, so we rode downtown to have dinner at our favorite sushi place…closed! second choice was my favorite, bittercreek, so it was really not such a bummer:) what a beautiful evening. warm, nice breeze, people out biking, swimming, running, fishing, surfing (yes! surfing), eating, enjoying. we fit right in.

happy birthday to you babe!

first race

2011-06-26T23:26:00.001-07:00

eli ran his first race this weekend. it was the main street mile, but only 1/2 mile for the kiddos. they get to chase an ice cream truck and “win” an ice cream at the end. eli did great, but he did note, “that was fun…i never want to do that again!” i think he meant the event as a whole was fun, the running, not so much. here he is getting a good luck hug from sis.

all set to race!

it may sound strange, but i love when they close down streets and you get to walk in a place usually reserved for cars. i also love living just a few minutes from the beautiful capitol building.

some of the fierce competition…

silly kids

this was the only spot where he almost walked…

but as soon as he heard us cheering he started running at lightening speed...

and at the end ~ the ice cream…it was all worth it, especially for lyla, who didn't even run. good thing for her she has a generous daddy.

when eli get’s behind the camera…

2011-06-26T22:41:00.001-07:00

he’s amped

2011-06-23T07:43:00.001-07:00

biking. it’s been the topic of many conversations around here lately. like tonight when eli asked if he cold sleep in his clothes instead of his pj’s so that when he woke up in the morning and go right out to ride his bike. he went on to say, “mom, I need to practice everyday so that I can get really good and go off jumps and r-i-d-e u-p t-r-e-e-s.”

this bike mania started just a few days ago. some friends told us about the eagle bike park and how they have a new bmx track. it sounded like fun, but eli has only been riding without training wheels for a few months, and never on uneven dirt. we thought we would go and check it out, let him ride on the dirt, and maybe test out a bit of the small track.

here are the boys getting ready to ride…

check out his face:) this was the end of the smaller track…after riding on it a few times he said, “this is boring, let’s go on the big one!”

so they did…

I don’t think I’ve ever seen eli so excited about something. he was all chatty, talking to everyone.. “hey!” “how’s it going!?!” “do you want to race!?!” yeah, he challenged a boy twice his age to race. the guy was a good sport and “raced” him a few times.

a after about two hours of riding he said, “now that’s what I call fun!”

lyla had a grand time too. she slid down the dirt banks, climbed up the dirt piles and ran the track with her own two little, adorable, legs.

this is going to require many, many band-aids.

chocolate birds?

2011-06-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

lyla: mom, aren't chocolate-o birds beautiful?
me: chocolate-o birds? what are those?
lyla: the ones with all the pretty colors.
me: oh! tropical birds.
lyla: NO! CHOCOLATE-O BIRDS!!!

i never was able to convince her.

praying

2011-06-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

the other day eli decided that he wants to pray out loud everyday.

i really love that.

before bed one night he said, "...and God, i hope you have a good nights sleep."

he also prays for our health (that our family "would never, ever get sick again"), for lyla and for me and his daddy. oh, and that he could buy a new bakugan:)

“the rental”

2011-06-09T08:49:00.001-07:00

we moved into a rental at the beginning of may and the kids LOVE IT. whenever we are out and about, running errands, shopping, the library...they always beg to go back to "the rental" as it is affectionately known.
reason #1 for the love ~ eli has made a new best bud a few houses down. they have a lot of fun together and play for hours...it's FANTASTIC.
reason #2 for the love ~ the climbing tree in the front yard. eli is o-so-proud of his blooming climbing skills and wants to show any new visitor the various ways he can climb the tree. lyla can't really climb it, but she likes to be put up there so she can hang out with eli.

this was his exit strategy before that branch broke...

blogger image quality

2011-06-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

has anyone noticed how the image quality on blogger has gone WAY down? i upload pics that look great on my computer, but when they are placed in a post the look blurry. i tried higher resolution and posting buy the url. i'm only at 20% of my storage usage with google. any ideas? i miss crisp pics!

it's a big concept

2011-05-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

this week at bible study lyla wanted to stay with us instead of going to her class. our pastor, troy, leads the study and was up in front talking to the group. lyla was sitting quietly all snuggled in my lap when she looked up at me and whispered, "is that God?"

greenbelt scavenger hunt

2011-05-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

jen planned a super fun greenbelt scavenger hunt for our playgroup. the kids had to find things such as twigs and leaves, rocks and bark. it was pretty funny that most of the kids got decorative bark from landscaping instead of bark from actual trees, funny city kids. here is the gang (minus the stroller riders, reese and lyla).

never. EVER. pass up a chance to stick your tongue out in a picture.

they boys were quite outnumbered and felt the need to travel in a pack….

these wild poppies are popping up everywhere right now, they are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l-!

jen went through the found treasures with the kids at the end of the hunt. she did a great job, i might add.

everyone hold up your twig!

lyla getting ready to show off her finds…

a huge thank you to jen for planning this trip! THANK YOU!!!

so busy

2011-05-17T05:56:00.001-07:00

it’s been crazy here for the past few weeks. we moved (to a rental, but we’re still on the house hunt!). moving with kids is quite a bit more work than moving without. they have been pretty good sports about it and LOVE “the rental,” as it’s affectionately known. the other day eli asked if we were going home when lyla corrected him and said, “you mean THE RENTAL!?!” she’s a crack up.

even in the midst of a move, there is always time for a sward fight…look at those furious faces!

AWANA

2011-05-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

eli graduated cubbies tonight. in the last 9 months he's only missed two wednesday nights. he has loved his class and has been excited to go every week...and i think i've found out why. while he was dictating his teachers thank you cards to me he said,
"dear miss melanie,
thank you for being such a great teacher.
i loved the snacks, it was my favorite part."
hahaha.

"rocket ships!"

2011-04-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

at first they were sharing a rocket, which proved to be a little tight...

a little breakfast for the rocketeers...

cardboard boxes are the best!!!

lyla the philosopher

2011-04-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

"mom, how did God get in heaven?"

more trophies!

2011-04-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

adam took his class three waste water exam today and passed! as soon as eli heard his daddy "won," he made him these trophies...

way to go babe!!!

the hunt

2011-04-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

the kids have had a good amount of egg hunting practice. for the last week or so we've been hiding the plastic eggs and finding them...they have really enjoyed it. but this was for real, this was for money and candy!

"is there any candy in here?"

"oh, just money!"

"guess i'll put it in my basket anyway"

they both got umbrellas in their Easter baskets...

happy kids at the end of a successful hunt...

the lamb

2011-04-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

John 1:29

...John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

for Easter our church put on a beautiful play including a live lamb. the kids enjoyed keeping it company after the service...

partners in comedy

2011-04-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

there was hilarity going on in the other room. for a few minutes i enjoyed the laughter from down the hall...then curiosity led me to the laughing room~or should i say the hair cutting room. eli was armed with a pair of scissors and lyla was his willing subject. no major damage was done, just a little thinning out on her left side. in this case, curiosity saved the hair instead of killing the cat.

race day

2011-04-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

eli had a car race for his AWANA club. the got a block of wood and some wheels and had to carve and paint it. eli decorated it with a 6 and a sticker with candles on it...candles? yes, candles...he said it was "like fire coming out of the back, like jets!" oh, that makes more since!

things are never calm when you get these two together...

lyla loving every minute of cheetos consumption...

it was super cute how he was holding her so she wouldn't fall off

this was serious business...they had the racers names up on a screen, sensors to judge the winner and a video camera just in case...it was pretty sweet.

the sceen

eli's was the second car from the left...

and he got FIRST PLACE for cubbies!!! Yey! after all the divisions had raced, the did a race off to find out the fastest car in the tournament...he got second overall. he was so very excited to receive his very first trophy...

adam had to work on race day, so we dropped by to celebrate and show off the trophy...

way to go guys!

two wheelin' it!

2011-04-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

eli has been adamant on keeping his training wheels on...until last week when he decided he could do it without them. adam gave him a few instructions and ten minutes later he was a two wheeling kinda guy.
this is a proud "yeah, i can do this" smile.

look mom!

while eli was busy conquering the world on two wheels, lyla was basking in the sun...

...and laughing it up on the swings...

and what would a trip to the park be without a romp in the sand pit?

i'm going to titling this "i'm going to EAT YOU!"

yey for SPRING!

outlaw

2011-04-07T08:09:00.001-07:00

lyla just said, "hey, mom and eli, i have an idea. let's steal papa's car and drive it somewhere!"
hmmmmm...

mccall!

2011-04-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

this past weekend we headed up to mccall with good friends. it's so refreshing to get out of town and relax. also a huge plus: kids who are old enough to play (mostly) by themselves. this allows for conversations to be finished, a quite moment to be enjoyed and dinner to be made with ease.

these two little ladies had a blast together. they played all weekend, it was super sweet.

i borrowed this shot from jen, eli's face is priceless.

lyla loves the snow...

the guys had to find something manly to do, so they shoveled the snow off the roof and made a little snow hill for sledding...

everybody in!

the gang...

on the way home we stopped at goldfork hot springs. this is one of my favorite spots...i just wish it weren't so far away. lyla loved it too. she keeps asking if we can go back to that "pond thing." the steam felt good on the face, but makes the pics a little blurry.

thanks, friends, for a great weekend!

the princess phase

2011-04-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

lyla is there. the phase which consists of anything feminine, fluffy or lacy. she has deemed just about any dress a "princess" dress, even if it lacks the frills. here, eli was being the prince...he asked her to marry him:)

play time

2011-04-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

we went to monkey business the other day with the marsh girls. these two are too cute together...i love the expression on eli's face, especially when contrasted with chloe's little smile.

they both scaled the wall...

thanks marsh girls!

boarding (again:)

2011-03-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

adam was kind enough to watch the kids so jenny and i could go boarding. such a fun time (and a blast to the past!). we talked a lot about how people say bogus is an "ice field" and how the conditions are poor...they obviously have never been boarding in socal. we're happy with our little hill here.

some shots of rock star jenny...

us at the end of the day...

i love daylight savings time. though we've been "night" skiing both times, we got off the hill before it was dark. the lights are so pretty as the sun goes down.

thanks, jenny, for a fun trip!

she's a girly girl

2011-03-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

we drove by a Catholic church the other day. it's an old beautiful building with plenty of stain glass. lyla got all excited and said, "that's where the princess lives!!!"

i heart boarding

2011-03-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

one of the reasons we chose to live here was the city's proximity to a ski resort. however, the move here was the beginning of our family building process. i've been prego or nursing or had a new born/young baby to care for 4 out of the 5 winters we've been here. BUT next year will be different. we bought passes and intend on using them...the great thing is that they are good for the rest of this season and all of next.
we went up the hill yesterday evening. the snow was great, lots of powder and virtually no people. there were maybe 40 cars in the parking lot. never came close to waiting in line and no maneuvering around people...there were no people! sunny, no wind, warm(ish). it was just perfect.

lyla to eli:

2011-03-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

i want to be 5 like you when i grow up.

ever had one of those days?

2011-03-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

ROCKIN' IT!

2011-03-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

we had a blast last night with the hills at the rock and worship roadshow. if it's coming to a city near you...GO! matt maher, jars of clay, the afters, thousand foot krutch and lecrea all in one concert. you can't go wrong.

my very favorite song of the night by matt maher...listen here...really, you'll love it:)

It don't have a job, don't pay your bills

Won't buy you a home, in Beverly Hills

Won't fix your life, in five easy steps
Ain't the law of the land, or the government

But it's all you need...

Love, will, hold us together
Make us a shelter
to weather the storm

And I'll, be, my brothers keeper
So the whole world will know
That we're not alone

It's waiting for you
Knockin' at your door!
Every moment of truth
When your heart hits the floor

This is the first, day of the rest of your life
This is the first, day of the rest of your life
'Cause even in the dark you can still see the light
It's gonna be alright, s'gonna be alright

go matt maher!~

me and kristin. next year. you. me. lecrae. we're on.

praising God for the encouragement, the fun, the friendships and the dancing!

on her way

2011-02-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

lyla was just sitting here talking herself, when she ask, "do you know what pee pee sounds like?" meaning do you know what letter it starts with. "it's p p p (making the p sound)." then she said, "it starts with P!" thank you super y and eli's homeschooling!

nothing new

2011-02-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

not a whole lot going on around here. just life. time spent with friends, church, homeschooling, bible study, awana, refinishing furniture (i know, we don't have a house, but I couldn't pass it up!), sunshine, a taste of early spring, snow and watching the friendship between our kids grow daily. all in all, good things.

some highlights as of late:
~ lyla is sooo sick. yesterday she was throwing up. while adam and i were tending her, eli had gone and gotten a cup, ice and water and brought it to her. she received the cup just as she was finishing her encounter with the mixing bowl. after taking a drink, in a totally normal and upbeat voice, said "thanks eli." it was the sweetest thing. and she's certainly gotten her fair share of "awww....ba-by" from him when she has a coughing fit.

~the weather has been fun these last few days. flurries of snow in the midst of sunshine. rain. super cold wind and cloudy sky. then sunny sky. then cloudy sky...

~eli is doing a bang up job with his kindergarten curriculum. he is also really loving drawing (mostly things with spikes, fire and guns). he drew this picture of adam, lyla and me. notice the hearts...

so, that's what we've been up to this week:)

oh happy day

2011-02-13T21:17:00.000-08:00

winter is loosing its grip...today was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. after church we went to military reserve to enjoy the day. the kids were loving it...especially lyla, who walked/ran almost the whole hike. she could be heard yelling, "wahooooo!" "yeahhhhh!" and "go, lyla, go!" at any given time. she LOVED being outside...i wonder if she remembers being outside. happy, happy sixty degree day!

showing off his moves, hi-ya

she wore her hiking outfit...particularly her knee protectors. they were well used. she fell at least four or five times, but never cried. thank you baby legs!

eli playing photographer

skipping the river

happy kids

cuttin' off the curls

2011-02-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

every time i cut eli's hair lyla asks me to cut her hair too. her baby hair was getting uneven, so i finally gave in...it's official, she's a big girl.

bowlin'

2011-02-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

adam took the kids bowling today. lyla won! (using the ball roller and bumpers:) eli and adam tied. eli got a strike without even using the bumpers, go him!

retreat

2011-01-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

this past weekend the ladies of calvary middleton had our very first and very awesome retreat. it was only an overnighter, but such a great time of fellowship. our cabin was in snowy garden valley, only an hour away from boise.

the view from the front room...

the cabin was just beautiful...

the ladies!

i'm already looking forward to next year...