Day Three

The kids all came home happy today.  It may have had something to do with the fact that there was a creamsicle on the the line.  I told them they had to come off the bus with a smile and a positive attitude.  Fortunately, I think it was genuine and not bribed.

Hyrum took his nap this afternoon snuggled up to a glass jar with his grasshopper inside.

Rex and Lyle are officially walking.  Lyle was so happy with himself in the tub tonight shampooing his own hair.  Rex knew exactly what to do with the mini basketball over at Stacey's today.  He wanted me to lift him up over and over again to make it go through the hoop. 

Brielle, Taneil, and I picked pears this morning.  It was a beautiful day.

First Day of School

 Minutes before their first bus ride to school. 

(Talmage in the second shirt of the morning.)

Hyrum was very sad when he got left behind.

the kids picked out their own school shoes this year:

 Sariah

 Bryant

 Hyrum (didn't want him feeling any more left out)

Talmage

There were plenty of stomach butterflies and a few tears, but I'm sure it will get better in the next few days/weeks.

As for me and Hyrum, we had a great time.  We had a morning together while the babies napped, and he spent the afternoon at Lizza's.  A little day of heaven for him.

Where has the summer gone?

Amongst the changes of the summer, we said good-bye to our silver odyssey...

and "Charlie."  This farewell was particularly difficult for James. 

Afterall, "Charlie has been his companion longer than I have been."

"Panther" showed up on the step one morning.  He was well loved for a day.

Aunt Brenda bought a miniature horse and Sariah and Makaley were in heaven.

 Of course we had to have our share of adventure...

Lyle's chalazion.  He will have to have it surgically removed under general anesthetic.

Sariah's mystery wound.  Another visit to the doctor today and she thinks it was an infected insect bite. 

It's been over a month and still has a ways to heal.

And Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.  A miserable week while James was gone to his inservice. 

Lizza bailed me out again.  It was a bit too reminiscent of a year ago.

A lot of fun times...

Watching the summer lightning storms.

A day at the Moses Lake Water Park

(pics to come)

An afternoon at Aunt Stacey's

(pics to come)

 A lot of cousin time.

COUSINS!

The Specht Cousins have come to stay!

First thing on the agenda was to release the frogs as soon as the cousins saw them.

 Then there was BB gun shooting...

 ...and archery.

Friday night was the Olympic opening ceremonies. 

Talmage and Makaley were the only ones that made it to the lighting of the torch.

Saturday was swimming at Gibbons.

We said good-bye when they headed to Moses Lake this evening. 

But, it was a different good-bye.  The temporary kind---yeah!

24th of July

No one throws a Pioneer Day Party Like the Basin City wards.

 Our rough and tough crew with the Cazier boys.  (Especially Hyrum.)

 On the trail.  Sariah is in the yellow dress, Talmage on her right, Hyrum on his right.  Bryant?  Who knows.

                                        
                                                                

Hyrum bouncing along in his khaki shorts.

Sariah's archery skills.

Oh, there's Bryant.  Carefree cowboy. 

(Still scrubbing the grass stains out of his white shirt.  Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.)

 And Rex and Lyle ate to their heart's content, bounced to the beat of the music,

and stayed up 2 hours past their bedtime!

Finding our New Groove

It's been awhile, but we are finding our new groove.  Here's what has happened since we moved to Grandpa's and Grandma's almost a month ago.

 We celebrated Talmage's 11th birthday a few days late.  Mud pie of course.

 Helped Grandpa pick a stellar crop of sweet cherries.

 Caught tadpoles when the Cazier boys came to visit.

 Enjoy popsicles in the hot, hot weather.

 Watch our "bear cubs" grow.  They have both taken about 4 or 5 steps as of today.

 Saw the "reptile man"--- a favorite.

 We take a lot of baths to wash off the daily dirt.

 We've been picking raspberries almost the entire time we've been here.  It's been a great year for raspberries.  I literally eat them three meals a day!

 The kids are sleeping on the triple bunk beds I grew up sleeping on.  Hyrum has the top!

 Rex and Lyle's first 4th of July out-of-doors.

 The infamous Basin City parade with cousins.

 A quick visit from Grandpa and Grandma Hales.

 Story Time!

 A lot of new creature friends.

 The view we love everyday.

 Our tadpoles and now frogs.

 More creature friends.

And a "new" van that is a whole story for a different post.  James and I have nearly 50 hours in it so far trying to clean it.

Scrubbing every square inch of every seat.  See the difference?  It's even more blatant in "real life".

A summer day.

Lyle intentionally folded his arms for prayer!

Rex got high centered on a packing box.

I noticed Hyrum's cute, soft ears stick out when he put on a baseball cap.  Gave him A LOT of "underdogs" at the playground today.

Sariah said her favorite thing about living at Grandma's will be doing dishes.

Bryant used my Gingher Scissors to chop toothpicks!  Grrrr.  However, I cherish our "companionship prayer" which he still complies to.


I love to hear Talmage practicing "Called to Serve."

James is out working in the yard at 10pm.