First Day of School 2013

Mason
8th Grade
Age 13

Only an inch shorter than his mamma!! Aaaahhhh!
Favorite subject: Band
Favorite book read this year: Percy Jackson Series

Favorite activity: Building stuff (like light sabers)
Favorite food: Chicken Noodle Soup
Favorite movie/TV show: The Avengers
What he wants to be when he grows up: "An engineer or video game designer."

Renae
6th Grade
Age 11

She can talk (or write) the hind legs off a mule!
Favorite subjects: Art, Writing, and Reading
Favorite book read this year: Percy Jackson series, anything by Jessica Day George or Shannon Hale, or look on Goodreads for more
Favorite activity: reading or being with her cousins (like Camille and Sienna)
Favorite food: taquitos, tortellini, and chicken crescent rolls
Favorite movie/TV show: Tangled or Brave
What she wants to be when she grows up: "A teacher and a writer and maybe an artist."

Colby

3rd Grade

Age 8

Colby only has two settings: FULL throttle and asleep.
Favorite subject: Science
Favorite book read this year: Narnia
Favorite activity: Computer Games
Favorite food: Dad's Hamburgers
Favorite movie/TV show: Star WarsWhat he wants to be when he grows up: A Scientist

Sadie
1st Grade
Age 6

Still our little baby...and she knows it!
Favorite subject: Recess & Art
Favorite book read this year: Junie B. Jones
Favorite activity: Computer or play with friends
Favorite food: Spaghetti
Favorite movie/TV show:Wild Kratts
What she wants to be when she grows up: work at Bear World.

Fruits of our Labor

This summer we planted a garden for the first time in this house. I won't lie...it didn't go great. It was weird...a lot of stuff just never came up. Not sure what I did wrong. But that said, the things that did grow were really yummy. We got some pea pods, some carrots, some purple-green beans, and a good crop of yellow and red onions.

But of course my favorite are the raspberries...tons and tons of raspberries. My kids got so sick of picking them that they would complain about it as if I were asking them to pick weeds!! So crazy. I actually love picking berries, although it can be time consuming, I found it fun and soothing. We were able to make quite a few batches of jam and then freeze some bags of berries to use in smoothies or other desserts throughout the winter.

These were our "picking cups" -- I would ask each kid to fill a cup whenever it was time to pick (about every 3 days for about 3 weeks). You would not believe the groans I would get. They don't realize how lucky they are to have raspberries like this just growing in their backyard!!!

 I can't tell you how much I love these berries!! I don't really enjoy eating them plain, but I love raspberry jam! And I love how much yield you get for how little effort is put in. Isn't that terrible!?!

We also went Huckleberry picking twice this season. This experience is the COMPLETE opposite of our bounteous raspberry bushes. You have to drive about 30 minutes to get to the spot where they grow. Then you have to hike all over the mountainside in search of these tiny little berries. They can be so elusive. Then when you find a bush you are thrilled if there are 5 or 6 berries on one bush before you move onto the next spot. We actually found some really good spots and I even found a bush that had 40 berries on it (unbelievable!) But after hours and hours of picking...with all 6 of us...we were still only able to get about 5 cups of fruit. CRAZY!! We ration these out like you wouldn't believe. We did a Huckleberry Coffee Cake, a Huckleberry Cheesecake, and some Huckleberry-Raspberry jam. And then they were gone.

Oh, and then I went all domestic crazy and ordered a box of peaches and a box of pears! They were so delicious, but a lot of work. I canned, made peach pie filling, and dried pears until we were so burnt out...but it was worth it!

There is just nothing like the Harvest Season.

Mr. Not-so-lazy

Well, I guess I should tell the whole story...while Renae, Colby, Sadie, and I were sitting around all August being lazy -- Eric was busy at work and traveling to Georgia on business and Mason was busy spending a week at a Scout Leadership Training camp and then hiking a 50 miler in Yellowstone.

Mason spent a week up in Island Park at Cedar Badge in early August. This is a camp that the boys go to as individuals (not as a troop). They are then split up and put into new patrols when they arrive. They spend the week in Leadership classes. Mason loved it!! He learned a lot of valuable things that will help him in all facets of his life.

They had a graduation ceremony at the end of the week. We all attended. It was so good to see Mason after having him gone for a whole week. I'll admit I even got a little choked up when we saw him again. He on the other hand was just fine and tried to shoo me away because they were getting ready for a program.

When the ceremony was over, we headed out with some friends (the Thompsons and the Hancocks) for a river rafting trip. My good friend's husband is a river guide. This was a VERY tame river, but it was the first time my kids had ever been on a river and they thought it was amazing. The scenery was beautiful and the trip was relaxing. We all had a great time and hope to do it again soon.

We had 5 boats of various sizes to try out. Everything from a one man (with Mason in it on the left) to a large 10 man boat.

 

***

The boys had 3 days to recover and then they were off on their next adventure. Mason and his scout troop -- 14 boys, 3 phenomenal leaders, and 2 dads -- went on an amazing hike that few will ever have the opportunity to do. The did a 4 day, 50 mile hike that took them all over the back country inside Yellowstone. It was an amazing adventure and Mason had tons of cool experiences. I'll admit, as a mother I was nervous and worried about my boy much of those 4 days, but I am so proud of him for accomplishing this hike.

 Here they are at Lone Star Geyser...
they saw lots of "off the beaten path" geysers while on their hike

 Swimming in the hot springs (Mr. Bubbles) after a LONG day of hiking

 One of the many waterfalls they saw

Mason said they had many river crossings like the one seen here

What an adventure!!! Mason will treasure those memories forever. I'm so glad he got have that experience and I am so grateful to the leaders that made it possible.

More Lazy Days

Okay, we weren't JUST lazy...we did chores, the kids practiced typing (because I made them!), and we had reading time each day.

We had a Summer Time To-Do list that we worked on...sometimes...when we weren't being too lazy. Things like:
Make Homemade Popsicles
Draw with Sidewalk Chalk
Sleep in the Backyard
Go Camping
Make Play-dough
Make a Movie
Go on a Hike

You get the idea. We didn't do as many things as we hoped, but we knocked quite a few things off the list. Here is a picture of one that went very well -- making Homemade Play Dough. I am embarrassed to admit that this is the first time I've ever done this. The recipe I found online was awesome and this stuff was so soft and stayed soft for days and days of play.

 These look good enough to eat! 

Notice the different varieties of Girl Scout Cookies that she created in the center. Yummy!

 Our Play Dough creators

***

 Call me crazy -- but this is my favorite pose to find my kids in!

***

Another fun thing this summer -- we had a second set of cousins move to town! Eric's youngest brother and his family moved to Rexburg in August. And not just to Rexburg, but just around the corner. It has been fun to see them and get to know them better!

Lazy Summer Days

After our busy June & July -- we were ready for a relatively calm and lazy August. Our school wasn't starting until August 28th so we had almost a whole month to enjoy.

We took a trip to the local zoo in Idaho Falls. It wasn't much, kind of small and unimpressive, but the kids still had a fun time.

 The kids playing around in the huge egg shell...

 Sadie -- our animal lover was in heaven at the petting zoo and with this life size tiger statue. 

What I really enjoyed with our down time...was getting a few good books read. Sometimes I go a little overboard and put too many books on hold at the library. My hope is that they'll come in one or two at a time over a period of a few weeks. 

Unfortunately, that never seems to happen -- they all show up at the same time. Grrrrrrr. 

I didn't make it through the whole stack, but I got 4 out of 6 read from this stack.

 Books make me happy!!!!!

Soccer Season

This year Colby and his cousin Kaiden tried out our city's summer session of soccer. Colby had tried soccer twice in the past. Once as a 3 year old in Tucson and once as a 5 year old in Rexburg's Fall Ball. Neither time was he very interested in it. He spent much of the time rolling in the grass or staring off into space. But we signed Colby up for soccer this summer (I'll admit, partially against his will) because I wanted him to try it out one more time. He had complained a few times that he didn't feel comfortable playing soccer at school with his friends because he wasn't "good enough." Now, I am not a "soccer mom" -- far from it. None of my older kids play sports and I am fine with that...my kids aren't overly athletic nor do they care to be, but I wanted Colby to at least feel confident in a pick-up game at school or with friends. So I'll admit, I had to push nudge him into this a little.

At the beginning of the soccer season, Colby was a reluctant player. He mostly just stood around and watched the game go by. He didn't love it, but he didn't complain either. A few games into the season he had progressed to the point that he would run throughout the game...he still rarely made contact with the ball, but he was engaged in the action. But by the final few games (did I mention the season was only 4 weeks long...with 2 games a week) Colby was on FIRE!! He still didn't have the skills of the team "Super Stars" but he had the energy & enthusiasm required to make some key plays, including scoring a few goals. I'll admit it was so fun to see him bloom athletically. He may never be a Soccer Super Star like his daddy was (Eric was a HUGE soccer player in his day) but at least he had fun and discovered that with some work and effort he can learn how to do something new, even if it was intimidating at first.

I wasn't impressed with the league (or team) organization -- I mean they never even had a Team Name and they only practiced a couple times! But it was a good experience for Colby and he said he would like to do it again. Now, if I can just convince Eric to be the coach...that would be awesome! :)

       Some fun action shots.


Funny side note: Colby often ran with his tongue out and his fingers (sometimes just his middle finger) pointing out. It is just a funny mannerism he has...but one kid on the opposing team thought that Colby was sticking his tongue out at him and I wonder if anyone thought he was flipping them off??

Colby and his cousin Kaiden

Renae's Birthday

My little girl turned 11! Where has the time gone?

Renae was lucky to be able to spend her birthday with her extended family 

at our Reunion in Yellowstone. Fun!!

The "Big 3" 

Renae with her new mini-Miche bag.

We love having Renae in our family -- she adds color, sparkle, fun, and an occasional bit of drama. She is growing up fast and has recently become "into" clothes, purses, and pop stars. Luckily she still loves playing Lego Friends and Littlest Pet Shops with her sister. So she hasn't grown up too much over night.

Yellowstone Reunion (Part 3)

Okay....I'm ready to wrap this up. I hate when I get so far behind and so much has happened since then that I want to share, but I feel compelled to tell it all in order.

Our last day of the Williams Family Reunion was action-packed. We decided to do another day in Yellowstone. This time we went the opposite way on "The Grand Loop." Our first stop was Old Faithful. There is a really nice museum there with lots of interactive stuff that the kids can do.

 Our kids kind of took over the Children's Room...we were a force to be reckoned with

 We also went inside the old Yellowstone Lodge. This place is amazing inside!

Side Rambling: But what was just as amazing to me was that I was able to take a clear picture in this low-light setting! I know this may be boastful, but I was so proud of myself that I was able to do that on the manual setting. We came here a little less than a year ago with some friends and I tried and tried but couldn't get a clear picture. Now with some metering and some adjustments...Bam! 

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

 The Wait...waiting on Old Faithful is part of the experience...but never anyone's favorite part. 

At least Grannie came prepared with the dried fruit.

 Thar she blows...

 We enjoyed another lovely picnic lunch. Perfect temperature and a great spot.

 The kids even found a tree to use as a see-saw.

The majority of the group was ready to head back to the cabin after this adventure...but a few of us die hards decided we wanted to see one more set of geysers and pools. So we shuffled cars and 2 carloads headed home and 2 carloads went in search of the last sight-seeing spot.

 We stopped at Biscuit Geyser Basin (I think). It was a nice boardwalk that took us by some beautiful blue pools and some bubbling geysers too. It was great!

We also got to wade in the river. 

It was warmer than a normal river because of all the hot springs and geysers that feed into it. 

 Back at the cabin, the kids enjoyed one last evening of play time. 

I think in retrospect...we all wished we'd had more down time to just play or visit. 

Not that we didn't enjoy the sight-seeing & hiking, but maybe next time we need to go somewhere where there is NOTHING cool to see or do so that we can just relax and enjoy each other's company. Or would that get old??

Janelle tried to capture one GRANDKID picture for posterity's sake...

it didn't go well. This was the best picture out of the many, many she took. 

Oh well, something is better than nothing :)

Our last event was celebrating Renae's birthday...(which fell on this day) 

but I will give her birthday its own post...

so that a certain someone won't get her feelings hurt when she looks it up in the blog book next year and says, "Hey, how come everyone has a special birthday post except me?!?"

Not that this has or would ever happen....but just in case (wink!wink!)