Redfish Lake (July 2010)

How to have a fun day-trip to Redfish Lake:

Hire a boat at the dock at one end of the lake to take you to the other end of the lake . . .

At the other end of the lake: play with your cousins . . .

And have some lunch . . .

Then start up the trail . . .

Stop and enjoy the waterfall . . .

Get some pics of the kids and grandparents . . .

Get back on the trail towards the lily pond . . .

Arrive at the breath-taking lily pond and enjoy the view. (The trail continues around the other side of the pond as well.) . . .

Get pics of you and your cool sister too . . .

Hike back and wait on the dock for the boat to come pick you up . . .

Drive to the other side of the lake to play and have dinner . . .

Take cover quickly when a down pour comes out of nowhere . . .

Put a cover over your food and cooking stove so dinner isn't ruined by the rain . . .

Enjoy the ride home knowing you've made memories that will last a lifetime!!

Field Trips July 2010

DEER FLAT NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE:
No pics of this outing. I'm pretty sure I was thinking: we do this every year and have lots of pics. Plus, if I take pictures I just have to do something with them. :) The kids ALWAYS ask to go here and it's easy because it's just up the road from our house. Our favorite parts: (1) the telescope we can use to view the nest of the baby Osprey birds. (2) The nature hike and the chance to see birds of prey flying or nesting nearby.

ZOO:
This is one of our favorites every year! We don't usually get to ride the carousel, though. I must have been feeling generous.

BOTANICAL GARDEN:

JUMP CREEK:
This was our first trip here . . . and probably our last! It was a nice-enough place but not our favorite. There is a small hike to reach this main area which was easy enough but the problems were: (1) the rock wall is so high the sun didn't shine down on us until after Noon. Both the water and the air were cold, cold, cold. (2) The information online said there was a hike you could take up to the water fall. What wasn't mentioned is that he hike was straight up the side of the mountain and once you got so high an impassable rock wall barred the way to the top of the waterfall. Kids were crying as they tumbled back down the dusty mountain side and once at the bottom, they were covered in mud because they had been in the water beforehand. None of them wanted to brave the cold water again to wash off. Now how do I get them home? (3) There wasn't much space between the path's end and the water's edge. I put baby wipes on top of rocks to prepare our lunch on, as there was no other space (not even to put out a folding chair). Most of the kids stood up to eat but Braden and Hansen waded out to the big rock in the right of this picture and ate lunch there. Needless to say, they felt the sun first!

Ryen's Big 3 (July 18, 2010)

My sweet, sweet blue-eyed baby boys turns three today. I love the pictures above because Ryen is my only boy that likes to play 'pretend'. Years ago we purchased Rescue Heros for Braden and Hansen to play with and they just gathered dust . . . until now!! Ryen loves them and any other toy he can use his imagination with and that includes Hot Wheels (not to collect but to actually play with), motorcycles, airplanes/helicopters and his most favorite of all . . . Buzz and Woody from Toy Story!

Ryen has always had a sweet tooth and has always loved ice cream but discovered this year that he likes chocolate ice cream the most. When I asked him what kind of dessert he wanted for his birthday, he didn't hesitate and requested: chocolate with sprinkles! Some of Ryen's other favorite foods include: Go-Gurt, popsicles, peanut butter on celery (only the peanut butter gets eaten) and pretzels. Ryen's least favorite food: bread and most veggies (except steamed carrots and broccoli).

Other Favorites:

• Color: Blue


• Friends: Tyson Deppe and Lexi Poole


• Songs: Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Mary Had a Little Lamb

Braden's 10th! (July 1, 2010)

We have a tradition of letting the kids choose an activity, their favorite dinner and whatever cake and ice cream they want on their birthday. Braden chose to go to the Birds of Prey center in Boise, have fried ravioli's with corn on the cob for dinner, and ice cream cone cupcakes for dessert. YUM!