This cracks me up!

I have become a huge Twilight fan! I've read all the books, and now have the first two on cd, so I now listen to them around the house, on the way to work, nursing Cassiah, so pretty much all the time! So you could say that I'm addicted! There are alot worse things out there, really! I found this on someone's blog, and it CRACKS ME UP! Now our ward at church isn't like this, but it shows just how crazy and popular this series is! I personally, would be on the left side, but that's just me!

The Dunes

Sorry,they are all out of order!

So after we went to the dunes, we stopped at the dam to show the kids the ladders. They loved it! "There goes another big one Dad!!"

Despite the dirty window, we still saw some fish.



Garrick & an almost sleeping Cassiah. Soaking in the river for 3+ hours wiped her out.

"Look Mom, I fimming!" He thought he was pretty cool! All he was doing was army crawling, and he called it swimming.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5" ... jump, splash! Since it was so shallow he enjoyed jumping up and landing on his knees.

Look, finally a picture of me, and I'm waving to you! That's as good as it's gonna get, I'm always behind the camera!

Very pretty!

Our set up on the beach. The kids spent 1/2 their time in the water, and the other 1/2 on the beach playing in the sand.

Looking at a catfish that wasn't very scared of people.

Keeping her shaded in the nearly 100 degree weather.

Trestin having a great time!


Trestin and Aleksia swimming. Well they thought they where swimming!

Having a great time!

Garrick with his goggles and "flippers" (fins on his feet to "help me swim") on.

I know he looks like he's peeing, but he's really just playing!

Using his goggles and flippers

Cassiah chillin' in the floaty under the umbrella, playin' with her toes.

Chillin'. The green shovel was a "stopper" so she wouldn't float away so I could let go of her momentarily to take her picture!

See how far out Than is, and it's still only to about his knees. He can still go out further, but he said it drops off pretty quick. Like from your knees to over your head in about 4 steps! But the shallow forever is so fun for the kids! In our prechildren years, we had a church activity out at the dunes and they played volleyball in the water! Do you remember that Rachel D.? I think you where pregnant?

Little of this and that

Trestin really enjoyed his fudgcicle!


Now time for a bath!

Since we waited so long to officially potty train T, right before & right after a baby wasn't a good time to try & potty train, now that we are he's doing awesome!! He LOVES his "big boy underwear!" As you can see, he's showing it off!

Than getting Cassiah to smile. She's giving them more and more! So fun!!!

T swimmin' in the pool. Well, more like walking around in the pool with the duck around his waist.

Aleksia swimmin' trying to keep cool on a HOT day!

I think it's official...

...we have a finger sucker! When she was first born in the hospital she sucked on her fingers alot, then stopped. Well over the last couple weeks she's found them off and on again. Well it's becoming more on then off. When she's awake, it will be either hand, and any fingers she can get in there, and the other hand is usually holding her wrist, almost like she's trying to keep them in there. But when she's tired, it's the middle two fingers on her right side that she favors (see below, this was taken about 10 minutes ago as she was falling asleep on the floor). So it looks like she's signing "I love you!" So stinkin' cute! Than said that this past weekend (my first one after maternity leave) she sucked on the middle two on her right hand ALOT. I like to think that maybe she "missed" me, and it was her way of soothing herself (probably not, but it makes me feel alittle better having to leave her). Well yesterday I noticed that her cuticles on her fingers that she's been sucking on where red. Then looking closer, she had little blisters too! She had been sucking them alot! Poor little girl! But it doesn't seem to bother her, or stop her. Garrick took a binky till around 6 months, Aleksia only took one while she was teething, Trestin really never took a binky, and if you put one in Cassiah's mouth she gags! So the finger sucking is new to us. Hopefully it won't be one of those nightmare cases that she is still sucking them in HS! But we have a long time till then. For now, I think it's adorable. Plus we'll never loose it, like you can a binky, and she can put it in herself! Sweet!

McCormick

So every year for the past 15+ years my dad's family, who ever can make it, goes to McCormick Park down in Hells Canyon between the Brownle and Oxbow dams. Growing up it was staying up late with cousins, fishing, swimming, game playing, some years jet ski riding (thanks to Wendy and Andy), care free days! Now with children, it's still fun, but different! We've never gone with such a tiny one, but Cassiah did awesome! Her first camping trip, at the age of 2.5 months old! Plus that's the longest we've ever stayed, 6 days! I got to see family I hadn't seen in 1-3 years so it was alot of fun! Plus Than loves it, because it's fishing all the time! With three uncles with boats, lots of family to chat with, weather under 100 degrees (sometimes we roast up there!!!) what is not to love!

On our way home we passed a sign reading that there was to be a funeral procession, and to expect delays of 30+ minutes. Well we met up with them as they pulled onto Highway 95 before Councel and followed them to the turn off to the HS in New Meadows where the funeral was to be held. We figured it must be a police officer since there where over 10 police cars towards the end of the line, and we couldn't even see the beginning of the line! Along the way through the towns we'd pass, it was amazing and really touching! People lined the road to pay their respects with cameras and signs. On one sign we found out his name was Leroy, then as we got closer to New Meadows, a reader board read Deputy Mathews funeral from 1-4pm. Once we got into New Meadows the street where packed with police cars! It was very touching.

4th of July

In our new house, we are a 5 minute walk from Sunnyside Park where the towns 4th of July festivities are located, which is nice, but since the loud BOOMING of the fireworks would probably scare Cassiah, we opted to watch them from across the street at the school. It worked great, and that might be our new spot to watch them from. Less crowds, easier to keep track of the children, they get to play on the equipment before the show, easy to run home and get something if we forget it (which we only had to twice!). Plus we don't have to show up hours in advance to get a spot. So we did our little fireworks first, then headed over. Trestin wouldn't get any closer then 6 feet of any of the sparklers. "Fire!!!" But he did like the Pop Its!