A Day at the Salon!

Oh, the excitement of "layers" for a 12 year old girl! This seems like such a "7th grade" thing to do. When I offered to take her to a "real" salon and get some layers, she squealed in delight. And to keep my Hannah still looking like a little girl - an adorable bob cut for her. What a fun day at the "salon" - you know, with candles and fancy fountains that the kids couldn't believe you were actually supposed to wash your hands in! Sure is great having a friend with such wonderful talents, and who works in such a "sweet" place!(as in what the girls said when we first walked in)

Taylor and Hannah before.....

and after...

Aubrey chose to keep hers long.... but on the way home she said, "Can I have layers AND long hair?" There might be a fun surprise in store for her on Friday.....

Our 14th Anniversary

Once upon a time a super neat guy named Chip decided to surprise his wife, Tracy, for their 14th wedding anniversary. He left her a note the morning of with very strict instructions. Part of the instructions included wearing a swimming suit which made Tracy very nervous, but she still followed the instructions. Chip took Tracy to a beautiful place called Lucky Peak where Chip told Tracy they would rent a boat and go out on the lake together - just the two of them. Tracy thought that would be fun. They pulled into the parking lot when all of a sudden....... two kidnappers jumped out of their truck, pointed blow-up M16 machine guns at the anniversary couple and ordered them into the truck immediately!

The crazy kidnappers tied Chip and Tracy's hands together, put a tiara on Tracy, a crown on Chip and ordered them to keep their mouths shut while in the truck!

Soon, they arrived to a wonderful spot at Lucky Peak where good friends awaited their arrival for the celebration of their anniversary! Complete with a big spread of delicious food and a barbecue, it was the perfect place to have a perfect evening!

Tracy's friend, Rachel, made a charming cake titled "Anniversary Beach." Sand, the ocean, snorkels, beach towels, sharks and umbrellas all added to this awesome cake that Tracy didn't want to cut!

When the boys announced they were going to go jump in the lake for a swim, Tracy right then and there decided she would be the picture taker and enjoy watching everyone else swim in the lake!

But silly Tracy should have known all of her friends wouldn't have that and they did a great job of talking Tracy into something she didn't want to do. But what a surprise - it might have been the most fun Tracy has ever had!! Laughing and talking with close friends while treading water in the middle of the lake, turned out to be a memory Tracy has locked in her head forever!

Chip was so proud of his super cool wife!

Chip had everyone's stomachs hurting with laughter with his impression of Shamoo...

surprise, surprise!

Tracy couldn't be more appreciative of her husband for putting together such a delightful evening! She is so grateful for wonderful friends who spent so much time and effort on her behalf. Tracy and Chip are still talking about that incredible evening, and I am quite sure they will be for a long, long time! The end.

the gals...

the guys...

Happy Anniversary Chip! Thank you for such a fun and fantastic night!
I couldn't have found a better friend and companion to share life with.

We've come a long way!

Kelley and Tyler's Visit

We all agree that one of the very best things about living in Idaho, is the much anticipated and awaited visit from an aunt, an uncle, a Grandma, Grandpa, cousins, or good friends. Kelley (my youngest sister) and her boyfriend, Tyler, spent five fun days with us a few weeks ago. Quadruple solitaire and Uno attack filled the downtime, but we did all kinds of fun things!

We hiked to the top of "Table Rock" - about three miles - all uphill of course! While I might have been the only one breathing heavily and stopping to "enjoy the view" (it was beautiful, but also a great excuse to catch my breath), what an awesome feeling it was to reach the top and be able to say that I did it!! The best part was accomplishing it with my family and Kelley and Tyler.

Here we are at the top.....

Kelley is one of those "cool aunts" who get right into the fun with the kids! A slip n' slide given to the kids by Kelley and Tyler was another highlight of their visit.

Tyler and Aubrey had a contest as to who could slide the furthest off the end of the slip n' slide! Here Aubrey is making it to Tyler's "mark." Aubrey claims she won the contest....

but Tyler isn't here to defend himself...

One of the days was spent at the zoo - the penguins are so much fun!

By the end of the trip, Jackson insisted on dressing exactly like Tyler - from head to toe. Throwing rocks together into the canal at the park was one of Jack's favorite times with him.

It is always so wonderful to spend time with my family who we miss so very much. The visits are always so memorable and full of quality time that perhaps wouldn't be spent otherwise. Love you Kells (and Ty too!!)

Our fun 4th!

I figured posting about our 4th of July 8 days after the 4th of July is better than posting 9 days after the 4th of July, right? Right! What a great day we had... It started out with a pancake breakfast at church where the kids got to show off their decorated scooters in a parade.....

yep, totally stayed up way too late creating by far the best looking scooters there, but you gotta sacrifce for a good post, right?!

Jack thought Star Wars and a bike ride with dad was a perfect way to pass the time till we went to the big party later that night!

fireworks..... games...... good food......friends.....

We ended the night by singing "Happy Birthday" to America - a perfect ending to a memorable day. We love this great country.... We love the 4th of July!