Going fishin

This week is Spring Break here in Idaho. Yesterday was bright and sunny and when I looked out the window this morning it was a little cloudy. We decided that since the rest of the week would be rainy and stormy that we would take advantage of the day and go fishing with grandpa and grandma. Both my kids have been begging to go fishing the last few weeks.


So we grabbed our poles and headed to Duff Pond where the kids could throw in a pole and fish.

Bailey and Grandpa enjoying the day

Nick loved playing with the worms

Bailey's pole was wiggling but she didn't want to get a fish, so Nick reeled it in and was thrilled that he caught a fish

We had a fun day fishing ...now time for the rain and thunder to start rolling in!

Sunny turns 2!

 

 

Sunny is my brother Matt's little girl. She just turned 2 so we went to Chuck E Cheese for a Birthday Party. Trent and my dad both had scouts and weren't able to make it, but my mom helped me with the kids and we headed out for some fun and games.

The kids had a blast running around, playing games, eating pizza and cake, and just having fun. Sunny was the hardest because she just kept running and running and was hard to keep up with :) My mom took shifts with Brandy being in charge of Sunny and they were both worn out by the little 2 year old!

Aaron enjoyed the horse ride

And all the kids enjoyed the cake!

 

Maybe a little too much....my little gross Nick always makes a mess :)

 Happy Birthday Sunny!

 

 

 

Dustin

Last Sunday, March 2nd, we were woken up early in the morning to the phone call that nobody wants to get. Trent's dad called to tell us that his older brother Dustin had passed away in his sleep. At first we were both shocked to hear that his 39 year old brother....one who has stayed at our house every time he drove to Utah...had passed.

After a few minutes it started to set in and Trent packed a small bag of clothes and headed to Washington to be with Dustin's family. Although we thought it would be only a 7-8 hour trip, that day there were two road closures on the way due to inclement weather. Trent ended up in Seattle about the time his Dad and mom were flying in, grabbed them at the airport and headed out to the port a few hours away. Trent arrived after 13 hours.

It was a hard week for the whole family. He packed his bag for only two days but ended up staying until Friday. I called him on Wednesday and he said that he was still in the same clothes from Sunday and hadn't showered or changed all week...pretty gross. He was able to see his brother and get closure, help with the services in Washington and even do Dustin's Eulogy. I missed him so much while he was gone that week, but I knew that Dustin's family needed him more than I did.

Friday came and Trent brought his dad and mom back with him to Boise. They stayed with us one night then drove back to Utah with his sister Traci. Trent, the kids, and I followed a day later so that we could attend the funeral service in Utah. It was amazing and so comforting for the whole family to be there together and mourn and say goodbye one last time.

We are now back home as a family and we think about Dustin, Laura and their kids often and pray for them to have peace and comfort during this difficult time. We plan on visiting Washington in a few months since Trent said that it really was one of the most beautiful places he has been. Though it is really sad to say Goodbye, we have faith and hope that we will one day see Dustin again.

 

Nick's 4!

Nick turned 4 years old today and had his very first birthday party where he could invite a few friends. He invited his cousin Aaron, and friends Joey and Bronco. They boys played so well today and Nick had a blast having his own friends over to play!

He wanted a Robot party and of course I couldn't find anything robot...so I had to be creative. I made my own Robot piñata and then just bought plain red plates and party supplies that the kids could decorate with robot stickers. It actually turned out great and the kids loved decorating their plates and hats.

the crazy robot cake that both kids helped decorate

 

 

And the robot piñata

 

 

A few guests, Aaron, Nick, Bailey and Bronco

 

Cousin Sunny and Joey

 

Nick and Bronco below (I didn't get any very clear pictures of Nick- He is horrible at sitting still and looking at the camera )

 

 And after all the friends left, Grandma took Nick to a special lunch where he got an ice cream sundae for his Birthday!

 

 

When I asked Nick what he wanted for his birthday dinner He replied, "Cheese toast" I asked if he wanted anything else and he said "Nope just cheese toast!"

 

Oh how we love this rambunctious and cuddly little boy. He is full of life and makes every day an adventure. Happy 4th Birthday, Nick!

Bath time

Last night I told Bailey that it was time to get in the bath tub. About five minutes later, she walks in and says that she has something for me to read....

I read it and knew right away what it said- (I don't want to get in the bath tub )  Even though it has huge spelling mistakes, I am actually proud of my little kindergartener that she could try and sound out words and put them in an order that I could read. Great job Bailey!

And yes, she still took her bath!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Tonight was the Daddy daughter dance....the day that Bailey waits all year for (along with her birthday and Christmas) She gets all dressed up, picks her favorite restaurant for dinner and dances the night away with her daddy!


Bailey started getting ready right after school. She was all ready and daddy wasn't even off work yet!

 

 

Trent came home, threw on his pink tie and was ready to go to Mariachi Loco (Bailey's favorite Mexican restaurant)

 

 

 

 

 

While Daddy and Bailey were away, Nick and Mommy had a fun night out too! We went to the mall where mommy got to shop at the Macy's outlet (the whole store is 75% off) and Nick got to ride a few rides! A win win situation!

 

 I asked Nick where he wanted to go for his special dinner and he replied "McDonalds". I talked him out of that and tried to go somewhere nicer, but we ended up at Wendys. He loved it and actually ate his whole kids meal. He even got a frosty for the way home! 

He was hungry!

 

 

 

Trent and I both had a wonderful evening with the kids! We feel pretty blessed to have such precious kids!

 

 

 

 

McCall

Trent and I were finally able to make it to McCall and see what all the hype is about. Everyone here is shocked when we say that we have never been there. So, my parents graciously watched our kids while we snuck away this weekend to enjoy the snow (we were supposed to have an anniversary get away last August but my mom was in California longer than expected, so we are just now celebrating :))


Trent and I have different ideas of what is fun to do, and he has been wanting me to go shooting with him for awhile. So, on our way up the mountain we stopped and went target shooting. Not what I would call fun, but he enjoyed it.
(Looking at the smile, it seems he is having fun)

It took us about 2 hours of driving time to get to McCall but it was a beautiful sunny day and we enjoyed the ride...especially since we could actually have a conversation and not be interrupted every two seconds!

That evening we explored the small tourist town. We also went to Ponderosa State park to see what the camping situation looks like...I think it will be perfect for a summer camping trip! The next morning we had an adventure waiting for us. We got up early, rented some snowmobiles and trooped in to some Hot Springs.  They are only accessible by snowmobile in the winter and was 45 minute drive each way. It was a little longer than I would have wished and was a bit bored the last 10-15 minutes, but I was toasty warm and enjoyed the scenery.

Trent in the warm water (100 degrees). It was really quite magical to be swimming in such warm water while it was snowing on us! Pretty awesome! We also had a few other snowmobilers in our group that were from San Diego and Arroyo Grande who were really fun and we had a good time with them!

It started snowing more on the way back and it was harder to drive, but we made it no problem. We then headed down the Mountain as we had a dinner theater to attend in Boise that evening. We met up with our friends, Ashleigh and Kyle and had quite the evening watching a play and enjoying dinner. It was a perfect time away and a great Valentines Day!