Craters of the Moon
October Fun 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Crafty Things
I think it must be the time of year or maybe it has just come with age, but I really like doing crafty things. I don't have much skill or experience but I am all game for a simple project that I can do with my kids. My neighbor Sara told me about this one today so the boys and I had to give it a whirl. The link and how to instruction are on the Wise Craft blog link under My blog list on the right of this post. Now that I am Art Mom for both boys' classrooms, I have started to look up more blogs and websites that have cute/artsy/craftsy ideas. If I was half as creative as some of these women, I would be happy. If you all have any other links that have great ideas for arts and crafts with kids, please share. Hope you all have a wonderful season celebrating Christ's birth!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Fall Fun
Here is a brief synopsis of our fall 2008. Besides the normal routine of raking leaves and trick or treating, we were able to throw in a few other adventures along the way. First was a trip to the ER (again). Though it was scary and I have never felt that sick in my entire life, the final consensus is that I am allergic to shellfish and shrimp. Yikes! Who knew. I have eaten some shellfish and shrimp off and on throughout my life with no problems. I guess now it is a problem. No more California Rolls for me!
The other part of our early fall were projects around our house. Dave and our great friends and neighbors (Matt Romberg and Brian Walker) put in a sprinkler system in the front yard. Yipee! No more flood irrigation pipes on the lawn. Though we will have to throw down some grass seed and install a timer, the hard stuff is done. Thanks so much Matt and Brian.
We also painted our living room (thanks to inspiration from Sara) and moved our washer and dryer out of the kitchen. We have many more projects that we would like to do, but for now we are just paying off some of the new appliances we had to get upon our return to Boise(funny how everything goes out at once). Hopefully a kitchen floor update will be in the works this spring.
We took a nice trip to Yellowstone (and Craters of the Moon) at the beginning of October when the boys had a few days off from school. It was beautiful with all the leaves changing. We saw tons of elk and bison along with a few deer, a coyote and some other small critters. We also had the bonus of running into our friends the Battens at Old Faithful and enjoyed an evening with them at our condo.
Grayson turned seven and he requested a small celebration at Pojo's with our neighbor boys Jake and Isaac. Pizza, brownies and 100s of tickets from the games at Pojo's were all any seven year old boy could ever want.
In addition we finished up soccer and the boys and Dave started Tae Kwon Do through the city. I think we raked up between 15-20 bags of leaves this fall and we could probably fill up one more. I forgot how many leaves our big old trees shed this time of year. Jack dressed up as Darth Vader and Grayson was Annikan Skywalker for Halloween. Of course we have more candy then we could ever possibly eat but they had a blast trick or treating in our neighborhood.
It was nice to be back in our "routine" here in Boise!
The other part of our early fall were projects around our house. Dave and our great friends and neighbors (Matt Romberg and Brian Walker) put in a sprinkler system in the front yard. Yipee! No more flood irrigation pipes on the lawn. Though we will have to throw down some grass seed and install a timer, the hard stuff is done. Thanks so much Matt and Brian.
We also painted our living room (thanks to inspiration from Sara) and moved our washer and dryer out of the kitchen. We have many more projects that we would like to do, but for now we are just paying off some of the new appliances we had to get upon our return to Boise(funny how everything goes out at once). Hopefully a kitchen floor update will be in the works this spring.
We took a nice trip to Yellowstone (and Craters of the Moon) at the beginning of October when the boys had a few days off from school. It was beautiful with all the leaves changing. We saw tons of elk and bison along with a few deer, a coyote and some other small critters. We also had the bonus of running into our friends the Battens at Old Faithful and enjoyed an evening with them at our condo.
Grayson turned seven and he requested a small celebration at Pojo's with our neighbor boys Jake and Isaac. Pizza, brownies and 100s of tickets from the games at Pojo's were all any seven year old boy could ever want.
In addition we finished up soccer and the boys and Dave started Tae Kwon Do through the city. I think we raked up between 15-20 bags of leaves this fall and we could probably fill up one more. I forgot how many leaves our big old trees shed this time of year. Jack dressed up as Darth Vader and Grayson was Annikan Skywalker for Halloween. Of course we have more candy then we could ever possibly eat but they had a blast trick or treating in our neighborhood.
It was nice to be back in our "routine" here in Boise!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
More August News
In addition to settling in, we have been busy with a few other things. Jack made the decision to get baptized this summer. We made it back to Boise in time for our annual church picnic and baptism. So the timing was perfect for Jack to act on his decision. Jack understands that his baptism tells the world that he is identifying himself with Christ and that he accepts what Christ did for him on the cross. I love the thought and sincerity that Jack had with this decision. He has been asking a lot of questions and so we pointed Jack to God's Word and what it says about baptism. We celebrate with Jack in this step of faith.
We have also added a new member to our family. Her name is Emma Sue Lauer and she comes to us from Dave's cousin Luke and his family. We adopted her in September and she has been a wonderful furry addition to our family.
Then it was back to school. The boys started at Grace Jordan at the end of August. G loves first grade and J loves third. We are so happy with our decision to attend our neighborhood school.
September and October updates will follow soon....I hope!!!
We have also added a new member to our family. Her name is Emma Sue Lauer and she comes to us from Dave's cousin Luke and his family. We adopted her in September and she has been a wonderful furry addition to our family.
Then it was back to school. The boys started at Grace Jordan at the end of August. G loves first grade and J loves third. We are so happy with our decision to attend our neighborhood school.
September and October updates will follow soon....I hope!!!
Back to Boise
OK....it has been way too long since I have posted anything on our blog. I guess the move and drive all the way across the country, settling in and school starting just took up so much time. We are feeling settled and getting back into the groove here in Boise. Here are a few highlights from the last few months.
We drove out of Bristow, VA on August 7th to begin our cross country road trip back to Boise. We took 10 days to see friends and family as we meandered through 9 states on our way back home. Our first stop was Nashville to visit Dave's brother Tim and family along with Nana, Papa and Great Grandpa Baker. It was just fun cousin time for our boys and Tim's girls. We spent a couple of days in TN swimming, playing games and eating Las Paletas gourmet popsicles. OH....wow! If you have never savored a gourmet Mexican popsicle, you don't know what you are missing. They are the best!!!! YUMMMM!!!
After Nashville we headed on to Jonesboro, AR to visit our college friends Robby and Kelly Fowler. Our kids are close in age and had a blast swimming all day and just enjoying the last days of summer (and BBQ) in Arkansas. We even took in a Arkansas State University football practice. Thank you Fowlers for your hospitality!
Next it was off to the farm in Prior, OK. Our good family friends, the Bounds, have a beautiful spread of land with horses, a fishing pond, tractors, streams, a tree house and much, much more. Though our stay was short, the boys were in little boy heaven. I think they could have stayed with the Bounds a very long time doing the things boys love to do...catch critters, explore, fish, build and get REALLY dirty. It was so peaceful and refreshing. We all said we would go back to the Bounds' farm again someday!
Then we made the long trek from OK to CO. We made an unplanned pit stop in Newton, KS to see Alissa's Great Aunt Norm. We realized that we would be driving right by her house on the interstate, so we had to stop and say hi. Dave and the boys had never meant her. Aunt Norm has the same spunk and spirit of Alissa's late Grandma Princess. She is precious and it was so neat to spend time with her and for the boys to meet her! Thanks Aunt Norm for letting us "pop in", it was so worth it for all us. You are an amazing lady!
From Newton we pressed on to Longmont, CO to see Alissa's parents and other family. Though we were able to play outside and enjoy the beauty of CO for a day or so, the storms came rolling in just about the time we went rolling on out for ID. We took the scenic route through CO (not Wyoming). It took a bit longer but it was well worth it.
We drove into Boise on August 16 and everything seemed so surreal. It took a few weeks to readjust to our lives back here in Les Bois, but eventually it felt like we never left. Our time in VA was great, but it seems like a dream now. We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to live out East and for the friends and experiences we gained there.
We drove out of Bristow, VA on August 7th to begin our cross country road trip back to Boise. We took 10 days to see friends and family as we meandered through 9 states on our way back home. Our first stop was Nashville to visit Dave's brother Tim and family along with Nana, Papa and Great Grandpa Baker. It was just fun cousin time for our boys and Tim's girls. We spent a couple of days in TN swimming, playing games and eating Las Paletas gourmet popsicles. OH....wow! If you have never savored a gourmet Mexican popsicle, you don't know what you are missing. They are the best!!!! YUMMMM!!!
After Nashville we headed on to Jonesboro, AR to visit our college friends Robby and Kelly Fowler. Our kids are close in age and had a blast swimming all day and just enjoying the last days of summer (and BBQ) in Arkansas. We even took in a Arkansas State University football practice. Thank you Fowlers for your hospitality!
Next it was off to the farm in Prior, OK. Our good family friends, the Bounds, have a beautiful spread of land with horses, a fishing pond, tractors, streams, a tree house and much, much more. Though our stay was short, the boys were in little boy heaven. I think they could have stayed with the Bounds a very long time doing the things boys love to do...catch critters, explore, fish, build and get REALLY dirty. It was so peaceful and refreshing. We all said we would go back to the Bounds' farm again someday!
Then we made the long trek from OK to CO. We made an unplanned pit stop in Newton, KS to see Alissa's Great Aunt Norm. We realized that we would be driving right by her house on the interstate, so we had to stop and say hi. Dave and the boys had never meant her. Aunt Norm has the same spunk and spirit of Alissa's late Grandma Princess. She is precious and it was so neat to spend time with her and for the boys to meet her! Thanks Aunt Norm for letting us "pop in", it was so worth it for all us. You are an amazing lady!
From Newton we pressed on to Longmont, CO to see Alissa's parents and other family. Though we were able to play outside and enjoy the beauty of CO for a day or so, the storms came rolling in just about the time we went rolling on out for ID. We took the scenic route through CO (not Wyoming). It took a bit longer but it was well worth it.
We drove into Boise on August 16 and everything seemed so surreal. It took a few weeks to readjust to our lives back here in Les Bois, but eventually it felt like we never left. Our time in VA was great, but it seems like a dream now. We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to live out East and for the friends and experiences we gained there.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Fourth of July
Dave's brother Tim and family came up for a visit over the Fourth. We had a great time seeing the sites of D.C. by double decker bus. We were able to see so many things from the top level of the bus. Great views of Georgetown, the National Cathedral, the monuments, the mall, Dupont Circle, and Arlington National Cemetery. In addition to the bus tour, we visited the Air and Space Museum, the National Art Gallery, the Rehnquist Art Gallery, the White House (outside only), Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Folk Life Festival on the mall. At the festival we enjoyed mango lasis and yummy cuisine from Bhutan. Later one evening we were on mission to get Ethiopian food but we ended up at Ben's Chili Bowl (a long standing favorite of locals and celebs including Bill Cosby).
On the Fourth of July we went to Mt. Vernon. Though it was busy, we were able to have a very patriotic experience including a tour of the mansion, a revolutionary war demonstration with canons, muskets, a drum and fife corps, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence. We also ate in the Mt. Vernon Inn sampling George Washington's favorite Peanut and Water Chestnut soup. Yum. We enjoyed great views of the Potomac on Washington's lawn and we were able to lay carnations at the foot of the Washingtons' sarcophagi. A special tribute to the Father of our Country on Independence Day. This will be an experience we will never forget!
On the Fourth of July we went to Mt. Vernon. Though it was busy, we were able to have a very patriotic experience including a tour of the mansion, a revolutionary war demonstration with canons, muskets, a drum and fife corps, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence. We also ate in the Mt. Vernon Inn sampling George Washington's favorite Peanut and Water Chestnut soup. Yum. We enjoyed great views of the Potomac on Washington's lawn and we were able to lay carnations at the foot of the Washingtons' sarcophagi. A special tribute to the Father of our Country on Independence Day. This will be an experience we will never forget!
Time Flies
Where have the last three months gone? In my last blog I prayed that the time Dave was away for 9 weeks would go by quickly. I am happy to say that it really did pass by in a flash because we both had lots going on during that time. I was so thankful that we chose to home school this year because we were able to take off and visit family while Dave was in Utah. Now, we are looking back on our last 15 months here and can't believe that it is coming to an end. It is officially over and we are heading back to Boise next week. This summer and our time here in Virginia have flown by in many ways. We feel so blessed to have had this time here. Now we are looking forward to being back home in Boise. We are driving across the country again this year. It was so fun last year and we were able to see friends and family along the way. We wish that we could just zig zag all over on our way back, but our time is limited. Our route takes us slightly more south/central, so unfortunately we won't be able to see our friends/family further north. We plan to head to Nashville first to see Dave's parents, grandpa and brother (and family). Next we head on to Jonesboro, Arkasas to see friends from BU days (The Fowlers). From Arkansas we will drive to Prior, OK to see The Bounds, some family friends of the Lauers. Then we will rally the troops for a long stretch from OK to Northern Colorado to see Alissa's family. From there...on to ID and our home in Boise. Well, that is a look ahead to the next couple of weeks (we plan to pull out of VA Thursday 8/7). In my next blog I will try to summarize our adventures over the last three months, if not in words, at least in pictures.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
April 2008
We started off the month celebrating Jack's 8th birthday. We created an Extra Terrestrial extravaganza complete with gurgling, green alien punch and flying saucer pizzas. The kids made their own miniature aliens to take home with them. Jack helped plan and decorate, he enjoyed having his alien fighting buddies with him on his big day.
Except for a short trip up to Philadelphia, we have been doing the soccer thing every weekend this month. The boys love it and have such great coaches and players on their teams. It is so fun to watch them play and to see how much they have improved since last season. GO EAGLES! GO TIGERS!
On the 13th we took off to Philly for another doctor appointment for me. We spent most of Sunday at the Franklin Institute checking out the Star Wars exhibit. The boys loved it and couldn't get enough of the hands on science that went along with all the special effects, artifacts, and robots from the movies. We spent time on Monday morning at Longwood Gardens, just in time for many of the tulips, daffodils, cherry blossoms and dogwoods to be in full bloom. The conservatory was spectacular as well.
As I write this, the boys and I are getting ready to fly out to Colorado today for a two week visit. Dave left Sunday for an eight week project in Utah. Thankfully I will get to go see him this weekend and he will come visit us in Colorado for Mother's Day/his birthday weekend. We are not looking forward to being apart for so long, but we are thankful that we will get to see each other a few times. We meet up again in Nashville over Memorial Day Weekend. We sure miss Dave around here and we are praying that the time will pass quickly!
I better run and pack my bags!
Except for a short trip up to Philadelphia, we have been doing the soccer thing every weekend this month. The boys love it and have such great coaches and players on their teams. It is so fun to watch them play and to see how much they have improved since last season. GO EAGLES! GO TIGERS!
On the 13th we took off to Philly for another doctor appointment for me. We spent most of Sunday at the Franklin Institute checking out the Star Wars exhibit. The boys loved it and couldn't get enough of the hands on science that went along with all the special effects, artifacts, and robots from the movies. We spent time on Monday morning at Longwood Gardens, just in time for many of the tulips, daffodils, cherry blossoms and dogwoods to be in full bloom. The conservatory was spectacular as well.
As I write this, the boys and I are getting ready to fly out to Colorado today for a two week visit. Dave left Sunday for an eight week project in Utah. Thankfully I will get to go see him this weekend and he will come visit us in Colorado for Mother's Day/his birthday weekend. We are not looking forward to being apart for so long, but we are thankful that we will get to see each other a few times. We meet up again in Nashville over Memorial Day Weekend. We sure miss Dave around here and we are praying that the time will pass quickly!
I better run and pack my bags!
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Overlooking the Potomac
Mt. Vernon
