End of Summer Shenanigans

I've got a few pictures from the summer that need a home.  This particular picture is one of my favorites of the entire summer.  These boys are more like brothers than cousins, and oh so cool.

I wish I could find a picture of Randy doing this exact same pose.  I've got to have one somewhere.

These two, such an unpredictable duo.

Man I'm going to miss our lazy days at the pool.

There never seems enough time to golf in the summer.  We are so busy on the boat and at the ball park.  It's always chaotic but it gets me out there so I'll take it.

I'm having a flash forward to 6 years down the road.  Terrifying!!

We had a fairly mild mosquito season but the end of August brought droves of them.  They all seemed to land on poor Sam's legs.  He's got cotton candy blood like his mama.

He found a whistle and glasses and was in character the entire day.

We couldn't let the summer end without a slip n' slide session.

Randy and I gave Scott and Jeri a night out to one of our favorite restaurants for Christmas.  We finally delivered on that gift nearly 9 months later.  Better late than never right?  We had a fabulous meal and fabulous conversation.  Love these two.

Dyson turned 17!!  Wow that make me feel old.

I'm having a hard time wanting to do anything but cuddle with this sweet puppy!

Sam has developed a love for Lego's his brothers never had.  I'll blame Sarah's kids for that.

Speaking of Sarah, we paid her a visit at the Highland Fling where she was working Wave Runner's.

After Jack and Max showed Sam how it was done, he finally felt brave enough to get in the ball.

He took the relaxed approach in the ball.  Running is way too much work.

We finally got another parade under our belt before the summer ended.  Griffers had taffy and a suckers stuck in his fur afterwards.  Summer never seems to last long enough.  We tried hard to make the most of it.  Lucky for us, this fall is shaping up to be abnormally warm.  Summer forever!

Stewart Falls

There are several Sunday's we wake up and decide to take it easy but for some reason, this particular Sunday I had the bug to have an adventure.  The boys were somewhat excited but I was definitely the mastermind behind this hike.  As you can see by this picture we made it to our final destination.  

We had a bit of a rough start.  Sam's paralyzing fear of the wind, definitely sidelined us for a few minutes.  

Good thing he has some awesome brothers to protect him.

Little Griffy seriously impressed me with his hiking skills.  He made the full 4 miles without a problem.  I tell you, this dog was meant to be in our family.

Max can't miss an opportunity to A. freak me out on a ledge and B. pose for a picture.

Griffy showed no fear climbing through the rocks to collect sticks.

Max got the closest to the freezing water of Stewart Falls, no surprise there.

Once we made it back down the mountain we finished our adventure off with a treat at Sundance.  It does my soul good to be surrounded by beautiful nature.  Although it wasn't exactly peaceful the entire time with these crazy boys, it's important for me to help them develop the same love of the great outdoors.  

By the time we got home, Griffy was filthy and exhausted.  Look at how tiny his little body is when his fur is wet.

Such a good little pooch!

16 Years of Wedded Bliss

After we got the kids off to school for their first day and dropped Sam off at Sarah's, we headed to the lake to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary.  Not only was the water perfect, but there wasn't another soul on the lake.  I guess we're the only people who go boating on a Wednesday morning! 

I've never felt so free!  It was the first time just Randy and I have been able to take the boat out alone.  While one of us wake boarded, the other one played DJ.  We know each other so well we could predict which songs the other wanted to hear.  I can honestly say, after all these years there isn't another person on the planet I'd rather spend the day with than him.  Life is crazy and stressful and we both get bogged down by it.  We have done a pretty good job coming back to what makes us, us.  He's my best friend, my biggest support, and the man I can get through anything with.  I feel very lucky our love is still going strong. 16 years is a long freaking time.  Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!  Here's to many many more!

First Day of School 2015

Back to school time already!!  The summer went by especially fast this year.  Despite the kids saying they didn't want to go back, they were excited to start a new year.  They won't stop growing up!

I don't think Sam fully understands that they will be gone for over 6 hours every day.  He will be lost without his brothers.  Not to mention, all his friends in the neighborhood are a good 2-3 years older than him and going back to school as well.

Poor Sam doesn't start preschool for another 2 weeks!

My sweet little Max is a big 2nd grader this year.  His teacher is Ms. Gustafson.  We're not quite sure how to pronounce her name yet but I'm sure we'll figure it out.

I'm excited to be the room mom in his class this year.

It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Hank is a 5th grader this year!  His teacher is Mrs. Washburn and he has several buddies in his class.  5th grace is a pretty big year.  I remember my 5th grade year vividly.  How do I have a kid that old?  I didn't have long to cry about my babies growing up since it was also our wedding anniversary and Randy planned a fun date for us.  More on that in my next post.

Griffy's First Day on the Lake

One thing is for certain, Griffy needs to be able to hang wherever this crazy family decides to go.  The lake is one of those places.  He was a little nervous but handled it like a champ.

Speaking of nervous...Colby and Dyson were hesitant to go out on the tube, so their brave 3 year old sister jumped on without hesitation.

Lennon loves her Uncle Randy.

We loved watching these two jam out to their favorite tunes on the tube.  Lennon requested T. Swift's "Shake It Off" and Sam chose Froggy Fresh's "Dunked On".

We eventually got Colby out there after he cuddled with Griffy for a bit.

Randy and I enjoyed the glass like conditions.

Look at that water!!

Randy thought Griffy needed to take an initiatory dip in the lake.  He was confident in his swimming capabilities.  After watching my baby struggle for 2 seconds I pulled him out.  Poor little guy.

Come to mama!

Another perfect day on the lake in the books!  Looks like Griffy can definitely hang with this crazy family.

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Mulligan Time

When my grandparents were unable to attend the Mulligan Banquet this year, Randy and I were more than happy to take their spot and join my awesome parents.  Randy and I can morph into country clubbers at a moments notice.  We had such a blast.

Dancing, yes please.  My dad was in rare form.

Coolest parents on the planet.  Hands down.

The following day I had to opportunity to play in the scotch foursome with my dear old dad.  We've never had the opportunity to play in tournament together.

Originally we thought it was only a 9 hole tournament but later found out we got to play 18,  Randy held down the fort at home so my dad and I could spend some quality time together.  We made such a good team and I'm really happy with how I played.  

We ended up winning our flight and taking 2nd place overall.  Not too shabby at all pops!  Let's not make this our last father/daughter tourney.