Having fun!

 

Ellery at 3...Christmas 2010

 

Another Family photo

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Again, this year I made my family stay dressed up after church to get pictures. They all agree it was not as torturous as last year, and so another family tradition is born. Of course next year I will try to take the pictures at the beginning of the month so I can include them on our Christmas Card!

Oh, to be kids again at Christmastime!

 

The BOYS!

 

Our Christmas Card Picture

 

 

I love this of Ellery and I...running all the way back to the car in the 40 degree weather to get my hat is all made worth it when I look at this picture!

FINALLY, a family picture!

 

Happy 4th of July

We had so much fun this year all being in Boise (minus Clint) for the 4th of July. The kids got to ride scooters and bikes in a neighborhood parade, have a yummy 4th of July dinner, and see fireworks with all of their cousins. They all had so much fun!

One of our FAVORITE restaurants

Whenever we come to Boise, Clint and I like to go to The Brick Oven Bistro which used to be called The Brick Oven Beanery. I love the oven roasted turkey sandwich with their homemade vegetable cheese soup and Clint has a variety of things that he loves! We have really good memories of eating there and going to Hockey Games and Tennis Matches in Downtown Boise.

Dad's Family Birthday Party

This was Clint's family birthday party that we threw for him...we had a steak dinner and then a spice cake for dessert. This second picture really cracks me up due to the fact that Clint has a hard time being serious in any picture, and he turns out to be the ONLY one serious...like father like kids! Ellery did this face all on her own and Parker, well, he is just a hambone anyways! The kids thought it would be great fun to send Dad through the spanking machine and then they all attacked him...HOP ON POP!

LeMoNaDe PaRtY

When daddy came home today he was immediately accosted by a VERY HAPPY and freshly awakened Ellery, wanting to have a Lemonade Party (since we don't drink tea, we have lemonade parties instead). This is the very cute result!

DESSERT on a DESERTED Beach

For Clint's birthday this year I took him to a seafood restaurant called "THE SURF" in Cocoa Beach, FL. He LOVES seafood, so instead of my original plan to make him dinner and take a picnic to the beach, I decided to surprise him by going out for seafood and making him dessert on the beach!

Let me give some details of the evening. For starters, we were the youngest people in the restaurant, you were supposed to be retired to eat there, apparently. Unless you ate at the more casual oyster bar called Shuckleberry Finn's, a name Clint found quite amusing! It did have live entertainment, though...a 90 year old man playing the saxophone and...singing? And the kicker was that the special of the day was...drum roll...LAMB CHOPS. At a Seafood Restaurant???!!! The sad part is that it got such good reviews for food and atmosphere on the net. Go figure!!!
After dinner we went to the beach, Clint found us a secluded area of the beach without even trying! It was fun and romantic. I had taken a small fondue pot powered by tealight candles to warm up homemade hot fudge. It was a bit challenging keeping the flame lit in the wind, but we managed and had YUMMY chocolate sauce to go on our cheesecake with fresh raspberries while we played my favorite game of Scrabble. That is the perogative of the planner...Clint's birthday, Ginger's favorite game. Actually, Clint likes the game, too!
I am just sorry there is not a picture of us TOGETHER, however, you did take me to a deserted beach. Thus, no one to take a picture of US!


SO, just imagine US sitting in our new beach chairs pictured below! I love you...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!

MOTHER'S DAY 2010

This Mother's Day I decided to torture my kids and make them take pictures with their Mom! I always feel, though, I am the one tortured as I try to get everyone smiling and looking at the camera at the same time. I think that is why I do not take more family photos, as the stress of everyone looking good is too much.

Well, out with the old and in with the new. I don't want to lose the memories, so I have now decided that even if I have people not looking and tongues sticking out that perhaps that portrays my life as a mother just as much or even more so than everyone smiling and looking happy!

This Mother's Day brought some wonderful surprises...LOVE coupons from my older kids: a coupons for a 10 minute massage from Parker (oh yah!) and a coupon for a HUG from Tanner (they are at a premium in my house from my 10 year old) among other wonderful coupons to be used with no expiration! I also got a hammock for the back porch that is the size of a small boat (MUCH bigger than expected) that all the kids decided they needed to try out with me while Clint made me dinner in the new WOK he bought me. ALL in ALL it was a lovely Mother's Day, not too relaxing in the hammock, but, nevertheless, LOVELY! I even got a few cute pictures! I kinda wish there were more Mother's Day's in the year!!!