Day Camp

This last weekend we joined Stephen's family up Scout Mountain for the day. When we don't have to travel nearly so far, it's a lot nicer to get in on impromptu family get togethers. The boys had a grand time riding bikes back and forth on the road, trying to catch squirrels and bugs with their cousins and roasting marshmallows.

Uncle Ryan, whom Ryder is named after, was the life of the party with the kids! Cooper loved all his teasing! I love the pic above of Ryder, Ryan and my pretty little niece Abby. She put on several dancing and singing mini-shows for us through the day :)

Ry and our nephew Brandon hit it off! Ryder loved sharing his cars and chips with him :)

I realize I have far too few pics of Stephen's side of the family here on the blog, so I was glad to get the camera pulled out while we were there! Nice to be able to get the camping experience without even nearly so much work as an over-nighter! 

Makes the World Go Round

It seems water makes the world go 'round during the summer for us! With boxes sitting to be unpacked inside, the water table got filled up and the sprinkler turned on in our new yard!

Yes, this was meant to be half filled with sand, but water wins all around (and there is less mess without the sand)! And no, it's not intended to be a pool, but hey, whatever...

After the boys are chillin' on the bunked while I unpack boxes and get the room set up- could you die over Ry's belly and goggles?!! We are determined to live without our Dish at the new house, so I've been trying to figure out online places for kids videos...

And later, back to the water of course! Dad came bringing a small plastic pool for them later in the week too!

And we are loving our new yard- so many mature trees and great grass! Spending time out here smooths out the edges for sure! This is the side where we spend the most time...

Water Gun Targets!

Because I don't know how long we'll be without internet service at our new house, I thought I'd schedule my water gun targets post that I shared awhile back at Homespun Threads! This is a great project to help you switch it up in your own backyard! 

Last summer I got pretty tired of being on the receiving end of Coop's water gun. So, I had the thought to create some simple targets for him to aim at instead! 

I used the Sweet Cakes Kit from Summertime Designs to cutesify some basic free clip art and simple letters for him to learn (M for Mom, G for Grandpa/ Grandma, D for Dad, etc.). If you want to create your own, anything that your child is interested in would work- the possibilities for what to aim at are endless! If you want a faster option, you can click the links below to download the animal and letter versions that I created. Then print on card stock!

Animal Water Gun Targets (preying mantis, bee, snake, bear and monsters)

Basic Letters Water Gun Targets (Mm, Dd, Cc, Gg, Rr)

Click here to grab my most recent version of printable targets (below) too :)

Other materials you'll need:

clear Contact Paper

packaging tape

something solid and sturdy to adhere your targets to

(jugs or bottles of water, large buckets, tall wooden dowels, etc.)

Laminating the sheets also works great. This year, my friend suggested Contact Paper and I thought I'd try it since I hadn't ever used it in a project before! It was easy to work with and cost $6 for the whole roll, which, you'll see, I have a ton of still! 

One of our favorite ways to play with our targets is a game called "Mr. Fox." I set the targets up all over the yard, then sit somewhere in the middle with Ryder (who doesn't play along too well yet). Cooper runs around asking "Mr. Fox, Mr. Fox, what time is it?" I respond with "Time to shoot the (insert specific target here)." So, if I wanted him to find the letter C, I'd answer, "Time to shoot the C!" and he would run around the yard until he found the right letter and shoot his water gun at that one. This is also fun on the tramp, with the targets perched all around.

I hope this is an idea you can use and enjoy in one way or another! I now make a new set of targets each summer, so check back for more new versions coming soon!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, Stephen!

You are loved and appreciated today and everyday!

Thank You

for all you do to make life great!

Everything Changes...

For the past eight years,

from when Taron and Keaton were the little ones

scampering along the sidewalk, to now

Cooper and Ryder soaking up the sights and sounds,

we've taken the boys to the Western Days parade

the first weekend of June in Twin Falls.

It's a lot of boring local advertising and collecting of useless fliers...

but it's been tradition.

I scheduled this post a few days ago

because today we are making our

very. last. load.

We won't be going to the Twin Falls parade anymore.

Or having Friday night game nights with Gardners.

Or talking across the fence with Lynn or Gail or Kyla.

Or heading to Russ' for that missing tub of sour cream.

But, there will be other parades...

and hopefully beside family members that are now much closer.

And our "make it happen" attitudes won't allow

get togethers with Gardners to ever really come to an end.

We actually won't mind not having neighbors

right across the fence...
especially if they aren't Lynn or Gail or Kyla.

And there will be a new small town market

that carries  forgotten staples at high prices.

Everything Changes...

and Stays the Same...

thank heaven,

'cuz I like traditions.

MUD!

Again, a few pics that have been lying in wait for awhile...

there are two little dudes around here that

flat love playing in puddles!

Given the boy's life it is,

watering our little garden has unfailingly led to

soaking a spot of grass and creating a mud puddle to play in!

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE summertime? :)

 Another mark of boys and summer and country life...

Frogs!

Stephen snagged Cooper 

three little frogs near my Aunt's house awhile back

and he has enjoyed them to no end!

I'm no animal person,

but they are pretty fun I will admit. :)

It's fun to watch him enjoy them if nothing else!

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE life in the country? :)

Catch-up: Fruit Bars and Sewing

Thought I'd post a few pics that have been sitting in my folder waiting to be posted for awhile now... I have lots of cute recent stuff but don't have the time to upload and edit right now!

Don't those fruit bars look delish?!? They're our very favorite right now. I'm excited to try some homemade versions once our life gets settled back down, but for now, this box at Costco is awesome!

You think the boys and their cute friend Stella are satisfied? :) And, no, I didn't braid her hair while she was over. ;)  So fun taking pics of kids and popsicles! Love these ones of the boys below...

Also thought I'd share the cute little sunglasses case I whipped up not too long ago- I love the ruffles on this and knew as soon as I saw it at Positively Splendid it was something I wanted to sew! It's actually the first thing I've sewn with a lining and I learned a lot doing it, simple as it may be! Obviously, it's not perfect, but cute nonetheless! 

I'd like to do a few more of these to improve enough to maybe sew myself a purse! I wasn't too happy with the combination of fabrics I used either- oh well, it's been very useful at any rate!

We'll Remember...

The entire time we've been married (and dating, for me), we've lived very near the Snake River Canyon in south central Idaho. I think we love the canyon so much because when you're down inside, it's as though you're surrounded by mountains. The boys get excited as we drive across the bridges. Not too long ago Cooper announced that "Mom, if the bridge crashed down, then, no more going to town!" True, indeed- Twin Falls, the city we feed into most often, is on the south side of the Canyon and our house has been on the north. Anyhow...

Recently we ventured with our good friends down to Shoshone Falls. Since the water is so high right now, it is breathtaking! Even though this could be considered our backyard, we were certainly just like any other tourist in awe. I was struck that this is a place we'll remember.

Stephen and I would drive down here when were dating- he'd try to show off his fishing skills and I'd sit tucked up on the rocks (the fishing was quickly forgotten in favor of kissing I do believe...) ;) 

Noisy? Huh, what? The boys were so fascinated and, unfortunately, so fearless too!

We have loved this place. It has meant lots of good times for our family, from archery shoots to fishing to swimming illegally to picnics and just because. We love the real mountains that we're excited to be closer to, but we'll always remember the Snake River Canyon. This won't be our last trip during high water with some of our favorite south central Idahoans!

For These Last Days

Do you ever look at your kids and just have it hit you that, indeed, they have been saved for these last days? I sure do! Yesterday we celebrated Taron's 13th birthday! He is now a teenager! And I couldn't help but think multiple times through the day (as I've often thought before) that he has been saved, that he is as good as they come.

During the day we played around making homemade goo and making a moderate mess across the dining room. The boys all really enjoyed it- so did I! Taron was totally fascinated by mixing two parts corn starch to one part water... if you haven't ever tried it, you should! It is so interesting to see what our friend, high school physics teacher, Steve, calls "sliquid." Meanwhile, Ry was enjoying the road I made him across the living room out of flattened moving boxes.  :)

Then later in the evening we had our usual friends and neighbors over for a backyard bbq. Taron had requested tri-tip and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Stephen has become a grilling genius on our new grill and did not disappoint yet again! I secretly filled the cupcakes with cream cheese filling too- yum! Taron took three and I'd say the little boys enjoyed them too...

As we hung out and visited (and tried not to freeze), Taron was playing and wrestling with his brothers and friends on the tramp. This picture below just makes me smile so proudly! Taron is such a phenomenal older brother- he really does awesome with the little boys and Keaton too. I know that this young man was saved. Saved for these trying times. I have faith in him to become whoever, whatever he wants to be! Thanks, Taron, for all you add to our family when you are here! We love you!