I Like My Birthday's, Every One...

"...Each brings a greater joy to me, but I can't wait until I'm 8, for then I'll be baptized you see!"

Lucy is 8 years old!!

I felt guilty because I had a 5k race on her birthday morning, so I surprised her by decorating our dining room the night before her birthday.
Her birthday was on a Saturday this year, so the day before, she took the day off school, and we had a special breakfast of pancake balls, got a much-awaited pedicure, went out to the "miso soup place" for sushi and soup, and went shopping for her birthday cake and pinata.
Lucy and Archie at the nail salon. Archie is showing off his nails, all natural baby!
Her chair had butterfly wings and a little DVD player....so cute.
Mine had a massage chair and an amazing massaging lady!
The results.
While shopping for a pinata, Elliott wanted me to buy him these glasses. I didn't. But I also didn't miss the photo opportunity, hee hee.

We decided to do Lucy's party at the taekwondo school, like we did Elliott's last year. It was so fun! I love it because all we have to do is bring the pinata and cake, and they do the rest.

Lucy got to wear a black belt for the occasion.

All the guests got to break boards. Here's Rowan,
and Lilly,
And Elliott.
They also get to attack the pinata:



When the kids can't do it, the adults get to try!!

Into the party room for cake and pizza!
Cutting the cake with a Samurai sword.
You have to click on this picture and see it bigger so you can see the smile on her face...She can't help but smile as big as she can: she loves the attention. It isn't often you see her so unguarded and just pure happy! This is the best. face. ever.

We got her a GIANT new bike that we weren't sure she was going to fit. Silly us, she's amazing; look at her go!

Arche's first meal

So, Archie has started waking up earlier and earlier in the night, and it isn't my favorite thing. I was beginning to think that maybe it was because he is ready for a little more food in his life and he is hungry sooner. So, I didn't want to do this....I've put it off as long as I can...I didn't want to know he was old enough for this...but, we tried some rice cereal today! I was going to wait until he was exactly 6 months old to do this because I don't want him to grow up! But, today for lunch, I ground some brown rice, boiled it up, mixed it with milk, strapped him in and gave it a go. Success! He IS ready for solid food! He didn't have the thrust tongue reflex any more, and he ate several good spoonfulls! We are going to do it for dinner too, and hoepfully it will help with his sleepy nights! Elliott got to help feed him too. Look closely at the pictures, there are some fun expressions, as always! Love you Big Boy Archie!

The Fun Doesn't Stop When the School Bell Rings!

Lucy has wanted to ride in a hot air balloon since she was about 3 years old. Nothing makes them happier than seeing a hot air balloon in the morning sky. So, when the Spirit of Boise balloon festival happened this September, Mike set out at 5AM to take them to see the dozens of balloons launch downtown. Archie and I got to sleep in....in theory...

To celebrate the kids' first week of school, the kids came home from school to a box of "Nerds" candy, because they are officially nerds now, and then we walked to the Maverik gas station for a treat:

Archie trying out his future high-chair...not quite there yet.


Mike took Elliott to the Mountain Home Airforce Appreciation Day Parade. Now this I was sad to miss! Lucy and Archie and I had to stay home because Lucy had a birthday party, but I love this parade: we have gone every year since we've lived in Boise. It is an over 3 hour parade, the kids get their weight in candy, and then there are the festivities afterwards. Elliott scored some cotton candy that he didn't finish because it was too messy...Mike got a treat too--hee hee.
Elliott graduated from the Little Tigers class in taekwondo!! He is now in the white belt class, and will soon test into his yellow belt.




Elliott has a classmate named Carter that he just met. Turns out Carter lives basically across the street!! They are peas in a pod. They were awfully quiet, so I peeked around the corner, and this is what I saw: tv-watching fort.
One more weekend of fun before we go: Community Appreciation Day at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Again, Archie and I stayed home because the air show would just have been too loud. Again, a total bummer, I love the air show, and I would have loved to see the kids' reactions to all the cool stuff. Luckily, Mike took a lot of beautiful pictures, and you can see the fun on their faces.






Some things not pictured were Elliott and Lucy BOTH got students of the week in their classes for being responsible, Archie is finally outgrowing some of his 0-3 month old clothes, I volunteered in Elliott's class for the first time, and I won Johnson's Family Biggest Loser! Fun Times!!

One more week to go in September, we still have Lucy's birthday, my 5k, Carter's Birthday party, Lucy and my first activity day together, and much, much more! Bring it on September!

Summer's Last Fling

Mike took the kids camping again without Archie and I...what a great Dad. They just went overnight at Idaho City, but they had great fun.

Then, we had a community service project for our church, and we layed sod, planted trees and cleaned up some local baseball fields.


Off to the State Fair!! It was the day we went to the fair, last year, that I found out I was pregnant with Archie! Crazy to think how much has happened in just a year!


Someone got all tuckered out in the high 90 degree weather! He is asleep with his hand in his eye...too cute.

Lucy snuggled up to a sea lion. I think he likes her.

There....whew....all caught up on summer!