We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams . . .
yet we are the movers and shakers of the world forever, it seems

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Fall Time means BIRTHDAY TIME at the Hynes' House!!

 But, before we get to the birthdays, we have to talk about the other fall wonder...ASIAN PEARS!! We have a cute little town a little way from here that is full of orchards, and every year we glut ourselves on their yummy Asian Pears!! This year, my good friend, Amanda brought her cute kiddos up for a visit before she moved across the country, so they got to enjoy some with us.
This shot was right before Archie had an "accident" and nearly sent the sweet, Asian orchard-owner into a panic...ahhh, the joys of potty-training.
all cleaned up and ready to help.
 I think this was an outing with Dad, when they played, Where's Archie.
 Ok, I thought this was the cutest thing!! This was part of a mural having outside Lucy's classroom. This is a little cut-out of her playing volleyball...so cute!
 These are some of the last warm days of the year, so you have to enjoy them appropriately :)
 Elliott's hair was all sprayed red for his football game (why do I have no pictures of his football season this year?!?! Mom Fail), and then he played in the rain...
 Ahhhh, this story....Uncle Morgan calls Archie the A-bomb. Dad calls him the terrorist. Maybe I should call him the million dollar toddler. A while back, while we thought he was in bed, Archie escaped to our master bathroom, broke the toilet tank lid, and flushed 60 tampons down the toilet. One plumber visit, several hundred dollars, and too many water-soaked tampons later, our house was up and running again....but not for long. Soon, our central Vac wasn't working right. One phone call, one very patient technician, one sawed-through vac pipe,  6 hot wheels, and 6 action figures later, we were all good. So this is what they mean by there terrible toddler!!
 Lucy's good friend, Alayna, moved to Utah last year, and this is all the girls together again while she was back up visiting. 
 PINK DAY at school! The kids were very excited to have a chance to honor their Aunt Christa.
 Any way we can get some of that energy out....right?
 Lucy is officially a "Tween"!!! and she couldn't be more excited.
 A little birthday scavenger hunt led her to some fun stuff!!
Cute girl wanted pie and ice-cream for her birthday.
Now that September is over, it's time to start thinking about oranger things....rounder things....pumpkinier things, so we visited the pumpkin patch and the fire station. 

All right, all right, let's not be hasty. I didn't forget about you, Elliott!! Before we can celebrate Halloween, we have to celebrate THIS GUY!! Nine years old!! Let the scavenger hunt begin!!

 This Boise weather...I tell ya!! The end of October, at Elliott's family birthday dinner, it was warm enough for the kids to play in the sunny rain shower!!
 But even that fun couldn't keep them away from Birthday Banana Splits!!
 (Cute Giggly Guy)




 Ok, now that we've adequately honored Elliott, it's time for Halloween Festivities! Bring on the pumpkin carving, costume wearing and candy gathering!


No, this isn't Neverland, it's Aunt Heather's backyard!!! The dried canal is an autumn wonderland!!!
 Here's Captain Hook and Mime Lucy before cousin Lilly's annual Halloween party.
 And here's everybody on Halloween!!! Elliott is a mad scientist. I love that the older kids got creative with their costumes this year, I've been begging them to do that for years!



 Captain Hook looks pleased with his yummy treasures.




Monday, February 2, 2015

Our Summer is coming to an end...

The end of July saw me off to Minneapolis for my college roommate reunion!!! 
These beautiful ladies are so dear to me, and I haven't seen them in --ahem--a few years.... It was so great to reconnect.
 Minneapolis was so green and beautiful; and so was Anne! Not green...just beautiful :)
 We tried to stay active, and see the city, and these super-sweet bikes for rent were the perfect solution!
Look at these cruisin' babes!!
 And, thanks to Angel's great hostess skills, we ate healthy and wonderful food too!! This is my lunch one day from the Polish restaurant!!! Veggie heaven!
 Amber and I were very much enjoying our European fare!!
 It was so fun getting up close and personal with the Great Mississippi River, and with these wonderful women!!
 We saw so many beautiful sights...

 These were crazy sandstone caves...
 And this is Amber's daughter sitting on a bench that is "just like the benches in Georgia (the country)"! Hee Hee
 It was a beautiful trip, but coming home is always my favorite! This picture is significant because  it is Archie's first time tasting PIZZA!!! I guess all it takes is a boy that is tired and hungry enough. (side-note: it is 7 months later, and he has never tried it again.....oh well.)
 Silly Elliott in Emily's doggy-door.
 Silly Papa Lund being attacked by the infamous Boise Butterfly!
 Sunny Sunday shenanigans 

 Sun's gone, but it can still be fun!
Who's the best husband in the world!?!?! MINE!!! During the summer, he BBQ's once a week for me. He made me whole wheat pizza on the grill with garden tomatoes, garden basil, fresh mozzarella, and a delicious balsamic vinegar he got me for Christmas!!! He's definitely a keeper. 
 5 months of saving, and Elliott earned his iPod touch!!! I'm telling you, this kid is AMAZING!
 Now that Archie transitioned to a big-boy-bed, he was keeping Elliott awake all night. So, we decided to give him his own room. We decorated with Skylanders and Super Mario Brothers, and he has been so great!!! He never comes out of his bed, and feels like such a big boy!
 Frozen songs karaoke fun.
 Lucy and Archie's new friends :)

 Oh, and did I mention that Archie is potty-trained now!!?!? He was amazing!! 3 days of training, and he took off like a Champ!!
 He is growing up way too fast: big bed, potty-trained, and his first trip to the dentist!! All good things. 
We worked all summer and trained for our first family 5k, and in September, it came!!! Harmony and Habi ran it with us; Mike ran the half-marathon.
 The kids were so proud. Elliott ran so fast, and Lucy kept going, and going with Harmony. They wore me out!!!




So proud.