Backyard Campout

Dustin and Kennedy had a little campout in the backyard on Friday night. They put up the tent and piled blankets and pillows, plus the air bed, into it. Kennedy packed snacks, drinks, and books, and they had a great time, reading by flashlight. Hudson needed someone to sleep in the house with him, so it was daddy-daughter time. Kennedy loved it, she thought it was quite an adventure. She is not the best person to sleep next to, she's quite the little kicker, we avoid it whenever possible. What a good Daddy to be willing to have a sleepless night here and there for the sake of making memories.

Tahoe guarded the sleeping campers...

Hello, Soccer!

Kennedy started soccer this week, and we are all loving it! Dustin and I are coaching, which is so fun, the kids are absolutely adorable, but that means I really don't have the time I would like to devote to photographing the little athlete. I caught a couple of her warming up...A deal is in place between her and Dustin, if she scores a goal, she'll get ice cream after the game. No ice cream yet, but she's pretty close. She's so fast, but still a little timid. Plus, the one boy on our team who has played before, he is SIX after all, is a bit of a ball hog. Might need a little stronger coaching... :)

Look at that smile. We are so glad she is having fun!

Almost! Even the best players miss occasionally...

Happy Late 4th of July!

Our Favorite thing about the Fourth of July is...



Patriotic Pedicures! It's a tradition now with me and Kennedy...the night before we truss up our tootsies! We really went all out on hers this year, they are the cutest!

This holiday has definitely been one of my life-long favorites. After having spent the first 23 or so years of my life in Lewiston, the first year we stayed in Idaho was difficult. Now, it almost feels like home. I love that Kennedy and Hudson still get that hometown parade and festival experience, complete with catching candy and playing carnival games. Rexburg is basically Lewiston on steroids, anyway.

Here we are at the parade...remember me complaining about the cold not too long ago? I was wishing it had lasted a little longer, we melted on the blacktop.

We parked at Utah Power, walked to the park, then to lunch, then back, probably about 10 blocks total this day. Kennedy whined and whined and I took the oppurtunity to talk about the pioneers walking everyday, all day. She was not in the mood. I let her push a "handcart" (Hudson in his stroller). This was fun for a bit, but eventually her nice daddy let her ride on his shoulders. Rough life, eh?

After playing in town for the morning, we headed home and put Hudson and Dustin down for a nap, and Kennedy and I hit the lake. While I changed, she packed snacks, drinks and even a magazine for me. What a sweetie. We had a great time by ourselves in the refreshing water and under the umbrella, I even got in! I did not, however, submerge my head...maybe next year...we'll see. Hudson and Dustin joined us later and we took a boat ride, which ended up with me pushing Dustin in and him pulling me in after...monkeys.

Hudson was not up for a late night, so we did fireworks in the backyard with our neighbors and were able to see about 5 different "big" shows from our lot, cool! All in all, a pretty decent day...for being in Idaho. :)

Kennedy's littlest cheerleader

Hudson was so cute cheering for Kennedy at her last T-Ball game today...does this count as talking in sentences???

Pause the tunes, and then listen closely...




Oh, and I know, who brings chocolate chip cookies to a 9 am T-ball game??? It was another mom, I like to call her mine and Hudson's new best friend...:)

And here is my little all-star in training...thanks for the tiniest, cutest mitt, Grandma Josie and Grandpa Jay!

End-of-the-season treats - Kennedy's "best day ever!" Look at that grin, are my kids treat fiends or WHAT?

We had a little Carousel / Splash Park outing on Monday, and do you know what we found? A real live cotton candy machine in the carousel building. For a buck, they spin you a fresh little blue cloud of heaven. Because sugar is always better fresh, right?

Shocker: Hudson did not like the cotton candy. He will usually not ever refuse a treat of any kind (he suffered his way through a VERY sour "Atomic Warhead" candy the other day; anything for something in a crinkly wrapper!). It was very strange, I kind of wanted to take his temperature...luckily there were other treats available, I'd hate for him to go without...

Working for the weekend...

Dustin, my parents and I took a trip up to Challis, ID on Saturday for me to photograph a wedding, and it was so gorgeous! The drive was beautiful, the mountains, the wildlife, all of it. We saw an elk, several deer, and even a wild turkey! I almost wished Kennedy was there...almost. :) Thanks to the awesome Jami, her and Hudson were happily playing at home in Rexburg, safely out of my hair for the day.

The wedding was really fun for me to do, with a gorgeous bride and stunning scenery, and I am excited to get the proofs to the couple.

Dustin was playing with the zoom lens, and caught this of me and my "assistant" (mom) working:

I love this shot, it shows how beautiful the location was...

One of my favorite cousins Jarvis was there, and I was smitten by his two darling kids, Mallory and Gavin. They are so adorable!

PS -Welcome home Cody! Sorry we couldn't be there yesterday, we heard you did a great job!

Won't you be my neighbor?

Ok, prime lake front property is on the market! This gorgeous lot behind our house is for sale, and there is a certain someone we are trying to persuade to buy it...you know who you are! We love where we live, I hope this doesn't cause a rise in the Rexburg population, we really like it where it is, plus or minus a few... :)

Fun with Gracie and McKenna, Weekend update

As you probably know, we had Gracie and McKenna came home with us to Idaho and spend last week with us. For the record, we are missing them! Kennedy and Hudson really had fun with them, and I loved spending time with two nieces I don't get to see enough. Here are some of my favorite pictures (among hundreds, you know me...) from last week!






We went back down to Utah on Friday and spent the weekend in Cache Valley. Garret and Trulie moved into their new house, and we helped them a bit. Well, Dustin helped a lot and I mostly tried to keep Hudson out of the way. G & T have done a bunch of remodeling before moving in, and it looks so great! We love that they have found the perfect place for them, and know they will be so happy there! We also got to visit my sweet Grandma Webb, and Grandpa Jorgy. We missed Grandma Jorgy, but guess where she was: the summer games. She took the gold in her division for shot put and the silver for the speed walk. Doesn't she rock??

Sorry no pics of the cute house, like I said, I was pretty busy chasing...I did however catch Jeff trying to prove that he can wheelie anything...even grandma's jazzy...silly boy. It is pretty hard to resist taking it for a spin...





















We went to Riverdale on Saturday night with everyone but G&T, and we had a ball! I haven't been there since high school, and it brought back a ton of memories from growing up. My dad used to take us there a lot, and it was fun to go back. Everyone I talked to before going had warned me that it was gross, but you know what? It was actually nicer than I remembered. The warm water felt so good, and I didn't submerge my head (not recommended, according to management - I know, don't think about it) so I'm pretty sure we left with no more diseases than we showed up with. :)

Hudson climbing on Preslie while she enjoys some ice cream from Big J's...a post-Riv tradition...

Sunday was great, we had a delicious grease bomb breakfast at LD's with my parents, Jeff and Jill, William and Hudson. Afterwards, we tooled around Richmond, where I grew up, and reminisced. We went to the cemetery, where I am still not used to seeing my uncle Lynn's headstone, and I know my dad is still not used to seeing 2 brothers and his Dad. I'm so thankful for every second I have with my loved ones, and miss so much the ones I don't see anymore.

We had a little picnic at Mack park that afternoon and relaxed, and of course, I made everyone pose for pictures. Here are some fun shots of Kennedy and Hudson loving their Daddy, and of my cute family!

And, to end with a laugh, this is what Hudson does to keep from getting bored on the long drive.