Christensen's Pond

Every summer before the Ellsworth family reunion starts we spend a day playing around at Christensen's Pond. It's a fun family tradition. This pond is owned by a local farmer, who provides lots of various activities including a zip line, water slide, diving boards, canoes, etc. This year it was not available when we wanted to go, we were super bummed. A few days later the Johnson family informed us they had reserved the pond, and invited us to join in on the fun. We were so excited.
We had a BLAST! I only got two pictures while we were there. I planned on taking more, but I was in the water the entire time with my kids. We did get video of Kyra jumping off the diving board, I swear this girl has NO fear. She loves water, she probably went down the water slide 20+ times. Overall we had a great Monday night with family.

Shelley, Zach, McKenzie, and Brian...

Brent and Kim...

Kyra jumping off the diving board...

Girls Weekend!

One of my besties, Kristy has a family cabin in McCall, Idaho. A lot of memories have been made at the cabin since our high school years when Kristy's parents built it. Since college though Kristy started doing girls weekend each summer and inviting "the girls" [Ann, April, and I], her sister-in-laws, college buddies, and work friends. Needless to say there are lots of girls who attend girls weekend. It's quite the get together. This year I only went up for the day on Saturday. Two pontoon boats were rented and we chilled on McCall Lake the whole day. We all were cautious and put our sun block on, but when your out on the water the entire day your bound to get too much sun. Everyone had sun burns by the end of the day, ouch. We all had fun cruising around on the lake, chilling at North Shore, chit chatting, and listening to some tunes. Afterwards a group went to My Father's Place to eat dinner, super yummy. I then headed back home to Boise. I was expecting to make the drive myself, but last minute my friend Ann decided she wanted to go home too. It was nice to have a traveling buddy. Thanks Kristy for a fun girls weekend [day].

The girls [April, Kristy, Ann, and I]...

Driving already?

Miles had a blast playing outside in the backyard over the weekend. He LOVED riding around in his new play car. Bryce took this picture, so cute. I can't believe Miles is 16 months old, crazy. Time flies by so fast, before I know it my little guy is going to be driving. Ahhhhh!

Fun girls night...

I have some great friends in my old ward. We love getting together, especially to celebrate birthdays. We normally go to dinner at a restaurant the "birthday girl" picks. The most recent birthday we celebrated was my good friend Tonya's. She chose Old Chicago for dinner, AND it was yummy! We all had a great time doing what girls do best, chit chatting, laughing, eating, and taking silly pictures. After dinner we went to Amber's house to watch a movie. This Means War was an absolute winner, so funny!

Birthday girl...

Chandra, Jacqui, and Amber...

Mary, Kim, and I...

Jacqui and Amber dishing out dessert...

Tonya and I...

Riding on Jacqui's moped before going to Amber's...

Kim's Bridal Shower

My soon to be sister-in-law, Kim had her bridal shower on Saturday. It was such a fun shower. It was outside on a gorgeous day, and so many friends and family came to support her on this special day. The decorations were awesome and fit the colors of her wedding perfectly. There was yummy food, fun games, and of course priceless expressions by Kim as she opened her presents. I'm so excited for Brent and Kim to get married for time and all eternity. They are absolutely perfect for each other.

Kyra's silly faces...

Sometimes it seems impossible to get Kyra to smile for the camera, but during this mini photo shoot she was cracking me up. She definitely has many silly facial expressions. Even though my Kyra pushes my buttons more than ever lately, I love her and am so happy she is apart of our family.

Summer days with the kids...

So far this summer many days have been spent outside enjoying the nice HOT weather. We've had fun going on walks, going to various parks, playing in the backyard, going on bike rides, and having play dates. We are definitely enjoying our summer days, and hope the fun continues.

Going for a walk with Kyra's buddy Bradyn...

So precious, they held hands for probably 20 minutes...

Miles at Winstead Park...

Kyra with the hose trying to get the chickens wet...

Playing in the kiddie pool...

Miles and his buddies at my friend Tonya's house for a pool party in her backyard...

[Ashlyn, Ellie, Bryce, and Miles]

[Bryce and Miles]

4th of July!

Since Bryce and I got married we've celebrated the 4th of July with my side of the family. My parents have a place in Marsing, Idaho and each year we all get together for a mini family reunion. This year it was super short due to the holiday falling on a Wednesday. Oh well, we still had a blast. Marsing is a small town and for years they have had their firework show on the 3rd of July, and this year was no different. Each family arrived at different times Tuesday evening. My dad before leaving for work that morning made a family favorite dinner: pot roast, potatoes, and carrots. As everyone arrived we ate dinner and relaxed till going into town for the festivities. Every year in town by the river Marsing always has a band playing before the firework show begins. This year we were a little late getting there so we only heard the tale end of the concert. The firework show was amazing as always, and the kids enjoyed it too. Afterwards we went back and had a bonfire. I love sitting around the fire chit chatting with family and friends, it has always been a favorite activity of mine. We roasted marshmallows, and of course made smores. We tried something new too, instead of Hershey chocolate in the middle we tried peanut butter cups, so tasty. We also had our own firework show along with sparklers for the kids [and adults]. We went to bed around 2 in the morning. The next day we woke up early and all helped make breakfast. We had pancakes, eggs, and bacon. So yummy. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, playing outside, and enjoying each others company. We had a BBQ together before leaving to come back home to Boise. Overall we had a great 4th of July.

The moon was simply beautiful Tuesday night...

Papa and Miles...