Big Al's!

Monday for Family Home Evening we went to Big Al's with Bryce's cousin Will and his family, we had a great time. It's a fun place for ALL ages. Depending on what your in the mood for, there is something for everyone. We chose to spend all of our time in the arcade. We played lots of games. After we cashed in our tickets for prizes. Kyra chose a Princess crown, and the rest of her tickets were hoarded by me to buy a bunch of Frooties [small flavored tootsies]. Yummy! My camera died as I was taking a picture of all the kids together, stink. Overall we had a blast and look forward to going back for a game or two of bowling.

Miles starts Nursery!

My little Miles is now in Nursery, I can't believe he is 18 months old, crazy! Miles was instantly clingy the moment we walked into class, it's like he knew I was going to leave. I stayed in there for about five minutes waiting for the opportunity to escape. He soon found a toy to play with, and that was the perfect time to leave. I never in a million years expected Miles to stay in Nursery the WHOLE two hours, BUT he did. Yeah! I came to pick him up and the scoop was he was emotional off and on the entire time and wanted to be held a lot BUT made it through just fine. I think within a months time he will be loving Nursery. I LOVE that his Nursery leaders did not bring him to me because he cried for 2+ minutes. I always think that is so silly when leaders do that. As long as he does not upset another kid while crying they will keep him in there to get used to his new surroundings. That is the only way [in my opinion] to get an 18 month old to go to Nursery and stay in Nursery. I understand that each kiddo is different for sure, but I personally like their approach. I hope each week gets better and better as I'm sure it will.

During Relief Society, my friend Alli went out with her baby to walk the halls, she decided to peek in on the kids in Nursery. She came back and told me Miles was whimpering, but Kyra immediately comforted him by giving him hugs. I was thrilled Kyra was looking out for her little brother.

We love you Miles, we are so proud of you!

Captain Jack Sparrow!

Last Wednesday [9/19] I went to my first ever eye exam appointment. After the exam while checking out a pirate walked through the door in complete character saying hi to everyone. He looked like Captain Jack Sparrow, so I had to take a picture. I thought it was so random/weird BUT found out later it was International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

McCall, Idaho

We decided to go on a mini family vacation to McCall, Idaho for the weekend [9/7]. We had an absolute blast. It was so nice being with my little family and having NO other distractions present. We left Friday when Bryce got off work and returned Sunday afternoon. I always feel super nauseous traveling to McCall because of the winding roads, but this time both Miles and I felt queasy. We were nearing the end heading for the straight stretch and Miles puked all over, poor guy. By the time we got to McCall, checked into our hotel, and unpacked our belongings it was 9:30. Our hotel had a pool and Kyra was super excited to go swimming, so Bryce took her for a night swim. She had a great time swimming right before bedtime.

Saturday morning we got up and all had a tasty breakfast. The hotel served waffles, eggs, sausage, hash browns, and so much more. We were all quite full and ready to go out and explore McCall. We drove in a big circle around McCall Lake and stopped at some beautiful spots alongside the road. We found so many camping areas we want to try out in the future. The kids had so much fun walking around chasing tiny frogs, playing in the sand, and taking random pictures. The moment we bring out the camera Miles immediately smiles and says "CHEESE", it's pretty cute and makes us laugh every time. We ended up parking our car right in downtown McCall to walk around and go to a few of our favorite shops. We were sad that Ice Cream Alley had already closed for the season, we LOVE their ice cream. We went to the Farmer's Market, we had fun sampling the local fruits. After sampling we were starving for lunch, so we got pizza at a restaurant that overlooked McCall Lake. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE McCall??? After lunch we went to the playground park by the lake. The kids had fun playing on the equipment, building sand castles, and getting wet in the cold water. I guess I should say Kyra was the only one who got wet. She is our little fish, there is no stopping her when close to a body of water. She ended up in her swimsuit soaking wet. We then went back to our hotel to go swimming, the kids were so happy to be in their swimsuits jumping in and splashing around. Kyra had fun going back and forth between the pool and hot tub. Later that night we went down to the docks and enjoyed some ice cream. Miles LOVED his ice cream and gobbled it up fast. We had a fun filled day, the kids were exhausted so we tried putting them to bed. It was difficult getting the kids to bed because we were all in the same room, super annoying. The kids finally went to bed and Bryce and I were soon asleep as well.

Sunday morning we had another fabulous breakfast. We packed up our things and headed out to find Boulder Lake Hiking Trail. I was so excited to go on a hike with my family. Bryce and I love to hike, so I thought this would be a perfect family activity. To make a long story short we survived the 5 mile hike. At one point Bryce was carrying both kiddos, Miles on his back and Kyra on his shoulders. Kyra overall did very well, but she was distracted easily, plus she wanted to pick up and keep EVERYTHING. She really was a trooper that walked about half the trail on her own, the other half was spent on Bryce's shoulders, or my back. Boulder Lake was absolutely beautiful. The hike was well worth it. We took some pictures, played around and soon started our hike back to the car. Kyra walked right up to the water and sat down right in it to play. We had no spare clothes for her, so the hike back Kyra was in her slightly wet shirt, and Miles' diaper just so she would be covered up in case we passed anyone on the trail. We finally made it back to our car. We were not even in the car for five minutes, and both kids were sound asleep. We stopped at one of our favorite burger joints, My Father's Place before heading home to Boise. The kids slept most of the way back, and Miles had no puking episodes, yeah.

Boulder Lake Hiking Trail...

We had so much fun on our family vacation this year to McCall, Idaho and hope to visit again soon.     

Kyra starts Preschool

Bryce and I went back and forth ALL summer long deciding if we should put Kyra in a Preschool class this year, or wait till next year. We decided to go for it, and we are SO happy with our decision. Kyra LOVES Preschool. Her teacher Mrs. Wall is a good friend of mine [also my running buddy], so I already knew before Preschool started Kyra would be in good hands. She goes to Preschool every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:30-11:30. There are eight kids in her class [five girls and three boys], she already calls her classmates her "best friends". We are so excited for Kyra and her new adventure.

First day of Preschool...

Bryce taking Kyra on her first day...

The three year olds [Kyra, Maddux, and Jacob]...

Kyra in her classroom...

Kyra and her teacher, Mrs. Wall...

Kyra [Then and Now]

Same kid, cheeks, and hat....just growing really fast.

My Dad's Birthday!

For my dad's birthday this year [9/4] we celebrated by going to one of his many favorite restaurants, The Great Wall. I love birthdays because it's a great excuse for family gatherings. We all had fun chit chatting and catching up. I had been feeling sick for a few days leading up to my dad's birthday party, but was feeling better so decided to still go. I was excited to actually get some food in my belly, but once I got to the restaurant I had NO interest in eating anything. I started feeling crappy again quickly. It was even worse paying for a meal I did not even touch or eat. After dinner we went to Jullion Park to sing Happy Birthday to my dad and eat cake. I made my dad his favorite cake his mom used to make him growing up. He loved it. We all had a great time together. Happy birthday dad, love you! Oh later that night I puked and was sick for another three days. It's so fun being sick!

Middleton High School Football!

Kyra and Miles' cousin, Skyler plays football for Middleton High School. Last year we went to many of his games. Kyra especially LOVED going to the games and cheering her cousin on. Kyra in the last several months has asked when she will be going to another football game. Well football season has started and Kyra could not be happier. This year so far Kyra and Miles both have had fun cheering for their cousin in the stands. Go Vikings, we look forward to a fun season of great games!

Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic!

The Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic is a fun family tradition we started last year. At Ann Morrison Park the community is invited to enjoy a mass launching of hot air balloons early in the morning over a five day period. Last year we tried out the Night Glow, we enjoyed it but were a little bummed when the balloons remained on the ground. This year we got up early Saturday morning to see 40+ hot air balloons launch up in the air, it was an amazing sight. Kyra's FAVORITE balloon was Mickey Mouse. I love Boise and everything it has to offer. Afterwards we had a nice family breakfast at Egg Factory, super yummy!