House of Fun

Here's a bit of random stuff from last month that I haven't had the chance to post until now. 

There's never a dull moment around here!

Our Little Explorer!

What our car looked like 15 minutes after it got washed.
Remind me why I even bother!

What Ricky looked like.
Hmmm... I wonder who the culprit was?!

Evie LOVES water!

I wish every moment between these two was this sweet.

Happy boy on his bike.

Melts my heart every time.

"Alright boys! Outa my way!"

Behind the Times

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter.

Thanks to very doting grandparents our kids looked quite lovely on Easter morning! We tried to get a nice shot of them all together and this is what we got... classic!

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3

Take 4

Take 5

And I'm really not quite sure why we bother trying to tuck in the boys' shirts. They NEVER stay put!

Sugar High & Other Sweetness

There's nothing quite like chocolate toast!

Or cupcakes!

& she's just a little ball of sweetness in & of herself!

"Aghh! What happened to my hair!"

Ricky is quite the little chef. Likes to make lunch for any willing patron!

The boys had a camp out in the driveway with Papa last week.
Ricky was especially excited!

Went to Bozeman las weekend for my sweet sister Alivia's 13th birthday.
Got to see everyone including my beautiful Grammie! It was a very nice trip.

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Alivia.
She's such a beautiful little lady!

The boys love to help in the kitchen.
I usually let them help & usually always wonder why I did! ;)

Brian's folks also came to visit last weekend. They were having grandkid withdrawals  & it was also Dale's birthday. We had a very nice visit concluded with a yummy steak dinner (thanks Mom & Dad!).

It's Official...

I'm spoiled! For a couple years now I've been wanting a carpet cleaner but haven't seriously considered it because of the cost and lack of the absolute necessity for it. However, this year, after having a child go through potty training most of year and the trails that leaves behind along with recently having a sick family I've REALLY been wanting one & mentioned it to Brian a couple times. Then on Wednesday as I walked into Costco to get the usual groceries I noticed a nice carpet cleaner (exactly what I'd been dreaming about) on sale. I immediately called Brian excited & hopeful & he was kind & told me he'd have to think about the purchase of it for a bit. However, after walking around the store a while I'd resolved that it just wasn't going to happen because of particular financial costs that are coming up this month & told Brian not to waste time thinking about it. Maybe down the road a little ways when things were a little more comfortable we could entertain the idea again. 

To make a long story a little shorter, the kids & I were downstairs later that evening when Papa arrived home from work.  When I went upstairs to start dinner I saw a big box sitting on the dining room table... It was the carpet cleaner! My sweet husband ran to Costco after work & used some extra money we had been given back from Costco for our membership fees to purchase it. I was/am extremely surprised & grateful! I wasn't lying in the last post when I said that my husband takes great care of me!

So yesterday I put it to work & cleaned the boy's room, Evie's room, the upstairs living room & 3 dining room chairs that I thought were history. It works beautifully! I am still in shock that our dining room chairs look nearly new & can't help but look at them every time I walk passed the table. I'm so thankful for miracles & my sweet husband.

I've named it Bessie in honor of Ben & his favorite movie. (Bessie is a road paver in Cars1). Here she is & an example of the beautiful work she does:

Before
(& this wasn't the worst of the 3 chairs!)

After
(This is how they all look!)

A Whole Lot Of Fun

Yes, we've been busy! Here are some highlights from the last couple months:

• At the end of June we were evacuated due to a wildfire in the hills behind our house. I think we stayed with Brian's folks for about 3-4 days before we came back home. The boys thought it was pretty cool watching the helicopters fly over & around our house dumping water on the hot spots the week following our return. 

This is our first day home after being evacuated.
Ricky was watching the smoke come off the hills & the helicopters dump water.

• For the Fourth of July we met my Dad & Step-mom out at the lake along with some other family & friends. It was a good time! The boys especially enjoyed playing on the beach.

My cousins Andrea & Lisa came with their families.

My Dad, the Grill Master!

• Mid July we made a trip to Bozeman to visit family & friends. Evie enjoyed getting loved on lots & the kids especially had fun playing with friends they haven't seen in quite some time!

Grandma

Great Grandma

Auntie

Ben, Tjabe, & Maggie had a great time running through the sprinklers!

Cedric chose not to run through the sprinklers but was content to help Uncle Sam plant some shrubs around the deck. (He's not real keen on getting splashed with water yet.)

• Mid July we also had a nice visit with Brian's Grandma. She came through town & was able to come meet Evelyn for the first time. What a sweet time it was!

• At the beginning of August we made another trip to Bozeman for a family reunion. We got to see people we hadn't seen in a long time & Evie got to meet a lot more new faces!

Playing badminton.  A great dive by cousin Dustin!

"Papa! Papa! Wake up & play with me!"

Ben had a ball bouncing on the trampoline with his Aunt Alivia & Cousin Dylan. 

• Mid August we took a long weekend trip to Spokane to visit some dear friends of ours, Charlie,  Margaret, & their son Charles. I didn't do a great job of taking pictures but did manage to snap some good ones while we were at Lake Coeur d'alene. The family of our friends has been staying at a house on the lake for the summer so we were able to take advantage of their private beach for a couple days. We had a wonderful time!

Ben LOVES the water. He swam until he was shaking like a leaf.
I literally had to force him out of the water to warm up!

The boys.
Cedric & Charles are only about a month & half apart in age.  They had fun playing together & Charles did such a great job sharing all of his things but I don't think the poor little guy knew quite what to do with all the energy that sometimes comes with our boys!

Cedric has his own life jacket but decided he wanted to wear this one. He just stood for a while with it on watching everything that was going on around him.

Jackie (Charlie's Mom) & Charles

Evie sat on the beach in her little chair & watched all the happenings.
Such a beautiful little girl if I do say so myself!

• Somewhere along the line we had a hummingbird get stuck in our garage. it was a little unusual because I don't ever remember seeing hummingbirds around our house before & it took him nearly a day to find his way out. It was a pretty little thing!

• And now for a bit of randomness that I thought you might enjoy!

We bought this swimming pool at the beginning of the summer & boy has it been a hit! Since we don't have a/c in our house it gets used by all of us quite often.

Sweet little Evie sleeping. Gotta loves those cheeks that are growing on her!

The boys found what must have been a dust pile out in the driveway & had a good 'ol time loading & dumping their dump trucks.
Yes, they were taken directly to the bathtub!

Can you tell they're siblings?

• And last but not least, a sweet little game of "Hide & Go Seek"!