I love summer.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Get your Slurpee Day
On 7-11, did you get your free slurpee? MMMmm. Enjoy. We hit a few 7-11's that day mixing and concocting flavors. We also headed to Le Calle to find peacock feathers on the grounds. The males always shed them about this time of year, and my kids think they are spectacular treasures of gold. Eureka! It's been a 2yr tradition.
I love summer.
I love summer.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Ma-Caw (Micah's nickname)
After retuning from our trip, we woke up the birthday girl bright and early to open a quick present before heading out to church. ) Birthday:7.7.7
Scoot! Scoot! We are a little late on the band wagon for scooter. It was still like Christmas for this child!
I also found this cute little stand at IKEA for only $15 bucks. It has opened all kinds of shopping. Micah is currently running her book store.
We also had a few family members over for dinner.
Menu requested by our take charge 6 yr old:
Sandwiches, chips, carrots, and a minion cake
Minion cake. Help. I bake, you decorate Mat.
Saved. On with the party.
Funny thing, I don't even think she had a sandwich. Grapes, bacon, and sun chips. Complete.
Oh. And she decided it would be alright if we saw Despicable Me 2 as a family. We dismissed that idea with a grunt and ended up surprising the kids on Tuesday night. The kids were gerbils in a cage wheel. Wahoo! Becket: "I can't believe you are taking us to the movie theater!"
I NEVER buy popcorn at the theater either. Micah always asks and I always say no. Today I did, and she loved it!
Happy birthday sweetams. You've got a truly pure heart with no guile. You look for ways to help others and you are kind. Blessed Micah sent from heaven. We are so proud of the choices you make each day.
Scoot! Scoot! We are a little late on the band wagon for scooter. It was still like Christmas for this child!
I also found this cute little stand at IKEA for only $15 bucks. It has opened all kinds of shopping. Micah is currently running her book store.
We also had a few family members over for dinner.
Menu requested by our take charge 6 yr old:
Sandwiches, chips, carrots, and a minion cake
Minion cake. Help. I bake, you decorate Mat.
Saved. On with the party.
Funny thing, I don't even think she had a sandwich. Grapes, bacon, and sun chips. Complete.
Oh. And she decided it would be alright if we saw Despicable Me 2 as a family. We dismissed that idea with a grunt and ended up surprising the kids on Tuesday night. The kids were gerbils in a cage wheel. Wahoo! Becket: "I can't believe you are taking us to the movie theater!"
I NEVER buy popcorn at the theater either. Micah always asks and I always say no. Today I did, and she loved it!
Happy birthday sweetams. You've got a truly pure heart with no guile. You look for ways to help others and you are kind. Blessed Micah sent from heaven. We are so proud of the choices you make each day.
Monday, July 15, 2013
McCall is Calling You
McCall is about 2hrs North of Boise. It is a resort town that hugs a huge lake smack dab in the middle of it's cabin lined streets. Very cool.
When we arrived, I didn't want to make the same mistake as yesterday, so we ate first and played last. We found a restaurant grill of sorts sitting off of the dock. Great place for watching all the teenagers flirt. The salsa wasn't so bad either.
Micah noticed a big jar of treats labeled "dogs" that sparked her interest. To a five yr old, these dog bones looked like pressurized graham crackers. She walked right over without telling a sole and fisted one into her hand. She walked back, looked at it, and plopped it into her mouth and ate it. She then took her napkin and spit it out after discovering that was the worst idea she had had yet. All the rest of us in the family observed this peculiar dinner premonition and laughed.
Micah:"What? I just wanted to know!" she said flopping her hands out with a couple of shoulder shrugs.
1. dog treat in hand 2. about to eat dog treat in hand 3. realized she should have never touched the gross tasting dog treat in the first place.
We changed into our swimsuits in the hot sweaty car. Man! That lake water was going to feel mighty nice. We spent the rest of the day playing.
Gretchen turns into her mad hippie self when she is surrounded by mother earth's natural elements. It was like watching a puppy dog, into the water, out of the water, roll in the sand, bury in the sand, back into the water......
After beach time, we decided we were spent and hot and we desperately needed some ice cream. If you stumble upon McCall, the secret place to go is Ice Cream Alley. A friend told me who used to live there for a summer. Hidden in an alley, they serve up heaping, overflowing cones from a rusty shack for the typical price you would normally pay. The line was long, but it moves fast.
Tip: Splurge for the waffle cone to keep in the drips and you need cash.
It was a beautiful drive and a lovely day spent by a mountain lake. (picture taken of the river on the drive up)
The next day we saw some old friends who we knew in Morgantown, (the Walkers) who are in the residency at Boise. We played at the park for an hour or so and caught up.
It dawned on me after leaving the Walkers, that the best thing about any trip really are the people. It can be people you meet or have a connection with along the way or the friends you reunite with or the people that joined you for your journey. It's really what you always remember most, at least for me.
On our way home, we stopped for drinks. Stop the press, have Liger's Blood slushies been in existence for quite some time? Clever. Considered them slurped.
Home to celebrate Micah's birthday the next day.
When we arrived, I didn't want to make the same mistake as yesterday, so we ate first and played last. We found a restaurant grill of sorts sitting off of the dock. Great place for watching all the teenagers flirt. The salsa wasn't so bad either.
Micah noticed a big jar of treats labeled "dogs" that sparked her interest. To a five yr old, these dog bones looked like pressurized graham crackers. She walked right over without telling a sole and fisted one into her hand. She walked back, looked at it, and plopped it into her mouth and ate it. She then took her napkin and spit it out after discovering that was the worst idea she had had yet. All the rest of us in the family observed this peculiar dinner premonition and laughed.
Micah:"What? I just wanted to know!" she said flopping her hands out with a couple of shoulder shrugs.
1. dog treat in hand 2. about to eat dog treat in hand 3. realized she should have never touched the gross tasting dog treat in the first place.
We changed into our swimsuits in the hot sweaty car. Man! That lake water was going to feel mighty nice. We spent the rest of the day playing.
Gretchen turns into her mad hippie self when she is surrounded by mother earth's natural elements. It was like watching a puppy dog, into the water, out of the water, roll in the sand, bury in the sand, back into the water......
After beach time, we decided we were spent and hot and we desperately needed some ice cream. If you stumble upon McCall, the secret place to go is Ice Cream Alley. A friend told me who used to live there for a summer. Hidden in an alley, they serve up heaping, overflowing cones from a rusty shack for the typical price you would normally pay. The line was long, but it moves fast.
Tip: Splurge for the waffle cone to keep in the drips and you need cash.
It was a beautiful drive and a lovely day spent by a mountain lake. (picture taken of the river on the drive up)
The next day we saw some old friends who we knew in Morgantown, (the Walkers) who are in the residency at Boise. We played at the park for an hour or so and caught up.
It dawned on me after leaving the Walkers, that the best thing about any trip really are the people. It can be people you meet or have a connection with along the way or the friends you reunite with or the people that joined you for your journey. It's really what you always remember most, at least for me.
On our way home, we stopped for drinks. Stop the press, have Liger's Blood slushies been in existence for quite some time? Clever. Considered them slurped.
Home to celebrate Micah's birthday the next day.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Road Trip!
Love me some road trips. Mat had a few days off for the 4th, so we headed north due to the hot temperatures we've been having in SLC. I've heard lovely things about Sun Valley and McCall, Idaho and it was indeed north, so we packed up and headed out.
With the endless vastness and things tucked under my feet, we Harrises were definitely on our happy path of togetherness.
We stayed in Pocatello with the Francis' the first night. Old friends from our medical school days in Hershey. Always a guaranteed good time. We grabbed some hole in the wall Mexican food and the movie Napoleon Dynamite--because it is Idaho's state movie. We were all surprised that the kids got the humor in Napoleon. They watched it again in the morning and then quoted lines for the rest of the trip.
The Francis clan keep perfecting their cooking skills every time we stop in. Zanna is quite the apprentice, and quickly moving into head cook position Dave also got a new grill. Some people just dream of purchase after they finish med school, this was Dave's.
This needs no words.
The next day...
We stumbled upon Crater of the Moon, a huge lava field of love. The kids could have searched for rocks for hours.
When we strolled into the Sun Valley area there a couple cute towns before you get there. Hailey was charming. They were having a bike race on the 4th of July. It starts right after the parade and different heats go on throughout the day until 5PM. The whole community comes out to watch. The racers only ride about two blocks as fast as they can, the men will do 40 laps, and kids will do 1 to 5. Of course, after the race was done, my kids claimed they would be doing that next year.
Onto Sun Valley, we stopped at the lodge to check out the ice skating rink, looked at the celebrity pictured walls, strolled by the pond to torment the ducks, and asked a few questions to the helpful staff about staying here in the future.
Stop. At this point in the trip, we are starving. If there is one rule to follow when you're on a road trip, it is to not let yourself get too hungry or tired. Hunger was really setting in at this point. The funny thing is, is when we headed to Ketchum for something to eat, everything was closing at 4PM. Three places closed before our eyes at 3:59. Comical. We found some hamburger shack, which sufficed, but we missed out on some other fun places to eat. We will just have to make the trip back.
Now that we were feeling better and refreshed, we went for a walkabout and found cute shops crawling the streets.
Look at these honestly stated cards. Hilarious.
The crew on the streets of Ketchum.
About 6PM we headed to our hotel in Boise. A good 2 1/2 hrs away, but we pressed on ignoring our tiredness. We would arrive just in time to check in, have a bit of a rest, and head to watch the fireworks. With all of the cars and crowds walking around to park themselves for the firework show, we wanted to find the perfect peaceful spot. R.I.P., Mat's eagle eyes spotted the perfect place to watch the fireworks, the cemetery. The girls freaked out and started crying, but no one obstructed our view, got in our way or even talked to us --as if those around us were going to talk.
.
And then we rested......next day, McCall, ID
With the endless vastness and things tucked under my feet, we Harrises were definitely on our happy path of togetherness.
We stayed in Pocatello with the Francis' the first night. Old friends from our medical school days in Hershey. Always a guaranteed good time. We grabbed some hole in the wall Mexican food and the movie Napoleon Dynamite--because it is Idaho's state movie. We were all surprised that the kids got the humor in Napoleon. They watched it again in the morning and then quoted lines for the rest of the trip.
The Francis clan keep perfecting their cooking skills every time we stop in. Zanna is quite the apprentice, and quickly moving into head cook position Dave also got a new grill. Some people just dream of purchase after they finish med school, this was Dave's.
This needs no words.
The next day...
We stumbled upon Crater of the Moon, a huge lava field of love. The kids could have searched for rocks for hours.
When we strolled into the Sun Valley area there a couple cute towns before you get there. Hailey was charming. They were having a bike race on the 4th of July. It starts right after the parade and different heats go on throughout the day until 5PM. The whole community comes out to watch. The racers only ride about two blocks as fast as they can, the men will do 40 laps, and kids will do 1 to 5. Of course, after the race was done, my kids claimed they would be doing that next year.
Onto Sun Valley, we stopped at the lodge to check out the ice skating rink, looked at the celebrity pictured walls, strolled by the pond to torment the ducks, and asked a few questions to the helpful staff about staying here in the future.
Stop. At this point in the trip, we are starving. If there is one rule to follow when you're on a road trip, it is to not let yourself get too hungry or tired. Hunger was really setting in at this point. The funny thing is, is when we headed to Ketchum for something to eat, everything was closing at 4PM. Three places closed before our eyes at 3:59. Comical. We found some hamburger shack, which sufficed, but we missed out on some other fun places to eat. We will just have to make the trip back.
Now that we were feeling better and refreshed, we went for a walkabout and found cute shops crawling the streets.
Look at these honestly stated cards. Hilarious.
The crew on the streets of Ketchum.
About 6PM we headed to our hotel in Boise. A good 2 1/2 hrs away, but we pressed on ignoring our tiredness. We would arrive just in time to check in, have a bit of a rest, and head to watch the fireworks. With all of the cars and crowds walking around to park themselves for the firework show, we wanted to find the perfect peaceful spot. R.I.P., Mat's eagle eyes spotted the perfect place to watch the fireworks, the cemetery. The girls freaked out and started crying, but no one obstructed our view, got in our way or even talked to us --as if those around us were going to talk.
.And then we rested......next day, McCall, ID
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Cousin's Shower
Had a little shower for my cousin Tacy's first baby to arrive in a week or two.
First off, we had to clean the dreaded basement. It was so bad that there was no where to walk. The kids had set up this huge Tiny Town (not so tiny) where they had their own stores (arcade, restaurant, grocery store, pet store), currency (game of life money), and a whole lot of negotiating and business deals taking place. Knowing my strong urge and tendencies to have the house clean, I told myself this was great imaginative play and I loved the conversation. I would take deep breaths as I walked by and sometimes I'd need to close the door and count to ten. It was getting so messy that the mess started coming upstairs. That's when you know it has gotten so out of control, and that an adult must step in to help the hopeless. I wish I would have taken a picture of the before, but I only got a picture of an after. It took them 8hrs to complete. Gretchen is good to get in there and get it done. After a while, she gets sick of watching her brother and sister acting like they're cleaning up when they're not. She was thus excused for the rest of the day while Becket and Micah found a way to muster their strength to focus on the end goal. At times, I could see Micah laying on the floor through the outside window, stretched out with her legs crossed. No wonder it took 8hrs?
I did leaps in the my new clean space! And it was ready for the shower--not that any one cared if it was clean or not, but it always feels good to have things put away in their correct spots.
The mom to be-Tacy
Shower party people: Sister Steph, inlaws, Da Sistas, and missionary companions
Family -it was so nice to see them around my little island.
Good luck Tacy with your delivery!
First off, we had to clean the dreaded basement. It was so bad that there was no where to walk. The kids had set up this huge Tiny Town (not so tiny) where they had their own stores (arcade, restaurant, grocery store, pet store), currency (game of life money), and a whole lot of negotiating and business deals taking place. Knowing my strong urge and tendencies to have the house clean, I told myself this was great imaginative play and I loved the conversation. I would take deep breaths as I walked by and sometimes I'd need to close the door and count to ten. It was getting so messy that the mess started coming upstairs. That's when you know it has gotten so out of control, and that an adult must step in to help the hopeless. I wish I would have taken a picture of the before, but I only got a picture of an after. It took them 8hrs to complete. Gretchen is good to get in there and get it done. After a while, she gets sick of watching her brother and sister acting like they're cleaning up when they're not. She was thus excused for the rest of the day while Becket and Micah found a way to muster their strength to focus on the end goal. At times, I could see Micah laying on the floor through the outside window, stretched out with her legs crossed. No wonder it took 8hrs?
I did leaps in the my new clean space! And it was ready for the shower--not that any one cared if it was clean or not, but it always feels good to have things put away in their correct spots.
The mom to be-Tacy
Shower party people: Sister Steph, inlaws, Da Sistas, and missionary companions
Family -it was so nice to see them around my little island.
Good luck Tacy with your delivery!
Friday, July 12, 2013
Weeds are Growing
Our friends the Weeds came into town and we just loved having them. Their kids have gotten so big since we saw them last. Like many friends in my life, you can pick up right where you left off. You always have a good laugh, even if it's just visiting the local park.
They were in town for a wedding and I'm glad they stayed a few extra days to hang with us. We went to Seven Peaks, a park, Pizza Pie Cafe (our kids favorite), and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Sunday morning broadcast. We hope to road trip up to their northwestern neck of the woods next summer, Oregon. Wahoo!
They were in town for a wedding and I'm glad they stayed a few extra days to hang with us. We went to Seven Peaks, a park, Pizza Pie Cafe (our kids favorite), and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Sunday morning broadcast. We hope to road trip up to their northwestern neck of the woods next summer, Oregon. Wahoo!
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