Summary of August Events

FIRST EVER HILTON FAMILY REUNION
Quaker Hills Family Camp

McCall posed for a long time on this rock that was next to the zip line. She loves to be outside and explore! I often find her flat on her stomach examining a bug crawling around. I have even caught her picking up an ant and putting it in her mouth!

ZIP LINE

Both boys tried the zip line! Of course Jackson tried it first before Andrew would have anything to do with it. Even little Raimie did it! After their first attempt we couldn't keep them off of it. Even Joel who is afraid of heights gave it a try!

The kids had a blast just hanging out on the water's edge. Andrew and Austin would pull canoes around all day. Jackson, McCall, and Rozie played in the sand. The older kids would disappear and be off across the street playing in the community game room.

The Cabin we stayed in was huge. It had endless bunk beds. We had two rooms. One we put the kids, it had two bunks, and the other was ours right next door with one bunk. All the bunks had a queen for the bottom bunk. Each level had a hers and his bathroom. We had a pegs and jokers tournament. And the kids played a new game called St. Pertersburgh. Dustin got in on that one and I had to pull him away to be my pegs partner.

THOSE WHO MEMORIZED SCRIPTURE AT SUNDAY DEVOTIONAL
The theme of the reunion was based off of a Scripture in the Book of Mormon. Mosiah 18:21

And he commanded them that there should be no acontention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.

We had a challenge to memorize this scripture through out the weekend and those who did received an award. Jackson memorized "love one towards another". Andrew went a little further and memorized "having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another." He was very anxious about having to say it in front of everyone. He really didn't want to do it but he really wanted the prize (sucker and funny glasses).

On a Saturday morning dad let the kids put the hose on the tramp which created a waterfall underneath. The kids could not resist playing in it. They had a blast according to Dustin, I was at our rental restoring the floorboard that the unwanted cat had peed through. But, Dustin was good enough to cover up the evidence by bathing the kids before I got home.

I took the kids to the water fountain at the base of the Lucky Peak Dam. We went with the McKalister's and everyone had a great time. They played in the sand and made a big hole with a little path that flowed into the hole. They would fill up their buckets and fill the path with water and watch it fill up the hole.

Andrew wanted to get some clothes to put McCall in so he brings this dress-up outfit down and wants me to put it on her. Andrew likes to see McCall look girly!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Andrew and his first day of school. He was really excited to wear his new shoes and he had to wear his new Speed Racer shirt.

FIRST BUS RIDE HOME

Getting off the bus after a long 30 minute ride home (the school is just across the street less than a mile away). He said I liked School but it was too long. He also had a kid that was flicking his ear on the bus ride home. Day two more flicking. Day three flicking and hitting Scott in the head with a backpack. Scott is his next door neighbor that he gets on the bus with. I finally had to talk to the boys dad. The dad was a little lame and didn't help much. He said he would talk to his son and then the next day he said that he asked the bus driver and the driver said that there wasn't a problem. The kids dad laughed at me after telling me this and walked away! Who new I would be dealing with incompetent parents this early in my experience with a child in elementary school!

July Fun

Often I bath all three kids at once. For one, McCall tries to get in every time I bath the boys and if I don't let her in she will find every toy and make sure it gets in the tub with them. Sometimes it's not even toys it could be their clothes she find on the ground.

Cousin Kylie came down and stayed with us for a few days while she was in a basketball tounament. The boys loved having her around. Andrew thought of hooking the wagons together so that all of them could have a ride and Kylie was nice enough to be the guide.

Andrew got a new pair of sunglasses and after getting so many comments on how cool they were he decided he wanted to wear them all the time. I bought out Jackson's old pair and a pair for McCall and got his COOL picture!

Every once and a while Andrew gets in the mood to be in a band. This is when all of my pots and pans come out of the cupboard and I make them set up out side. He gives everyone their assign instrument and then they are making beautiful sound!

The Funny Things She Does

When McCall has little friends over to play she likes to pull their hair, take their babies away, and steal their toys. Or sometimes she will just jump infront of them then fall on the floor and laugh. They never think it is very funny. But she sure does.


Mom left for the evening and Dad took over. He covered up the evidence by having all three kids bathed before I returned home. They were all three covered in bark.


McCall can be a girly girl. She loves to put on pretty dresses.

McCall loves to put on Jackson's shoes and Andrew's socks

She can even be caught wearing Jackson's underpants!

If Jackson's shoes aren't in site she'll put on mine!

If there is any type of box, crate, or bin it will be dumped out so that McCall can site in it.

Summer fun

We took the family on a one night camping trip to Idaho City with the Mennear family. We didn't arrive to the campsite until late that night. We grabed some food on the way out of town and the dinners we had prepared we ate for lunch the next day. We cooked a great breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and sausage. We took turns on the dirt bikes. Dan and Dustin got a ride in the first day before dusk and Dustin and I took a ride after breakfast. Carrie even tried out my bike and only dumped it once! For lunch we ate the foiled dinners intended for dinner.

They tasted great!
sliced potatoes
sliced carrots
ground beef
mixed in cream of mushroom soup and lipton onion soup mix

Carrie tries out my bike! She had a 15 minute lesson from Dan and they were off. I think she did pretty good. She didn't like turning it and tipped it once. Thanks guys for a fun adventure!

The Blad 4th of July Reunion

July 4th we had our Blad family reunion at our house. We did lots of activities like floating the Boise River, 4-wheeling at Tripod Meadows, swim in the subdivion's pool, date night with all adauls to play glow-in-the-dark miniture golf, spend evening at Eagle Island Park to watch fire works, and went to Idaho City to 4-wheel and dirt bike. Also each night we played games and one night played hand and foot for the championship game, which by the way Dustin and I won! We have the hand and foot trophy set up in the living room! Try and take it from us at Christmas!

Grandma and Grandpa Blad

Eagle Island Park

Grandma brought all kinds of things for the kids to play with. She had a cool glow in the dark ball attached to a string that the kids wore around their necks and glow in the dark sticks which we made funny hats and necklaces out of.



Dustin and I decided we would host the Blad reunion at our house this year! We took them exploring around the foothills on dirt bikes and 4-wheelers. We floated down rivers and lost expensive sunglasses! Both Ryan and Shawn lost their best sunglasses on the river trip. They rolled in their tube and when they came back up, no sunglasses! Shawns were even perscription sunglasses.





Dustin's youngest Brother Ben and Laura have one child,
McKayla. They brought up their own 4-wheeler and even took McKayla for a ride. They have a backpack for her and she goes with them on almost all their 4-wheeling trips!






This is Dustin's sister Dannene and family. They have two kids and one on the way (we found out in August) Cashton and Bronson.







After the river trip we ate some watermelon at the park with all the kids. Grandpa got to stay back with the little kids (McCall, Bronson, and Lucas) while we journeyed down the river for 2 hours.




McCall enjoyed the wrine and all! She gets right in there with the boys and loves to be outside exploring. She would have loved the rafting trip but she got to take a nap instead. She hung out in the shade of a big tree with grandpma Blad.

This is our attemp at taking a shot off all grandkids present. It was a huge challange but we did it!
We took the clan to Tripod Meadows all day Wednesday. They kids played in a little stream and the adults took turns riding in the hills. Eveyone loved how beautiful the trails were.



McCall and McKayla - The only two girls grandkids on the Blad side!

Summary of June Events

Andrew just loves this 4-wheeler that Grandpa brought and dropped off on his way to a rafting trip before the big Blad reunion hosted at our house. Andrew gets to ride this every time we go to Grandma and grandpa's. So he was loving having it at his house for a while. When Dustin was done working for the day Dad and him would ride it on the dirt roads by our house.


The boys really enjoy their bikes this summer. Andrew took off his training wheels this spring and Jackson followed right behind him. After this picture was taken Jackson's training wheels came off a week later (end of June). He rides all over the place now. Older brothers push along the younger one a lot faster. Jackson was potty trained by 2 1/2 and riding a bike before 3 1/2!


Drew made a trip up to Burley to sing with his coir for the opening of the new Albion Family Reunion camp. Kent along with his brother purchased the old Albion college and is turning it into a huge family reunion camp. The first building renovated is amazing! Dustin suggested to have his Dad's coir come sing for the grand opening so we drove down, took the tour, and listened to them sing.

We had our first ever Gaskill family reunion (my mom's side). Kent and Carol offered to have everyone stay on their yard right by the river in trailers. We kayaked, ate, skied, ate, made funny hats out of pipe cleaners, and ate. All the meals were excellent. It was good to see everyone again and talk about Grandma and Grandpa Gaskill whom we all miss and love dearly.

Summary of May Events

Dustin took the boys to the Father's and Son's camp out. They had lots of fun hiking and roasting smores by the camp fire. They slept in a cabin with bunks and got to stay up very late, they were asking to go to bed.





Andrew felt a little out numbered for his Preschool program. The only other boy in his class did not make it for the last day of school so Andrew had to stand up there with all these girls. Ella was his favorite (last one on the left) and he frequently asked if she could come over and play. Andrew's riding partner all year was Callie (second from the left). Andrew never did warm up all the way in class. He did get to where he would speak to Mr. Douglas and tell her things about race cars or trips we went on. He never did really get comfortable enough talking with the other kids.
For memorial day weekend we drove to Hurricane, Ut and spent a few days at the Blad plantation! We went hiking up in the Red Hills and played around the house with Ryan's family, Ben's and Dannene's. We even roasted smores up on the property one night with the older boys. Andrew thought that was pretty cool that he could stay up later than most of the other kids, especially Jackson. We drove back the old 1996 Crystler mini van in hopes to sale our Dodge Durango. We ended up selling the Honda Fit instead 7/08. No one was interested in paying $4 a gallon to fill up the Dodge!



On the hike we had nothing to carry McCall in so we made a sack out of McCall's blanket and she rode on my hip.

All the kids take a break after a long day of playing. We slept in the basement of grandma's house and the boys slept in our room on bunk beds. Andrew fell off the top bunk one night and after that I didn't sleep very well in fear that he would fall off again.

McCall liked to ride around in Grandpa's toy fire truck until Jackson or Andrew start pushing her in it really hard from behind!

Grandpa and Grandpa are the emergency preparedness specialist in their ward. They often have the dry pack sealer at their house. We brought back two bags of White wheat and canned them here with the Garden City Cannery dry pack sealer. We had people over all week from the ward using it! We got some young families thinking about their food storage!

The boys had a blast with some Beebe guns that Danna and Drew brought with us on a 4-wheeling adventure.