The Roberts Family

Instruction manual please!

2010-07-13T17:05:00.004-06:00

At the birth of our second child, Kassy, I remember my Father-in-law Rick telling me he wished children came with an instruction manual. "Just when you think you've got parenting figured out, you have another child and the same things don't work!" he said. Emma has definately illustrated this principal in our family.

With the first 2 kids we didn't put locks on cabinets with cleaners (they never tried to play with or eat the cleaners), crayons always stayed in the high drawers, etc. Around the time Emma turned 2 I kept finding the playdough and other art supplies left out and scattered. I keep these supplies in our mud room in the upper cabinets. I accused Hunter and Kassy of getting these things down for Emma, and sternly requested that they STOP! They insisted they hadn't done it, over and over they insisted. I just KNEW Emma couldn't have gotten them down, she was only 2!! Until one day Don quietly witnessed Emma as she negotiated the terrain of the mud room: she used the drawer pulls as latter rungs and simply steped her way up to the counter. Then, she opened the cabinet doors, pulled on the the desired tupperware full of art supplies until it flew off the shelf landing on the floor. Then she'd scurry down and play with it. Genious! :-)

The thing about Emma that throws me off was that she doesn't ask for help, so I don't even know that she's getting into this stuff unless she leaves evidence. Kassy and Hunter have always asked for help with things, or permission to use things, but Emma doesn't. It's funny, she's not malicious or rebellious at all. I honestly think that asking for help just doesn't occur to her. She knows she can do things on her own, so she does. I LOVE IT! The girl is capable and independant, watch out world! I finally caught her on film the other day, scaling the pantry shelves to get a mint. :-) Oh, how I love her!

Liquid expands as it freezes

2010-07-13T15:43:00.003-06:00

This morning Kassy decided to put a Dr. Pepper in the freezer for a tasty frozen treat later. Unfortunately, good intentions mixed with ignorance can have unintended negative consequences. I went to the freezer this afternoon to retrieve some ground turkey for tonights chili dinner and found frozen Dr. Pepper slushie all over the freezer!

I was laughing too hard to be mad. I mean, yeah it's a mess, and a waste, and yada-yada-yada. But, I've really tried hard over the last year to subdue my temper and see the humor in life instead of just getting irritated. I don't want my kids looking back on their childhood and remembering a bunch of yelling from their Mother. Today I did a good job of it! Of course I ran to get my camera before we melted the slushie to clean it up. This was the original scene...Check out the can! The top literally blew off 5/6 of the way around. We had 2 giant packs of hot dogs and about 9 pounds of ground Turkey just covered in slush. I helped Kassy with the cleanup to ensure it was done thuroughly, but she learned a valuable lesson in science today. Liquid expands as it freezes!

Sick Days

2010-06-29T10:09:00.003-06:00

Just as school was winding to a close for the year, we had a case of Stomach Flu run through the family. Hunter and Kassy were both home sick on the same day, which made for an intense night/day for me! Luckily, it turned out to be a 12 hour flu, so by noon these kids were jumping off the walls again. I love to witness what creative things they come up with to entertain themselves.

Hunter made a long rope by stringing together several dozen rubber bands. Kassy tied a candycane on the end...Kassy and Hunter started out by dangling the candy and treats down to Emma, pulling on the rubber bands making Emma jump for it.

Hunter enjoyed making his sisters jump around :-)

Kassy & Emma had fun catching their prize.Emma with her candy cane. Funny thing is, I don't even remember her eating it. They just had so much fun with the game, the game wound up being the highlight, not the candy.Beautiful Kassy, I'm so glad this flu didn't last long at all.

Emmett Cherry Festival

2010-06-25T21:52:00.006-06:00

Don and Hunter are HUGE cherry fans! We've missed the Emmett Cherry Festival for the last few years and were determined not to miss it again. This year I flew back from my nephew Michael's wedding in Colorado on Saturday morning at 10am. I had just enough time to shower, paint Kassy & Emma's toenails, and head out the door. We went with our good friends the Schows and Swensons.

If you know me at all you know I'm all about the food at festivals! After a nice lunch that brought us all closer to a heart attack, we hit the rides with the kids.

Tyson Schow, Kaden Swenson, Kassy, Emma, & Halle Schow.
Tanner Swenson and Hunter.Gavin Schow, Bart Schow, Tyson Schow, Don, Josh Swenson, Abigail Swenson (tiny baby in stroller in the back), Me, Kassy, Alissa Schow, Halle Schow, and Emma.Me and my girls: Alissa and Amber. Life blesses you with a handfull of true friends in a liftime. I'm grateful for these two!When the ride tickets were all used up we headed to the orchards to pick some cherries. Bart Schow, Halle Schow, Me (where is my head?), Kaden Swenson, and Kassy. Baby Gavin Schow is in the front, baby Abigail Swenson is in the back. Me, Don, and Hunter looking for cherries.Hunter up in the cherry trees.

Kassy climbed the tree to find the cherries too.

Emma had to climb as well, of course. This girl won't miss out on life for anything!Don climbed the trees and hit the motherload. Kassy in another tree.Take a look at that! Is that a thing of beauty or what?

Milestones in life...

2010-06-25T21:22:00.002-06:00

For several years Kassy asked if she could get her ears pierced. I said she'd have to wait until she was 12, like I did. My sister Katy asked me once, "Are you making her wait because you really believe she should wait, or are you making her wait because Mom and Dad made us wait?" I had to admit I was being a lazy parent, simply passing down something that was imposed upon me without any thought put into the reasons why. After talking it over with Don, we decided that it's Kassy's body so she should be the one who says when it's the right time to pierce her ears.

Do you know what happened? As soon as we told her "say the word and we'll take you to get your ears pierced" it was like a switch, she no longer thought it was time, she wanted to wait. I call this the Forbidden Fruit Phenomenon. When something is forbidden, some people crave it simply because it is forbidden. Take away that forbidden aspect and they no longer want it. I learned a valuable lesson about my daughter that day.

Fast forward 2 years...it's time! Kassy decided that today was the day, so off to Walmart we went. Of course Hunter wanted to come along and witness the agony his sister was about to endure. Here is a video of Kassy getting her ears pierced.

As soon as Emma saw what Kassy had just done, she was insistant that she was next. I knew this was a possibility. What I had forgotten, in all the excitement, was that Emma had fallen asleep in the car on the way to Walmart, and was thus very tired and emotional! She hopped up in the chair, smiled with delight that she was such a big girl, but once the pain hit.....well, see for yourself....

Please note that her crying only lasted about 90 seconds. The pain was no match for a bag of gummy bears and a 3 hour nap once she got home. That was yesterday and she's been absolutely fine ever since.

I'm proud of my kids, who they are and the choices they make. Their personalities differ from mine. Sometimes I struggle to understand them. We're trying to give them guidance along the way while providing them ample space to walk the path they choose.

Michael got married!

2010-06-25T19:53:00.013-06:00

Michael Chevrier, the 2nd son of my oldest sister Susan, was scheduled to get married on June 18th in Denver, Colorado. Michael is the first of my nephews to get married, and I'll be honest, it seemed a little weird that he was old enough, and thus I was old enough. :-)

The economy being the way it is these days, everyone is pinching their pennies. Michael is extremely important to all of us Speidel's so we decided the best thing to do was for all the siblings (Aunts and Uncle to Michael) to fly into Denver for the wedding. We made it a 2 day event and it was a lot of fun!

We all flew in early Thursday morning then headed up to the summit of Mount Evans. This is my sister Katy and I on the way up...what beautiful scenery!Mount Evans is 14,420-some feet high, the highest peak I've ever been to. We were well above the tree line, and there were several Mountain Goats hanging around at the top. With the wind chill it was around 9 degrees. Burrrr
Mom & Dad followed us up the mountain in their Jeep. This is Rusty, Me, Mom & Dad.

We all had fun taking pictures of these Mountain Goats. I've never seen one before, much less been this close. A baby Mountain Goat An adult Mountain Goat. How cool is that?Previous to this trip I knew that my Mother has a fear of heights, but I had no idea that my sister Janet shared this fear times 10. Poor Janet barely survived the drive up the mountain, I've never seen anyone so scared in all my life, honestly. I was so proud of her because despite her fears she kept on going and made it to the top. Once she was there she got out and enjoyed her surroundings. What a woman!Katy and I at the top of Mount EvansRusty, Me, Janet, and Katy. My oldest sister Susan, the mother of the groom, had wedding things to tend to, and thus wasn't with us on our sightseeing trips.That evening we attended the rehersal dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Denver. I have to say, I love downtown restaurants!! They tend to have much more personality than an average place.

Rusty, Me, & Katy at the rehersal dinner.This is my oldest nephew, Joseph, and his soon-to-be-wife Katie. They are getting married in Orlando, Florida on July 24th. Joe is only 8 years younger than me so these boys are like my little brothers. There was a balloon artist at the restaurant. He went around and made everyone a baloon. This is my Mom holding her chili pepper, because she's my Dad's "Hot Mama".Katy's son Reed was the ring bearer and thus the only cousin at the wedding. This is Katy and Reed, wearing his alien who is sucking his brain.If you've had the pleasure of being around my Speidel family you know that we laugh a LOT and tend to get loud. We soaked up this balloon guy and all his tricks. This is my brother Rusty as "Thor", with his helmet, braids, and club.The next morning Mom invited us all to the RV and made us breakfast. My Mom always loves to feed ya! Rusty, Mom, Me, Janet, and Katy.The wedding wasn't until 5:30, so we took off sight seeing again. Colorado is WAY too beautiful not to get out there and see. We drove up past Golden to the grave of Buffalo Bill. This is Katy, Reed, Rusty and myself just off the parking lot looking out toward Golden. have always loved stained glass!The grave of Buffalo Bill. It was interesting to learn that he wanted to die a Catholic, so he was baptised the day before he died. Me, Janet, Rusty, and Katy. Reed was a great photographer!The museum had a children's area that was too irresistable for the folks from Georgia. :-) This is Janet in a cowboy hat and chaps.I don't know if it was the lack of children or spouses or what, but I don't think I've ever seen my brother so relaxed for 2 days! Here is Rusty brushing up on his rodeo skills.At the wedding: all five siblings

Me (#5), Rusty (#3), Susan (#1), Katy (#4), and Janet (#2)

We clean up pretty good, huh?Waiting for the wedding to begin. Me, Janet, Katy and Rusty Katy's son Reed was the ring bearer. He was such a good sport all weekend, tagging along with 4 adults I'm sure he was bored out of his mind, but never complained. He's a sweet heart!Aubrey and Michael just after the ceremony. It was a beautiful wedding!Somehow I messed up the colors on this, so I just made it black and white. :-) Aubrey and Michael Chevrier. I hope she can handle our crazy family. Every family is a little crazy, right?Arn't these the most fabulous shoes you've ever seen?!?! They are the bridesmaides shoes and I'm in love with them. My neice Laura let me take them for a test drive. Wasn't that sweet? Too bad they didn't come home with me, I looked so good in them! ;-)

We love you Michael and Aubrey!! Thank you for sharing your special day with us. May you always put eachother first and enjoy all the experiences life has to offer together!

Welcome to Football....

2010-06-23T10:56:00.003-06:00

Hunter decided to try his hand at Football this year. This being his first season, we figured he'd benefit from learning the basics at Rocky Mountain High's Football camp. Today is day 3 of the camp. As predicted by Don, Hunter is sore & tired, but loving it! You should see the light in his eyes when he's done. He's tired, but he's excited!

Kassy's Hair Cut

2010-06-15T18:10:00.003-06:00

Kassy was blessed with a head full of silky, dark, healthy....BEAUTIFUL hair! I love it long because....well....I just do. It's so georgeous long, but she hates the tangles that come with long hair. She grew out her bangs and now it's always in her face (which I don't like) and she feels she's too old for cute little hair-do's that keep it out of her face.

Kassy decided she wanted to do something different with it and I decided it's completely up to her. She should be free to express herself anyway she chooses (as long as it's not illegal, that's where I draw the line ;-)). What is in a hair cut anyway? Who cares? So, we made an apointment with Aunt Tabrina (Beana) & headed downtown to Platinum Salon. Kassy found a picture in a magazine that she loved, Beana said she could cut off enough to donate to 'Locks of Love', and the cutting began... Kassy's ponytail that we'll send in to 'Locks of Love'.

Beana and Kassy after the cut was done. The bangs have returned! I'm thrilled to be able to see Kassy's face again!

Side view. Look at my girl, is she absolutely georgeous or what? Time will tell if she likes it enough to keep it this way, but I'm thinking this is a great haircut for summer.

Tabrina offered to die in a stripe of blue or pink, but Kassy declined the offer. Maybe next time ;-)

Celebration of Flight

2010-06-08T11:29:00.015-06:00

On Saturday we headed out to the Caldwell, Idaho Airport for the Celebration of Flight Airshow.

Me, Emma, Hunter, & Don in front of an Apache Helicopter. Kassy was our photographer. :-)
Kassy's view of one of the guns on the Apache, pretty cool huh?

Hunter in the cockpit of the Apache.

Kassy, Emma, & I in the Apache.

I have no idea what this is called, but it looked so intersting! Hunter said it reminded him of the Wright Brothers airplane.

Hunter on top of a Tank.

There was also a classic car show, this is an old 'Woody'. You know, one of those surfing cars in California. We have the Chevron version :-)

This was an old Austin Heeley (did I spell that right?) with wicker seats.

The red Jaguar was my personal FAVORITE! Whew, I'd look good in that car!

We set up our chairs to save our spot, then walked around looking at the classic cars, tanks, airplanes, etc. on display. When we got back to our chairs this gentlemen was sitting in one. It was so cute, we told him to stay as long as he'd like, and shared our Kettle Corn with him. He liked the Kettle Corn so much he got up to go buy some himself. We never saw him again.

I don't know the name's of most of these airplanes, but here are the photo's we took. I forgot my 80-300mm zoom lense so these arn't as good as they could have been, but I guess at least we got some.

Kassy telling me to "talk to the hand", little stinker. Emma enjoying her Kettle Corn!

You all asked me to pass the camera off once in a while so I can be in a picture, so here you have it! Me, in all my glory! ;-)

This Helicopter did a demonstration.

Emma was lifting her drink umbrella's like dumbells, grunting all the way. Too cute!

This man skydove with a flag attached to his back, while the airplane circled him all the way down.

Very cool!

There were several WWII planes...

These Warthogs flew over from Gowen Field to do a demonstration.

A Super Cub demonstrating how they can take off in a short distance. It was pretty amazing to see it in action, no wonder these plans are all over Alaska.

This black plane was a super fast experimental plane that can fly about 350 MPH. The black plane and the Red Corvette conducted a race. They raced down the runway, turned around and race back down, about 7 laps. The car won, partially because it can turn around fairly quickly whereas the plane take a minute to make the turn and come back around. It was really fun to watch the race, probably the kids favorite part of the show.

Nature is a classroom

2010-06-04T09:51:00.006-06:00

We often look at the world around us and take it in as a macro view. But, how often do we take the time to look around in a micro view, and see what we find?

This is the view from our campsite this past weekend. We all can look and see beautiful green mountains dusted with wildflowers. If we stop and take a closer look, what things will we find?
Don & Hunter took a walk up these hills and came across a pretty cool sight! I have no idea what these are called, but seemed to be some type of caterpillar nest filled with hatching eggs.They rushed back to camp and got us girls, they just had to show us what they found. As we kept looking closer, we found almost haf a dozen of these nests on the hillside. It was pretty amazing!Hunter, Kassy, Don & Emma next to one of the nests. Kassy was particularly intrigued because her class 'grew' caterpillars into Butterflies this year.The world has so many fascinating aspects, if we just take a moment to stop and look around once in a while.

Last minute plans are sometimes the BEST!

2010-06-01T15:57:00.011-06:00

All week the weather forecast for Memorial Day weekend looked cold and rainy, so we didn't make any plans. Friday evening the forecast looked do-able, so we awoke Saturday morning and started packing. We loaded up the truck with camping supplies and headed out of town with no specific destination in mind. I just love being spontaneous sometimes, makes me feel alive!

We drove a little over an hour from our house, up past Lucky Peak, turned off on a side road and drove until we found a good camping spot. I think this is the first time I've ever camped outside of a campground. You know, no bathrooms, no water spicket at your campsite, no electrical hookup....no nothing! It was fantastic! We stayed Saturday through Monday morning.

Hunter pitched the small tent for the kids to play in, his first time doing it by himself. He was resourceful and used a rock to pound the stakes in.

Since we wern't in a campground and thus had no water spicket, we brought our own water. Don & Hunter have camped this way many times while hunting, but it was a first for me and the girls. Kassy helped Don wash his hands by pouring the water for him.

Kassy was THRILLED to be camping!
Emma had a blast!

Hunter & Emma taking a nap in the tent. Notice the pink 'My Little Pony' on the floor? Of course you can rough it for the weekend, but you can't do it without your My Little Ponies.

On Saturday we went for a drive up the river. We saw this snake on the way out, thinking maybe it's a type of constrictor?

We saw this Rattle Snake on the way home, about a mile from our camp. This is the first Rattle Snake I've ever seen after living here 13 years. Don said it's only the 2nd one he's ever seen, and he's lived in Idaho his entire life. We told the kids to be careful if they stray away from our campsite, be sure to take Dixie with them & make lots of noise.

Idaho is so green and lush right now, it was absolutely georgeous! This is a view from the truck, see all the yellow wild daisy's on the mountains? I love it!

I love the rocky cliffs, especially one's that go right into the river. I love the diversity of the landscape around here, so much beauty in so many different ways.

Dixie girl! We adore our Dixie dog!

We decided to drive up to Atlanta, since we've never been there. It turned out to be a SUPER windy road, and took us 4.5 hours round trip. We are a tough family, but it wore us out. :-) We kept telling the kids we'd get ice cream at the gas station when we got there (thinking for sure there'd be a gas station or little store....something), but there was nothing open. Just lots of old homes and a few boarded up business establishments. I thought this old house was pretty cool.

When we told the kids we were driving to Atlanta they said "That'll take a couple of days!" They thought we meant Atlanta, Georgia since that's where my side of the family lives. They thought it was really funny to learn there is an Atlanta, Idaho too.

Glamour girl Kassy taking her turn in the middle front seat.

Emma was so wiped out! She slept on Don's lap most of the way home from Atlanta.

However, anyone who knows Emma knows that she only has 2 speeds: On & Off. Can you guess which one this is? :-)

Emma kept running behind Dixie holding onto her tail. It's amazing that Dixie doesn't mind, she just keeps running until Emma let's go. It's no wonder why Emma keeps saying lately "Dixie's my best friend."

When we camp we're all about the food! Don, Kassy, & Hunter cooking up dinner.

I was surprised at how often the kids asked if they could help. We made Carne Asada Steak, baked beans, corn & Cherry Cobbler for dessert.

Don putting the finishing touches on the cobbler before putting it in the coals.

My handsome Hunter. I marvel at this kid.

Dinner! It was so good!

Emma, Don, Kassy & Hunter eating dinner while the cobbler cooked in the dutch oven.

Emma washing her hands in a pot of warm water.

Hunter riding his dirtbike.

Emma kept asking Don to take her for rides on the motorbike. It's funny how we're each born with things we naturally love. Emma loves to go fast on the motorbike with her Daddy. He even did a jump where she came up off the seat, the whole time screaming "Wahoo!"

Emma, Don, Kassy & Hunter around the campfire. The kids loved staying up until dark.

Don snuggling Emma in her 'horsey blankey'. My sister Katy actually made that blanket for Hunter for his 1st birthday. He loved it for years, now Emma has taken ownership over it.

Omlette's for breakfast Monday morning (sourdough pancakes & bacon on Sunday). Did I mention we're all about the food?

Emma was so tired, she feel asleep on the way home.

The end of a season...

2010-06-01T14:27:00.003-06:00

The Lady Bulldogs ended the season with another win. The parents kept commenting on how much the girls improved this season! They were amazing! Coach Rik did a phenominal job. He's trying to work it so these girls can all be on the same team together next year with Rik as their coach. We can't wait until next year! Kassy was so sad, she started getting teary-eyed walking off the field, then bawled in the car. I had to sit next to her in the backseat and just hold her. She is so tender and just LOVES being with friends, it's hard for her to end things like this.

Kassy & Coach Rik, with her bobble-head trophy.

The Lady Bulldogs!You have to get at least one silly shot, right?

Kassy's Field Trip to the Idaho Botanical Gardens

2010-06-01T14:06:00.003-06:00

I didn't even know what the Botanical Gardens were until Hunter's class went on a fild trip when he was in 1st grade. Now it was Kassy's turn, and the gardens were as beautiful as always!

I know this is suposed to be about Kassy's class, but I couldn't resist photographing at least 1 flower.

Emma, Kassy, Tyson Schow, & Halle Schow.

Kassy & Emma searching the ground for things to look at under a magnifying glass.

Kassy's things to take a closer look at.

Halle Schow, Kassy & Emma.

Kassy taking a look at what she found.

The guide told the kids how to properly look through their magnifying glasses, but they all held it up to their faces anyway. :-)

The guide gave everyone a worm to hold.

Kassy & her worm.

Kassy's worm.

The World is a Canvas

2010-05-10T09:18:00.005-06:00

Kassy has turned our fence into her own personal art station, and I LOVE IT!!! When I'm in the kitchen I can see the whole thing out the window. It's been up for a few weeks now, and makes me smile daily. Everytime someone comes over who hasn't seen it, inevitably they walk into the kitchen, stop in mid-sentance and say "oh, I love your fence!"

Mother's Day Hike

2010-05-09T19:52:00.008-06:00

It's Mothers Day! YEAH!!! (: Don & the kids took me to a Mother's Day Brunch at Marie Calendars which was absolutely divine! It was fun to see Hunter and Kassy discover the goodness of an omlette bar. There are few things I enjoy more than an omlette bar. (: Our tummies were full & the weather was just so beautiful that we decided to go for a hike up to Table Rock. We've never done it before, which is absolutely embarasing since we've lived here for 13 years. So up we went! It's just shy of 3 miles round trip.

Don carrying Emma on his shoulders, & Hunter hiking up. Can you tell how steep it was? Kassy about 2/3 of the way up, overlooking downtown Boise.

Emma & Hunter found a spot to rest in the shade.

Hunter, me, Emma, & Kassy about 2/3 of the way up. Hunter & Kassy climbing up to explore the caves.

Hunter & Kassy at the mouth of a cave.

Don helping Kassy jump down.Hunter watching Kassy & Emma squeeze through a narrow cave.

Kassy & Hunter found a passageway up to the top of Table Rock through this cave.

Emma, Don, me, Hunter, & Kassy (our family!) on top of Table Rock overlooking the Treasure Valley. Georgeous view!

Don got a headstart walking down slowly with Emma. I stayed up top and let Hunter and Kassy explore more caves. I love my kids and it's great when we can find ways to let them just be kids!

Kassy at the mouth of another cave.Kassy and Hunter at the base of the cross. Kassy said it looked so small from the bottom of the trail, she wanted to see how tall she was next to it.

There were SO MANY Wildflowers in bloom, I was in heaven!!! I don't know what these are called but their tiny purple blossoms.

Can anyone tell me, does Juniper bloom? These dessert bushes, maybe some type of Juniper, were covered in tiny bright yellow blossoms. Absolutely georgeous!

I've been in love with this flower ever since I moved to Idaho. I've been told it's a type of wild Daisy. They covered the hillside.

Purple Lupine...I actually know the name of these!!

The hillsides were just covered in all the flowers. I kept stopping on the way down to take pictures, and Hunter would tease me. I told him "I love wild flowers, they make my soul smile."

Don & Emma beat us down by about 5 minutes, possibly because of all my stopping to photograph flowers. (-: Emma looked exhausted!

Little Lady Bulldogs

2010-05-06T15:12:00.006-06:00

Kassy is playing softball! Her team has gotten quite good, winning their last game 20-1. She's enjoying herself and we're enjoying watching her. For more pictures see the team blog at http://www.littleladybulldogs.blogspot.com/

Kassy at batKassy running to firstKassy scoring a run
Nana, Papa, & Gage in the chairs

Hunter, Jaden Zweifel, & Emma on the ground

Saturday morning games are still pretty cold!Nana & Papa Roberts came over just to see Kassy play, she was so happy!

Picnic on the River

2010-04-30T16:04:00.004-06:00

There is a park up past Lucky Peak, about 40 minutes from our home, that we love to visit. It's situated on a river, so there's a sandy beach for the kids, plus a playground set, and this year they added 6 covered picnic tables and grills. It has turned out to be really nice! It was the perfect place to go spend a Sunday afternoon with our kids.

Don was our chef, grilling BBQ chicken.

Asparagus is in season and we are LOVING it! We tried it on the grill, not bad! Kassy & Hunter experiemented grilling all sorts of things including Kiwi, Tomato's, and Cutie Oranges. Kassy playing in the sand.

Emma on the playground.

Hunter hates smiling for the camera lately...can you tell?

Hunter taking a little siesta in the warm sand.

Fun Run

2010-04-26T15:58:00.007-06:00

Each year the Meridian School District sponsors a 'Fun Run', 1 mile run around Meridian High School. We love stuff like this because it gives us an excuse to be active...as if we need an excuse! :-) Our friends (Josh & Amber Swenson) little boy, Tanner, wanted to come so of course we took him with us. There were roughly 1600 participants this year.

Tanner Swenson, Kassy, Don, Hunter, & Emma before the race. Tanner's jiggy dance...

Hunter & Tanner running, you can see Kassy over Hunter's shoulder. We caught up with my friend Lori Frasure (over Hunter's shoulder in the white) and her daughter Emily. Kassy and Emily adore each other so of course we ran the rest of the race with them.

Kassy running, she did awesome!

Hunter, Tanner, Kassy & Emily about 3/4 of a mile into the race....almost done.

Our strategy for the race was that I would run ahead with the older kids while Don brought up the rear with Emma and whoever fell behind. About 1,000 yards before the finish line Don & Emma came flying by us, Emma laughing her head off!Every child who runs the mile gets a 'real medal'. Seriously, I'm quite impressed at the quality of this thing. Kassy was so excited. She said "this might be my only chance to win a real medal." I'm glad they all got one, we had a great time with the kids.

When we brought Tanner home, Amber saw his medal and said "Oh, you mean it was a real race. I thought you were just going running for fun." :-)

Tanner, Kassy, Hunter, & Emma with their medals.

"I need my animals!"

2010-04-26T15:50:00.003-06:00

Poor little Emma, she's stuck at home all day without anyone interesting to play with. Yes, I'm home with her. No, I'm not intersting. Her stuffed animals are her best friends. She can't go to bed at night without lining them all up at the foot of her bed. She often wants to take them on outings to the park, store, etc.

The other day she was watching cartoons in my room. We came upstairs to find she had brought all her animals in with her and tucked them each into their own beds. It was just too cute not to document. (There are several around the corner that I couldn't get in the picture.)

Learning to ride...

2010-04-25T20:03:00.005-06:00

We've enjoyed some awesome spring weather lately, so we've taken advantage of it with as many outdoor activities as we can think of. Last week we borrowed a little motorbike (Yamaha TTR 90) for Hunter and spent the afternoon out in the desert south of Gowen Field. There are tons of trails out there, it was sweet.

Hunter has been riding motorbikes with Don since he was 2. They've riden up to 70 miles in a day, but Hunter has never driven his own bike...until today. When we picked up the bike, he saw it for the first time, he was so excited! All day he kept saying "I want a bike just like this for my birthday!"

Don teaching Hunter how to start the bike.

Don giving Hunter some pointers about driving through sand.

Hunter was a natural on the bike! He took to it right away, and loved it!

Kassy has never been a fan of riding motorbikes, but she posed anyway.

Kassy stole my sunglasses, the little stinker. But, she looks so cute!

Emma LOVED riding with Don! She has no reservations about loud, fast machines!

Kassy helped Emma 'walk the plank'...passing time while the guys rode around.

Hunter crashed in the sand and got a 'battle scar'. Don told him "chicks dig scars".

Hunter riping it up! Look at that scenery, what a beautiful day! Emma riding with Don. Everytime they rode by I could hear her screaming "Wahooo!"

Don caught this lizard, not sure what type it is. The kids (except Emma) loved it! Kassy followed it around for half an hour.

We were lucky enough to be there when a procession of tanks went by on their way back to Gowen Field. Hunter loves military vehicles so it was pretty cool to be that close to the tanks in action. The soldiers waved to us.

I mentioned on an earlier post that I've started taking self-portraits just to prove that I was actually there! I'm always behind the camera, rarely in front of it. Not too bad, you can't even tell I'm holding the camera. :-)

Hunter LOVED spending the afternoon on a dirtbike! He rode around for 2 or 3 hours, then struggled to stay awake on the car ride home. Anytime we can get out kids outside and exhaust them through healthy activity is an enormously successful day!

Hagerman Fossil Beds

2010-04-25T18:02:00.007-06:00

You know how people seem to always travel far away from home for vacation and places of interest, yet never spend the time to see things of interest within a few hours of their home? Well, we decided...enough of that! We're taking the time to see things here in Idaho. We started with the Hagerman Fossil Beds...

While in Washington DC, in November, at the Museum of Natural History we came across an exhibit of the 'Hagerman Horse' fossil. Of course we took a picture, we were so excited, Hagerman is just over an hour from us.

Hunter & Kassy in front of a 'Hagerman Horse' fossil. It turns out, we learned, that the Hagerman Horse is actually a closer relation to the Zebra than a Horse.
Kassy & Emma in front of a jaw fossil.

Kassy next to some Mastadon Fossils found in the Hagerman Fossil Beds. Look how BIG those things are!

Mastadon Fossil. Emma was excited to excavate some bones in the kids area sand box.

Driving around the Fossil Bed Sites you can also see remnants of the Oregon Trail. If you look closely you can pick out the ruts in the ground Don, Kassy, & Hunter are standing next to.

Emma & Kassy looking for fossils in another hands-on kids exhibit at the top of a ridge at the end of our nature hike. Self portrait of myself! Ha-ha. Ok, don't laugh...but I am NEVER in pictures because I'm always taking the pictures!! So, I decided to take matters into my own hands, literally.

Emma getting a ride on daddy's shoulders :-)

24 hour Pinewood Derby Car

2010-04-25T17:42:00.004-06:00

Hunter kept saying he didn't really care about doing a pinewood derby car this year, so Don didn't push it. Sunday night at 7:00 he decided it would be fun to have something to enter into the race. Weigh in was 24 hours later!! So, we rallied and got it done. Here is the 'tank' complete with turret. Hunter's car won a few races, and lost a few races. All in all it placed in the middle of the pack.

It was fun to compete, as it always is. Life is not a spectator sport. Hunter learned the value of participating and planing ahead. :-)

Kassy's 7th Birthday

2010-04-25T17:19:00.004-06:00

It's true, our little brown hair, green eye'd girl turned 7. Can you believe it? How time does fly....I always tell the kids I'll make any cake they want. Kassy drew a picture of this cake for me and we got it just right. THREE LAYERS to boot! YUM!
We spent the day together as a family. After the kids got off the school bus we wisked them away to the bowling alley where Don & Emma beat all of us. Then dinner at IHOP, and home for cake. What a great birthday!

Easter

2010-04-25T08:38:00.007-06:00

Emma & Kassy dying Easter Eggs.

The week after Easter we went to GG's (Great Grandma Roberts') for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Gram & Grandpa hide 300 eggs over 5 acres. They are amazing people for doing it for so many years!

Hunter's Eggs

Hunter not cooperating with me, not wanting to pose...but I got 'em!

Kassy had to hunt with the big kids and adults this year, but she did great!

Nana (Don's Mom) found almost 20 eggs and gave them all to Emma.

Emma finding eggs in the backyard.

Emma & Kassy with their spoils

We make our own fun

2010-01-26T13:35:00.004-07:00

Anyone who knows us knows that Don & I are kindof 'restless' souls. We don't like to sit around. When there's nothing to do...we make our own fun!

The snow in Boise had melted, so we went looking for a sledding hill. We're not much for 'sledding hills' with a hundred people around. We like to find our own hills, so we drove up Robie Creek and found exactly what we were looking for! A good steep hill, warm sun that forced us to strip off our coats, and of course the building of a Frosty.

We brought a shovel and built a jump. Here is Hunter coming off the jump...

Kassy coming off the jump...Don coming off the jump, but I caught it a second late. We had to build a 'Frosty'! No day in the snow is complete without Frosty.

Hookiebobing

2010-01-26T12:11:00.006-07:00

Hookiebobing: tying a sled to the back of the truck and pulling children through snow-covered streets. :-) FUN FOR ALL!

Of course, once word gets out that you're pulling kids around in the snow...magically more kids appear. The more the merrier, we always say!

Tyson Schow, Tanner Swenson, Hunter & Kassy.
Tyson Schow, Tanner Swenson, Halle Schow, & Kassy raising her hand in VICTORY! Hunter getting brave (no hands!), Tyson Schow, Halle Schow, & Kassy.

Now the Dad's join in....Bart Schow riding with his son Tyson, & Kassy on the other sled.

Hunter & Kassy...they could do this all day long.

Cabin Week 2009

2009-08-17T18:06:00.013-06:00

Every summer the Roberts extended family spends a week together at the cabin, at Smiley Creek, in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. We always look forward to our time there...time with siblings...time with cousins...time in the wilderness...life doesn't get much better than that!

I had to start this post with some pictures of the wildlife and scenery. We saw these deer on the road to 4th of July Lake, on our way to Heart Lake. There they stood, just off the road, still in the velvet, such a majestic sight!

This woodpecker was just outside the cabin. Hunter came running in "Mom, get your camera and take a picture of this Woodpecker!" A few years ago, the forest along 4th of July road was burned. I truly believe fires are a natural part of nature's cycle, and beauty can be found anywhere a person is willing to look for it.
The view of the mountains, through the burned forest, as you drive out of 4th of July road.
These stinking mountain bluebirds!! They were flying all around us as we drove in, but I had the hardest time getting a picture of one. It's like they were taunting me. This is the best of the shots we got...this one's for you JANET!

Don, myself, & our kids hiked into Heart lake on Saturday afternoon. We had been stuck in the cabin, by rain, for the 2 days previous. The skies were still coudy, but we took our chances with the rain and set out! The hike in had no rain, but it started to drizzle once we got there.

Hunter & Don fishing at Heart Lake.
Dixie watching Hunter fish at Heart Lake.

Hunter fishing in the rain, can you see the drops on the water?

Hunter, Emma, & Don fishing at Heart Lake. Dixie isn't the best dog to have around when you're fishing. :-) Or, could the problem be that Emma had just spent 30 minutes throwing rocks into the water for Dixie to 'fetch'? :-)
Emma, Kassy, & Hunter eating a snack at Heart Lake.This meadow is one of my favorite spots! It's always full of wildflowers. Kassy, Hunter, Emma, Don, & Dixie taking a hike break on the way in to Heart Lake. Emma & Daddy fishing. The boys always take one full day for a long motorbike ride and hike into some remote lake no one has ever heard of. This is Don, Hunter, Rick & Gage...Castle Peak in the background.

They hiked into Quiet Lake & spent some time fishing. Don caught the only fish of the day, but it was a BIG one! It's a Cut Throat Trout, the native trout of Idaho.

We spent one day in Custer, Idaho. It's a ghost town, originally a mining town from the late 1800's. We have been to Custer many times, but the kids always enjoy it.

This is Sophie Arnold, Kassy, & Savannah Arnold in front of the graves of 3 young girls who were killed when an avalanche poured through their home, sweeping the house across the river. We panned for gold and Hunter found some!
Ryan Arnold holding Molly Arnold, Don holding Emma.
Emma & Molly, the BEST of friends! I couldn't believe how well these girls got along!

Don catching a nap while Emma watches her Zune.

Emma's first motorbike ride!! She LOVED it! Emma is going to be an adventurous girl!

Kassy going riding with Don. She liked the motorbike more this year than ever, she even asked Don a few times to go for a ride.

My mother-in-law Nancy is such a good planner! She had the kids do little skits for us each night. This is Kassy & Savannah Arnold doing cheers.

Kassy & Savannah dancing to 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun'.

Emma decided the dancing looked like fun and had to join in!

Kassy & Savannah singing 'I shot the Sheriff'.Hunter played the Sheriff, Triton shot him! The cast of 'I shot the Sheriff': Triton Roberts, Kassy Roberts, Savannah Arnold, & Hunter Roberts.

Nancy & the kids did a Readers Theatre. This is Kassy & Hunter playing their parts. The cast of the Readers Theatre: Rick & Nancy Roberts, Sophie Arnold, Savannah Arnold, Kassy Roberts, Hunter Roberts, & Triton Roberts.

We appreciate all that Rick & Nancy do to make cabin week so much fun! We also appreciate them sharing their wonderful cabin with us through the years. We absolutely love it!!

Swimming with Grandma & Papa

2009-08-11T14:07:00.005-06:00

We have a pool in our neighborhood, and the weather hit the upper 90's....so the decision is easy! It's always fun going to the pool with Grandma & Papa!

Papa doing a cannonball.... to splash Grandma! Husband's never stop getting a kick out of teasing their wives. Papa pushing Kassy in the water.

Grandma & Emma swimming

Don throwing Hunter

Don & Emma swimming; Kassy, Papa & Grandma swimming

Don & Emma swimming

Emma playing with her pool toys.

Sweet bundle!

Memorial Day @ the cabin with the Parke's

2009-08-11T12:28:00.007-06:00

We needed a little 'getaway' for Memorial Day, so we headed to the cabin with the Parke's. It had been a few months since we'd seen them, so it was a GREAT weekend!

Hunter, Kassy, Grace Parke, McCade Parke, Bella Parke, & Emma playing on/in the dollhouse downstairs at the cabin.

Lake Alturas is only 10 minutes from the cabin. It's an absolutely beautiful mountain lake! The weather was too cold to swim, and the lake was high, but we had a good time playing there for a few hours.

Kassy...isnt' she just beautiful? Emma & I.
Bella & Tana Parke.Sweet little EmmaHunter...speak softly & carry a BIG STICK!Bella Parke...or...John Lennon?Kassy discovered the water is REALLY cold! Hunter, Dixie, Kassy, & Grace Parke
After Alturas we headed over to the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery's kids pond & let the kids go fishing.
Kassy's expression as she reels in a fish!

Don helping Kassy with her fish.

Kassy & Grace Parke carrying home dinner.

Hunter reeling in a BIG one!

Hunter teasing me!

Emma...so full of life and so dang cute!Don helping Emma jump off the table. She did it herself and scared us half to death! It's amazing we haven't had any broken bones or Emergency room visits with this one.

Don & Matt, friends since Junior High...such a serious friendship. ;-) Since winter is officially over for the year, it's time to take the boards down off the windows. Hunter helped Don get the cabin ready for summer.

Catching up...

2009-08-11T11:37:00.006-06:00

So, I've been really bad about blogging this summer, so I'm attempting to catch up...

My parents drove their motorhome from Georgia to Alaska, and stopped in Idaho for a visit on their way. We ALWAYS love having Grandma & Papa Speidel around!

Papa swinging Emma! Yes, it's afternoon and she's still in her Jammies...I pick my battles carefully. :-)

One afternoon we rode our bikes down the green belt beside the Boise River. We stopped and ate lunch across the river from BSU, beside the Boise Zoo. This is Don, Grandma (Lynda), & Papa (Jim) getting ready to go again.
Kassy riding her bike across the bridge from BSU (Papa in the background).The Giraffe's said "Hello".Grandma, Papa, & Don taking a break while the kids wade in the water. The weather was over 90 that day, but the water was so cool that the green belt was very plesant. There were several beach area's where we pulled off and let the kids take a break.

Grandma taking pictures of Emma.

Grandma & Emma.

Don & Hunter eating lunch.

Scott's Pictures

2009-07-24T15:43:00.009-06:00

My cousin Scott Speidel took us to Santa Cruz to the boardwalk during our trip to California. It turns out that Scott is not only an amazing tour guide, but he's a really fun and creative photographer too! Thanks Scott!!! Check out his pictures of our night...

Tracy, Emma, Kassy & Hunter buying tickets for the rides.Hunter on the bumper cars Don & Tracy waving to Dacia, Joel, Kassy & Emma watching from the side. Tracy & Hunter

Hunter, Don, & Tracy

Tracy (you should have seen Scott taking these pictures...driving his own bumpercar, holding the camera above his head, turned every direction, just snapping away. I loved it!)

Hunter driving his car. Don crashing into Tracy.

Hunter riding the Sky Glider

"The Gang" Kassy, Tracy (holding Emma) Don, Hunter, Joel & Dacia Dacia & Joel

Emma & Tracy
Emma & her bottle of water. She carried it around all night!

Kassy, Tracy, Hunter, Emma & Don waiting to ride the Ferris Wheel

Kassy, Emma, Tracy, Don & HunterHunter & TracyHunter Tracy & Kassy on the Ferris Wheel

Tracy & Kassy on the Ferris Wheel Emma & Don on the Ferris Wheel....Emma's first ride!

Tracy & Kassy on the Ferris Wheel from behind...cool light effects, huh?

Hunter, Tracy, & Emma's arm :-)

2,769 Miles...

2009-07-14T22:25:00.024-06:00

Yep, that's right! We drove 2,769 miles in 11 days. It all started with an invitation from Don's sister, Dacia, to visit them in Monterey, CA...and quickly grew into a tour of the west coast.

On Thursday, July 2nd we left our house at 5:00 am and headed southwest through Reno, Sacramento and on to Monterey. We figured the trip should take about 15 hours....

Kassy in the car at the begining of the trip.

Hunter in the car at 5 Am.

Before we left, Don had the BRILLIANT idea to get the kids their own Zune's to watch movies on. Wow, what a GREAT decision! They could each watch what they wanted (so no fighting) and with their headphones we didn't have to listen to it! How cool is that?! So, here is Miss Emma watching some cartoons...probably Phineus & Pherb.

What good is a long road trip if you can't stop for ice cream whenever you want?
Emma took MANY naps in the car...sometimes with half a granola bar stuck to her jammies.

We stopped for lunch in Reno, then forged ahead to Donner Pass where we stopped to stretch our legs and check out the monument.

Once we got back on the interstate headed toward Sacramento, we quickly realized we were in for a treat...a semi-truck was on tire in the middle of the interstate and traffic was backed up for miles. Luckily our GPS helped us route around the interstate, so the detour took us an extra 2 hours instead of 4 hours like most people (yes, we spoke to others in traffic :-) making friends wherever we go!) It was a 'proud parent moment' when we finally arrived in Monterey after 15 hours of driving and we had not had 1 bad moment! The trip was awesome, the kids did great, it was a fun time together as a family.

MONTEREY/SANTA CRUZ (Friday-Monday)

We stayed with Don's sister Dacia and her husband Joel in Monterey. Starting out Friday, our first "sight" to see what the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. It's a spot where gravity seems to pull harder, and at weird angles. Call it an optical illusion, who knows, but it was weird! Here is Joel, Dacia, Emma, Don & Hunter inside the cabin at the Mystery Spot.

This is Don standing on a table in the cabin. He's not leaning over or he would fall...weird.

Me hanging in the doorway of the cabin at the Mystery Spot...not hanging straight.

Ok, so the previous pictures you could say the cabin was built on angles & that's why things appear to hang sideways, etc. But take a look at the next 2 pictures. There are 6 men, starting with Don being 6-1...down to the last guy who is 5-4. The tour guide put a level on this bench before he lined the men up & we saw that it was level. The men all look apropriately sized in this picture... but in this picture Don looks to be the same height as the 5-4 guy! If the bench is level...what the???

My cousin Scott Speidel (whom I hadn't seen for about 18 years) lives close by in Santa Cruz, so we picked him up and headed to the Redwoods. This is Hunter, Kassy, Scott, me & Emma by the Giant Redwoods. They were so beautiful!

Scott carrying Kassy on his back, they were instant friends...Kassy has never been shy about asking men to carry her around. :-)

cott was an awesome tour guide, showing us some really cool 'out of the way' beaches! I think this one was called 'four mile beach'. This is Dacia, Scott, & Don hanging out.

The water was freezing cold, but kids never seem to care...Hunter & Kassy jumping the waves.Hunter & Kassy getting splashed by waves.Beautiful Kassy playing in the sand.

Emma playing in the sand.

Scott & Don burying Kassy & Hunter.Emma, Kassy & Hunter buried in the sand. Hunter & Kassy burying Emma...she loved it! Kept giggling. Scott & I at dinner...taken on my cellphone camera.

Friday night we spent at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz...bumper cars...sky flyer...and the ferris wheel. Scott took some awesome pictures, I'll post them as soon as I get them from him.

Saturday (4th of July) we headed to the Monterey Aquarium. Our family has seen a LOT of Aquariums, and Monterey did not disapoint. We were fortunate to walk up at the right time to see 3 different feedings of fish and otters. Here is Kassy, Hunter & Emma in front of Emma's favorite spot...the NEMO tank. Hunter touching Starfish in the touch pool.

Hunter with the jellyfish.

Emma...the Dread Pirate Roberts!

Emma & Kassy by some type of fish...I can't remember what kind.

After the Aquarium we headed out to Watsonville to pick berries. We picked

Boysenberries and bought 2 pies that were YUMMY! Ok, so we ate a few while we picked.

Don, Kassy & Hunter.That night we drove around the beaches of Montery looking for tidepools. This is Joel, Hunter & Kassy looking for shells, critters, wathever they can find.Our family in Monterey: Emma, Tracy, Hunter, Don & KassyDon at sunset in MontereyTracy & Emma on the beach at MontereySunday morning we went to Poing Lobos State Park. Lobos means 'crazy wolves'. There are no wolves in the area. It turns out that the explorers who named it heard the loud sealions and thought they were wolves.

Hunter & I at Point Lobos, beautiful isn't it? Hunter, Don, Joel & Dacia at Point Lobos. Point Lobos was a big Whaling area. This is the kids (Hunter, Emma, & Kassy) next to some whale bones. They were huge and seemed like rocks.

Kassy in the tree and Hunter next to the whale bones.Tracy & Emma next to a diving suit they used to dive for Abalone. Sunday evening we went with Scott to another beach...'17 mile beach' I think it was called. We watched the surfers (one Hunter's size) but I didn't take any pictures. I know, I'm a slacker...I took the night off, what can I say?

Monday morning we spent in Monterey at the warf. There is so much wildlife there, it's amazing! This pelican just stood there, not 3 feet from me.

Sealions just lazing around in the sun. I'm sure we saw at least 100 of them.Starfish in the water, looking down from the warf...they were everywhere!Kassy Rockclimbing at "Dennis the Mennis" park in Monterey.Uncle Joel carrying Kassy on his back. Did I mention she's not shy about asking to be carried? :-)We had lunch in Montery, said our goodbyes, and headed down the 1 for a scenic drive south. It's a curvy road, and once you're on it you're committed...there are no places to take an alternative route, but it was georgeous. In this picture you can see the kelp forest in the water.
Hunter was watching movies during the drive and got car sick, so we stopped to give him a breather.

Don swinging Emma out over the side...as she laughs hysterically! view from the car window...not a bad shot for 60 MPH, huh?

Monday evening we arrived in Venura where we attended a MonaVie Open meeting with Joe Licchardi. I'm glad we made the stop, it was awesome! After the meeting we headed to Simi Valley to stay with Rob & Kelly Fabros. I'm bummed I didn't get a good picture of Rob & Kelly, but they are good friends of ours as well as partners of ours in MonaVie. We love them!

SIMI VALLEY

Tuesday was spent in Rob & Kelly's pool...a welcomed change from the car. This is Emma swimming with Ty Fabros.

Hunter doing a front flip off the diving board.Kassy doing a front flip off the diving board. Tracy & Ty...we're buddies!Monday night we watched "The Pricess Bride" in their backyard. This is Rob holding Ty, baby Ava & Mia on the ground in blue, Don tickling Hunter, Emma crawling with the baby, and Kassy relaxing...where's Kelly?SAN CLEMENTE

Wednesday morning we drove further south to San Clemente to visit my Uncle Bob & Aunt Kimberly. The beach there was our favorite of the trip...I was having so much fun that I once again didn't take any pictures. We built sand castles and rented a boogie board...I think the boogieboard was the kids favorite!

We had dinner Wednesday night with Bob & Kim as well as my cousin Lee and her son Alex, who drove down from L.A. for the visit. After dinner we sat around the firepit on their back patio and talked and laughed...it was so much fun to see them again! It had been WAY too long!

This is Hunter, myself, and Lee. (Cellphone camera makes for not so great shots)
Me & Lee Speidel.

Uncle Bob made us all french toast for breakfast...Yum!Kimberly & Bob Speidel, Tracy & Don Roberts. We really enjoyed San Clemente! What a great beach, town, and awesome company. We will definately be back!

LAS VEGAS

Thursday we left San Clemente and drove to Las Vegas to visit our friends Martin & Milea Vaughn. We had to take the kids to see the fountains at the Bellagio. This is Kassy, Hunter & Don watching the fountain show.
Kassy, Emma & Don watching the fountains.

Kassy & Don in front of the Eifel Tower. Kassy made a special request for this picture.

After the fountain show we went inside the Bellagio to see the display. It's always amazing what they have in there...this fountain of moss was so elegant. Kassy, Hunter, Emma & Don inside the Bellagio by the bears.First thing Friday morning we headed down to Hoover Dam. We took the Dam tour, down the elevator into the Dam. Hunter loved it, this kind of stuff is right up his alley! Hunter, Don & Kassy inside the Dam.They give these hats to people who take the 'premiere' Dam tour, which we did not. Some sweet couple gave them to our kids after the Dam movie. I think everyone in that movie knew Emma's name by the time it was over...but she's so cute!!!!Don inside the Dam, by the turbines.Kassy cooling herself by a fan...Vegas is HOT!Tracy, Emma, Kassy & Hunter on the Dam viewing platform.
Hunter & Hoover Dam....it's a LONG way down!

Halfway across the Dam you leave Nevada and enter Arizona. Hunter is in Nevada, Kassy is in Arizona. If you hung in with me through this entire post...THANKS! It was a long one, but we had an absolutely wonderful vacation! Thank-you to all who hosted us...we feel extremely blessed to have such great friends and family. We truly lead a charmed life!

Kassy's Lost Tooth!

2009-05-18T16:10:00.004-06:00

Kassy is almost out of Kindergarten and is one of the few left who hasn't yet lost a tooth. A week ago she was crying because she doesn't have any loose teeth. The next day, lo & behold...a loose tooth! She was so excited she wiggled it until it bled. Then she was crying because it was bleeding....it's so hard to be a 6 year old girl!

For the last week she's been wiggling it each day, watching it get more and more loose. This morning while brushing her teeth it finally came out!

Question of the Day...

2009-05-18T15:54:00.004-06:00

Question Of The Day.....

Just how much hair can one Labrador Retriever shed?

Answer.... a whole lot! Ok, so she didn't exactly shed all of this hair on her own. I got tired of her looking like a mange dog, running around with tufts of hair falling out. The grass needed to be mowed, so I brushed Dixie first. After about 30 minutes, she looks beautiful again. LUCKILY for me, the lawn mower did a fantastic job of vacuuming up the hair!

Adore the spotlight?

2009-05-01T14:40:00.004-06:00

Emma and I were at my friend Alissa's house one day, taking pictures of Alissa who was in her last month of pregnancy with her 3rd child. I love doing pictures of pregnant women, so much fun! Anyway, inbetween some of the shots little Miss Emma sat herself down right in the middle and said 'CHEESE'! Of course I took her picture! How beautiful is she?

Pinewood Derby 2009...and the results are.....

2009-05-01T11:36:00.003-06:00

You have to understand something about our family....we are pretty competative! Shocker, I know. So, naturally, Don & Hunter wanted to make a fast pinewood derby car for Hunter's first race.

The pressure mounted when Hunter told Don "I just want to beat Jaden". Jaden Zweifel is Hunter's best friend, who it just so happens DOMINATED the pinewood derby last year. Don was joking with Hunter saying "Did you have to pick the kid whose Dad is a perfectionist?" And so the preparations began...here is the finished product. It should come as NO surprise to anyone who knows Hunter that it's painted Bronco Orange & Blue, & the driver is a Star Wars Lego man. Here is Hunter and Jaden with their cars.

The racing was awesome! We were fortunate to have access to a computerized 4 lane track. The computer timed the races, matched up the boys for each race, it was great. Hunter & Jaden both won each race they were in, time and again....the anticipation mounted....

Finally, it came down to 1 race. Jaden is in lane 4, Coby Young in lane 3, and Hunter in lane 2. Can you tell the outcome?

According to the printout of the boys times over all the races, all three of these boys average times only differed by 1/10th of a second! It was too close to call, so the last race determined it all. Jaden was awarded 1st place, Hunter 2nd, and Coby 3rd. It was definately a photo finish!

It was a great experience, we had a lot of fun. If we have to loose at something, we never mind loosing to a worthy competitor!

EASTER

2009-04-24T21:27:00.002-06:00

Easter in the Roberts family is a BIG TIME event! Don's grandparents, Gale & Lois Roberts, always do a huge easter egg hunt: one for the little kids on the lawn, and one for the 'big kids' on 5 acres of sagebrush. There are 2 coveted and highly saught after items: the Golden Egg which contains $20, and the Silver Egg which contains $10. This year Grandpa hid over 400 eggs. It's an event we look forward to each year.Don's cousin Tara McCoy, who got super lucky and found BOTH the gold and silver eggs! No one has ever found both eggs in the 12 years I've been in this family. Miss Emma had a blast, especially once she realized the eggs she was finding contained her absolute favorite thing in the world...CHOCOLATE!

Miss Kassy finding eggs on the lawn. The lawn hunt is for kids 5 & under. Kassy turned 6 a week later, so she barely qualified for the easy hunt.

Hunter found something like 23 eggs, which was pretty impressive considering he's competing against full blown adults. :-)

The most exciting news of the weekend was the announcement that Don's sister Dacia is pregnant!!! This is the realization of a long-sought-after dream, so we're thrilled for Dacia and Joel!!

Kassy's First Game

2009-04-24T21:14:00.002-06:00

This is Kassy's first time playing soccer, or being part of any team or lessons. She loves it! They have now won 2 games and lost 1, & Kassy has scored 2 goals. The girls named their team the Golden Hearts. Kassy is enjoying it a lot, and we are enjoying watching her play!

Kassy's Birthday

2009-04-23T21:35:00.007-06:00

On April 15th Kassy turned 6. Aunt Dacia & Uncle Joel were in town visiting from California, so we had a 'family' party the night before with the Roberts side of the family who live in Boise. Uncle Joel, Aunt Dacia, Aunt Tabrina, Kassy, & Uncle Torrey.Emma, Triton, Hunter, & Kassy enjoying the cake!

The day of Kassy's birthday she had 3 friends over for a 'Pajama Party'. They decorated cupcakes, played pin the tail on the donkey, decorated princess crowns, and played with the presents. What a great way to spend the afternoon!

Paige Winter, Halle Schow, Kassy Roberts, & Kayleigh Tibbits.How much frosting can one cupcake hold?Halle, Paige, Kassy, Kayleigh, & Tyson (Halle's brother, Kassy let him come too) playing "Pin the tail on the donkey".
The Results! We had extra tails so they kept playing over and over.

Cub Scouts - Hunter's Wolf Badge

2009-04-23T16:49:00.002-06:00

Hunter is part of an awesome Cub Scout Troop, run by our church. This month he earned his Wolf Badge. We were proud of him for finishing a few months early, hoping this habbit continues all the way up to Eagle!
At each pack meeting they do some fun thing for the boys when they get their awards. This month it was pouring the activator in to a volcano! BIG hit with boys. This is Hunter and the Cub Scout Master Heidi Cook.

The Rose Pedal - Life is not a spectator sport!

2009-04-23T15:22:00.008-06:00

I don't think I've ridden more than 3 miles at a time in the past 15 years of my life, on a bicycle. But, I try really hard to stay fit. So, when I was in Georgia this weekend and some of my siblings were participating in a 25 mile bike ride to benefit Cystic Fibrosis I thought "I'll try it!".

My sister Katy, her husband Danny, their son Jared (12), my sister-in-law Kathleen & I all did the race together. Katy & Danny had road bikes (suckers), while Jared, Kathleen & I rode on mountainbikes. I had a few technical difficulties with my bike not shifting, and a flat tire, but we survived and I finished! I was the last one of the family to cross the finish line, about 2 1/2 hours, but I was really proud of myself for trying it, and even more proud for finishing it!

My Dad always said "life is not a spectator sport" and I agree! It was a beautiful spring Gerogia morning, the race course wound through rolling hills of blooming Dogwoods and Azaleas, listening to the birds and horses, it was incredibly envigorating! Get out there and live!

Papa & Grandma Speidel!

2009-01-18T21:54:00.005-07:00

My parents, Papa & Grandma Speidel, came to visit us for about 11 days over the Christmas Holidays. We loved the visit! It was great to have so much 1 on 1 time with them. They had fun getting to know Emma, who was just 8 months old the last time they saw her. Kassy & Emma had fun getting 'rides'.

Kassy & Emma getting a ride on Papa's shoulders. I love this picture because I have a picture of my sister Katy and I on my Dad's shoulders when we were about this age....too cute!

Emma getting a ride from Grandma.

Kassy had a hard time letting Papa 'rest' in between rides. She loved it!

Kassy & Papa

Christmas Traditions

2008-12-23T08:15:00.004-07:00

Every year I buy a GingerBread kit (usually at Costco because theirs are the best!) for the kids to put together. We started this when Hunter was 4 and have continued each year. The kids LOVE it! We help them put the house together, ensuring structural integrity (last year we almost had a cave-in). Then the kids decorate it with all the candy. Hunter and Kassy have always had so much fun doing this. The house usually lasts maybe 3 days then we have to eat it...we just can't resist.
I do have to admit, Emma isn't in the pictures because we did this project while she took her nap. I wasn't quite ready for THAT mess! :-)

Halloween!

2008-11-01T19:06:00.005-06:00

We had dinner at a friend's house, then we all went Trick-or-treating together. 6 families makes for a LOT of kids trick-or-treating together! We couldn't have asked for better weather; this was the nicest Halloween I've ever experienced in our 11 years in Boise. It was awesome!

Hunter went as a WWII Army Scout, Emma was a butterfly, and Kassy was Hannah Montana.
This was Emma's first year actually 'trick-or-treating'. By the end of the night she knew exactly what to do, walking to each door saying "tick-a-teat' then grabbing the candy she wanted. Everyone thought she was so cute, they didn't mind. :-)

Emma happy with her 'loot'.

Maddie & Kassy trick-or-treating Hunter is the army guy in the middle of the group. It was fun for the kids to go around with so many of their friends.

Our kids made out with so much candy! After breakfast they organized their candy into groups. Here is Hunter with his loot.

Here is Kassy by all of her candy.

Kassy & Hunter combined all their M&M's, gumballs, Hot Tamales, Skittles, & Whoppers to fill their gumball machine.

Cub Scout Litter Project

2008-11-01T18:35:00.004-06:00

I have the privilege of being the Wolf Cub Scout den leader for Hunter's cub scout troop. We currently have 10 boys. They can be rambunctious, they are 8 year-old boys after all. This week we did a litter clean-up project and they did awesome. We didn't make it all the way down the road, we had to turn around early because we couldn't carry any more trash, our bags were full. I was so proud of them!! They didn't complain, in fact, they loved it! It became a fun competition to see what crazy and fun things they could find. We even had a sweet older lady come out and thank them for their service. They mostly cleaned up a field along side the road, which is in her backyard. She was so greatful for them, she offered to make them cinnamon rolls and bring them to the church next week when we meet again. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with these awesome boys.
Nicholas, Cody, Tanner, Spencer, Brandon, Grant, Hunter, & Elijah with all the trash they collected and carried home.

Halloween Party

2008-10-28T17:02:00.004-06:00

Our ward hosted a Halloween party at the church on Friday night. The kids won lots of candy at the different activities, we all had a great time. It was really fun to see all the costumes and how creative some people get.Emma was a beautiful butterfly. She screamed about putting her costume on, but once we got it fastened she didn't say another word. She wasn't fond of playing the games to get candy, so she ate 2 donuts from the refreshment table. Kassy went as Hannah Montana. I took this picture of her in the car on the way over. It's the only one I have because I couldn't find the girl all night! She was off playing games and eating candy, I couldn't catch up with her long enough to get a full length picture. Maybe Halloween night. Hunter went as a WWII Army Scout. He knew exactly what his costume should look like, wanted an authentic helmet...'not plastic Mom, a real metal one'. Well, after shopping around (and feeling the enormous weight of a real metal army helmet) we decided to get the plastic one. We also got custom made dog tags from the Army/Navy store. They say "Hunter Roberts, WWII Army Scout, Halloween 2008".

I never dress up for Halloween because I never want to spend money on a costume, even though I think it would be fun. So, this year, thanks to my friend Alissa who lent me her witch costume, I DRESSED UP! First time since I was probably 10 or 11. It was so much fun! I had so much eyemakeup on that most people didn't recognize me until I started talking to them. Don went as a BSU fan...I'll explain in the next picture...our friends Bart & Alissa are in this picture with us. They went as a 1980's couple. The funny thing is...she bought all her stuff at Wet Seal in the mall last week...IT'S ALL NEW STUFF! Even the sturup pants! Can you believe that? I don't know if I'm ready for those styles to come back.

Ok, so the Halloween party was held on Friday night, at the exact same time as the BSU game. Now, we are big BSU fans, but some guys in our ward are HUGE BSU fans. We were impressed to see these guys at the party (trucks in the parking lot with BSU flags on them), being good husband's and Dad's by supporting family functions. There were so many men dressed as BSU fans that I had to get a picture of them all together. Chris, on the left, is holding his new daughter in a BSU sling made personally for him by his Mother-in-law...too cute. I thought Don's apple-cider in the cup added the perfect 'football-fan' touch to the picture (kind of funny because no one in the picture drinks alcohol, but it sure looks like he's holding a beer :-))

Cucumber Boats

2008-10-20T09:53:00.004-06:00

Don's Grandma, we affectionatly call "GG" for Great Grandma, gave the kids some overgrown cucumbers from her garden to make into cucumber boats. Kassy enjoyed it for a while, but this was definately a Hunter activity. He even asked for extra's to bring home so he could build some with his friend Jaden. After Hunter and Jaden were done with them they had used up every toothpick in the house! But, they had a great time...who knew cucumbers could be so much fun?

Boise State Broncos

2008-10-20T09:34:00.003-06:00

Friday night Don & Hunter went to the BSU vs. Hawaii game here in Boise. The Broncos won 27-7. Don & I both attended BSU. Don received 2 bachelors degrees from BSU...so we're BIG fans! I was bummed that I couldn't go with them. The girls & I had a 'girl party' at home. Don was kind enough to send me this picture of the game from his phone.

Emma's 2nd Birthday!

2008-10-16T13:20:00.004-06:00

On October 5th, Miss Emma Gale turned 2!!! We had a quiet family celebration, just the 5 of us. Of course we had to make some cake! Emma loves chocolate; so we had chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Emma likes the frosting the best.

Don & Emma, singing Happy Birthday!

Emma enjoying her cake.

Emma opening her presents.

THUNDERBIRDS!!!!

2008-10-07T09:21:00.011-06:00

We live about 1 hour from Mountain Home Air Force Base, where once a year they host a free airshow for the public. This year the Thunderbirds were there, they are the stunt pilot team of the Air Force. We have seen the Blue Angels (Navy) in Pensacola a few years ago, so we were pretty excited to see the Thunderbirds.

Hunter & Kassy with Thunderbird Pilots. Don had to tease me that I made the kids get in the picture so I could talk to the pilots. What can I say...women like a man in uniform...Whew-who! ;-)

I have a Nikon 80-400 VR lens for my camera, which I rarely get the chance to use. Don suggested I bring it to the air show and I was SO GLAD he did! These pilots were amazing, I was glad I had the lens to capture these close up shots.

This was a WWII Pacific Prowler...pretty cool!

Sky-divers...man does that look like fun! I want to go skydiving again someday...take Don with me this time.

Double-wing doing tricks.

Fagen doing acrobatics.

After the acrobatic planes and sky-divers...it was time for the Thunderbirds. I moved through the crowd to the front fence as the pilots made their way to their planes. It's impressive to watch the pilots and crew as they execute their tasks. Something as simple as pilots boarding their planes is done in unison and with precision.

This is "Jessica"...the only female Thunderbird Pilot!!! Way to go Jessica! My hero!

This is my FAVORITE SHOT of the day!! (again, gota love that lens!) The pilots each waved at the crowd as they taxied to the runway. It made me pretty emotional to think that today they are leaving the crowd to do a show, but there are times they are leaving to go to war. Yet they go anyway. I was humbled as I watched them, and honored that they fight for me whom they have never met.

5 Thunderbirds in a climb.

One flying inverted over the other.

This all happened so fast I just got their smoke! 3 planes crossed this point at the exact same moment, one going left, one going right, and one spiraling up through the middle.

Soccer Anyone?

2008-10-07T09:06:00.003-06:00

Hunter took Karate lessons, twice a week, for 2 years, starting when he was 5. We got burnt out on the fact that there is no 'season' to karate...it never ends! ;-) He's been wanting to play soccer, so we signed up! He is #4 on the Blue Devils.

Hunter was fortunate to get put on the same team as his friends Jaden and Calvin. It is a returning team, so most of the boys have played before, but Hunter had jumped right in and is enjoying himself. We are having a BLAST watching his games on Saturdays. I have to admit, at first I thought it would be annoying to be tied down on Saturdays, but I had so much fun watching his first game, I was hooked! Hunter is having fun playing, learning a lot about the sport and himself. He can't wait to get a trophy! He was bummed to find out that it's not actually gold. :-)

This past Saturday he played his game in a downpour! I know, I know, it NEVER rains in Idaho, right? Well, it dumped durring his game. Luckily another Mom, Kit, shared her umbrella with us. We don't even own one!

Effervescence

2008-10-05T17:42:00.004-06:00

When my Mom was pregnant with their first child my Dad said "You'd better hope it's a boy, because I can't be the father of girls." Needless to say he got 4 girls, only 1 boy. The Lord gives you what you can handle, and often, what you need. Now when my Dad talks about raising girls he smiles and talks about the 'effervescence' that girls bring into life. The giggling, hugs & kisses, singing, twirling, skipping around instead of walking...effervescence!

Emma found some maskara.

Kassy being silly.

Emma LOVES her PJ's that Nana made for her! She puts them on, runs to Don and while pointing to herself she says "pretty!"

ROCK BAND!

2008-10-05T17:28:00.004-06:00

My nephew Joe, who is 24, came to visit us for 5 days in August. He was working in Portland for the summer, then headed down to California to work for the Fall, so he stopped in and stayed with us. We love it when he or his brothers come by! I grew up with these boys, they are more like my little brothers than my nephews. Don had to be out of town on business for 2 of the days, so it was wonderful to have Joe here for company and he's a big help with the kids.

Joe brought Rock Band with him, which we just had to try out. We like Guitar Hero, so we thought we'd like Rock Band. What we didnt' realize is how much the kids would like it too! Hunter is so hooked on the drums, it was cracking us up! He put it on practice mode and played "Mississippi Queen" about 20 times, until he was at 98% accuracy. It got to the point where Hunter would ask Joe if he could play Rock Band, and Joe would say "Sure, if you don't play Mississippi Queen." We were singing it in our sleep.

Hunter on drums, Jaden on Guitar...Rockin' it out!

Don's Birthday Weekend - Crazy Idaho Weather

2008-10-05T14:48:00.008-06:00

Oh, yeah...he get's an entire weekend for his birthday! :-) We spent the weekend of Don's birthday at the cabin with our friends Matt & Tana Parke. They kept teasing me about calling it "Don's birthday weekend". He's so special he gets an entire weekend! Especially when your birthday falls on Labor Day weekend.

Matt & Tana pulled their boat up and we spent Saturday on Lake Alturas. The kids rode in the tube, Matt & Don both ski'd and wakeboarded. Tana & I were too chicken to brave the cold water.

Kassy playing on the beach at Alturas.

Hunter tried to catch fish in the inlet, with a net.

Emma had fun running back and forth across the inlet bridge.

On Sunday we attended church in Stanley then hung out at the cabin. Tana made us a 'Southern Boil' for dinner. We had never experienced it before, and we were skeptical, but it was SO GOOD! Here's how you do it:

Boil water in a huge pot, add quartered new potatoes, carrots, a few canned jalapeno's, sliced Kelbasa, and shrimp. Cook it all together until it's done, then added corn on the cob for the last few minutes. While everyting is cooking you cover the table with butcher paper, or in our case, plastic sacks. You are not allowed to use any utensils! When the food is done, strain it and pour it down the middle of the table. You make your condiment piles on the table top, eating with your hands.

It was so delicious! I was honestly surprised at how good it was, and what a fun way to eat a dinner! We all enjoyed the change of pace.

Matt, McCade, Kassy, Hunter, Grace, & Tana

Tana, Rick, Gage, Don, & Matt

Bella & Emma, 4 months apart in age, had a great time playing together. Emma kept calling Bella Molly (her cousin she played with the last time we were at the cabin).

We woke up to 2 inches of snow on Monday morning!!! Yep, that's the mountains for ya. Waterskiing on Saturday....snow on Monday.

Emma & Don in the snow.

The scene from our truck window as we drove home Monday morning.

1st Day of School

2008-10-05T13:56:00.003-06:00

Hunter is 8, starting 3rd Grade. For him, the first day of school isn't a big deal anymore. He was, however, excited to learn that his 2 best friends, Jaden & Carson, are in his class. We have heard wonderful things about his teacher, I'm sure it'll be a great year!

Hunter, Emma & Kassy on the first day of school.

Kassy is now 5 and starting Kindergarten. She was very excited about school! Now worried or nervous. Kassy has always been an independant child. She wanted to ride the kindergarten bus home from school from day 1.

Kassy in front of their school, Hunter Elementary, on the first day.

Kassy getting off the kindergarten bus on the first day of school. She loved it! We knew she would.

Kassy's Hair Cut

2008-10-05T09:57:00.003-06:00

Kassy was born was 2 inches of black hair, which never fell out, and has continued to grow long and beautiful. Her hair is so healthy and thick, it's always been so easy to wear it long. Well, several of the girls in our church ward have recently cut their hair short. Kassy thought they looked so cute she wanted to cut hers as well. I don't care how she wears her hair. I've always thought it was her decision. I want to give my children power to make these small decisions so they feel they have control over somethings...pick your battles, you know? After some sweet talking of her Dad, he gave his consent.

Kassy is one of the lucky one's, great hair that is versatile, can be worn many ways. She loved it at first, but 3 days later was crying "I want my long hair back. I wish I never cut it." Sometimes we have to learn the hard way what we like and why. So, even though she looks beautiful with short hair, we are now in the process of growing it long again.

Bathing Beauties

2008-10-05T09:49:00.003-06:00

Kassy's cousin Savannah is 6 months older than Kassy, and they are BEST friends! They adore each other, but we live on opposite sides of the state. Savannah's mom Lacy had to come to Boise for a few days so she let Savannah have a sleep-over with Kassy. They were so excited! They are the kind of friends that just go play, I never have to interfere or referee. I wish we lived closer so they could spend more time together, but they enjoyed their sleep-over very much.

Emma, Savannah, & Kassy in a bubble bath.

Miss Emma full of bubbles!

Kiss the cook!

2008-10-04T23:25:00.004-06:00

My sweet little Kassy, she is always wanting to help me cook. Lately, though, she's had some 'close calls'. I had to post this picture to show how inventive she is. She figured out how to solve her cooking problems....she'll just wear gloves! Why didn't I think of that?

Oregon Coast

2008-09-28T19:45:00.014-06:00

We spent 4 days at the Oregon Coast in July. We started the trip by driving to Portland. What should have been an 8 hour trip turned into a 12 hour trip. We got stuck in The Dalles for 4 hours due to a brush fire that closed the interstate. The kicker is that we almost missed the fire, we were about the 15th car diverted off the interstate when they closed it. We were so close! Oh, well, we're making memories, right? So, we finally got to Portland where we stayed for the night. The next morning we went to the Portland zoo. We made the trip with 4 other families: The Zweifel's, Schow's, Jensen's, & Tibbits. We all went to the zoo except the Jensen's. They decided to meet us at the beach house later that day.

Our Family at the Portland Zoo: Hunter, Don, Kassy, Emma, & Tracy. I absolutely LOVED Portland with the dense forests all around. It was nice to be in such a lush environment again.

The Hoodlum's! Hunter, Jaden, Reese, Emma, Maddie, Jackson, Halle, Kassy, & Kaylee.

The Portland Zoo had a Dinosaur exhibit with life-like mechanical dinosaurs. This one spit water into the air randomly, which the kids loved!

Don & Hunter in front of the T-Rex. They had a Lions roar recorded that played randomly for the growl of the T-Rex. It was pretty loud and scared Kassy half to death.

Emma & Hunter at the zoo. Emma had an awesome time. This little girl continues to amaze me on trips. She's so easy going, goes with the flow of whatever we're doing. She wasn't scared by any of the animals or sounds, just had fun seeing everything.

Maddie, Halle, Kassy, Kaylee, Jaden, & Hunter measuring up to the bears.

After the zoo and a trip to the Nike Employee store, we headed to Seaside to the beach house. As I mentioned, we rented a beach house with 4 other families for 3 nights. It was a great way to vacation! We split up meal assignments, the kids had lots of friends to play with, and the adults could play games and such after the kids went to bed. It was awesome, we had a great time.

I have to admit, the first moment I walked out onto the beach in Seaside I thought "this isn't the ocean, this has to be a lake" because of the landscape. I was raised in the southeast where forested mountains going into a body of water was a lake. It was strange for me to see this kind of vegetation next to the ocean. It was beautiful! But, it was a little cold. After 3 days there I decided I'm a warm beach kind of girl. :-)

Our beach house was in Seaside, Oregon. The first morning we got up around 7 and headed down to the beach to see what we could find. There were hardly any shells to be found, but there were TONS of Sanddollars. I have never seen so many sanddollars.

Kassy's Sanddollar & a CLOSE look at Emma's Sanddollar. :-) The girl doesn't really know how to be subtle.

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

"The Girls" - Alissa, Angela, Me, Cristin, & Jennifer

Mike, Olivia, Bart, Mark, & Don playing some game I can't remember the name of ;-)

The Mermaids - Halle, Kassy, & Kaylee

Jaden, Hunter, & Jeff digging a hole in the sand.

Jaden, Hunter, & Bart with their finished hole. The boys were so proud of their hole, but they were super impressed when Bart carved out the stairs for them.

All the boys in the hole: Hunter, Jaden, Don, Jackson, Jeff, Bart, Tyson, Mark, Mike, & Sam.

Kassy running through the surf.

Kassy was sitting in the sand, dripping it on her legs. She looked so happy I just had to take her picture. Little did I know the moment I was going to snap the picture the cold water rolled in and I got an AWESOME candid shot!

Miss Emma had a BLAST on the beach! She ran all around splashing in tide pools, covering her feet, etc. Several strangers stopped to watch her, she was just having so much fun!

Emma found her own hole to play in. :-) She laid in this hole for at least 20 minutes, rolling around and just enjoying herself.

Peek-a-boo!

On the way home to Boise, we stopped just east of Portland at Multnoma Falls. It's a beautiful waterfall, the pictures don't do it justice.

Hunter, Kassy, Don, & Emma at the bottom of Multnoma Falls.

The hike to the top of the falls is 1 mile long. The kids really wanted to do it, so away we went! They did great and the view from the top was well worth it. The Columbia river is an awesome sight from up there!

Cabin week 2008

2008-09-20T21:40:00.014-06:00

Each summer the Roberts family spends a week together at the family cabin in Smiley Creek, Idaho. This year we were able to stay the entire week. It was actually the most restful and carefree week I've ever spent at the cabin. I love being up there, in the heart of the Sawtooth mountains. Waking up to crisp cool air in the morning, georgeous scenery, hiking, fishing...it doesn't get much better!

The whole group! (L-R) Ryan, Molly, Sophie, Lacy, Savannah, Kassy, Don, Rick, Hunter, Tracy (me), Emma, Nancy, Gage, Triton, Taylan, Torrey, Lana, Tabrina, & JR (aka "Hollywood"). This picture was taken after church, in front of the Sawtooth mountain range in Stanley, Idaho. The church there is incredible. It's an old log cabin, sides lined with stained glass windows of mountain scenes, and the front wall is entirely windows looking out to the peaks. The view from the pew makes it hard to concentrate on the speaker. :-)

We do as many outdoors activites as we can while at the cabin. One day we drove up to Loon Creek with our kids and Rick, had a picnic lunch, then hiked down to the river to hunt for rocks (Hunter and Kassy insist on having rock collections) and do some fishing.

Don with his girls: Kassy & Emma.

Miss Emma stepped in the creek, getting her pants soaking wet, within 10 minutes of arriving at Loon Creek. The fire to roast hot dogs also roasted her pants, socks and shoes. The little stinker is lucky she's so cute!

Hunter, Kassy, & Rick (Papa) walking down to the river. Rick was looking for fish, the kids looking for anything they can't find in our backyard!

Don, Hunter and Kassy climbed down onto this ledge overlooking the river to look for Rick. Dixie, our 9 year old Lab, followed them down there. After a few mintues they climbed back up and we started hiking out. We kept hearing a strange sort of noise and after a minute realized it was Dixie! She was yelping for help, she couldn't get up off the ledge. Don walked back and called to her, and she finally jumped up. Hunter & Kassy were so relieved! At times it seems they could care less about Dixie, not playing with her for days at a time. But the rest of the day they talked about how sad they would be if we had lost her.

Kassy, Emma, & Hunter. They always have a great time outdoors. We'd love to be able to live at the cabin, or someplace in the mountians, for the entire summer. We'll have to work on that...

While Rick & Don fished, the kids looked for rocks. They each have rock collections at home and were determined to add to them! This bend in the river provided a nice wide spot where the water was shallow enough that they could wonder out but I wasn't freaking out! I love this picture of Hunter & Dixie looking for rocks together. My favorite pictures are often not good shots of someone's face. Rather, they do capture the person's life. Dixie was Hunter's best friend for years, I know he dearly loves her, so I love this picture of them 'hunting' for a great rock together.

The loot! Hunter holding his "Dill Pickle" rock. He actually carried that thing all the way back to the truck, and it now sits in his room with his collection.

Kassy holding her favorite rock. I love rocks when they are wet, the colors really come out!

Don enjoys motorbiking, which I can't do right now with the kids. The boys wanted to go motorbiking for a day: Don, Hunter, Rick, & Gage. While they were motorbiking, Lacy, Ryan & I decided to take our girls fishing to the kids' pond at the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery.

Sophie & Kassy trying to catch a fish with their net.

Molly & Emma (4 months apart in age) giving each other loves. They became the best of friends durring cabin week. What a blessing, having a cousing your age!

None of the little girls wanted to pull the worms apart to put them on the hooks, so Kassy devised a way of cutting them apart. She and Savannah had so much fun cutting the worms apart with rocks.

Kassy & Uncle Ryan with her fish!

Kassy touching her fish before putting him back.

In past years we've gone to Lake Alturas with the kids while the men are off motorbiking. But, this year we went to Redfish a lot. It is a little further drive, about 25 minutes, but well worth it! The beach area at Redfish is shallow, like 1-2 feet deep, all the way out to the end of the docks. It's perfect for the kids to play and swim around, without being in deep water. Plus, Redfish has a lodge with a restaurant and bathrooms, and a little store where you can buy drinks and treats...and floaties! We loved it! I think we spent 3 or 4 days at Redfish this year.

Molly, Kassy, & Savannah on the beach at Redfish Lake.

Molly, Emma, & Taylan on the beach at Redfish Lake. Molly is 4 months older than Emma, who is 2 months older than Taylan.

Molly & Emma!

We always enjoy the cabin and the mountains, but this year was different for some reason. We seemed to really stop and enoy it. By the time we were ready to go home Hunter asked "if we get lots of money, can we live at the cabin? There's so much to do. Home is borring, I know every inch of our backyard." I was happy he had such a good time, but sad about his comment on the backyard. I have always loved our home, and still do. But, he's right! We live in a subdivision with a fenced in back yard. There is just only so much for a little boy to do. I grew with up acres and acres of woods to explore...which we took full advantage of! Our goals constantly change in life, mine changed with his comment.

4th of July

2008-09-16T21:43:00.002-06:00

We spent the 4th of July in Alta, Wyoming visiting Don's sister Lacy, her husband Ryan, and their 3 girls: Savannah (5), Sophie (3), and Molly (2). Kassy & Emma were in heaven with so many girls to play with. Hunter, my awesome little boy, makes the best of being surrounded by girls. While there we HAD to partake in 2 culinary treats we can't get in Boise: 1) greasy food from the drive-in including carmel pop-corn, 2)Huckleberry milkshakes made with locally picked huckleberries (YUM!).
One afternoon we packed a lunch and hiked up Teton Canyon. They live at the foot of the Tetons, on the opposite side from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The view from their backyard is breathtaking! A 15 minute drive from their house and we were hiking up the canyon. This waterfall was the perfect spot to stop and take a picture. Emma has always loved hiking with me in her backpack. The rocking motion made her so tired that she fell asleep. I felt badly for her, her poor little head bobbing all around, so I took off the backpack and carried her in my arms where she could sleep better.

We really enjoy hiking with our kids! They are awesome hikers, we love the exercise and scenery, and there are so many places to hike in Idaho. It's the perfect activity for our family. Don & Hunter are always happier if there is good fishing at the end of the hike. :-) Not this time, but we did cross some raging rapids. Pictured is Savannah, Hunter, Sophie, & Kassy on the bridge.

On the 4th we spent the day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We witnessed a 'wild-west' shootout in the street & listened to live music in the park. We had time to kill before dinner so we played in the park with the kids. I love to swing with Emma, she has so much fun with it! We were also fortunate to be invited to a private home in the hills around Jackson for dinner. After dinner we all watched the fireworks from their lawn, which was several houses down the street from where they set off the fireworks for the city. It was an amazing view!
I couldn't resist getting the kids matching flag shirts to wear for the 4th. They also bought little American flags at the park in Jackson. I love this picture of Kassy next to the river, with the evening sun shining on the water.

Kassy & Dacia

2008-09-14T20:37:00.003-06:00

My Mom has always said Kassy looks like Dacia, Don's sister. Kassy has always loved Dacia. She used to say "Mom, Aunt Dacia said to call her so we can hang out. So, can I call her and tell her to come get me?"

This year Dacia's husband, Joel, enlisted in the army and is now stationed in California. We had Dacia over for dinner before she left to join Joel at their new home. Kassy was very sad to see Dacia go. I love this picture, it captures their beauty and their love for each other.

Emma Bo-Bemma

2008-09-14T19:28:00.003-06:00

Little Miss Emma...
Our third child, our little blonde baby. There are so many things I can say about her. She is so full of life and energy, fearing nothing. She is almost incapable of walking, she always skips or dances along. Turn on music and she'll instantly break out into dancing with a huge smile on her face. She adores her mother, always wanting Mom to hold her. Her brother & sister spoil her rotten, protesting when we arn't giving her what she wants. She is starting to say so many things, trying everything and busting out with complete sentances that stun us. Emma LOVES to be thrown into the air. She can wear out anyone's arm muscles and still want more. We adore her!

June 28th - Hunter's Baptism

2008-09-13T20:47:00.003-06:00

Hunter was baptised, by his Father Don Roberts, into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on June 28th, his 8th birthday. It's crazy to think he's old enough. He's an amazing boy, I absolutely adore him. He has always been kind and thoughtful, a happy child who makes his own fun and entertains himself well. Hunter is not a complaigner. He loves his family dearly, and takes great care of his little sisters. We are very proud of him for the person he is. We are excited that he wanted to be baptised. I feel confident that the Lord is proud of who Hunter chooses to be.

Don & Hunter just before the baptism.

Gage Roberts (Uncle), Torrey Roberts (Uncle), Rick Roberts (Grandpa), Don Roberts (Dad), Hunter, Gale Roberts (Great-Grandpa).

Our Family after the baptism: Emma, Tracy, Hunter, Don, & Kassy.

June - Camping at Redfish

2008-09-13T17:00:00.015-06:00

We started the summer off with a camping trip up to Redfish Lake, Idaho. We went with 4 other families, all with kids around our kids ages, so of course it was a blast. My favorite part was splitting up meal assignments. It's nice to know that you have one huge meal to cook, the rest of the time you can just relax. We ate way too much, but camping food is so good!

You don't want to camp in the mountains of Idaho without a tent heater, or some seriously good sleeping bags! The temperatures dipped into the low 30's each night, so we got good sleeping bags and brought our tent heater along. Little did we know, the heater has some problem with it and it would shut off after about 30 minutes. Needless to say, we were a little cold. At least I was. Everyone else seemed to sleep just fine. Hunter scooted so far down inside his sleeping bag, I couldn't see him in the morning when I looked over. He scared me for a second until I realized he was just way down inside keeping warm. The first morning Kassy poked her head out of her bag, hair going every direction, and said "I didn't know camping was SO MUCH FUN!"

Emma had a BLAST! The girl is not afraid of anything, especially getting dirty. She was dirty before we got our tent set up. As you can see, she's throwing hand-fulls of dirt onto her back. She did this for about 10 minutes straight.

The kids all had a great time playing with each other. 'The girls' kept having their club meetings in the back of Don's truck. Pictured is Halle, Kassy, Isabelle, Emma & Maddie.

Don & Emma by the campfire.

We took the kids down to the kid pond at the Sawtooth Fishing Hatchery to catch some fish. Some of the kids in our group had never caught a fish, so we had high hopes. The kid pond did not disapoint! Each child caught at least 1 fish, Kassy caught 3!

After fishing we drove about 40 minutes from Redfish to Custer, Idaho. It's an old Ghost town from the early 1900's. Several buildings have been restored, I think it's a great place to spend a few hours learning about history. We have been here several times, but this was our first time panning for gold. I was so surprised when the kids found some! They both came home with gold flecks taped to a card that says 'I struck it rich in Custer, Idaho!'

Our last morning was Father's Day. After breakfast, the kids gathered around and sang 'I'm so glad when Daddy comes home' to the Dad's.

I'm Finally On!

2008-09-10T20:37:00.001-06:00

I love to scrapbook. I love it for the times I see my kids pull out their scrapbooks and spend an hour looking through it, asking me to read it to them or showing pictures to each other - remembering. That's what it's all about for me; journaling our lives through the pictures I take. I want them to remember what kind of family we were, the things we did, how much time we spent together, and the things that truly mattered to us.

I was really great at keeping up to date (within two months or so) with the pictures until about a year ago. My daily routines have changed in many ways, the pictures are now piling up and it's making me sad. I see many friends journal through blogging, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Last year I started sending out a monthly email to our friends and family, complete with pictures, to keep everyone up to date on my crew. I then took that and scrapbooked it each month. It worked great until this summer. The last one I sent out was May 2008. I'm going to start there and catch up on the summer.

So here goes...