Pioneer Day Fun

For the 24th of July, since it was Pioneer Day, I made beef stew, wheat bread with homemade butter, and peach cobbler. We had the Kosters over because it was so much food. Jacob loved the beef stew and I had to put away the leftovers before he ate it all. Later we went outside to do some fireworks. We had saved them from the 4th to do with our nephew Teagan. So since he was finally over here we got to use them up. He loved it and was disappointed when they were gone. Rachel and Teagan plugging their ears from the whistling. It was loud!
This was my favorite picture of Teagan with the sparklers.
We are so glad that Rachel and Todd and their boys live close to us. It is nice having instant friends since it is slow making new ones.

Our first yard

I just wanted to put a picture up of the first time we mowed our lawn. We were excited when we got back from Hawaii to find the grass had been put in! Luckily the yard is pretty small though and does not take much time to mow. I have always loved the smell of freshly cut grass. Brings back good memories of summertime...

Photo Tag!

I was tagged by Carole to take pictures of certain things and to do it right away (before cleaning up- ha ha, yeah right). So here we go...

1. The kitchen sink: I am glad we have a 2-hole sink instead of just one big hole like in our last apt. Makes washing and rinsing easier. 2. Laundry room: It is really just a closet in the hall, but that is definitely better than having them in our kitchen like back in Richmond.
3. The toilet: Why anyone wants to see my toilet, I don't know, but here it is. This is the one in our master bathroom.
4. Inside the fridge: Might be time to eat some leftovers. 5. What is your spouse doing right now? Jacob is working at the dental clinic at ISU. Still wearing a tie, of course. :)
5. Favorite shoes: I couldn't decide, so here are my 3 favorite shoes to wear this summer.

6. Favorite room: our living room-we haven't totally finished decorating it yet, so it still looks a little bare. And don't worry, the curtains really do match the couches; they just look like different colors in the picture.


7. Your Closet: Finally, a walk in! We have way too much room now. 9. Dream Vacation: Well, since we just went to Hawaii, I can cross that one off my list (although I want to go back already). The next place we really want to go is Paris. We'd like to go soon before Jacob forgets how to speak French! I also really want to go to New York City and visit all the touristy places and see a Broadway show. Anyone wanna come with me?

10. Self-Portrait

Well, there you go. I tag Jana, Emily, Shaela, Traci, Elizabeth, Mallory & anyone else who wants to play along. Have fun!

Craters of the Moon

We went to Craters of the Moon out near Arco, Idaho last Saturday. It is out in the middle of nowhere. Two of the other residents, Jess and Katie, came with us. It was so hot walking by all the lava rock, but really cool to see. We walked a short trail to see the Big Craters and a couple of smaller ones, then explored several caves. Down in the caves it was nice and cool and a relief from the heat.

This is one of the Spatter Cones

the Snow Cone with snow still in it
Us in Boy Scout Cave- the floor was really icy and hard to walk on. I kept thinking I was going to trip and fall b/c I had to hold my big flashlight in one hand to see where to walk. It is pretty amazing that I never fell or hit my head, especially with how clumsy I am. (Jess, on the other hand, hit her head at least 3 times. Ouch!)We all teased Jacob about how fast he could climb up the rocks. Katie called him a mountain goat. He loved being in the caves. The last time he'd been here was when he was about 12. He was in heaven exploring and climbing all over and leaving the rest of us in the dust.

me, Jess, and, Katie in Indian Tunnel cave
We had a good time at Craters and I recommend going and seeing it at least once. Some advice: bring water and a head lamp! It is a pain to hold on to a flashlight while climbing over rocks. And we got really thirsty. Make a stop after at the visitor's center for some cold water.

Class Reunion

Jacob had his 10-year high school class reunion last Saturday. (Bonneville HS in Idaho Falls) He was a little nervous but he remembered everyone there. We sat with 2 of his best friends from school, Jacob Thomas and Jacob Hancock (we wanted an all Jacob table :D ), and their wives, Kristy and Meagan. We ate a nice dinner and listened to oldies' music by a live band. Throughout the night they did door prizes and I won a beach bag with beach towels. I never win anything so that was fun! I think Jacob had a good time but at the end of the night was relieved to not have to see most of those people again for 10 more years! Jacob, Jacob, and... Jacob :)

4th of July Festivities

We had a great 4th of July weekend. I always look forward to this day. It's one of my favorite holidays. We went to Jacob's grandparents' house in Idaho Falls to be with all of his extended family. We had a BBQ with lots of good food and yummy homemade strawberry cheesecake ice cream.

We got to take turns riding the neighbor's horse. I was surprised Jacob rode b/c he has bad memories of always getting bucked off when he was little.
Our nephew Teagan was not very happy riding the horse. Here he is holding on for dear life. we played water balloon volleyball with all the cousins
It's hard to see but I got soaked all down my left side. I don't think Jacob even got his toes wet.
Todd, Rachel (Jacob's sister), and Kaden

Check out Rachel's new cute haircut. Kaden with his grandma Angela
Later we went with Jacob's siblings and parents to see the movie Hancock. It was ok except it was full of filthy language, so I don't recommend it, unless you check out the edited version.

Then we headed down to the greenbelt to watch fireworks. It was a pretty good show complete with synchronized music on the radio. We wondered who had selected "She'll be coming round the mountain" as one of the songs. I never knew that was a patriotic song. Sorry, this picture's not that great b/c I took it w/my cell phone.

Overall we had a great holiday and were glad we were able to celebrate with family. I was happy to experience a 4th of July in dry heat instead of humidity, even though we missed going to Dogwood Dell with all our VA friends. We are very thankful to live in this country and for all the freedoms we have, especially to worship as we choose. God Bless America!