The First of Summer Days

It's finally been nice enough out here to play!! We've had fantastic weather for this time of ear in Rexburg and the kids have been LOVING the chance to play outside. It's been so wonderful to get out and play.

Over Easter the kids got LOTS of sidewalk chalk and other fun outside toys so we've been out playing, and coloring with those. We've also finally been able to pull out the sprinkler and let the kids play and get wet. It's still not quite warm enough for swimsuits but that's not a good excuse to get out and have fun. It's been a great few weeks and we're so grateful for the warm weather and everyone's improved moods. Getting to play outside is good for the soul.

Newest Home Improvement

We've FINALLY replaced our (exterior) doors!!! We've been talking about this for a few years now, it comes up every winter when we get snow INSIDE the house, and finances finally came together with Paul's new job and our tax return so we could finally get it done. They look great!!! We will have to paint them at some point but we'll probably wait until we reside the house before we do that. Just to make sure they match the new siding, when we decide what we're going to do.

The new front door.

The new back door.

We're so excited that they have finally been replaced. We still have a few more things to do with them, the painting excluded, but we've noticed a HUGE difference since getting them. Our power bill dropped slightly and the temperature in the house has been much more comfortable and consistent so that has been a huge relief. Especially with expecting the new baby.

We can't wait to get moving on more of our projects, it's just going to take LOTS more time for us to get the house where we want it to be. Oh the joy of home owner-ship!!

Duck Pond

Back in April the kids and I NEEDED to get out of the house and we decided a trip to the Nature Park was just the place to go. After nap time we got dressed all warm, grabbed our bread, and headed out. We had a great time, all though it was a little bit of a "crazy" experience. I had been trying to get Paul to take the kids with me for a few weeks but his school and work schedules made life so busy that we just couldn't plan a time to go out there all together. I had a bag of bread that was just barely going to make it so I bit the bullet and decided I could do it on my own. Thankfully I have great kids who listen and we had a really good time.

When we got there I had forgotten how steep the short path down to the water was. It was a little hard to get down there being 8 months pregnant and having to carry Colby all the way down. Riann made it down on her bum (as you can see it's a little dusty). I probably should have just let Colby scoot all the way down too but it was hard to not want to help him. Once we finally made it down to the water the kids were amazed by all of the ducks just waiting for us to arrive. Once we got settled we got out the bread and started tossing. Riann had a blast trying to see how far she could throw it and what ducks she could hit. Colby tried his hardest to just get the bread into the water. As you can see his never really made it that far out. He had a nice little pile (about two or three slices worth) floating in front of him the whole time and a small flock of ducks that kept trying to get as close as they dared without getting "caught".

By the end of our outing everyone was just about dry, which I was extremely grateful for because I wanted to take the kids to the park to play buuuut Colby decided to run straight out into the water and sat down. I turned my back on him for a second to get Riann some more bread and he went right in. At first I thought we were going to be okay because he just got in up to his ankles and then when I called his name I startled him and he tried to walk backwards to get out and tripped and plopped right down on his bum. We had planned to go to the park after feeding the ducks but unfortunately we didn't get to go because it was a little too cold to just let me "dry off". It was a good excuse to head home though. The weather was starting to turn and we would have had a pretty bad time trying to play in the wind. It really helped to have an excuse though... so Riann understood a little better why we couldn't just "wait out" the weather.

After getting home and getting dried up and warm we popped in a movie and popped some popcorn and all cuddled on the couch together. It was a great afternoon, all unexpected events considered. I love spending time with these kids!!!

Riann's Dance Class

We have a good friend that decided she wanted to teach her kids some basic dance and asked if we, and a few mom's in the area, wanted to start attending a class that she was going to teach. Riann has been very interested in dance recently and I've been thinking about getting her into a class but didn't know if she was old enough to start and we don't quite have the finances for it right now, so we were very excited with the offer. Every Wednesday we head into town, to one of the Stake Centers in Rexburg, and meet with a few other families for some basic dance instructions. We've been going for 2 or 3 weeks now and Riann really seems to enjoy it. She always comes home and tells me about the new things she's learned. I think this class is a perfect option for getting her excited about the idea and hopefully once we're done here she'll be ready to try out doing another class. I've been surprised that she does so well listening and taking instruction and it's great to see her try new things.

These pictures are from her first class and we'll be taking more as she keeps going. I think there was initially talk about doing a recital but I don't know what will happen when we get to the end of the class. At the end of every session the kids get to "dance it out" and they have a great time running around and practicing their new moves together. Colby even enjoys going and does a little dancing on the side with me. It's really fun watching them grow and experience new things. I hope we'll be lucky to try more stuff like this all throughout their childhoods.

Colby tried Mac'N Cheese...

...all by himself!!!

We've been working hard on getting Colby transitioned over to table food. We have had some really good days where he is happy to try what we're giving him and some really frustrating days where he chooses not to touch anything except for his normal baby/soft foods. One of Riann's favorite lunches is Mac'N Cheese so I thought that I would make some up for Colby and give it a try. Normally when I make a box he'll sit with me and we'll share as much as he's willing to eat but this time I wanted to give him his own bowl and see how he did.

Overall he did a great job. He let me feed him for about 5 minutes and then he just wouldn't have it anymore. He does great with a fork, if you set up his food for him and then hand over it for him to hold so he can take his bite. After he's done, he'll usually hand it right back when he's ready for another one. However this day he really didn't want help and after we "fought" a little bit over who got to hold, and use the fork, I finally gave up and decided to just give him the bowl and see how he did. He loved feeding himself and took it on with as much vigor as he could manage. After a while he stopped chewing and started "packing" the food in his cheeks so I had to take everything away, for fear of his choking.

He did a great job though and ate a little over half of what I gave him, which is more than I think I've ever seen him eat on his own. It was a big step forward in our efforts to get him transitioned and I'm excited to see how much better he does as we keep trying new things. He sure is fun to sit with as he learns and I love how he doesn't hide his excitement when he's having a good time.

Our first "official" family outing of the year!!

A few months back we finally got another car that would be more reliable in the winter than Paul's little VW truck. We love his truck but in the cold weather and on icy roads we just needed something that we could guarantee would get him to Idaho Falls and back, safely. After quite a few months of searching Paul found another 4Runner for a really good deal.

This is Paul's new baby. It looks a lot "newer" on the outside than it does on the inside but we really like it. We've always loved the 4Runner brand and we're glad to have another one back in the family. It's also nice that we have something that Paul can take out on the dunes and that we can take off-roading again. We've really missed being able to do that since selling Paul's truck and we're excited to start going again.

We've all been itching to get out and go play together as a family now that our weather has started getting better and since it's been nice so much earlier this year than we're used to we took the first opportunity we got and took the kids out. Riann didn't really seem to remember how much we used to take her out on the dunes and seemed a little confused about the fact that we weren't driving on the road but as soon as she saw the "giant sandbox" she was happy to get out and go play.

Colby really seemed to like being out and playing with Daddy too but he was a little hesitant about getting his hands dirty. He loves the dirt and he loves being outside but he's not so interested yet in having dirty hands. Anytime he tripped and had to catch himself he'd take a little time to get back up and dust himself off. He never complained but as you can tell in the pictures above he kept his hands open and a free from sand as possible. I'm excited to get him out and have him get dirty this summer. I think we can fix this fast. :-)

Colby also LOVED watching the people out playing with their quads on the dunes. Anytime someone passed us he stopped dead in his tracks and didn't stop staring at them until they were well out of sight. I can't wait for him to get to play this summer with Grandma and Grandpa Vreeken when they come to visit, when Paul graduates. I think both kids are going to love getting rides and seeing what kind of fun we can really have out there!!

Before we packed up and left I took a few pictures of the area we were in. As much as I miss Seattle, and everything green, the area we live in is absolutely amazing. There are so many places out here that are just breath taking and I hope we get to go visit and play a lot more in our national parks and other areas out here before we make the decision to move (not that a move is in the plans anytime in the next little bit). It really does get more and more fun to be out as the kids get older and we get to share with them a few of the things that get us excited about where we live. I can't wait until everyone is older and we can go do, and share, more together.

Goodbye Dave and Terri

At the beginning of last month our neighbors and dear friends moved back home to California. We are going to miss them TONS but we are so excited that they get to be back with family. Before they left we had a fun "farewell" party at a friends house and it was great to get to spend a few hours together not doing anything but hanging out. The kids were so happy for the last chance to play too.

We love you guys and hope you're doing great back home!!! Can't wait until we get to see you again!!!

Dave, Terri and their little guy Nathan.
They're expecting baby #2 in August and I keep telling them I'm praying for a girl!!!

Our little "neighborhood family". We love all of these guys so much and they make being away from our real families so much more bearable.