Summer River Swimming Begins

July's weather has been fairly favorable for those who like to swim - but not for those who like to kayak. The wind is always blowing. Some  Every summer is like that here in Eastern Idaho, its just that some are worse than others. This is a down right blustery one. It makes for a grumpy me. I am nearly sick of the sound of rustling leaves. I'm tired of having to fetch the pool cover from the bottom of the pool because the wind has again blown it off. And I'm down right perturbed that I haven't been able to kayak. That's what I'm supposed to do in the summer. And, I bet the river has missed me.

But, windy days are still good for swimming, if you are swimming in a well protected hole of the river. Lucky for us we have such a place. (I am amazed thankful that not so many people know about "our" place however we do share it with our friends from time to time.) Each year the kids get more and more brave and so they try new things - like Collin's flip with a twist off the highest rocks into the water. Or, McKenna's forward dive off the rocks for the first time. Adri started jumping off the highest "dive" and Katy jumping into the rapids to float down. We have taken a million pictures - just because we love this place so much.

McKenna said yesterday, "When I'm older and I come to visit with my kids, we are definitely going to come swimming here. I LOVE this place." Actually we all LOVE this place. Just another reason why living in this very small town, and enjoying what it's surrounding have to offer, is almost heavenly.

Life is Good especially when you have free swimming with lots of benefits.

Family, Fun, and Freedom

My favorite thing about the 4th of July is spending time with family and having the freedom to do whatever we want. This is a great country and I'm so grateful for that freedom. We've pretty much reserved this holiday for family - no friends, no work, no nothing just family. We had a great time together. It started on Friday with the kids and me heading to Idaho Falls to do a little shopping. Collin thought he was going to die. Girls take way too long to shop. Just to torture him we went to another store. We just kept laughing and laughing. He did, too. Then we met Trent and Tracie on the river for a picnic lunch. The river is beautiful. We enjoyed feeding a squirrel. In a very scientific experiment, we found that squirrels (at least this one) prefer Doritos over whole wheat bread and lettuce. Sorry Aunt Tracie!

Saturday we went to the annual 4th Ward Scout Breakfast. Apparently this is quite a tradition and since we were recently moved into the 4th Ward it will now be part of our Independence Day celebrating. All the kids were involved in the preparation of this - because the YW are always having to help the Scouts. Why is that? j/k Then it was off to the "stupid" Rexburg parade. Seriously, this is a terribly lame parade. I vow from this moment to never attend it again. But, it was fun to be with my family. Afterward we enjoyed a barbecue at my parent's home. That is always fun. But, the highlight of the day was the first ever Grant Family Backyard Pool Belly Flop Contest. Holy cow we were laughing. The pictures don't seem to do it justice. Next year everyone is invited!!! You'll want to be part of this for sure.

 

After church on Sunday we made a spontaneous decision to go to Yellowstone Park. It was the perfect day. It is so green up there right now. More good laughs and good memories. Another thing to be thankful for - Teddy Roosevelt who what the forethought to preserve that beautiful area so we can enjoy now, many years later. I can't imagine summer without it.

Life is Good.

Summer has begun. The sun is shining and the grass is green (quickly turning yellow because it is hot). Now we can play outside. Lucky for us we have a giant pool (attractive nuisance, I believe Trent called it) in our backyard to splash around in when the weather is right. 3800 gallons of water is going to take a while to warm up but it'll get there eventually. The kids began playing in the water at 11:30 and it is now 5:30. Someone has been in there every minute for 6 hours. I hope our sunscreen is working.

Fun in the Sun! Yay for summer!! 

 

 

 

Life is really good!

Camping With the Girls

One of the things I loved growing up was Girls Camp. Some of my favorite memories come from the yearly activity. We were spoiled. We camped at Rock Creek Girls Camp in the Targhee/Caribou Forest just outside the western boundary of Yellowstone National Park. It is beautiful ... and posh (for camping). There are A-frame cabins with electricity and refrigerators for sleeping. There is a bathroom with showers, flushing toilets, and hot water. There's an unheated swimming pool. There's a stage with a sound system and benches surrounding a fire pit. It is the ideal place for girls to spend a week. I loved it then and I love it even more now.

Our stake just returned from a week at Rock Creek. Early June is not the ideal time to go. But, you take what you can get. There's a pretty high demand for its poshness. We experienced wind, rain, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, rain, SNOW!!, and 20 degree temperatures. But, many prayers were answered and when we needed the weather to cooperate it did.

My favorite thing about girls camp this year was being with my three girls. I loved popping into their ward's cabin to check on them, give them hugs and kisses at night, and watch them participate in different activities. They didn't need me and that was ok. But, if they had, I would have been there. I had the most children at camp. Weird. I suppose I will for several more years to come. And hopefully we'll be there together for all those years.

Life is Good. Really, really good.

Walking the Green Way

This week we finally got out and took a little walk along the St. Anthony Green Way. It is a cute little trail that goes between the river and the highway. The Henry's Fork of the Snake River has been over its flood stage and we wanted to see how much water was down there. We got our answer - A LOT!!! But it has since gone down and all is well. We were able to bring cousin Tanner along. It was good to have him there. Its always good to be with the cousins. The wildflowers are just beginning to bloom and so the colors are lovely. With the high water came a high number of floating logs that seemed to all gather in one spot. The beavers will be happy. I wish I could produce the sound. SPECTACULAR!!! I love that river roar.

Bountiful Baskets

Back in February, a friend of mine posted a blog entry about Bountiful Baskets. I'd never heard of them before but was quite interested in the concept. I looked up the website and thought that our family could save some money and enjoy the food. So, after much research, and figuring out the website, we signed up for our first basket. We had to pick it up in Rigby because there were weren't any baskets available at closer locations. Our basket was full of fresh vegetables and fruits. I didn't have any idea what to expect but I was completely surprised at how much was included.

We've pretty much ordered a basket every week since. It has been so fun. Each basket is different and gives us the opportunity to experience new foods. The rule at our house is that we can't throw it away just because we've never had it before. So, we've had artichokes, brussel sprouts, papayas, mangoes, bok choy, and mexican squash. It has been fun. Some things we like and some things we don't need again. Every Saturday is like Christmas - full of a new surprise and adventure.

We now have a delivery spot right here in St. Anthony. Tomorrow will be another pick up day. Can't wait for the surprise that awaits us. Yummy!

P.S. The pictures shows just some of what was included in the basket one Saturday. I'd already put most of the vegetables away - two heads of romaine lettuce, a bag of potatoes, and a couple cucumbers.

Bountiful Blessings

Wow am I lucky. I have totally been blessed with many bounteous blessings. Today I spent time taking pictures of four of the greatest blessings in my life. As I looked at them I realized that life is going by so fast and they are growing up even faster.


McKenna is now 14 and about to finish her 8th grade year. She has been on the 8th grade volleyball and basketball teams where she is greatly skilled and so evenly tempered is amazes all. She is so smart and manages to maintain her grades while balancing a schedule that I can't even keep track of. She is currently playing shortstop on her softball team and is looking forward to Student Council at the high school where she will be the secretary.






Kathrynn is now 12 and has entered the world of Young Womens. She is such a good friend and she has tons. Sixth grade has opened a whole new world to her social life. She seems to have a party or a get-together to go to each weekend. She loves to spend time with her little cousins that live a couple blocks away. She has decided she doesn't like competive sports but does like to play her saxaphone. She is looking forward to summer band. If she isn't jumping on the trampoline , look for her in the kitchen cooking up something yummy.











Collin will turn 17 in a couple weeks! Seventeen. Can you believe that? He has totally enjoyed his Junior year. He played football and he wrestled. He participated as an escort in the Jr. Miss pageant. He was selected for the Honor Society and to be in the TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use) group. He won an award for his solo at a national jazz band competition and the "Best Actor" award at the Honor's English Academy Award ceremony. (Small groups in the two Honor's English classes made movies about something. We haven't seen it yet.) He stays way too busy to do his chores.










Adrienne is also 12 and excited to be out of Primary. She is fun and adventuresome. She too has a social calendar that amazes me. She played on a community basketball team and tried volleyball for the first time. She loved it and did really well. She is also playing softball again. She plays the flute and loves it. She loves to be on the skooter and the rip stick. She has begun doing her own hair and can make it look so cute. She hates to wake up and hates to go to bed. She also has an infectious smile and laugh. She is a talker and keeps us quite informed on the happenings at school.

We sure do love these kids. We are also so proud of them and the choices they make.