Happy birthday Grandma Jacob

Since I can't seem to post a video using hotmail....you all get to see my beautiful kids doing what they do best!!!

Happy birthday Grandma Jacob....we love you!

Grass...beautiful grass

Nothing like good ol' fashion hard work to make you feel like you are getting OLD!!! We spent all last week working on laying sod and moving rock to get our yard put together! Honestly, it felt wonderful to do yard work! (Even if I couldn't move the next day!) I have missed it so much this past year! The kids were thrilled when the grass was all laid. They ran out at night and just laid on it to watch the stars. Our yard here is so HUGE!!! We are going to have two large garden spots and plenty of more room to play. I can't wait to plant a garden...I know, I have to wait a long time. But it just about killed me to have to pay for tomatoes!!! Eden has so many great ideas of what else can go in our yard, trampoline, sandbox, playset, rivers, bridges, ahh yes, and a dog! (Sorry, that one is NOT going to happen for about 11 more years!)

I am kind of nervous with just how big these garden spots really are!

Ahhh, those summer days

Our summer was so much fun! We loved having our company! Eden and grandma on the drive back from Grand Mesa....I wish I had a picture of their faces when the GIANT bug was on them! Priceless!

Everyone loved having Uncle Jeff and Kim come for a visit....Jack and Emry have a new tradition, thanks to Grandma Jacob.....they MUST have popcorn and sit in the circle at Target!

When did my baby get so big...Eden is wearing the dress I had my flower girls wear at our wedding.

Eden started karate lessons and is LOVING it!
Emry was determined to ride this bike!

Our canoeing trip at Ridgeway.

We had a fun BBQ after canoeing ...loved evreything but the snake! We had a very fun hike at Grand Mesa with Grandma!

Grandma was loved by all! Jack's favorite saying..."Guess what, I love you!"
The first of many addicting trips to Target!
Eden on her first day of grade one! It's a good thing Grandma Jacob was here to distract me from crying all day!
My favorite thing....seeing Nate and Eden ride bikes together.
Ahh, oh I miss those walks we would go on!

Summer has gone by all too quickly! A great big thanks to everyone who came to visit us! We loved every minute of it and miss you all so much!

As for now....we are still praying that our home in Boise will sell! That still continues to plague us! Eden is enjoying school, loving karate, and rockin' out on the piano. Jack and Emry are learning to get along with each other on our daily runs! Each morning after dropping Eden off at school, I strap them in the double jogger and out we head! Emry constantly hits Jack and Jack wails at Emry and I am too out of breath to yell at them...so we make our runs short so my neighbors can enjoy their mornings! Nate is busy with work as always....little does he know what I have planned for him this week....I think it is high time we get some landscaping done! I am sure he will thank me in the long run!

Box Canyon Falls

Our next adventure with Grandma took us to Box Canyon Falls in Ouray! Grandma DID IT!!!! The stairwell that led to the falls....most terrifying part of the whole trip!

Grandma surverying how to get across to the falls!

A view of what we walked along to get to the falls





SHE MADE IT!!!!! YAY, we were so excited grandma did it! It was so cold at the bottom, but we had a great time!

RELIEF!!!

Emry was WORN out at the end of the hike! After our picnic we had so much fun seeing all the fish and turtles at the pond and it was even better that it was on solid ground!

We were so impressed with grandma being so willing to come on these excursions.....we were eagerly planning our next adventure!

Black Canyon

We have loved having Grandma Jacob with us! We decided since she was willing to conquer one of her fears by boarding a tiny twin prop plane to come to Montrose....we would push our luck and force her to conquer more fears.....thus began our first adventure going to the newest National Park.....Black Canyon National Park....just 20 minutes from our house!
It was so breathtaking....literally breath taking! The drop off was imidiate... there were many moments were grandma and I held our breath and felt weak from watching the kids get so close to the edge!
Grandma and Eden demonstrating the multi uses for an orange at our yummy picnic.


Eden and Jack enjoyed bird watching....I would have loved it a bit more if it wasn't such an imidiate drop off!

This is the point were Grandma was a tad panicked...okay, I was too....I literally ran down the trail to "save" my kids from their father who led the kids so dangerously close to the edge. He did nothing but roll his eyes and laugh at me!



We all had so much fun and were so tired by the end of the day! Yay....one down....our next plan was to take Grandma to Box Canyon Falls!!!!

Summer accomplishments

nate - hit 50 miles/hr on his bike, landscaped half of the front yard, surpassed his longest hours at work in 8 years, killed more spiders and crickets in one month than the previous 8 years of marriage for his loving terrified wife

eden - mastered riding a two wheeler, going down water slides by herself, jumping into the deep end of the pool, finished her piano books, passed off all her first and second grade words.

emry - survived all four molars coming in at one time, learned how to climb on everything, decided she can sleep through the night, and now enjoys whole milk!!!

jack - discovered the joys of being a big boy...undies, mastered the art of scooter and tricycle riding, learned that fruit is really better than fruit snacks, and revels in his new found talent...his bargaining skills with mom and dad!
jana - matured to the age of 32, admitting it really is going to be okay to dye grey hairs, tried her first diet ever....successfully stayed on for four weeks, threw a large ice cream party which was very entertaining and the downfall of the diet, finished reading six books - not children's, and decided she needs to get her act together to run a marathon again!


We love to celebrate all of our little accomplishments - even celebrate that the window was clean for five whole minutes before this cute face appeared!

Here ya go....

Our time in Canada was, oh so fun. Uncle Jordan put on the greatest treasure hunt ever! We went all over town and Eden and Jack were thrilled with the treasure they found!

Eden and Jack wanted nothing to do with us while we were in Canada. Between grandma, grandpa, Uncle Jeff and Uncle Jordan, they simply were in heaven! And it was a nice break for us!

Jack had to go to the dentist...first time. It was TRAUMATIC!

He goes back this Friday to fill a cavity...we are all nervous about this. We've worked up a little bribe.......................................................

Jack greatest loves are the park, bowling and golfing(and me, of course!)...so if he lets the dentist fix his tooth without crying....we will go bowling. He is very excited about this...I hope this really works!

Emry has been cutting all four molars for over a month now, and she is miserable! Between the Tylenol, Gripe Water, popsicles, frozen peas, Oral gel, ice cream, and Canadian freezies....she is getting a well rounded meal and is incredibly happy when she gets her way!

One of Eden's favorite things is getting the new friend magazine. Once she recieved July's issue, she asked if she could draw a picture to send in. She is ANXIOUSLY awaiting the August issue. It's already been a long month of asking if the friend has come yet!

We planted some flowers in our front....YAY! But, there is still a very long long way to go! We thought we were pretty smart....we picked up some turf at home depot so we could put the pool up. Yep, we really know how to put a yard together!

Our fourth of July was great. We went up to Ouray to watch the parade, have a picnic, swim for hours and hours in the hot springs and water slides, play at the park, eat, and watch the fireworks! The only thing missing was family and good friends! Next year, we need someone to come visit. Ouray, really is the perfect little town! We have just fallen in love with it!

After two years of being stagnant....we finally brought out the canoe again! We had so much fun going up to the State park that is 15 minutes from us with our good friends, the Maxwell's. This is something I want to do every weekend!

Things that I do not have pictures of.... potty training Jack....(not going so well)! I try to tell myself to relax, I have had so many mother's tell me that their son's were not potty trained until 4 and a half....that really could be me too. My dear dear friend Sarah from Boise completely surprised me and made me so happy! She drove 12 hours with her four children to see only me! We had such fun ...three days of talking, I couldn't manage to take one single picture. Next time I promise, we will leave the house and do something!

This past week I have been reflecting on all our many blessings! I found out that one of my friends from Boise past away, she had two small children, and then two days later our neighbor passed away! I have just felt the need to hug my children a little tighter and be with them a little longer! I have the greatest life! I get to be with my three amazing children every day! I get to hear their silly jokes and be told how much they love me. We have been trying to have Jack say his prayers without help....we told him to tell what he was thankful for....he said everyone's name except Emry. When we asked him if he was thankful for her, he said, "no, she hits me all the time, and pulls my hair, and hurts me." It's so true, she is terribly mean to him......but then he decided that he really did love her.....he's just not thankful for her yet!