Sunny McCall

A couple months back, Ryan and I sat down and made ourselves (well, Ryan made himself) set aside a full week so we could go camping as a family. And guess what, it actually happened! :) We went up to Ponderosa State Park in McCall and stayed in a camper trailer for 4 nights, and then rented one of their little cabins for 2 more nights. It was awesome. We rode bikes into town to eat and play and look at the AMAZING homes along the lake... Cash spotted a deer in our campsite... we rented waverunners and played in the lake every single day. The weather was exceptionally gorgeous, and hot enough that the lake actually felt GOOD. I love the smell and serenity and family time that we were able to have that week. Definitely one of God's masterpieces.

A little Curious George before bedtime. Halle had to be involved.

Halle LOVED this. She'd cry if we went for a ride without her.

A quick bike ride over to the lake. The kids thought it was hilarious to wear the tubes on the way over.

KICK KICK KICK! Marley didn't love this. But the other two did.

Waving "Bye" to daddy and Cash.

Ryan and Cash going for a quick ride.

Little Miss Halle found some animal picture to tell a story about.

Man this girl is hilarious. All sorts of diva in her.

Gotta love those cheeks

Her whole back is tan, and her front is white... always playing in the sand.

These kiddos are seriously silly.

Looking for skipping rocks

ALWAYS looking for her next snack.

We found a park nearby! So fun.

I don't remember what they were calling each other, but they clearly were giggling like crazy.

He got so close! I wanted to pet it.

Ryan opened the fridge to find this little buddy. Who knows how he got in there without being squished.

We tried to become his friend. He jumped away. :(

Handtowel... So cute.

Backyardigans waiting for Halle to fall asleep so they can go to bed.

Their castle. The pine cones in the back are "soldiers". haha

Amazing

The little rental cabin!

I love that Halle's finger is up her nose!

Stitches

At the park with my kids, my brother's kids, and a friend and her kids, Cash had a tumble. I was chasing Halle, then heard him crying, so I went over to him and saw some other mom's around him, and a bloody bloody face. He was so covered in blood that I couldn't quite tell if he had broken his nose, or bashed open his face, or what. So, I looked at his forehead, and pulled it apart and sure enough, a big gash. Luckily my friend (thank you, Kristen Brown) made a last minute decision to go to the park with me, because if she hadn't, I would have been taking 5 kids, 6 and under to the ER. Marley wouldn't leave his side, and Cash, Marley and I hurried and got him checked in. He was tough and brave and did awesome. He got four stitches right down the middle of his forehead. Good thing scars look tough on boys! :)

The Day of our Independence

We LOVE the 4th of July. This one was tricky though, because Halle is pretty picky about sleeping. She is already a brute, and add fatigue to that, and she's a little out of control. After much deliberation, we decided to continue our tradition, brave the crowd and ride our bikes downtown to watch the fireworks. We might have gotten there about 30 minutes earlier than we would have preferred (only because of the aformentioned Halle), but other than that, it was fantastic. The fireworks were beautiful, and SO powerful. I really did think about how joyous it would feel to experience those battles, and then one day be done, and have a free country. I'm so grateful for those that have sacrificed, and continue to sacrifice for my freedom.

Bike Park

About 3 blocks from our house is an awesome bike park. Since Cash decided training wheels weren't his thing, he stepped his game up and he rides all the way around the course. I think he fell 4 times the first day he tried it, but he kept on trying. I'm not sure if he's fallen since. He LOVES it, and it's a great way to burn his neverending energy. :)

Marley is 4?! Seriously?!

All of a sudden, my little girl turned into a big girl. I'd appreciate it if someone would let me know how to slow down time? Thanks. Since Marley's cousin, Kate, has a birthday the day before Marley, we decided to do a combined party for the girls. We went to the park on a beautiful Saturday, and we played water balloon games and had princess cake. We love our Marley. She is so tough, yet so sweet. She can draw and color and doodle for hours, and is pretty good at it too! We love her English/Aussie accent that she has... Who knows where it came from, but I hope she keeps it. The girl is so strong willed, she will someday be a fantastic leader. She has big brown beautiful eyes, and long thick gorgeous hair. I'm envious of it quite often. We are so grateful that she is a part of our lives.