Summertime, Autumn, Winter!

Summer was full of fun family memories--lots of work, and lots of play! This Summer, we got introduced to many things in our new town. An adventurous family we met introduced us to kayaking on the river, and showed us a cool swimming hole. We spent many days in the water. Our ward Primary was in charge of this year's Pioneer Day Parade float. The theme was "Home is Where the Heart Is". We did a Wizard of Oz theme, had a spinning tornado, a house, munchkins, all of it-- it was awesome, and we got GRAND PRIZE! Howard put in hours of getting the trailer ready, and I put in hours of decorating. Didn't know what flower paper was until this year. We got to go camping. We camped alongside a lake, found huckleberries and blueberries close by, and had them for breakfast the next morning--in our pancakes. We went hiking. We went to the Sand Dunes, the Sand Bar, and went to the forest. We got a permit to cut dead trees in the forest, and turn them into firewood. Howie handled the chainsaw, while the girls and I found more hucklberries. After the trees were down, we'd all load them into the truck and haul them home. It's hard work, but we enjoyed being together, and the girls' little muscles are getting stronger:). (It's nice to have our home at 75* and not freak out about the bill in the wintertime.) We spent some fun time with extended family this year! In May, we went to California to see Christa graduate with her Master's. It was fun seeing everyone again, and seeing the little neices and nephews getting to know each other better. We went to the beach one day, but it was cold and overcast. That didn't stop the big girls from getting wet. :) We went to Cabrillo National Monument where Howard's Dad worked a long time. We got to go to the tide pools and discovered all kinds of creatures. Gramma and Grampa were sweet enough to watch the kids so Howie and I could go deep-sea fishing, along with Christa, Dave, and Trundy. This is something the boys did all the time when they were younger, but this was a first for me. Howie told me after we got on the boat that I'd have to bait my own hook. I was thinking, "That's easy. I can bait a hook." Until I saw that we were using live sardines. Those suckers are slippery, and after many attempts I got a few on. After I casted a few times, Howie explained to me about bird-nesting? (I think that's what we called it). Anyway, my line got all tangled up inside the thingy, and Howie would have to put his pole down and help me out. After awhile, he got a couple of fish on his hook, and let me reel it in, but we lost both our baracudas. Trundy on the other hand caught a ton, and I think Dave caught one or 2 too. I didn't get seasick (YAY!), but Christa did. poor thing was miserable the entire time. Julie, Trundy, Christa, Mom, and Maci cooked up some mean food while we were there. It was a fun vacation. In June, we did a family race--a 40 mile relay. There were 8 runners on our team and we each ran 5 miles. It was such a fun day. We couldn't be there right at the start, but we made it just before Howie's leg. It was the perfect running day--not too hot with a slight breeze. Our older 2 girls jumped in and ran with us a bit. They weren't planning on running, so they ran in their flip-flops for about 2 miles. I got to do my second half-marathon. It was a BEAUTIFUL run through the country. Rolling farm hills. The temps were perfect with a slight breeze. I got my best time, but I can't remember what it was. :) It was about a 10 minute mile, though. I wrote it down in my journal. The Hunter reunion was next, in Boise. Both Melanie and Danette had month-old babies, so it was decided that camping wouldn't be the best option. So, we all went there. Unfortunately, Howie had to work, so we went without him. We celebrated Collin's birthday, launched rockets, and went to Roaring Springs waterpark. I was suprised that my girls, especially MACI, went down the 6-story-free fall water slide. Hadley and I stayed mostly in the shallow pools. I did take her with me to the wave pool. Hadley was in the tube, and I was holding onto her in the tube, and we rocked back and forth. After a bit, I noticed her head starting to nod and I peered under her hat and saw her eyes were closing. She took a 15 minute nap. :) Funniest thing I had ever seen. Lexi came and joined us at the shallow pools. She went on a slide with Hadley and I, but unfortuantely the ending wasn't very graceful, and both kids got dunked, and Lexi swore I sat on her head, but I just remember pulling both kids out of the water, and they were coughing and crying. This Summer, Maci played softball. This was her first official organized team, with uniforms and hats. She liked it. Softball and baseball is a BIG deal around here. Lexi wanted to play soccer. The lady in charge asked me to be their coach. I didn't know a thing about soccer, except what the ball looks like and the terms goal and goalie. So I said yes, and we all learned together. I think we only lost one game. Our team was really good; the little hispanic kids really play well. That was a fun adventure. School started up again, and it was nice to be there this time when it started. (Last year we moved in the end of October, and it was kind of hard.) The girls like school, and are doing fairly well in their classes. Lexi gets to be in GT (gifted & talented) again this year. Maci says it's because she taught her everything she knows, so she's advanced for the kids her age. :) They both are into spy-stuff. I get to help with the PTO this year. I have fun ladies to work with, and I'm learning a lot from them. Hadley is a little spitfire. She has a very animated face. She is strong-willed and likes to test her boundaries. She made up a new word, "StinkerFox", and would call everyone she saw StinkerFox. At Halloween, she said, "trick-or-treat, Stinkerfox." In nursery, she made her 'mad-face' at one of the nursery leaders. Her husband took a picture of it, and drew in little horns. I was told it was so hilarious! At Thanksgiving, we got to go to the Grandparents O.'s house. We met up with Dave and Heather and their family. Of course we had yummy food, and nice chats. Grandpa fixed the hot tub, and the 3 girls were soooo excited about that! We went to Grandma's job where she re-upholsters airplane seats. They were some fancy planes! We got to go to the lake, and have a bonfire and have s'mores. We went for a little hike. We got to launch rockets, but it was kind of cold. But the kids had fun chasing and trying to catch them. Again, it was fun seeing the cousins all playing and getting along. :) Dave and Heather, and Howard and I all got to go to a hockey game in Wichita. All fun things must come to an end, and it did when we all said our good-byes and headed our seperate ways. We got thrown into the middle of a nasty snowstorm all through WY. I think we drove 40 mph the entire state. I'm not complaining, I'm just stating the facts- the visibility was poor, and the roads were slick. There were semi-trucks jack-knifed, and tipped over, and sliding all over the place. We got back safely though. Howie and I resumed our project on the play room/guest bedroom. We painted it sage green, and put up white trim, I like it so far, and so do the girls. We are currently finishing up a little remodel in the laundry closet. We had only one shelf in there, and it was just wasted space, so for my birthday, Howie put in 3 new shelves, and a little set of a shelves on the side. I LOVE it! I love storage space, and this house didn't have a whole lot of it. Christmas was nice. It was nice just being with our little family. That evening, my parents and Riley came up for Christmas dinner. We had turkey, stuffing, potatoes/gravy, carrots, and pies. Lexi is losing her teeth. She pulled 2 out in 30 minutes, and then pulled another the next day, and another the day after that. She made bank that week! And, so my friends, and family--this concludes the year of 2013. I'm sure I left out a lot of stuff, including pictures--which I may include later, and I know I have really random thoughts, but for now this'll do. :)