Back To School

Who is more excited? The kids...or me??? I love these crazy boys, and I miss them while they're gone (sometimes), but the routine is so good for all of us! For me, back to school means a cleaner house, no more free babysitting (bummer), and the possibility of talking on the phone for five minutes without a thousand and one interruptions! To the Swaner boys, back to school means no more grouchy mom all day long, school lunch (maybe mom's not so bad), and new shoes!


Myah may be brotherless for 7 hours a day, but she's certainly not friendless! This little girl is our own little 'social butterfly' and she has such a great time every single day of her life. Maybe we could all learn a little something from that!


Myah started dance last week....LOVES IT!!!

Those 'End of Summer Blues'

We aren't really feeling too bad that summer is rapidly coming to an end, but we had to get just one more day of 'fun in the sun'! We spent Labor Day at Bear Lake and it was just such a perfect day! We all brought home a nice souvenier...a pretty mean sunburn, but just like the warm weather, that too is fading away rather quickly!

Summer 2007

It's been a long, hot summer, and I must admit...I was really excited for school to start this year! Maybe not so much to have the kids leave for a few hours each day (although I certainly wasn't dreading that part of it all). But I think we were all getting a little worn out from the late nights, the hot weather, the family get togethers, etc. etc. etc. But mostly, Derrick and I both just love the fall time! It is what we missed most while living in Las Vegas...that cool crisp weather, the sound of high school football games, yummy soups for dinner, and, of course, the back to school thing too! But before we jump into fall feet first, we have to remenisce about summer just a little, and what works better than pictures?

Family Family Family

We had a fun family reunion which was held in the Swaner family's back yard in Smithfield. Grandpa and grandma swaner made us our own 'tent village' and even bought a big swimming pool for the kids to play in! Grandma worked really hard and made a treasure hunt for the kids. They thought it was pretty cool, she actually buried a real treasure chest! And yes, we ate more than enoughyummy food. The kids loved playing night games and Derrick slept out under the stars with Skyler and Zac (while Myah and I took over the tent!). The highlight of this family reunion was that Shawn and Amy drove all the way from Phoenix with all five of their kids to be there. It was really a treat to have them since they are currently moving to India for a few years. We'll miss them. Myah just loved playing with their daughter Abby who is very close in age. Between having Abby and Kira, Myah was in 'girl heaven' which is quite a change for her! What cute cousins! Also, Derrick's aunt and uncle (Paul and Carma) from Portland area dropped in for a visit (as well as Clark and Marilyn). They made us swedish pancakes for breakfast that were to die for!

California Here We Come!

So we kicked off our summer with a trip to the happiest place on earth! In the spring, we enjoyed a vacation to Disneyland, which included a short afternoon at the beach (always a hit). I think that it was only 70 degrees outside, but after our very long, very cold Idaho winter, we were probably a bit too eager to jump into that 50 degree water! We must have looked silly, but what's new? So with so many fun pictures, a slide show was just the best way to see them all!

Spring Break!