Summer, So Far...

It's funny how 'traditions' start. Last year, Derrick took the older boys backpacking to upper Palisades Lake. They liked it so much, that by the time they got home, the trip was a 'family tradition'. And yes, they went again this past weekend. And yes, they're planning on going again next year. After all, it's TRADITION!

I think that everything went pretty smoothly for the guys. Other than a rather large rain storm, and a little slip on a log (landing Derrick flat on his back in the lake, with my BRAND NEW camera in his pocket!). The camera, is no more, but at least all of the boys returned home in one piece! And Zac's cast isn't really that dirty, either.


Since I couldn't go with the big boys, I started my own 'tradition'. My sisters and sisters-in-law and my mom came up for a couple of days with all of the little cousins. It turned out that all of the big cousins were at scout camp, girls camp, or backpacking. So the little cousins had their very own little get together. We went swimming, ate lots of good food, watched a movie, and made a Costco run. And I liked it so much, that now it's TRADITION! (do you hear me, my girls? That means we're on again for next year!) And, I love going places with Nicky, because she always takes tons of pictures, so I don't have to! Thanks again, my sista!

Jaron, Myah and Truman

The babies, weren't really that into posing for picture.

Myah, on the other hand.....

No sunburns for Des!

Jonny, Tannon and Jaxon

Another pose. What a surprise!

We've also taken advantage of every ounce of sunshine that we've gotten so far this summer (which hasn't exactly been excessive!) The kids played in the baby pool in the back yard. That always makes for some great fun!

Even the 'One Armed Bandito' couldn't resist a little dip in PeeWee's pool.

I've been taking every chance I can get to hike the hills behind the church this summer. I seriously love it up there. The view is something great, and when I carry Des on my back it turns into a pretty decent workout. And who wouldn't enjoy the view?There are even some really great wildflowers up on the mountain right now.

It's definitely a hidden treasure!

We've managed to get just one day hike in due to all of the rain. And, we got rained out. I had to turn around with the little ones. It was quite an ordeal getting them back off of the mountain in a downpour. We had enough playing in the mud to last us a lifetime. Derrick and the older boys finished the six and a half miles in the rain.

All of this rain sure has made for some beautiful green mountains.

Slate Mountain hike.

So that's about it, so far. I'm sure there will be many-a-great adventure yet to come!

Today, I....
Fed 7 kids pancakes for breakfast
Took 8 kids to the park for lunch
Washed, dryed, and folded 4 batches of laundry
Cut open 12 otter pops
Changed 3 diapers
Scrubbed up the remainder of the salsa that was spilled on my CLEAN mopped floor
Checked my email 16 times
Sniffed the clean, dry, and folded laundry....not sure how many times. Love that smell.
Washed my hands MANY times
Took care of 2 children with nose bleeds
Spilled bleach
Opened and closed the windows (warm, then cold, then warm, then cold) 4 or 5 times
Picked up the sidewalk chalk, twice
Tried and tried to think of a great surprise for Derrick on Father's Day.

All this and it's only 3:30 in the afternoon! I can hardly wait to see what the rest of the day has in store!

Happy Happy Happy Summer Vacation!

Memorial Day (ya, so I'm running a bit behind!)

Over Memoril Day, we headed up to Warm River, just outside of Island Park. We picked up Erin on our way through Rexburg. We don't get up to see her near enough, so it was great to spend some time with her. We had a great time. On Sunday, we loaded up in the van and drove through part of Yellowstone. How is it that we've lived here for 4 years now, and never made it up to Yellowstone? It was a great weekend for all!

Derrick and Myah catching tadpoles

I have issues with river and lake water. Can you see the enthusiasm all over my face?


Skyler struggled with the concept of staying on the tube! But it made for some great laughs.
The weather was so beautiful for the first day (then it rained...a lot!).
Des tried to keep out of the sun though.





Mesa Falls
The girls.

The boys.

Yellowstone
Tannon and Myah
The kids patiently waiting for Old Faithful to show her stuff.

Erin and Myah. Aren't they cute?

And to top it all off, we were lucky enough to have recently purchased one of these....

....Only this is ours.....

...and we love it. It has a fridge, a toilet, beds, and a ton of character. Who could ask for more? I don't think we would dare take it very far away, but we'll sure enjoy it close to home.

So Long Socca!!!

Another soccer season has come and gone. It was a great one too!

We loved almost every minute of it!

Myah played for the first time, and had a great time. She caught on pretty quickly, and played quite aggressively for a 4 year old. She even scored several goals.Of course, she always made time to stop mid-game and pose for a picture!

Tannon had a great season too. He played on a team with a lot of his good buddies.

Tannon's strength is definitely his speed. He's pretty fast, when he wants to be.
Zac played on the competitive team again, and he has a real love for the game. He had soccer every day of the week (except Sunday), and would have taken more if it was an option. His season started out rough, since he almost immediately came down with a bad case of pneumonia. He had to miss a couple weeks, and was worried that he wouldn't get much play time after that. But in usual Zac style, he really brought it when he returned, and played the whole season as a starting defender who usually played the whole game.About half way through the season, Zac noticed that he was getting pushed down and knocked around way too much. His team played a lot of older and bigger kids, and Zac decided he'd had enough. He played out the rest of the season as one of the more aggressive players on the team. I think he did his share of pushing and knocking! It was a fun season to watch.
All 3 of the Swaner soccer stars made it through the season without any major injuries, other than a few bumps and bruises. And then, just one week after soccer season ended, Zac tripped over the soccer ball in our back yard and.....
He broke his arm just above his wrist. Bummer. But it did give me an opportunity to give him a little reminder....

So hats off to another soccer season come and gone.

Time to put away the jerseys (gotta save them since they cost an arm and a leg),

hide away the shin guards (or throw them away, if I can't get the stink out of them),

and say 'So Long Socca'! Till we meet again!