Catch Up Time

So it is catch up time for our blog. My computer time has been spent reading everyone else's blog. Our summer is winding down and for that I am thankful. Only one week till school starts - but whose counting. Well, Zach is. He cannot wait for the first day of school. He is in AM Kindergarten. Almost three hours alone with Syd. Sigh!! I have many projects on my to do list and am anxious to get them checked off.

We enjoyed a weekend with nothing on the calendar. That hadn't happened in a long while and it was great to get a few things done but mostly have unscheduled fun. Friday night - dinner with friends. Saturday - bike ride and time at the park, a few chores, swimming and playing with our favorite 1 year old Mason. Last weekend we floated the Boise River. It is a must if you are a local. The boys loved it. I think white water rafting might be in our future. The boys also got to go spend a couple days at Grandpa and Grandma Wood's. The had fun going to the Burley Fair, seeing all the animals, watching the parade and eating all the good fair food. Zach said he would bring me a scone and well I am still waiting. I guess I'll have to wait till next year. It was a fun break for me. Syd and I had some good bonding time. Although I did sneak in some alone time to finish school shopping, see a movie with Steph amd enjoy an uninterrupted dinner. We saw Mamma Mia. Laugh out loud funny and cheesy at the same time. I dare to you take your significant other.

We had a blast with my brother's family. My kids were so bored the day after they left and the house was unusually quiet. We spent a day at the Water park and the older kids had a blast riding all of the big rides. Zach and Cristin were inseparable and loved playing together. I think we were successful in showing Scott and Carely that Boise/Meridian is a great place to live. Time will tell and we are all anxious to see what happens. I created a slide show with some pics of our good times.

Let the Good Times Roll

The past couple of weeks have been jammed packed and fun. We finished the birthday celebrations and then prepared to go to Burley for Alex and Sarah's baptism (Sarah is my niece). They were baptized on July 26th in Oakley, Idaho surrounded by lots of family and friends. We are so grateful to all who came and supported them. They were both nervous but did great. All the young kids sang I am a Child of God and it was so sweet. We had a great dinner afterwards and got to visit with the family. The night ended not as we had planned with a car accident involving a couple of my aunts. Thankfully, the cars were damaged way more than the passengers with only my cousin needing stitches. We were definitely counting our blessings that night.

We spent the next few days playing with cousins, attending the Twin Falls Temple open house, fishing and eating lots of good food. We headed back to Boise did laundry, cleaned the house and now my brother's family and their 5 kids are playing with us for 5 days. So far the kids have been great and love playing together. We went to Roaring Springs Water Park yesterday and had a blast. Definitely a great way to spend a hot summer day.

Here are some pictures from the baptism. I wanted to get a good family photo but it just didn't happen. However, I do love these candid shots of the kids. My boys being GQ and Syd being deliriously tired.

My baby boy is 5

It is birthday week at our house and today it is Zach's turn. He has been counting down to this day since his last birthday. He is my funny little guy and is a thinker. His last primary teacher asked me if he was always so goofy. I smiled and happily said yes. He is always asking great questions or making funny statements. One of our recent favorite questions is this; "Dad why is there still snow at the top of the mountains?" Cris explained the higher elevation and so forth. Zach pondering for a moment said, "Oh, then heaven must be freezing." Or when he proudly announced he knew what Cris' shirt said, "G A P, that spells gymnastics." One of his favorite words is "whatever." for when he just doesn't want to believe your explanations.

He is so excited to be starting kindergarten this fall and LOVES to learn. Hopefully, his phonics will improve. He will be making his athletic debut in the fall playing soccer. He is very excited and has been practicing with his brother and sister. He is our little peacemaker often letting Alex make the final call on things and is a great helper and playmate to his little sister. We love you Zachary McKay Richardson!

Happy Birthday to my Boyfriend

Cris woke up this morning and said I'm old (37 today), I'm bald, and my back hurts. I said all true, but I still love you!

For his birthday he has been searching Craig's List for a bike. He hopes to do a triathlon sometime soon so the training begins. Our recent dinner with the Renchers has him excited about competing. I think this is his way of trying to stay young!

Top ten things I admire about my Husband (in no particular order)

10. Works really hard so I can stay home with my kids.
9. Gives the kids baths every night.
8. Gets up and runs almost every morning.
7. Is very witty and funny. Jerry Seinfeld like!
6. Plays with the kids - sports, tea parties, etc.
5. Positive. Always sees things with the glass half full.
4. Doesn't mind the occasional mac and cheese for dinner.
3. Gives me my time alone with or night with the girls.
2. Has a strong testimony and honors his Priesthood.
1. Loves me even with all my faults!

Happy Birthday Babe! Here is too another 37 years.

Aloha

Time flies when you are having fun and just really busy. Cris and I decided this June and July have been the busiest June and July on record for our family. Two big trips, swim lessons, company visiting, hosting get togethers with friends and family and the day to day happenings. I am so excited to see a blank calendar next week other than celebrating two of my favorite people's birthdays (Cris and Zach) we are carefree. I am sure the boys will come up with some grand plans to keep life interesting.

We spent the last few days of June and the first week of July in Maui with Grandpa and Grandma Richardson. Some serious good times! We took the boys and left sweet Syd with Bamma and Papa Wood. While we felt bad about leaving Syd at home, we know she had a great time creating special memories with the grandparents and we didn't have to deal with a two year old's drama!

Here are some highlights of our trip. Lots of photos I know -- but so many great things to see and do.

Stolen Moments in Maui


Places visited: Ocean Aquarium, Banyon Tree, Kapalua Golf course, Old Town Lahaina, Luau, Boat ride to see the fish through the glass windows and the lava fields.


We spent a lot of time in the pool. The kids practiced snorkeling in the pool but didn't want to snorkel in the ocean. However, Cris and I snorkeled in the ocean and swam with the Sea Turtles and other amazing fish. So peaceful and surreal. We enjoyed many a pina colada. The last day we spent the day at the Marriot and enjoyed their fun water slides.


Of course their was plenty of beach time. The timeshare overlooked the ocean and the boys loved playing in the sand. It took a couple of days for them enjoy the ocean. Towards the end, Alex was body surfing. Zach was in awe of the surfers and wants a surf board for his birthday. Too bad there is no ocean front property in Boise.


Up at Napili Bay there is a great spot to come and watch the turtles eat the algae off the rocks. We could have sat their for hours.


These are photos from the 'Ioa Needle and 'Ioa Valley -- the Rain Forest in Maui. I love all the different colors of green.


Beautiful snapshots along the coast of Maui.


We gave the boys each $20 to spend however they wanted. We went to a little swapmeet and they both picked out Ukelalees. We thought it was a waist of money but we were wrong. They LOVED them and played many concerts for us. Zach carries his with him everywhere he goes and wants a pick so his finger doesn't hurt so much.




Mahalo again to Grandpa & Grandma Richardson for inviting us to spend some time in paradise.

Drove 1951 miles, spent lots of $$ on gas, stayed in 4 different places, Memories with family and Friends... Priceless

Our first Summer vacation was a success. We dove lots of miles and everyone was a trooper. We have all memorized the lines to Alvin and the Chipmunks as it continued to be the movie of choice for driving. We stayed in Reno the first night. Cris was able to visit a customer and we stopped to see the Reno Temple before heading on to Calf.



We stayed in Mammoth Lakes, CA for the next three nights. What a fun place! It is a ski resort town but there is plenty to do in the off season. It was wonderful to see all of the Richardson clan. It was the first time in a long time Cris and his siblings were together. We got to meet the newest additions to the family. Kellon Graham - 3 months old and Rusty's girlfriend, Leah. The kids were so excited to be with their cousins. They have missed having them so close and I thought for sure they were going to hide in the van so they could go back to Phoenix with them. Rusty was our tour guide and took us hiking to Rainbow Falls. It was so beautiful and the kids did well on the 3 mile hike. Syd especially enjoyed riding on Dad's shoulders. We went swimming several times, played at the park, ate lots of good food and played a mean game of wiffle ball.





Then it was on to the second leg of the trip which meant a nights stay in Ely, NV. It was the half way point to SLC. Seriously Aunt Marilyn, not sure how you lived there as long as you did. We did see that Wilson Bates is still standing and open for business. We spent the next few days visiting with family and catching up with old friends and celebrating cousin Jeff's wedding. Thanks Trudy and Lance for letting us invade your home.

We also got to hang out with Renchers. Jen and I have been BFF since kindergarten and have made lots of memories over the years. It was great catching up on life and watching our kids play and enjoy each other's company. Jen posted some great pictures of us as kids on her blog. Classic 80's and 90's looks! Thanks Jen for the stroll down memory lane.



Thankfully while staying with Aunt Trudy Cris, Syd and I found our true calling in life. Rockstars!! We are seriously addicted to playing it and stayed up a little too late one night. Is it really bad parenting when you keep saying just a minute to a tired Syd cause you want to finish your song? Thanks Devin for teaching us the Rockband skills!

Sum Sum Summertime

The last couple of weeks have been a crazy blur. We had a great time in Burley. The boys went fishing but weren't very successful. Hopefully, next time it won't be raining so they can go to the good spots. But all in all Alex had a great birthday weekend.




School is out (as of last Wed.) and my excitement was quickly fading in the first few hours we were all home. Continuous comments like this -- I'm bored. I'm hungry. Can we have a friend over? I don't want to do that. You're mean mom. AHHHH. So we made a schedule and things have been running much smoother. We went to the Zoo , had friends over and went swimming last week. Not warm enough for me to swim, but thank goodness the pool is heated and the kids had fun. We had a busy but fun weekend. The guys and their families at Cris work came over for dinner Sat night. Thankfully, they brought most of the food. His one coworker makes the best italian food. Yummy! Sunday we had to speak in church and thankfully it is over. Special thanks to Steph and Jake for keeping the kids quiet during Sacrament. The best part was we were invited to a family in the wards house for lunch and Steph and Jake's for dinner. We also got to try out the Bennett's new Wii. Maybe Santa should start shopping for one. Tomorrow we head for Mammoth Lakes, CA and then Utah for a wedding. Should be some good family times. Most of Cris' family will be there.