Then and Now

A good reminder of how long we have lived in Boise is my friend's little boy's birthday. He turned 3 yesterday and we moved a few days before his arrival. Time flies.

Cris was going through pictures the other day and we realized how little our kids were when we came. Zach is now at the same stage Alex was when we moved (2nd grade) and Syd at the same stage Zach was (pre K preschool).  We just had parent teacher conferences with the boys teachers. We walked away proud parents for the hard work and character traits our boys are possess. Syd absolutely LOVES preschool and proudly sings a song naming the presidents of the United States.  She asks everyday if it is a school day.

So here's to another year of living, learning, growing, missing old friends and making memories with family and friends here in our perfect town of Meridian.

Happy Halloween

Thought Halloween deserved a post!  Especially with these cute Trick or Treaters.

We had an Elvis sighting in the Neighborhood.  He even sang "Heartbreak Hotel"

 Strawberry Shortcake and Friends

Syd announced earlier in the year she was going to be Strawberry Shortcake. Strawberry Shortcake was one of my childhood favorites and I was so happy with her costume choice. Syd's friends joined in and after some late nights of costume blog surfing and sewing Strawberry Shortcake, Apple Dumpling (Hannah), Blueberry Muffin (Anna), Raspberry Tart (Elizabeth) and Pupcake (Joseph) came to life.

 Strawberry Shortcake and her dog Pupcake

 Zach was of course a football player.  It suited him well as he finished his flag football season yesterday. He had a 65 yard touchdown run twisting and cutting his way through the opposing team making sure his flags stayed in place.

 Enjoying the neighbors fun decorations.

After a bag full of candy we headed home to watch the classic cartoon "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown."

Dog days of Summer

Two of my favorite pictures of the summer. The quality is to be desired, but the image it is classic. Syd in a summer dress and Zach barefoot with his soccer ball.  The two of them together is priceless! We are in the midst of our last week of summer and it has been a great one.

Lesson #1. Just because there is a blank spot on the calendar, doesn't mean it has to be filled. June and July were CRAZY, busy, fun months and August was just right.

Summer Highlights:

Spending time with all of our wonderful family in California, Arizona, Grandma's house in Burley and Grandpa Don's in Indiana.

Cris and I enjoying four days in beautiful Chicago.

Cris enduring a graft on his ear to remove basal cells. Note to self: Don't forget to put sunscreen on your ears!

Boys competing in their first Triathlon in Emmett.

Cris competing in Spudman Triathlon and Emmett Triathlon.

Watching our garden grow. (Sadly my tomato plants were too heavy for their net. See above)
The beginning of football season. Zach is playing flag football and Alex is in 2nd year of tackle.

Camping in McCall. Nothing like camping with lots of GREAT families.

Learning to surf behind a ski boat. Who needs the ocean!

Buying school supplies for all three kids. Syd is in preschool three afternoons a week. What's a mom to do?

Looking Ahead:

Cooler temperatures. Today's high is 80 degrees!!!

Tuscany Triathlon

 (crossing my fingers it goes well. thankful to have a great friend to help carry out our kid's plans)

Getting back into routine.

Watching football (Zach, Alex, BYU, Notre Dame & BSU) every Saturday.

Finding my craft room once again.

Summer Roadtrip June 2010

3200 miles, 4 different hotels, visits with Grandpa’s, Grandma’s, aunts, uncles, cousins, good friends and Mickey and Mini, a trip to the beach, Padre’s Baseball game, and lots of time in the car. We had a fabulous time and thanks to friends and family who hosted us along the way. Special thanks to Alex, Zach and Syd who are great car travelers and can handle long days in the mini van.  (warning long and lots of pictures)

Highlights from Trip:
Playing catch on the golf course by Grandpa and Grandma Richardson’s.
Taking Syd to Disneyland for the first time.
Riding Roller coaster rides. Syd was just tall enough to ride some of the bigger ones. Forget the Teacups and Dumbo, her favorite rides are Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain
Syd enjoyed lunch with the princesses.
Zach loved the Tower of Terror and can quote it.
Alex conquered his fears and survived California Screamin two times
Cris and I survived dodging the stroller in and out of all the other thousands of people who think June is a great month to go to Disneyland. 
Spending time with the Richardson side of the family.
Walking around in our Richardson T-shirts in downtown San Diego and hearing comments of passerby.
Cheering the Padres on for an extra inning win.
Cousins dancing and cheering loud for the chance to be on the Padres jumbo screen. They made it twice.
Spending the day at beautiful Coronado Beach with family.
Spending time with friends from AZ at a beautiful Beach house in La Jolla.
Visit’s with our favorite neighbor Bob and good friends the Hale’s.
Hanging out with friends just like the good old days and swimming at the Winters.
Visiting with Grandma Terri, Frank and Andrew and hanging with the Richardsons.
Life is Good and now back to reality!

Grandpa John and Grandma Debbie

Happiest Place in the World - less the thousands of other people there and hot weather!

Lunch with the Princess - she finally smiled with Cinderella.

This picture is for you Grandpa Wood!

Take me out to the Ball Game!

Perfect day at Coronado Beach

We caaught up with the Liljenquists who were staying in LaJolla.  Zach and Ben were best buds when we lived in Phx. 
We also got to visit the Newport Beach Temple grounds. 

The downside of moving from AZ - leaving Cris' family.  Cris made a successful dive through the pink tube after his Scott showed him how it was done.  Ever the competitive brothers!

These boys picked up right where they left off - swimming at the Winters'
Chase, Christian, Hunter, Alex and Zach

The long drive home.  After a night in St. George, we made our annual stop at the cheese plant in Beaver.
 Best ice cream and fresh cheese.  Thanks Grandpa

Richardson Crew - less Grandma Debbie who was taking care of her Mom.  Missed you.

Post Edit - this blog post took FOREVER. Spent two hours using old blogger method only to accidentally delete it.  Sigh!  And that was after lots of time editing photos (thankfully on a long plane ride).  Then I got smart, Jake you will be proud, and upgraded my blog to post and move pictures in a much simpler fashion.  Although I still couldn't get the last picture in the sequential order.  Oh well.  Time to move onto another project.  Like download pics from Chicago and Indi and send to Gma Terri!

Double Digits

My baby turns 10 today. Doesn't seem like it was that long ago that he was a baby like the one he his holding.

Last night, we went to Red Robin for his birthday dinner and Cris and I each told him ten things we love about Alex. One of mine is how he is so sweet with older people and little children - especially this cute baby. He has always had a special place in his heart for his great grandparents and always took the time to talk with them and give plenty of hugs.

He is such a huge help to me - especially when Cris is out of town. He knows when I need him to step in and redirect Syd. He comes down every morning dressed for school and immediately starts his chores. Love that about him! He has really enjoyed the fourth grade (he has 11 days left) and is full of facts about Idaho from his Idaho History studies. He recently earned his Bear in Cub Scouts and is excited about Webelos. This week he has an orchestra concert and his first piano recital. I rarely have to remind him to practice piano and although he won't admit it, he enjoys it and is pretty good for having only played 4 months.

Alex and Zach have set a goal to compete in a kids triathlon in Emmett this summer. We are excited for summer to begin so we can practice our swimming, running and biking. Hopefully, it will warm up and stay warm really soon. We are so thankful for Alex's sense of humor (mini Cris) and the joy he brings to our family. Happy Birthday Alex!

Easter Eggstravaganza!

Tuscany Easter Egg Hunt - Winter Clothing required. Thankfully there was no SNOW!! The weatherman said it was a possibility, but then they have been wrong all week. Thanks Jen and Emily for a fun morning!

A little neighborhood vandalism. We egged our neighbors the other night and they returned the fun. I think we have established a new tradition.

Easter Morning: Easter baskets, searching for chocolate eggs, to die for semi homemade orange rolls, wonderful General Conference and delicious ham dinner with the Bennetts. I would call it a great day!

PB&J's just got better at the Richardson's

Last Spring Break I made a few batches of Strawberry Jam. I didn't make enough and lately the PB&J's just haven't been as good. Strawberries are finally on sale and oh soo good. Throw in free child labor and once again PB&J's are once again on the lunch menu. Thanks Alex for your "chef" skills.