It's a long one...

Ugh. SO I am just coming back to this post after spending about an hour on it and then accidentally closing without saving and losing it ALL when it was almost done.... GRrrrrr...

So instead of totally awesome commentary on it all I think I'm just going to do blips.

I finally downloaded our camera (from April to now) and here is some of our summer so far according to the camera.

Dallas' birthday! Our littlest is 2 now and definitely entering the terrible twos. His nickname Bam-bam is very fitting and he keeps us on our toes, but he's a cutie!

Quick camping trip with Nana and Papa, Shane's family and Josh.

The kids trying out Grandma and Grandpa's new swing set! They all LOVE it!

Tucker is 5 now! We celebrated at Out of This World Pizza and had a great time!

The Rowley Family vacation to Sun River! It include lots of bike riding, swimming, hot-tubbing, kids activities, yummy food, movies, basketball games, reading, family time, and tons of fun!
Ice-excavating! Tucker and Landon loved it. The others had fun and Dallas just ate the ice.Shane fashioned a 'hoop' from a cardboard box with a hole in the bottom and tied it to the balcony railing. We used the kids' balls and had tons of fun playing basketball all week!



4th of July spent with Nana and Papa at the St. Paul Rodeo. Love our handsome cowboys!
Jayson, Kim and Josh finish the Seattle to Portland ride - that's 204 miles. Yeah, they're super awesome.

Riley's baby blessing weekend in Coeur d'Alene. We had so much fun hanging out with the family and thanks to Kimbre and Matt for being such great hosts!

Just kids being kids - some of the fun in between.

Dallas is our cheese-ball.

Tucker learned how to swing! The boys love to play in the backyard.Movies in undies - so cute.

Dallas went through a phase where sleeping in the buff was much more comfy...Jett says he's playing the guitar here - some awesome rock and roll. I think it looks like "hi-yah!!"

You can always find Tucker sitting there drawing - he's our little artist.

Well, we're not done yet but we're having a lot of fun enjoying our summer break!

Happy Pioneer Day!

This is a dress that was given to me from a client before I stopped working. It's all handmade and kinda looks like something I would have worn in 1985 but I just love it! Matt and I call it her picnic dress and what better day to wear it than on Pioneer Day!

Happy Happy Happy ...

Happy Birthday MOM!!!!!

We are so excited that you got to spend your day fishing and enjoying the beauty of Montana, and we hope you caught the BIG ones! We love you so much, Mom, and we're so proud of you for all that you've accomplished this year! You are an amazing woman and definitely our hero. We love you and hope you have had a very happy birthday!!!

xoxo

Feeding the ducks & Park friends

This summer has been one of the mildest I can remember. It's still hot, but far fewer days of triple digits, and the month of May was especially mild and beautiful. Here's a few picts of our park friends and good times. :)

Jakey is always leading the other kids on adventures through the bushes armed with sticks. They're often hunting dinosaurs or chasing bad guys.;)

The Fire Station!

Our friend Dustin is a fire fighter and invited us to visit him at his station one evening. The boys were a little intimidated, but ever since then have pointed to every fire truck they see and waved to Dustin!:) The best part was trying on the hats and getting to see Dustin in his full face mask and hat get-up. He showed it to the kids, and demonstrated how it makes his voice sound funny. Then, he reminded them that firemen are helpers and it's very important NOT to hide from them if there's ever a fire. I would recommend a trip like this to everyone! The boys loved it!

Riley's Baby Blessing

The weekend of Riley's baby blessing was full of family fun!!
On Saturday, we all went down to the park near the Coeur d' Alene Resort and it just so happened that a Kid's Activity Day was going on! So all the kids got to enjoy seeing fire trucks and police cars and romping around through different kids games.











































Thank you to all who came!!

Chef Braden MacKay!

Lately Braden's FAVORITE thing to do is raid my cupboards and play "chef." It's very cute---even in spite of the fact that tripping on pans, confiscating my glassware, and hunting for tongs, measuring cups, and other utensils is not always my favorite thing. :) He stirs, scoops, tells us it's hot, and brings us imaginary concoctions to try! He gets especially excited if he gets a good reaction when you "taste" it and will always say "kay!" if you ask him for more or for something specific. We all get a kick out of it-- love that boy!!

Making Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa MacKay's! Gotta love the tie and suspenders!!


As you can see, Braden also loves to say "CHEESE!" He'll say it and hold his cheesy-face pose for quite a while so that you can get the picture. Makes me laugh every time!


a VERY focussed young chef.... until I get the camera out...
"CHEESE!!"

35 Weeks!

We're almost there! Woohoo!!

Guess Who's Potty-Training?

That's right! BRYCEN has started potty training. So on our way home from Utah last weekend, Drew noticed that Brycen was squirming in his car seat quite a bit. So he asked Brycen if he needed to go potty and we pulled over. It took a little bit of time but he finally went potty on the side of the road. After we got home, (a few hours later) he started doing the "potty-dance" again so we rushed to the bathroom. Success! That was Sunday - today is Wednesday, and so far he has only had a few wet diapers! We are so excited for him and Ava is his best Cheerleader.

Way to go Buddy!

Happy 4th of July!

Matt got the 4th of July off for the first time in 5 years so we decided to get out of the house and spend the day at the cabin. Martha bought us this cute outfit for the occasion and I was so excited to dress her up in it! But, of course, before we could get a picture, Riley decided to have a record-breaking blowout...so we washed the outfit and put it on again Wednesday and took a picture!

Congratulations Matt & Kimbre!

I came across this quote the other day and it made me think of Kimbre, and all mothers...

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."

I just thought that was cool. I can't wait to see the newest member of the family, Riley Susan Zirker!

I love you all!

Riley Susan Zirker

June 21st, 2011 is the longest day of the year...and for me, it certainly was the longest day of my life! Tuesday morning, bright and early, Matt and I set off to the hospital at 6am to be induced. Riley Susan Zirker arrived at 11:12pm weighing in at 7lbs. 13oz. Measuring 21" long and a head 14" around!

This picture was taken before I really knew what I was in for...

Getting all cleaned up with her first shampoo! She didn't like it very much.

My little angel.

The next morning, she started opening her eyes and looking around more.

Daddy's little girl. He's totally smitten!

Bundled up and really to head home!