Halloween 2015...

I didn't take a bunch of pics this year for Halloween. Too busy having fun. We don't live in a neighborhood anymore, but our three neighbors pretty much insisted that we bring our kids around as their only trick-or-treaters and they got like wrapped gifts when they went. So nice. Then we went to the Benners to enjoy a bunch of tasty food and good company. It was a fun holiday, and didn't rain too much. Leo loved it so much, he devoured his candy and it was gone on the same day! Leo has a Thomas the Train costume under his Thomas the train raincoat. Betsey was a witch. I always manage to talk them into costumes that we already have. Win!

Alice was a zombie but I didn't get a pic of her all dressed up before she had changed. Ruby stayed back and passed candy out with Kiley.

Colorado trip...

We had a great family reunion in Colorado again this summer. It was great because all the family was there and we also had a visit from Carol Cattley and her daughter, Debbie. We spent the first couple of days in Fort Collins while Carol and Debbie were in town and had a great time hanging out at Sam and Perry's, going to Porter's baseball game and the kids (I didn't go because Leo needed to nap) spent a fun day at a local waterslide/pool facility.

Pam worked her magic on this family portrait, which is probably a combination of like a dozen different shots. She's a skilled face swapper.

This is Perry with Debbie and Carol. Carol is Perry's mom, Betsey's, sister and Debbie is Carol's daughter. So I guess that makes Debbie Perry's cousin.

This pucker melts my mama heart.

What is it with babies and straws? He loves playing with straws!

My mother-in-law is a professional singing performer. She sings different programs with themes at assisted living homes as well as private parties and events. She did a few songs for us one night because we couldn't exactly show up at her show with an audience of twenty five extras! It was so fun to see her performing her cute songs, she sings great and is a convincing, well rehearsed performer.

The audience...

Sage had to work the day everyone left for the cabin, and I was ready to have some downtime because I had been traveling for some time without Chris, so I stayed behind when he left for the cabin and had some downtime that day. Sage and I went to a movie that evening and then we gabbed at her house for a few hours until way too late that night. The next morning we got on the road for the cabin…it was the third of July and let's just say that the traffic WAS INSANE. I don't remember specifics now, but we left at like 10am and we stopped once to see Nana in Boulder and once for dinner and we got groceries before we left the Springs for the cabin, but it took us like ten hours en route. It was brutal. Thank goodness Sage is someone I could never get tired of talking to. I love her.

Nana was really sick while we were there and she was just starting to feel better when we got to her. She wasn't at her regular home, she was hospitalized, and it was unnerving for me to see her in such a state, but I was so glad I got to give her a hug and say hello.

Oh yeah, we stopped to buy ammo so we could go shooting by the cabin and that also took us on an hour delay. The lines for ammo were really long. Ugh.

On the Fourth of July, Betsey's portrait was on a little IG post by Kate Quinn Organics and I just love this dress and that grin on darling Betsey.

Swimming cuties...Bets and Mia.

Sage playing cards with the kids at the cabin. The significant thing here is Leo in Sage's lap.

Doug's twins, Hailey and Miles in their chairs. So cute!

Ruby and Pierce playing Boggle.

Cutest Leo being thrown up in the air by Chris.

When we were anxiously awaiting arrival to Fort Collins.

It seemed significant that Haiely prefers her binky upside down.

Laying out by the pool in Fort Collins...everyone left before me and it was amazing there in the shade staying cool and reading a book.

picking out family picture clothes.

We all enjoyed watching Porter play a game of baseball. He had some really exciting hits!

During the game we had a picnic.

The kids were devastated to find a tiny, baby bird fallen from its nest. Unclue Matt was nice enough to put her back...but he had to stand on his truck to do it.

There were tears shed over the possibility that the bird wasn't saved before it was too late.

Mia and Zoe.

Hit!

Playing in the gravel by the stream at the cabin.

Mia is a mess but so cute and happy about it!

I love this crazy girl and her faces.

My family. I love this shot! Pam always does such a great job for us in limited time with family portraits each year. I'm so grateful.

This cutie is a heart breaker.

Trying to walk.

Fourteen months and not quite walking.

Betsey Carol and Aunt Carol Cattley together. It was really special to spend time with Betsey's namesake's sister. She is delightful.

McCall with Sommer...and eight other little people...

I have wanted to take Sommer to McCall for EONS. This year, I just decided we'd have to go in June when the cabin is in low demand because in July and August it will likely never happen. We went as soon as her kids got out of school, arriving in McCall on June 20th. We crammed a TON of stuff into the van with four bikes hanging off the back and a car topper on top.

I can't make a drive for eight hours because I get too sleepy at the wheel, so we left the 19th and stopped in Colfax, WA which is about half way to stay the night. We went to a really cool park in Colfax.

I love Betsey's eye color. A lot. She is so lucky! (random pic I took...)

While swimming in the hotel pool, Betsey was testing how far she could go. I was sitting fully clothed poolside reading a book, but thankfully she wanted me to see how far she could go, so I was all eyes on her while she gradually got deeper and deeper. Then all of the sudden the pool did a dramatic increase in depth and she was flapping around getting deeper by the centimeter. Quickly I realized she was worked up and getting deeper, so I ran into the water and saved my girl. Phew! It was such a quick thing but could have been scary. I got to her before she breathed any water, thankfully. With all the hotel pool swimming we've been doing (by this time we'd been at the hotel for six weeks in Puyallup) I was pretty laid back, but I realized she usually has a floatie or life preserver on so I don't have to worry. This was not the case this time because all that stuff was buried in the car.

My loves in the morning cuddling. Sigh. This pic is so yummy.

I have a passionate love for the Palouse. That are of WA is just so beautiful, the rolling hills with green or gold color that sways in the breeze. The blue skies and clouds. I just love it. No picture I take does it justice...especially with an iphone. Never fails though that I can't stop gawking at that part of the state.

Arrived at the cabin and the table was not where it normally is. Threw me for a loop!

Bets and Leo in the bathroom. 

Leo getting into the only drawer he can get into.

Our first jump into my favorite body of water. It was June, so it was COLD.

Talmage, Eden, Wyatt and Ruby on the dock and Kesley and Alice in the boat. The kids had a great time playing in the boat, sand, and on the dock and a little bit in the freezing water. They also went down a ways to a stream that enters the lake and has a lot of little fish that they like to try and catch.

The weather was nice and warm most of the time and we had the kids eat outside when it worked.

Leo in the tubby.

Betsey and Leo actually played cards. It was to die for!

We taught the kids how to play speed and they really got obsessed, just like I was as a kid. Some kids were more natural at it than others. 

Leo was the last person I wanted to take to the beach, and it was amazing because I would wheel him down and he literally sat there, strapped in the stroller for like an hour almost every day. Just sat there watching things. It was so nice. He turned out not to be too bad, tough crawling, at the beach. He wasn't trying to eat sand and he was relatively happy down there.

I was surprised he liked the freezing water.

One day, like fifty yards from where we sat at the neighboring dock, we saw this boat totally submerged in the water. they were trying to pull it to shallow water but it eventually was beached. I don't know how the emergency people did it, but the fireman boat pulled up and got the boat back on the surface of the lake within an hour or so.

Betsey rediscovered sand castle building.

Didn't bring a bike for Betsey so she had fun riding with Leo.

Had to take our friends to the famous Ice Cream Alley!

I can just tell this is early morning...nothing like a six am wake up on "vacation"!

The kids had so much fun on the rope swing in the backyard. It seems like they literally spent hours out there daily and it never got old. 

Bike riders!

We went to Brown's Park on a bike ride and Leo and I played in the grass and practiced walking. He took some of his first steps there, I didn't get pics because I decided to facetime with Chris instead so he didn't miss out.

So pretty.

At the park they ahve these netted areas where they are growing fish I guess to release into the lake eventually. The kids had fun watching them because there were so many.

The big kids did a lot of impressive sand castle building too.

Leo decided to give me snuggles.

Here you can see that there are these logs that are standing up by the fence, buried solidly in the ground so that they are super sturdy and the log steps raise the kids up to the level that they can mount the rope swing on their own and launch themselves. Major adult favorite because it spares being out there constantly helping kids on and pushing them.

Ice Cream Alley swing.

My bestie cousin joined us by staying next door at the Anderson Cabin for most of the week. Sommer and Trina got along great, they are both teachers and we just had fun hanging out all of us. It made me so happy, I don't get to see Trina enough and she is my McCall staple and I'm just glad that it worked to mix company. 

Bets, Wyatt, Talmage, Alice, Leo and Kesley.

More swinging.

It was a great week. The only thing that would make it better is if we had perfect weather the whole time and if we fast forwarded two years to when Leo is more self sufficient. Otherwise, Sommer and I had fun talking, sitting on the beach, playing cards and being with our kiddos. We left McCall the 27th and picked Chris up in Boise on our way to Colorado...stay tuned.