Hello October!

Fall is, by far, my favorite season. I love the crisp, cool mornings. I love the just-right warmth of the afternoon sun. I love the beauty in the changing colors of leaves. There's a sense of newness and of starting fresh as kids return to school. I love even this season of harvest and the comfort foods that go along with it: apples [pie], pumpkin [bread], corn [muffins... to go with the big pot of chili that's been in the slow cooker all day], potatoes [whether mashed with chicken and gravy or cut up in homemade beef stew]... everything is so scrumptious! And the upcoming holidays are so fun to decorate and prepare for! I also love being able to enjoy things that make me feel warm and cozy!: Hot Chocolate or a Chai Tea or Pumpkin Spice Latte, soup for lunch, new slippers or fuzzy winter shoes, and the best thing of all... the thing that most of us gals of the plus-sized variety truly love about the cooler temps: sweaters, fleece vests or jackets, cardigans, and sweatshirts!! YES!! :) Although... I'd have to say... even when I'm totally slender (one of these days, Lord willing) and living in my most fabulous swimming suit the entire Summer, I will never loathe Fall... or Winter for that matter... for making me cover up. Each season has it's own beauty. And they all need each other. Really. So here's to Fall! My fave!!



Beautiful Fall day along the Boise Greenbelt.



We're Baaaack.

Not that I was gone for very long... but I just couldn't find an alternate web/blog site that I liked better. So. Here's the new plan: I'll do my blogging here with maybe a picture or two and then I'll post a link to any other pictures (that may apply to my post) on facebook... or Picasa. Either way, I'll post the link for easy access.

Here's a couple pictures just for giggles:

Pictures.

So. I've added only a couple picture posts thus far. The problem I have now? I'm really not liking this new Blogger format. Seemed like it was easier before. At least, when I needed to make changes. And HTML editing is not my forté. It's really quite annoying. I'm thinking of trying something new. Any ideas for a better, user-friendly, easier picture-uploading, blogging website? The search is on. I'll keep y'all posted...

My Last Post...

... was in APRIL??? I can't even believe it's been that long ago! Talk about slackin'! So, here's the deal-ee-oh: I really just have to get pictures on here, STAT! Especially since I've almost lost them, TWICE!! Luckily, the computer repair place we go to has been able to retrieve them regardless of viruses and crashed hard drives! We've been so fortunate! When our sad old hard drive crashed, I thought all my pics were toast! And we're talkin' Mac's whole first year and a half of life!! That would not be good. We even have an external hard drive... I really need to transfer all my picture files to it! Sure would save me a LOT of heartache! Ok, so... I'll be a picture-uploadin' fool for the next few days. I may comment on some but the majority will most likely be photo-only posts. Enjoy! And off I goooooo.....

Clean-Up, Aisle 1!

I know I've already got pictures on Facebook of this unfortunate event... but just thought I'd blog about it too. :) This day, my oh-so-curious son thought he might like to know what it sounds and looks like to dump an entire cannister of sprinkles on the kitchen floor. And, while I do not have the technology to repeat the sound for you here, I can most certainly show you what the end result looked like...

Here's what I saw after I came running at the sound of pouring beads. Probably the best way I can describe the sound would be similar to one of those "rainmaker" things.

Wasn't me...?? You believe that, right??

Sure are pretty!! And mighty tasty too! :)

Also... quite fun to walk on!

The new foot design. You, too, can sport this new fashion! Just pour cupcake sprinkles on the floor and start walkin'! :D

Fletch

Yay for reading! However, I'm quite sure that Mac is not into novels of this caliber yet but daddy thought it'd be a kick to have the boy looking at "Son of Fletch" while he was reading "Fletch." And here you have it:

Like father, like son...

Son of Fletch, that is. :)

July 4th - Weekend In Crouch.

It really was a FABULOUS weekend away from the "city." We always have such a relaxing and fun time with our friends, Brian and Jen (and kids), in their cabin when they've invited us up there. And, apparently, the 4th of July is THE time to be there! I don't know that I've seen such a huge celebration & firework display in my life! Not only does the town of Crouch have a pretty amazing display, everyone brings their own and sets them off - right in the middle of town! Yep. Even the "illegal" ones! No one gets in trouble though. Law enforcement is just there to regulate things; making sure everyone is staying safe and not getting too crazy! Most likely taking precautionary measures just in case something does get out of hand. We just had to make sure to find a spot that was upwind of all the smoke floating around. It got quite hazy in town. But it was fun! The only disappointment? I didn't take ANY pictures the entire weekend!! Not until we were in the car and headed home! I grabbed my bag, opened it, and saw my camera sitting there at the bottom staring back at me! Frustrating!! So, here's what you get: a few insignificant shots from the car on our way back into Boise. Brent asked if I wanted to stop and get out. Eh. What's the point. It's not like we spent our time there. The things that really mattered: our friends, our retreat, our fun, the excitement of watching fireworks - none of that was captured on film. Click here for a little bit of what was captured... and here are a few pics for your immediate viewing pleasure:



Quaint little town.



At least the scenery was pretty!



Mac didn't feel too great this morning so he slept most of the way home.



Puddle Jumpin'

We did it in college. But once everyone moved on to the next chapter of their lives, we thought it was the end of the puddle-jumping era. Who knew the era would return 15 years later? :) I guess kids'll do that to ya. Although... perhaps the era didn't end for Brent. He's one of those kids-at-heart... even moreso than I am. ;D Well. Today we couldn't resist. There was a huge puddle in the road across the street from our house and I'm pretty sure we heard it calling our names. So, of course, we just had to jump right in!

Got some video footage of our romp in the puddles, too. Hopefully I can upload it...

And then there's the beautiful sky that happened this evening...

Muddy, Muddy, Mud

A sure-fire way to have loads of fun? Find a dirt pit and fill it with water!! Oh, and it helps to have a dad like Brent J who will do these crazy things with you. Yay for mud! :D And nevermind the very-dirty, very-wet diaper... it's all just part of the plan.

Sunny Days Are Here Again.

Gotta love a nice sunny Saturday! Relaxin' outside. Not a care in the world... Oh, to be a kid again. :)

Summer Rain

Warmer temp'ratures
Heavy raindrops falling down
An outdoor shower

Lawn Mowin' Day...

...again. It's just a teensy bit cumbersome with an almost-18-month-old in your arms though, so I wouldn't recommend it. Verrrrrry slow going. :) Do you suppose Mac's gonna enjoy doing this later on just as much as his dad does now? Only time will tell. For now, he really likes "helping" his dad mow the lawn. And he cries when he has to come back inside because dad wants to finish mowing the yard before the sun sets. ;)

Joys of Gardening.

How fun to feel the earth between your fingers! Even more fun when the experience is shared with your dad. Must be the dirt-boy thing I was talking about earlier. :) Nothing like getting some dirt under your fingernails for the sake of a beautiful garden though! Even I can handle that.


Dad + Dirt = FUN!



Taking a bread from the dirt to sit on a ball.



Good times!



And Again...

This must be the new, "in" thing: Standing where we shouldn't really stand. Not because we can't, mind you. But mostly because it's a tad bit unstable. Kinda reminds me of that verse: "...Everything is permissable, but not everything is beneficial..." Heh heh. So here we are at Shopko... in the cart... standing up!! Oh good grief... this kid is gonna give me a heart attack! (But not before I grab my camera and snap a photo.) :D

Oh Me, Oh My!!

It got awfully quiet in the dining room this evening. I knew Mac was in there so I went to go check on him. Here's what I found:
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Look what I can do, mom!

Doctor Visit!

So. Yesterday's "Airborne Dirt" episode must've left Mac with a little speck (or 2) of dirt in his eye! He woke up this morning with a very red eye! To the doctor we went to see if there's anything we can do for him. And just to make for certain it's not Pinkeye! Got a prescription. Lucky me. I get to attempt to put drops in his eyes for the next 10 days!! *sigh* This too shall pass...

Jammin' out to some tunes at the doctor's office.



Here's a better shot of the red eye. Poor kiddo.

Ahh, Dirt!

I think it must be the total sum of what the life of a boy is all about. :) Whether he throws it, eats it, drives his cars over it, digs it, makes mud out of it, rolls around in it... it's all about the DIRT! What fun! I know this picture isn't that bad... I'm sure it could have been (and will most definitely be) worse. But today was all about kicking the dirt around and throwing it in the air to see where the wind will take it. It may have been a little bit about eating it too. ;)

Sippin' Sodas With G'ma

Happy Birthday to G'ma Linda! She was able to come to Idaho and visit us for her birthday this year!

Always fun to go get a half-priced Sonic drink... and then share with G'ma!

My sweet boy! Such a silly squid. :)

Sunday Nappin'.

Just a few pictures from today:

Mac and daddy catchin' up on some zzz's today.

Time to wake up! Two tired boys still wakin' from their naps.

Finally awake and playing outside!

Wal-Mart.

I hate to admit it but we shop at Wal-Mart occasionally. Well. If I'm being honest, probably more than just occasionally. I suppose it's bound to happen when you live only 2 blocks away. Truth be told, I really don't like shopping there. It's too big and loud and generic. And even if you happen to see someone walking around donning a blue vest that reads: How May I Help You? on the back, be careful not to ask too difficult a question as it may confuse or irritate the person wearing it. I, of course, can't speak for all Wal-Mart employees... I do know a few fine folks who work for the company. And then there's the infamous peopleofwalmart.com website. Uff-da! But I digress. Anyway, today they gave me yet another reason to be a little miffed about the whole Wal-Mart experience. And it's not the fact that they gave my son about half a dozen Wal-Mart stickers on our way out the door... I could've refused them. But Mac loves stickers! So I thought, "Eh, that won't hurt anything." And I think about 10 minutes after we got home, he had them all on his face!! Therein lies the problem. It was funny and cute at first. But when he took them OFF of his face, within about a minute's time, several big red circles appeared!! WHAT?!? And they were still there the next day!! Oh good grief. My son apparently has a slight allergy to the Wal-Mart sticker glue? Well. I guess no more blue stickers from Wal-Mart. I'll stick (no pun intended) to the acid-free... and more colorful, I might add... Sesame Street stickers that I have to buy, thank you.

Park Time!

Decided to go have some fun at the park this evening.

Not that these pictures need explaining at all... well... ok. Maybe the picture on the top row, 2nd from the left might need a little explaining. Yeah. The one where you see Mac holding his dad's hand and the bottom 3/4 of Brent's body. This, ladies and gentlemen, has become Brent's signature move. I think he likes the challenge of looking for something to hide his noggin behind. Not that it's extremely challenging. I mean. He IS 6'6", after all. And the "photo op" dialogue goes something like this:

Him: Ok, I'm readyyy.
Me: Yeah, but I can't see you.
Him: Just snap the picture!
Me: Okaaaayyy? *snaps picture*
Him: Ok. Lemme see...
Me: *shows picture*
Him: *chuckling* That's funny! C'mon, that's funny. Right? ...

I try really hard to not roll my eyes... but at this point I sometimes feel the need to remind him that Mac's gonna wonder whose hand he's holding in all these pictures. Aaaaaannnnd then I laugh. 'Cause, really, when you get right down to it... it's pretty funny. Who else wants their picture taken with everything but their head showing?! Funny guy.

More Cuteness.

Peek-a-boo!

 

All smiles!



Apparently, he's okay with tagging himself at 6 dollars and 98 cents! Ha!



Cutest boy ever!! - And at such a great price!! ;D

Cutie.

Just a couple more cute pictures from today. Here's Mac chillin' in the backyard: