Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover...

...except this one, cause it's awesome!

During my down time I've been illustrating a book Michelle has written. Since mostly all I do is watch daytime tv and iron, I figured I'd get it done at a pretty speedy pace but, alas, twas not so. After many moons it's finally done (thanks, Michelle for your patience).

This is a funny story that tells about a little Christmas tree mishap that happened one year. It's the funniest story ever.

But you don't have to take my word for it.

On Second Thought

This past weekend we headed to Sun Valley where Tanner and I saw a few of the amazing sights Idaho has to offer.

We also decided where we want to live when Tanner's finished with school. I'm not sure about the address, but it's on one of the mountainsides next to a beautiful blue lake in the middle of the Sawtooth National Forest. That way we can visit some of the hundreds of lakes, several major rivers and dozens of streams that linger nearby.

Rick and Michelle were so kind to let us stay with them and tag along. It was especially neat because of Rick's experiences while working here on the forest service. Consequently, we had a great guide.

This is Alturas Lake. This area is so pretty it's like being in Yellowstone, but without all the restrictions. As we drove there, the vibrant fall colors on all the dozens of trees and the majestic Sawtooth Mountains kept us good company.

On our way in we stopped at Silver Creek to meet up with Tanner's parents. This area is so amazing and only begins the miles of beautiful country ahead. I couldn't believe how clear the water was; perfect for fly fishing, but not for catching. The fish here are terribly smart because it has been fished so much.

Liam was so excited that we were going to see Grandpa and Gammy. We decided not to tell him about our trip until we were closer to going, and with good reason. By the time we were on the freeway a few miles Liam had asked where Grandpa and Gammy were at least 20 times. Finally Liam looked out the window and shouted, "Grampa....where you are?!"

"I'm Busy Now..."

That's what Liam claims when we ask him to do something he's not up for. He used to use the excuse "I'm sick" (which he learned got him out of the nursery at Church), but gave it up soon after he was thrown into bed each time.

Liam's actually pretty legit. Recently he's been busy learning how to hold a wobbly, almost-as-big-as-you infant. This particular request to hold him was right before some crying that preceded my catch that preceded him running around the car 5 times. Liam informed me as soon as he got settled, "She's cute Mama."

Liam's also had a lot of fun with Tanner. Lately he's been busy learning the art of "how to hold a pole while Tanner fishes." He's actually pretty unstoppable on his Transformer pole.

Julian's had his fair share of being busy, too. He's a valiant lay-arounder so I can dress, change, feed, burp and transfer him to any place he desires.

side note: Michelle gave us this T-shirt from when Tanner was a babe. Awesome!

The look of concentration: bring chubby hands near face, try to put in mouth, miss, pull hand out and relocate, stick out thumb, steady, steady, steady... it's in!

Check it Out and We Don't Stop

Incredible Hulk

On July 4th, the fireworks in the sky weren't the only sparks-a-flyin'

2008 Girl's Camp "Super Trooper" Award Recipient

Liam Bears All

After countless books about bears and hours of perfecting his bear growl, Liam was ready take the plunge and visit a real live grizzly for the very first time....

We were proud to see Liam fearlessly watch the bear from a far away distance. I bet next time we may be able to walk around the bench that was close by the sidewalk that surrounded the cage of that wimpy bear.

We saw the zoo keepers looking for a little lost monkey. Any ideas where he could be?

After that close encounter at the Zoo Liam enjoyed a relaxing fishing trip with Dad on the River. I think fishing is a little more on Liam's level. As soon as Liam had this less intimidating fish handed to him, he gave us this look which really does say it all.