Idaho Vacation

I am finally putting together the post for our vacation in Idaho. We did a nice job of planning for the Triathlon to be at the beginning so we could enjoy the rest of the time we had on vacation. Here is a picture of the house we stayed in from the dock. It was a great house. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to live there. I think the kids wanted to move in for good. They had so much room to run and play as well as the swing set in the back. It took us a little while to get the city kids out of the house, but once they started playing they had a great time.

Elle and Janelle became fast friends. She still wants to know when Janelle is babysitting.

This is as far as Elle made it into the water. I think they were expecting the bath water like the Lake of the Ozarks. It was a little cooler then that so neither one of the kids would swim. Elle was a little braver, but no way was Pierce getting in.

We had a cooking contest while we were there. It started on Sunday and went through Wednesday. Lets just say we ate well on vacation. Here is Janelle with the winning dinner, enchiladas. They were yummy.

Don't ask me about this picture. I think it was the watermelon mojitos. Anyway, Keith and I had the disadvantage of going first. Ours was forgotten. We did make a new salsa that turned out great. I can't wait to make that again.

This is a great summer drink. Sweet tea vodka, lemonade, and a fresh squeezed lemon. Did I mention that one of the contest categories was cocktails?

Jenni made this, fried ice cream. Wow. One of the things that Bud always wanted to do was go panning for gold. The kids had a great time. Unfortunately Pierce put his thumb on the camera lens and most of my pictures turned out blurry.

The stream was a great place for frog catching.

After I finally realized there was a finger print on the camera lens, I was able to get some good photos. This was after the kids and I headed back to the car. Everyone else was still panning but the kids were bored.

Since I am usually the ones taking pictures it was nice to get a few with me and the kids.

I love this picture. I was trying to take it of all four us but our faces didn't fit. It's cute.

I love this picture of the kids. It's amazing how much they look alike except the color of their eyes. They have the same smile, nose, and lips, but their eyes are such different colors.

More food. These ribs rock. I am actually making them tonight for our Labor Day dinner.

The house had a fire pit down by the beach. We all sat around making s'mores.

We ended the night with s'mores and began it with cinnamon roles.

The kids loved playing on the equipment at the city park. Look at the legs on that girl. Oh my, we are in for a world of hurt in a few years.

This is a devilish grin if I ever saw one.

Pop Pop and Elle.

The kids had a great time riding in the canoes.

I am so in love with this boy right now. He is at the perfect age. Some of the things he says are just a riot. He is still attached to Elle at the hip, but he has started developing his own little personality. He is just too dang cute. I want to eat him up.

This is the group (minus Jenni's parents) that made the trip. It was a really great time. Everyone got along well. The week just flew by. Thanks everyone for making the trip to support us in the Triathlon. It made for a great vacation. I am up for another one (vacation I mean), how about you?

Birthday Fun

Saturday night a bunch of us got together to celebrate my birthday. It was really just an excuse for an "adult" night out, but it was great. Keith took care of arranging it and calling my friends which was nice. I was surprised with how many people came considering it was pretty far north for most people. That made it cool. Here are a few pictures from that night.

My friend Belen with Keith. She is crazy. It's hard to believe I've known her for about 13 years. She is one of the first people Keith and I met when we moved to Phoenix. She has been doing my hair since then and is awesome.

Jessica and Matt. They left their little one at home for a nice night out. You can't see it in this picture, but Matt had a big girlie drink to start with. He downed that sucker and went to something more manly. Don't worry Matt, I won't hold it against you. :)

Apparently Lucy and I discussed our outfits before we came.

Gail and Larry. They are always a lot of fun.

The shot that Belen has was intended for me. Many of you know that I haven't done a shot since October 31, 1999 for reasons I would rather not discuss.

Jake showed up towards the end of the night. I have to say, he was kind of like a dog in heat around Belen. Who can blame him, she's pretty hot.

Belen enjoyed teasing him the whole night. I had a lot of other pictures but for some reason my camera kept blurring. Rich, Jennifer, Julie, Jason, Jim, Jenni, and Janelle all came. I never noticed, but I think I really like people whose names start with J.

Overall I had a great time. Thanks everyone for making the trip.