Instagram v.11

1. Lincoln's first time on a horse. On the Stephens Boy Horseride.
2. Bentley and Lincoln goofing off in the tent.
3. Cassia County Rodeo.
4. Freezing corn.
5. Brigham City Temple open house.
6. Smith and Edwards. I fed Gracie in the surplus section and Chod let the boys climb on the tank in their church clothes.
7. Bentley's first day of 1st grade!
8. Lincoln can't wait to go to school.
9. Gracie and her paracord bracelet!

Brigham City Temple

Last week we went to the Brigham City temple open house. I thought the boys would be so excited to go inside a temple, but when I asked them if they wanted to go Bentley told me "No thanks" and Link told me he couldn't go. I told them that any one could go inside this temple right now even if they didn't have a temple recommend. "Even if they are kids?" they asked. And then they got excited.

The decorative element is the peach blossom and the instruction rooms are painted with orchards and the bird preserve and they even have fruit trees in the landscaping.

Bentley was really looking forward to listening to church music while we were there and was a little disappointed that there wasn't any. But the cookies at the end seemed to help him forget. While we were in the parking garage waiting for the movie to start Lincoln let us know that he was feeling the Holy Ghost. And they both talked about feeling the Holy Ghost on the way home. When I asked where they felt it (meaning which part of the temple) they both answered "in my heart". Either they are way in tune with the Spirit, or we talked too much on the drive over of the special feeling inside the temple.

This was Bentley's 3rd temple open house. He visited the Rexburg and Twin Falls when he was just 2, so I hope this one lasts a little longer in his memory.

Trip to the Principal's

On the 2nd day of the first grade, I got a phone call from the secretary saying Bentley was in the principal's office and needed to be picked up.

Not the Bentley you thought you knew?

Here's the story. He rode his bike to school that morning and that afternoon I was outside waiting for him to come home. Kids in the ward and some moms passed by. I asked if they had seen my Bentley and only Kason, the neighbor boy, had seen him "he was talking to some girl after school."

So I waited and finally saw an orange bike rider heading our direction. Only it wasn't Bentley. So about 20 minutes after school had gotten out I loaded the other 2 in the car and drove down to the school and found Bentley's bike still there.

A teacher told me to check the front office cause there were some kids in there waiting to be picked up. My Bentley was the only one still there and he looked relieved when he saw me, until I asked if he had forgotten his bike? Before we made it to the hall he was in tears and saying it was all his teachers fault.

Not a good way to end the 2nd day of school.

His teacher came out and talked to me. She said it was so early in the year she didn't know who walked and who got picked up, or even which direction kids lived and that when she had asked him he said I was picking him up. So she made him stay even though all the other neighbor kids had asked him to go home with them. He was mad, but I thanked his teacher and told him that all that really matters is that he's safe. And really that's the most important thing.

The message from the secretary was on my phone when I got home.

On the 1st Day of the 1st Grade

Bentley is a 1st Grader!

Instagram v.10

1. Chubbalicious
2. Can't get enough of this girl!
3. The taste of August--Peach Dessert
4. Went on a Sunday drive and forgot Gracie's blanket. Bentley offered the shirt off his back to keep her warm.
5. Gracie and the Bumbo.
6. Spotted: Chod using my Washi tape to hold the computer together
7. Lincoln was as excited for my Kaboo bag as I was!
8. Dinosaur Park
9. Golf lessons and the recalled Bumbo. Not sure which concerns me more.

Fair and Corn

I guess you can take the girl out of the fair, but you can't take the fair out of the girl? Pretty sure we've made home to the Cassia County Fair and Rodeo every year we've been married. This year we made it in time for Chod and Bentley to procur some famous maple bars from the Declo Stake booth, and Lincoln and I walked through the livestock before the rodeo began. Chod is a huge fan of fair food (read: fried dough).

The next day everyone dug in and helped freeze corn for Tameka and us. A lot of helping hands makes the job go quickly!

And Lincoln got to ride Papa's horse with the girls. Now he really wants a horse of his own.

Dinosaur Park

 We crossed another item off our summer list. The Dinosaur Park! I hesitated in going, but the boys absolutely loved it. And really, what's not to love!

I was hoping to hit up Target on our way home, but they were pooped and fell asleep. Afternoon entertainment + naps? It doesn't get better than that!

Instagram 8 and 9

1. Crafting Chick kids dancing at EVO closing party.
2. It's zucchini season!
3. Lots of Aunt shirts in the stores, non in Gracie's closest.
4. Waiting at the doctors. They asked me to come in 2 hours early, then we waited for 1 hour.
5. The Tillamook mini loaf.
6. Mack's Inn Theater in Island Park.
7. Chod was picked out of the audience to be part of the show.
8. Never fun to be sick on vacation, but he got to skip church and had the 3D TV to himself.
9. Linky Boodle and Ruby Duby playing in the waterfall.

1. Breakfast at Herm's Inn.
2. iPhone surgery. iPhones don't swim.
3. He fixed it! Kind of.
4. Thinking of cutting Lincoln's hair like the Great Britain gymnast.
5. Lots of Olympic watching at our house-even Gracie likes it.
6. Mixed media mass production. Getting ready for activity days.
7. New shopping cards at Lee's. So sporty and much easier to handle.
8. Chod cooked dinner.
9. My vegetarians plate after he had already eaten the broccoli and tomatoes of course. Did I mention he ate this over the dessert pizza setting next to him? He did.

Backyard Hangout

It's weird to think that a year ago we didn't have a backyard. And it's now unfathomable what I would do with our 2nd if there wasn't a backyard to send him to.

It's too hot during the day to jump on the trampoline (unless there's a sprinkler under it) but about bedtime the boys decide it's time to jump.

And our chickens. Although I pictured tame chickens when I bought them, I've never seen chickens that will take so much abuse and still let a 3 year old pick them up. But I do like that when I tell the boys the chickens are in the garden they hurry out to catch them and lock them back up.

He might not admit it, but I think Chod almost likes the birds as much as the boys do. At least now that they've started laying eggs. He insists it's because the boys have quit begging for a dog, and he'd much rather have chickens than a dog.

Even Gracie Loo-Who likes hanging out in the backyard with the family. I just have to keep her brothers from dropping a chicken on her face. Cause as much as they like them, the chickens still gross me out.