Day 4- Play date at the park

When Aunt Nancy called to see if we could do a play date again on Saturday afternoon, we were excited we could see them again before heading home. We went to another park and the boys decided to be boys and cover the slide with woodchips and then slide down it. All the boys got involved with the process and had a good time. See below for the video of the woodchip slide.
Meanwhile the girls wanted to be off on their own and just chat. I found them on the bleachers just munching on their trail mix and enjoying being alone. Spencer took Ethan down the tube slide. It was a tight fit. Corinne and I were at the bottom to catch it on film. Sorry spencer...I couldn't resist, what a good dad you are!

Day 3- Visiting Wells Grandparents and Idaho Family

The kids love playing with great grandpa wells! They would take turns holding a marble in their hands and then having grandpa try and guess which hand. We loved visiting with you grandpa and grandma. Grandma was even able to go outside and watch the kids swing with the help of her rascal.
The kids were eager to go and see all the farm animal...cows and chickens. I was a little leary of going any closer to the cows not saying anything about the obstacle course with avoiding the cow pies!
Grandpa had made a cool tramp for the cars to race down along with a metal marble track (black one) that the kids enjoyed playing on. The marbles would shoot out the end and we used the wooden blocks and the farm fence to block them from going everywhere. The kids loved every minute even though it got pretty loud with the marbles rolling down the metal ramps.
Aunt Nancy, Luke and Alena came out to celebrate a late birthday for Grandma. Aunt Nancy did the cake with M&Ms. It turned out really nice and tasted even better. Corinne brought the makings for a spaghetti dinner and we all enjoyed it together.
Kirsten loved having Alena to play with after spending so much time doing boy things with the little boys. They even played on the piano together.
Luke was a great pianist even if he wouldn't let me take a picture of him. What a stinker!

Idaho Falls- Day 2 Tautphaus Park

Although it was still a little big cold outside, we went to Tautphaus Park. This park is really kid friendly with rubber padded ground covering and lots of cool big swings, slides, drums, and spinning tulip chairs. The kids had a blast and it was relatively ours for enjoying.
The wind picked up while we were there, but we all enjoyed the fresh air.
Ethan's form of swinging or hanging which ever you deem describes what he is doing.
He's decided he is done and is trying to remain balanced before he topples over head first.
He's righted himself, but is not sure he was done "swinging."
These are the cool swings I was talking about. They can fit an adult or two kids if you straddle the safety harness.
Zach's having a turn being Ethan's swinging partner in this one while having a little snack while he isn't on the move.
Caleb even enjoyed the big swing, although he looks really small in them.
There were different posts to the side of the toys, but we used little sticks to make noise. The gongs sticks were missing.
These were the kids other favorite item to play on. These cup like chairs were tipped alittle off balance and then would spin around with the child's weight.
Caleb taking his turn in the spinning tulip chair.
Zach kept wanting us to spin him faster and faster. He was mighty dizzy when he emerged.
Everyone at the top together before we called it quits.

Idaho Falls visit- Day 1 Blast Off center

That first night, we went to a cool activity place called "Blast off!" It had mazes with ball pits or "arm pits" as Caleb called them at the ends. Spencer was even able to come with us before he went on his shift again.
The boys playing in the "arm pits" and then slid down the padded slide. They had a "Ball."
The tunnels only had opening in certain areas otherwise you were especially a caged animal or Caleb.
They had a zip line that Zach really liked. We did a video below.

Visiting the Cook's in Idaho Falls for spring break!

We had a great time visiting Corinne, Spencer and Ethan. The boys played with trains, cars, guns, and of course legos. It was fun seeing Ethan walking and talking more since it had been almost 8 months since we saw him last.
We learned Ethan's favorite shows are "pat pat" or Little Einsteins and "choo choo" or Chugginton the train show. These became the main entertainment as he only eats with the tv going.
When all the kids wanted to sit by Ethan, Ethan decided he didn't want to sit with any of them.
This is the cutest picture of Ethan. He is taking a ride on his spiderman 4 wheeler and giving the best "cheese" ever.
I tried to get all the kids in one shot, but with four kids someone is always moving. This time Caleb moved too much to the side.
The second shot got all of them in the picture and captured some personality as well. Can't you just see Ethan telling Kirsten to let go so he can be on his way and Kirsten doing her silly face and the other boys acting innocent when their minds are thinking of their next move to get on that bike.
Zach finally getting his one and only turn and then when the battery was dieing we couldn't figure out if it was going slow because of the weight it was carrying or the extra friction of the rug. Zach didn't get another chance to find out.
Caleb gets a turn, but not because Ethan willingly gave up his spot. He was chasing after Caleb like alot of the time when he wanted all of his toys, especially the ones that Caleb had, even if there were others to be had.
Caleb made his getaway and boy was he happy!

Bean Museum visit with dad

Nathan took the kids to the bean museum on tuesday night so I could finish packing for our trip to see Aunt Corinne in Idaho Falls the next morning.Nathan was going to join us in Idaho on Friday using the shuttle, but some freelance jobs came up and we couldn't pass up the double pay for the inconvience of ruining our plans. They had a great time doing the hands on textures of the animals skins.
They liked the BIG lifesize animals too.
Somehow, Caleb doesn't seem as big or foreboding as the bear behind him.
Nathan wouldn't be Nathan if he didn't see the fish exhibit.
This must have been their favorite animal because all of them posed beside it.

Easter 2010

It is supposed to be spring when Easter comes around...not so this Easter. Instead we had snow covering the ground with more storms on the way. Caleb woke up, this morning and raced downstairs, jumped on the couch and pulled back the blinds, "Where's Easter?" We tried to explain that Easter wasn't a person, but a day and when Christ was resurrected, but I think it will take more telling him this for him to understand. We did a little egg hunt inside for the kids. Caleb is finding the egg Nathan stashed behind his elliptical.
Kirsten "cheesing" it for the camera. Notice no more braces?
Zach and Caleb searching behind the couch. Zach is still in his pj's after being sick all weekend long. The deal was he laid down all morning and could do the easter egg hunt if he didn't get sick by the afternoon.
We went to my sister, Corinne's house in Idaho Falls and her neighborhood had a egg hunt. The kids got an outside hunt after all, just 2 weeks later.

The older kids were searching for the eggs farther down the grassed area.
The hunt is over, now "what did we find?"
Consuming the candy on Corinne's lawn. I love the tradition of using the baskets that our great Gale grandparents made for the kids. They are really a cute idea.

Playroom makeover at last!

It has been over a year since our crawlspace/playroom flooded with 8 to 10 inches of ground water causing us to cut out the bottom of the existing sheetrock. Now is it March of the following year and we have finally replaced the sheet rock. Nathan helped to sheetrock and mud and tape the walls.
Then I sanded down and painted the walls, then put the old carpet and toys back in the space. We still had to get replacement carpet for the cement step.
Caleb and I headed to home depot to get some carpet and padding. We also decided to pick up a little padding and cement glue to put the padding onto the cement with.
Caleb witnessing the monumental cut.
The finished product...with the new, bigger light too. What a difference it all made.
Caleb wanted to take picture of me too. Not too bad for a 3 year old photographer.
Caleb posing for the remodel shot, but wanting to be the one taking the picture.