Telephone

Morgan had the idea of playing the old "telephone" game when we were hanging out at grandma's on her birthday last week.

I was skeptical, but we had so much fun whispering in each other's ears.

 We started trying to think up crazy things to say to each other.

And we discovered that Nicole is terrible at whispering.  Her whispering is anything but quiet!

There were lots of laughter and even tears.  It was so fun to be silly together and have a good laugh as part of our birthday celebration.  And to teach Nicole how to whisper.

Seventy Years

This beautiful lady turned a fabulous 70-years-young today.

We hung out with her this morning and then squeezed in a fun time playing games and eating pizza and brownies (all gluten free, of course!!) with her this evening.

Love you mom!  You're an amazing, inspiring woman and we love you so much.  God bless you and keep you always.

Do-it-yourself Family Pictures

I missed out on taking family pics for Christmas cards last year.  Two years ago, we took these self-portraits, and I had planned to make it an annual event.  You know how plans tend to work out.  (On a side note - why are my kids growing up SO fast?  Can we just hit pause for a minute?!)

So this year, I was determined to not let the season go by without a family picture and Christmas card.  Of course, I hadn't planned to do it in the snow, but when you procrastinate you have to be flexible.

So I told the kiddos we were taking pictures after church today.  Some of them complained it would be too cold, but I persevered, the hubby supported me and I received full cooperation.  I love it when that happens!

We decided our first backdrop would be Glenn's dad's old Allis-Chalmers WD45 tractor.

I set up the tripod again like last time.  The family was super patient with me, but it was a tad chilly, so we tried not to take forever.  I think we all had numb fingers and toes by the time we were done, but it was fun.

The dogs even got in on the fun this year.  Note, my little dog, Zip, has his sweater on.  We all get dolled up for family pictures.
 

I feel like Zip is looking at me like I'm a little crazy, but I'm okay with that.  I kinda am a teensy bit crazy.  If only we had a picture of me running (carefully) from the tripod as the self
-timer was counting down.  Maybe next year.

July in November

Harking back to warmer days, let's reminisce about the good old 4th of July.  After a crazy-busy week leading up to the 4th with Miss Nicole trying out for and securing her post as Queen of Border Days, we loaded up and headed out on our annual pilgrimage to Troy, Oregon.  This was our third visit there for their 4th of July celebration.  You can read about 2012 and 2013 if you need a refresher.

Because of the craziness of Border Days, we didn't make it to Troy until Saturday, the 5th.  The group we've joined there the last couple years made other plans this year, but our little family was determined to uphold this new tradition at least one more year.  It just so happened that a couple of our Lewiston nieces were participating in a crazy long road race that ended in Troy that same day, and we talked one of them into joining us for an overnight camp out.

As always, we especially enjoyed the street dance.  We took over the "dance floor" when they played our requested line dance.

These two darling nephews enjoyed the festivities, too.

Some random strangers generously shared their glow sticks with these happy fellas.  Glow sticks always add to the fun.

The smaller fella was not so happy, however, when the fireworks display began.  We were all settled in ready for the show, but he wasn't a big fan of the super loud noises.  Keep in mind, they shoot the fireworks from just across the river, so it is loud.  His older brother thought it was all great fun, but poor Bill had his ears covered and was squirming in Ellea's lap.  His mom took him to the car and that improved things a bit, but fireworks were not his thing!

We packed up and headed home after only about 24 hours, which is not my favorite type of camping, but we made more memories and had fun together, so it's all good.

Costco Entertainment

Good old Costco can always provide fun entertainment for  my family.  Who needs to pay to go to a movie or out to dinner when there's Costco?

These adorable (humongous) stuffed bears were sitting just inside the door at Costco the other day.  I immediately suggested the girls have a seat and they didn't even hesitate!

They were so comfy they were even inspired to take a nap!

I love that my kids are happy to be fun and silly with their parents.  I'm waiting for the sad day when they decide they're too grown up for such silliness.  Hopefully that never happens.

Another Farmer Girl

Ellea is not the only farmer girl in the family.

Nicole also likes to drive the tractor round and round!