Boise Zoo....

We had a fun time at the Boise Zoo today. Emily has been asking to go to the zoo all week. She would tell me that the animals would be happy if we came to see them. We went through the new Wallaby exhibit. You get to walk through the open area where the Wallabys are free to roam around. They could even walk up to you but you are instructed not to touch them. There were 6 Wallabys in the exhibit, all of them sleeping in the shade until my Mom made her own Wallaby call and woke them up. We ate lunch in the park before we made the mad dash home to get Carson and Logan off on scout campout.

Old Farm Buildings.....

On our trip to Utah back in July, I was fascinated by all the round silos. It seems that they are everywhere along that road heading east towards Pocatello and then south down into Utah. It was fun trying to quickly focus and catch the shot as we were driving quickly by.

I love seeing the old buildings and always want to catch a picture of them. I love to ponder on what life was like when those buildings were new. What about the day they were finished? Did the family marvel at their work? How many people lived there? What did they do for fun? I wish I could go back in time and just watch from a distance.....

1st Annual Hike to the Y...

Read more about the history of the "Y" by clicking here....

I have been going to Utah to visit family for over 20 years now. I have always wanted to hike to the Y on the hill that overlooks BYU and the Provo area. This year we did it! We started early in the morning so it was still cool. The sun finally broke over the top of the mountains as we were headed down. We got to the trail around 8am. There were lots and lots of people coming down the mountain already. There was entire group from BYU that had been up and back, campers coming down off of the mountain too. We were passed up twice by a gentleman who had to be in his mid 80s. He was on his way down for the second time before we made it all the way to the top for the first time! It was a great hike up and coming back down was a challenge too, it is quite a steep trail most of the way. We have decided this will be an annual thing!

Indian Creek.....

There is this great little pool area off of Indian Creek which is a block away from my mom's house in Kuna. The pool area is deep enough to float around if you bring something to float on. However, it is also shallow enough that 5 yr olds can walk around and have fun too. Many people float Indian Creek and you will see them go by frequently this time of year. There is lava rock that has been stacked up to give a nice boundary to the safe area to play and swim. I had two of my kids gone today so we brought along substitutes, cute little blonde twins! The kids spotted a good sized trout in the middle of the pool area. There are tiny tadpoles in the shallow pools too.

Bowling at BYU....

After visiting the MTC we went over to BYU to get a brownie. We were disappointed that they only had the brownie with nuts, not the mint frosting kind! Ugh! The bowling alley had a few lanes open so went in had a fun time. Emily LOVES the chance to bowl. The kids have a hard time with real bowling because they are not as good in real life as they are on the Wii bowling game.

Lovley.....

Emily came downstairs one morning with this lovely color painted onto her fingernails. "Lovely" is all I could say....

Elder Moxley....

While we were in Utah we got to deliver a package to Elder Moxley at the MTC. We had to be quick with our visit so we wouldn't be such a spectacle to the other missionaries in training. Elder Moxley has a little more freedome as he is working in the Referral Center, teaching the gospel to online investigators. He has been very successful with his first baptism being here in Boise where his family could attend the baptismal service. He has been trained to speak Slovene and spent about the first half of his mission in Slovenia. Due to the colapse of both of the arches in his feet, leaving him unable to continue a walking mission, he was sent back to the MTC to recover. He was offered to go home and recover and return to his mission. Elder Moxley refused to go home! He told his leaders he signed up for two years and he was going to stay and serve two years! He has been very successful online and he sets a good example to his younger brothers at home and to my boys too! We pray for his recovery daily!

Water fun....

We love to go to our good friend's the Moxleys to visit and swim! Emily is not too sure of being in the pool. She is happy sitting on the steps and splashing anyone going by. She DID enjoy, however, the floating mat where she could lounge like a little princess surrounded by Aunt Carol's duck collection.

Rudy...

Emily loves to pet and talk to Aunt Tami's dog, Rudy.

Summer's yummy goodness....

While visiting Papa Jack & MaNette in Washington, Emily found some yummy treats in the back yard! She would disappear into the back yard and would be found quietly scanning the raspberry bushes for newly ripened berries. Grandma and Grandpa were delighted she was enjoying the berries!