In the outback...or out in the back...

This past weekend we packed up and headed for the mountains.  I was dragging my feet a bit because I've become quite spoiled with my mattress and my four walls and roof and all that, but Joe decided we were too young to get old, so we ponied up and hit the trail.  I actually forgot how beautiful it was out there in the boondocks.  It's hard to catch your breath, everywhere you turn is just...magnificent!  This year we were so excited to take our little Ben, but sadly, he mustered up a fever of 102 at the very last minute and we had to leave him behind.  I was super-bummed.  He was miserable enough to not feel too left out.  And he got to spend the whole weekend living it up with his cousins, and I spent less time worrying that he'd fall off a cliff to his certain death, so really, it was a bit of a win-win.

Here. we. go.

So fresh, and clean, and energetic!

Accidental photo.  Still awesome.

The grands.

First break.  We love getting out all our hand-picked sweets!  It's a highlight.

It's gotta be hard to be this cute.

Good times!

We settled in to just the right spot, about 5.5 miles down the trail.  We were hanging and snacking, when all of a sudden, Kayte spied a bald-faced hornets nest the size of Will's head, just dangling right above our tent spot.  Needless to say, we scurried down to the river to avoid any neighborly spats with the wildlife.

Ah yes, Joe packed this little treat as a surprise tucked neatly in my pillow.  Spoiled. rotten.

Hornets nest.  The size of Will's head.  Did I say that already?  Seriously, the biggest I'd ever seen!

Sara's feet snuggling together to keep warm.

Enjoying a little wine, smuggled up in a bota bag.  Livin' the dream.

Mom cooked us up some dinner.  This ain't no mac n' cheese.  It was Hawaiian chicken in rice.  She does not mess around.

Popcorn!

Waiting for dark so we can carry our tired bones to bed.

But Will was being industrious, shaving down some sticks for the breakfast stick bread.

And then it started to thunder and drizzle, so we waited it out under the tree (not the hornet's tree, mind you.)

Thankfully, the rain lasted a total of ten minutes.  Since Joe was packing two tents, he opted to leave the rain flys behind to lighten the load.  I had a dream we got washed away, but in reality, we were just staring at stars...

It's always a bit of a restless night, but at least this one dipped to only about 50 degrees (instead of last year's 20) so we were good.

Breakfast!

Family pic.  Saved it for bedhead day!

Headed home...a bit of a tricky start!

Stopped for lunch at Slippery Rock Creek, which provided loads of entertainment, and at least two highs:  Sara's: washing her bandana, and Will's: standing under a waterfall.

Sitting at the right end of a waterfall.

Pretending to fall off the waterfall (trust me, no real danger here) but Will got a glimpse of this shot and thought I was really gonna die.  Poor kid, gets this from me.

A little swim.

 

Sliding down the rocks...

Joe, attempting a little fishing cause it's a creek and he can't help himself...next time we'll make it to a lake!

What another fun, unforgettable year!  I just love all the memories it makes!

(Thanks mom & dad, for the guiding, and Ann & Dave, for the emergency medical housing for our baby!  :)

Moscow

So, the students are back.  Cause it's August.

We, me and the kids, decided that this year, we were going to play the license plate game and see if we could get all 50 in a year.  There was one catch: all the plates had to be found within 10 miles of Moscow/Pullman city limits.  I felt pretty optimistic, a year is a long time.

We started this little game August 4, 2013.  Today, exactly 12 days later we found our 30th US license plate.  And yes, in case you were wondering, we've already scored the coveted "Hawaii" plate. We have yet to record any of these thirty outside of Moscow itself.

The truth is, we're a small town, and many of our residents are biding their time till they find their way to greener pastures.  Cause the walls can close in at times.  Or the weather can be finicky.  Or they've lived here long enough that they've had to face down the foolishness of a misspent youth....or heck, the foolishness of last Saturday (that half the people in town now know about).  But on the flip side, people come here in droves.  For some reason, people from at least 30 different states recently packed up and headed to this little town in Idaho.  Trust me, we aren't on the way to anywhere.  People came here for a reason.

I was born and raised in Moscow, Idaho.  I've done my best to see every possible corner of this country and a jaunt or two outside of it.  And I've always liked to come home.  But only just recently, have I fallen in love with the Palouse.  Sure, we have our fair share of crazy.  But I like a little crazy.  And have you seen the view?

Best Seat in the House

We are love love loving our new deck! 

It's a little bit redneck with it's plywood topper, but the view is first-class!

Ann's 60th Celebration!

So, you'll have to flip the calendar back even one more time to get to this big day...  Shawna hosted a great big backyard BBQ to celebrate Ann's 60th!  Lots of food, friends, and more family than some of us had anticipated  :)

The scrumptious spread.  (Those wings were unforgettable Dave!)

The cute offspring (and Will attempting a photo bomb.  Fail!  Haha!)

So pretty!

This was the best part!  Ann's sister from California surprised her with a 20 hour visit, popping in just in time for the party!  Tears are always a good sign!

Taking a break.

Jessa's luscious desserts!

I've known Ann for nearly 30 years now, (I grew up with Joe's sister Heather, a forever friend)....so far back that my first memories of her will be similar to my own kids' first memories.  More specifically, I remember her in her farmhouse kitchen loading up a thick slice of freshly-made bread with a slab of melty butter just for me.  She taught me and all my friends our first dance routine for the big school talent show in the front yard of that same farmhouse. She endured long-into-the-night sleepovers and got up to make us big breakfasts.  She was a fun mom and a fantastic grandma.  And she's always been a gracious and generous hostess, just like my own mom.  I feel blessed to have such a long and warm history with her and her family.

Happy 60th, Ann!  We are so grateful for you!

The 4th of July...a couple o' days late! :)

I cannot believe that I forgot to post the 4th!  It's a good thing I had my camera with me that day, cause after all this time I might've actually forgot what we did that day.  I do clearly remember trying to get a good family pic and failing miserably, again.  Seriously, it's like the kids are allergic to the whole concept.  And yet, I fight on.

Celebrating liberty with a ride on the boat!

Keeping watch.

See?  Now, everyone smile at.the.same.time.

Went to mom's for her big 4th of Joy July party!  Super-fun and festive!

Dad praying over a lot.of.kids.

Super-cute!

Legal fireworks!

We shot some more off at our house and then bolted to Pullman where we were just slightly late for the big show.  It was beautiful and loud and perfect.  Such a fantastic summer day!



I'm soooo booooored!!!!!

School starts in just over three weeks from today....better start having some fun!!!

Will's Fly Fishing Debut

Will has been tying his own flies for some time and has come out with some gems. It was high time to get out on the water and test them out, so, we headed to the St. Joe to see what we could do. 

Dad gave Will a 1 wt. fly rod to train on and he did pretty good with it. It is tough to cast at the Joe since there is always something behind you, so we did a lot of roll casting.

 

Getting some hands-on training...

Couldn't go to the Joe without dipping my line in as well...

Will eventually moved over to a spinning rod and started getting out to where the fish were located. Here he is with a nice 15-incher that he hooked and landed all on his own.

 

Good three generation photo...

 

Will was eager to try out the flies he had tied. So we found a good hole that didn't require him to cast too far and slapped on his best looking fly and got back on the fly rod. Within a couple of casts he had hooked and landed his first cutthroat...by himself... on a fly... that he tied!

I think all three generations were pretty proud and satisfied getting to experience that event.

He landed another one shortly after that.

Then, off home again. Will sacked out in the back hard until he started dreaming and then woke yelling, "I got him, don't worry, I got him." Not sure if the fish was bigger in the dream or in reality.

Swim Lessons: Fun Day!!!

Sara and Ben wrapped up their final week of swim lessons on Friday.  They both passed the turtle class with flying colors, and I was so excited that I went and signed them right up for another two weeks in the big frog class!  I can't believe we are checking another milestone off our list:  4 kids swimming.

As usual, they got to spend the final Friday doing the slides.  They aren't tall enough to ride during open swim hours, so this is a huge privilege that they'd been waiting for all summer! 

Ben said, "I'm so excited I'm getting the creeps!!!"

Both of them are super-brave, and even managed to talk the instructors into letting them ride alone:

FIRST TIME EVER!!!

My little swim monkey!

I wish I could see his face better.  I'm sure it is sheer terror!

Frogs start 9 am: tomorrow!!!  Woohoo!

I'm no Monica Geller.

So Joe gave me a label maker for my birthday this year, so that I can finally achieve my life-long dream of becoming neurotically organized.

Turns out, it also doubles well as a diversion from cleaning toilets, which is what I'm supposed to be doing right now.

Truth be told, this feels more productive.

Swim Lessons.

So we signed up the littlest two Casebolts for some swim lessons this summer.  It was a bit chilly the first morning (nothing compared to the June sessions which managed to dip into the 40s, so we were grateful for July heat).
Ben was excited for-ever, so when I got up the first morning, I found this by the front door: towel, trunks, and his fastest pair of shoes.

 

As the kids chit-and-chattered their little purple selves to the car afterwards, Ben says to Sara, with righteous indignation, "Hey!  You didn't tell me the swim lessons were at the pool!"

"I thought you knew!" Sara shrugs, nonplussed.

"Noooo, I diddddn't." he says, totally peeved.

 

I actually love their post-pool conversations.  I popped into the middle of one today:

"....my wife.....  But she's dead."  says Ben.

"Your wife's dead?"  Sara says suspiciously.  "So where is she buried then?"

"Buried?" says Ben, rolling that word around his mouth for maybe the first time ever.

Haha!  she thinks.

"She's buried in Ok-la-ho-ma!"  says Ben, loving this word too.

"Oklahoma?"  Sara says with a snort.  "No one gets buried in Oklahoma."

Summertime slumber.

The boys like to bunk together in Ben's little bed rather than Will's room, which has two beds.  This of course, leaves no room for all Ben's sons (I think we're at 8 or 10 now...).  Add Will's favorite buddies, and you have a gen-u-wine slumber party.

Decked out for VBS

Sunglasses?  Check.

Belt?  Check.

Vest?  Check.

Backpack and Super-Hero Cape?  Check, check.

This dude's too cool for school.

Channeling the Bronte sisters...

...a little jaunt through the moors in the drizzle.

One of the cooler days this summer, we took full advantage: movies, baking, and melodrama. 

Love it!