Ok. . . .One More!

That's it. . . . .. . . . most likely.. . . . .. . or not. . . .. .can't decide. . . .

Flying High!!!

And we mean that literally!!!!

We have literally been flying high lately. Here are a few pictures to let you in on why!

We have been doing a lot of motocross lately which we all love! Daddy even won his race and took 2nd in the other giving him the overall win! Go Daddy!!! As a family, we love the sport. It gives us an outlet we all enjoy and we can cheer each other on. Even Annelise, who would rather play with her "girl stuff" and read, has a great time spending the day with family and making new friends.
We also love Child Watch while Brayton swims or Mommy goes to the gym. Bodie has recently discovered his love of crafts and is often found at the craft table with other kids!

We have been love, no LOVING, the mud too!!! Every time I turn around I have three naked babies dancing through the puddles. Some of my favorite memories as a kid were playing in the mud and it's something i rarely discourage. Who doesn't wish we could go back to the day when a good mud pie was the best dessert???

Brayton has been learning how to test his skills. This gym at the ""Wild in Wilton" carnival really tested his strength. He was, by far, the youngest man doing the challenge and made it all by himself every time. This is one tough kiddo!!!

A day at the races riding with Daddy. I love to see how this family is woven together by these little things.

Wathcing and learning from Daddy what the races are all about. Bodie is really interested in following in Daddy's footsteps and becoming a racer! There is no doubt he will have lot's and lot's of support!

More fun in the mud!

Sometimes we are just flying high because we are happy. No reason at all for it. Just a song in our heart and smile on our face.

We have been loving our time at a park near by as well. Learning to test our strength and daring ourselves to do new things. Like being a monkey! It also feels good to have some support when we need it!

For this little girl, well, it would be hard to see her UNhappy. She ooooozes happiness most of the time. She is just easy like that. Smiley, lovey, and sweet. She is my simple girly-girl!

Adventures have made us happy lately, too!

Time with family has also made us happier than a pig in poo! This summer has been great for seeing my cousin Brandy and her family. It has been one of my favorite things about moving here. She makes me laugh and the children all seem to have a genuine love for each other. I love seeing them! We also got to spend time with my Dad this summer. He came for an all too brief visit but it made my summer!!! We all enjoyed his humor and were fully entertained by his stories. No one can tell a better story and I know we all miss him every day!

We have also been happy lending each other a hand. Taking each other on a ride and sharing our favorite things, like dirt biking!!!

We are simply having a great summer!!! Not our typical summer of jet skis and the ocean but a new kind of summer. Seems to us that if you choose to be happy, you will be!!! We find that with every day our children grow older, they get more and more fun. More challenging as well but worth every minute!!!! What are you flying high over this summer? If you can't think of anything, you better get going! Life is too short not to be thrilled and excited about something every day!!!

Look Mom. . .No Training Wheels!!!!

The request was so simple. "I want my training wheels off, Daddy!"
So, that is exactly what he did. Little Bodie took off his training wheels with no help at all. Grabbed the wrench and went to work.

A few times up and down the long drive. . . . .

. . . .and he was off and riding!!!!!

Now, like a pro, he can get on his bike, ride, and do it all over again as often as he wants with no help at all. Took about 20 minutes for him to get the hang of it and now we officially a "No training wheel" boy!!! Daddy was BEAMING with pride that his 3 year old can ride now! It's probably only a matter of days before he asks to take the training wheels off his dirt bike but we might be ready for it (emotionally) when he does! We are sure proud parent's this week of our little man!!!! Go Bodie!!!!!!!

One more Mckmama

One of my favorites. . . . Since I rarely make a single picture, it is nice to see a picture that reflects our life with me in it. The busy adventure of our life that seems the most precious when we are enjoying the little things.

Thank you MckMama

The week after we returned from Idaho, we headed straight east to a town near Minneapolis for a photo shoot with Mckmama. Also known as Jennifer McKinney. While the weather did not cooperate with us at all, in fact it rained our entire photo shoot, we still had a great time and she managed to capture some great shots. These are just a few I picked to show everyone. While no one picture came out perfect of all three, every picture seemed to show their personalities and silly nature perfectly. In the end, what I really want to freeze is who they are and not the perfect sitting where we are all upright and tidy. That wouldn't be us at all! So, thank you Jennifer for freezing this age for me beautifully!!! They are indeed perfect!

Big Boy "B"

It really is hard to believe that there are no more babies in the house. Hard to believe that we are in full toddler frenzy here but we love every minute! Brayton turning two has been some big stuff around here. Our first party in ND and our first chance to celebrate with new friends and even some family! Here are a few pics from the party.

Aiden, Bratyon, and his look-a-like pal Alex! Alex has been a fun buddy for Brayton and is only a month older.

The children all go a little crazy whent he candy falls! Pinata fun at another birthday party!

A full day of BBQ, pinata's, cake, water slides, dirt bikes, friend's, and fun! The day was predicted to have rain and drizzle but ended up being PERFECT for lot's of water and outdoor play. A great handful of new friend's and even some family came on over to celebrate the big day. My cousin Brandy and her family even stayed the whole weekend which made it extra special! The gorgeous prairie sky is a highlight after a quick burst of rain that night! Our Idaho mountains were sure beautiful but we are certainly enjoying the view from here as well.

The water slide was a major hit! In fact, we didn't take it down for a week. Just moved it around the yard and the kid's play on it almost every day. Well worth it!

"Cars" was the theme since he is a little obsessed with it right now. He had Lighning McQueen everywhere! Even the pinata! Singing happy birthday is the moment I always realize we are moving to the next age. Not sure why but it kind of chokes me up every time.

Brayton getting jiggy with his cake! Sugar treats are not lost on this boy! He loves a little sugar more than his brother and sister ever did! It was so much fun to see him be celebrated! We were also especially grateful to show our new friend's how much we appreciate their friendship.

And now we are two! Brayton has had some major big steps this year as well. He can go poo and pee int he potty and we are working on being 100% toilet trained. He talks up a storm and can immitate almost anything we say, including things he shouldn't! Uh-oh! He can do lot's of things himself that include getting his own yogurt, sitting on the potty with no help, getting out all his toys and putting them away, riding a trike, and he also colors a mean picture!! He is a spit fire and a dare devil who loves swimming and his siblings. Never passes on a cuddle and is quickly changing from a Mommy's boy to a Daddy's boy. He can make you laugh all day and also grit your teeth. He is just the best surprise we never knew we could get!

Happy Birthday to you, Brayton!!!! We all love you and are so proud of you!!!!

Bismarck's Record Flooding

If you haven't heard, which would be almost impressive at this point, Bismarck (along with numerous other cities and states) is at an all time record flood stage. I tried my best to take pictures of the panic and devestation this small city is up against but they really do it no justice at all.

For reference, this is a small park on the Missouri river. This boat is now completely surrounded by water and if you look, you can see the TOPS of the trees in the water.
This is what much of the city looks like. Homes with moving trucks moving everything out down to the furnace, sand bags and destroyed grass from all the traffic. No children out playing or riding bikes because they also know the seriousness of the situation and are working along side the adults to save their homes.

This is what thousands of volunteers are doing at one of the MANY sand bagging locations. They say we already have over 4 million sand bags here and will be at 8 million when the town is secure. That doesn't include the massive amounts of dirt that have been trucked in to build dikes all around the town.

The rest rooms at a local park. I read that every tree or shrub under water will most likely die as well. That means that this mature shaded park will changed when the water finally decides to leave.

This playground hasn't seen a child all summer and was one of the first places to be flooded. Now, this play structure is almost completely covered. Now you can only see about the final foot of it above water.

There, of course, have been the good things. People helping one another and coming together, the united front of a city that feels under attack, a rush of gratitude for having time to save what they could, and the all too often needed reminder of what is truly important.

The river beds are forever changed along with the people but it has, once again, shown me the strength of people and the generosity of strangers. North Dakota continues to amaze us even in their darkest hours. Please keep this community and everyone in it in your prayers and thoughts as they wait out the flood.