Drive to Idaho

We made it to Rexburg! And boy am I excited to be here. The drive here was extra long this time, and my butt is still recovering from sitting for so many hours.  

My drive began at 8:15am in Ocean Shores(which I'm not quite ready to blog about because it makes me so sad!) where I drove for around 2 1/2-3 hours to Scott's parents house. I picked up my boys, and we headed to Boise.

On the drive, maverick said he had to pee. I instantly pulled over not wanting an accident in the car. When we stepped out of the car, it was ridiculously windy. I pulled Mavericks pants down, and he started peeing right there on the side of the road. Then Lincoln decided to pee next to him, and soon the wind was blowing both their streams onto my feet and legs. There was absolutely nothing I could do! I started laughing before grabbing a blanket and wiping my feet then hopping back into the car! 

The joy of being a mom to boys...

Finally we got to Boise at around 7:15! 

I got to hold my sisters baby, and I just snuggled up to him almost the entire time. He is such a sweet baby, and it made me want another one! Just waiting on Scott! 

We stayed two nights at my sisters house, and on Saturday we all went dirtbiking. It was so much fun!! I haven't done much dirtbiking that isn't on flat ground, and it was such an adrenaline rush to go up steep hills. Lincoln is getting really good at riding considering he is only six. The entire time i was missing Scott because I know how much he would have loved to be here with us. I think I sent him a million texts and pictures with how excited I was! 

Then Saturday night, we headed to Rexburg, and now we are here! 

FHE boating

On Sunday our church friends asked when we were going to take them boating. Scott said, "you set it up, and we will be there!"

Well they decided to go with it, and Sunday night I got a text, "boating for FHE. Meet at the Mortons. I'll bring dessert." It made me laugh, but I was excited! 

We showed up a little before we were suppose to get there, and I did some wakeboarding. I've been watching YouTube videos to learn some new tricks because I'm terrible and Scott is an even worse teacher. I know that sounds crazy, but I need to see how things are done!

I did a grounded 180(just switching which foot is forward while moving). But I could not go further than 15 feet with my right foot first. I crashed probably 5 times before calling that trick a dud! Then I tried jumping. Which scares the crap out of me! I'm terrified of catching an edge after having a horrible crash last year. Well I maybe got 6 inches out of the water (hooray!!) and did it several times. On the way back, I jumped and caught my stupid edge and flew forward on my face. It hurt! My lip immediately started swelling . Ugh! After that, I wakeboarded one more time, so I wouldn't end on that note. 

Then we went boating and tubing with our friends. I made Kara come too even though she was having an awful day. Obviously I would make her happier, and I did! I'm awesome. 

One of our friends gave the spiritual message, and then we had dessert. We ate Angel food cake and the boys went swimming off the dock. It was so fun! The water is super warm this year, and we all wanted to stay in it to keep warm. 

Anyways, we are really bad at having FHE, so it was good to get back into it. Maybe we'll be better at it!!

Another Perfect 4th of July

Once again we celebrated another perfect 4th of July. This is Lincoln's favorite holiday, and well, I freaking love it too! I have a lot of pictures, so I'll keep my talking short and sweet for the people that don't like reading (you know who you are). 

We woke up and got ready for the parade. My baby boy refused to wear anything but boots, so I grabbed some sandals and threw him in the car. Here he is showing off his boots.

While we were driving Maverick started crying that he was the only one that didn't have sunglasses(whoops!) so Scott found some protective glasses and put them on him. He had no idea they were clear and don't work! 

We have gone to the Everett Parade every year since we have lived here, so this was our 4th time! We rode the bus, and we got to sit in the awesome middle seats that move(the bus is basically two busses stuck together).

Then we sat with a group of my friends and their families: Candace, Leslie, and katie. It was fun to see them and watch our kids play together. 

Scott is an incredible dad! I know I say that a lot, but it really is the reason I love him so much.

When we got home, we relaxed until Grandma and Papa Roberts showed up for our BBQ and fireworks. When they got here, we immediately started blowing stuff up in cans and buckets. 

We have this giant heap of rocks in our driveway, and we used it to hold bamboo sticks. Finally the rocks served a purpose! Scott and Bill were making this tinfoil ball shoot 50 ft into the air.

The rocks were also a great place for the kids to play...

Then it was time to eat! My friend Kara came with her family, and then we invited our neighbors Tyler, Samantha, and their daughter Evelyn over. It was totally last-minute, but I LOVE having people over! 

So when Kara was buying fireworks, she asked me what to get, and I said, "Snakes! They're so cool and kids love them!" She then asked the lady for 12 boxes of snakes in which the lady gave her a really confused look. When we began lighting them, Kara almost kicked me, "These are the snakes?!? You wanted me to buy these?!?" She thinks they are the dumbest things ever! I was laughing so hard I was almost crying, but thankfully her daughter said they were her favorite firework....so I win!

We had a ridiculous amount of sparklers. I'm talking over 100, so I made every single person do at least two. Man, it was hard to get some of the adults to do it!

Kara and her family!

I told Kara to take a selfie with me, and she wasn't showing her teeth! So I yelled at her to show some teeth, and she goes, "I don't want to look like those white people that smile so cheesy." Then she looks over at her husband and they both start cracking up because apparently I'm one of those "white people."

Then she brings out this delicious chicken that is incredibly spicy, and as Scott is eating it through tears, she says, "I don't know how to cook white people food!"

In case you were wondering, she's white! 

After destroying two buckets, Scott and Ali decided to blow up food...first on the hit list, a hot dog.

It definitely exploded, and a piece of meat hit my shirt. Gross!

When it got dark, we pulled out the big fireworks! Holy crap! My whole chest could feel the explosives. 

We shot around 24 of these babies into the air, and by the end, I was ready for bed! 

This was definitely an unforgettable fourth, and I am already looking forward to next year! I feel so blessed that I got to celebrate it with my amazing friends and family. When I laid in bed that night, I was so overwhelmed with thankfulness that I got a little teary-eyed. Why am I so dang lucky? Seriously! My life is very, very good right now. 

Scott's parents spent the night, and the next morning we woke up bright and early to go to church. Scott is incredible, and even though we had a late night, he woke up at 5:30 to head to church for bishopric meetings. Going to church was a great way to end our holiday celebrations, and now I'm going to bed!

Sorry! once again, I talked more than I planned!

Stuffed Animals

Today the boys and I relaxed and sat around being lazy. Actually, if I'm being honest, I was the lazy one. I kept getting distracted by my amazing friend Adrianne and suddenly half my day was spent texting! Speaking of Adrianne, she invited me on a trip with her in two weeks, and I am beyond excited! I have never left my boys in 6 years. (Scott has taken Lincoln on campouts though, so I suppose I have spent the night alone.) This is going to be something new for me, and if it wasn't her asking me to go, I would probably say no. 

Anyways, back to my lazy day...I was feeling guilty for basically ignoring my kids, so we went to the park and got lunch at the school. While we were at the school, they gave out free stuffed animals. All these kids ran up to get one, and my two were shoved to the back. I have the most timid children ever! After almost every stuffed animal was gone, I finally went up there with them. Lincoln grabbed one, but maverick stood in front of the table with his hands clasped together and the sweetest face. He just stared at the animals with complete awe. I asked if he wanted one, and he gently nodded his head. I pointed to the turtle, and he nodded his head again. When I handed it into his arms, he instantly squeezed it tight and smiled huge. 

Sometimes I get frustrated by their shyness, but I'm thankful they aren't the aggressive kids shoving their way to the front with little regard for people around them. They are both very aware of other children's emotions and feelings. When I think about it, if the only thing I teach my children is to love people around them, then I will have succeeded as a mom. That's always been my main goal; loving without judgement. So far my boys are succeeding at emulating this type of love.

Here they are with their stuffed animals. Can they be any cuter? Heck no! Man I love them.