The ZOO!

We went to the Boise zoo with aunt Hailey, Tatum and Grandma Kay!  It was so much fun

We saw so many amazing animals

A komodo dragon!

A mommy giraffe and her baby...

We saw zebras

and TIGERS!  Those were a fav. for sure!!

Penguins and so much more...

There were so many fun things to do!  We LOVE going to the Boise Zoo!!

Air Show

We drove to Mountain Home Idaho to go to the air show!  We weren't quite sure what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised.  Kurtis and the boys LOVE airplanes, so they were in heaven.  Even those that aren't too fond of airplanes were quite impressed!  Our airforce truly is amazing!

The first thing we did when we got there was check the planes out!  They let us walk through a lot of the planes and pilots were there to inform us of the aircraft and what its purpose is.  Very fascinating (except for the fact that Kase wants to join the airforce now).

Kurtis inheritted his dads passion for aviation and (as luck would have it) he is passing it right on down to my sweet little boys.

"Yes, honey, you look cute in there... let's get down now!"

Kurtis (against my will) continues to reinforce how COOL this is!

These pictures really don't give these planes any justice.  Those are my kids standing under the tail wing.  That's what a monster this plane is!

After we checked all of the planes (and a few helicopters) out, the airshow began.  Once it started, it was non-stop entertainment.  From dragster cars to hang gliders, WWII bombers to todays F16 fighter jets.  The grand finale was the THUNDERBIRDS

And what a finale they were!  The six of them put on a 45 minute show choreographed to music.  It was unbelievable!

... and as luck would have it, Kase wants to be a thunderbird pilot!  "Awesome, honey!"

Kase's 7th Birthday Party

Kase's 7th birthday was an exciting one to say the least

Unfortunately, to start the day off, he had to wake up early and head to school :(

However, to brighten his day, Kash and mommy showed up at lunch time with his favorite lunch (cheeseburger happy meal) and they had lunch with him.

After Kase got out of school, we got ready to head to his party at Claybell Park

Kase and Elijah

All of his best friends were there!!!

Kase and Caden

We ate hotdogs (another one of Kase's favorites), had cake, opened presents, played and...

Went on a lizard hunt!!! It was super fun.

Some of Kase's favorite gifts this year included a fishing pole, tackle box (full of tackle), a Wii, binoculars and bird calls, and a nerf gun!  Thanks to all of our friends and family for coming and joining in the fun!

Kase's first day of 1st grade

George loves going to the bus stop!!!  He would love, even more, if I'd let him get on the bus!

Here's my handsome boy... and yes, his hair is waaayyyyyy too long, but he would NOT let me cut it!  He told me, "after five days of school, mom"!

After his first day of ALL day, I asked him, "did it seem like a long day, bud"?  He said, "no, it just seems like half day kindergarten"!  It seemed like he was gone FOREVER!!!

Kash's first day of Pre-School

Kash was super excited to start pre-school!

The first thing Kash told the teacher was, "Kase is my brother"!  It was so cute (Kase had the same pre-school teacher)
After school, his teacher said to me, "He really is the opposite of Kase"! 
As we walked back to grandma Sandi and Papa Ron's house (which is right across the street from the pre-school), Kash told me, "I love pre-school, mom".

Here he is the second day of school... super excited.  Let's hope this pattern continues throughout the year!!!

Banks Lake

We decided to go on a last minute camping trip...
We chose banks lake (the reservoir pumped from grand coulee dam).  I grew up going there every summer and thought everyone else would enjoy it.  I called the campground and as luck would have it, they had one camp site available.  It was our lucky day!!!  That never happens, this is way too good to be true.

So, we arrive friday early evening, and here's our campsite.  Waterfront (awesome), access to a dock (awesome), but literally, just to the right of that dock is the boat launch.  Alright, no biggie... we can handle a little boat launch action!

Uncle Jerritt builds an awesome campfire and we cook hotdogs (sick) and s'mores.  Go to bed and 3 a.m., a giant diesel truck sounds like it's parked on top of our tent.  Then, another truck, then guys chit-chattin'!  What the heck? 

As luck would have it, there was a bass fishing tournament that morning!  So, anxious fishermen and their LOUD trucks were filtering next to our campsite from about 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.  It was pretty hilarious, actually!

In the meen time, the kids wake up (the dog's been awake... whining and begging to go visit the fishermen) and we walk out to our convenient dock to go fishing.  Kase absolutely loves fishing!  He put the worm on his hook and everything.  He was a little hesitant to grab the fish, but he got the hang of it by the end of the trip.

Kash loved fishing also, but his fishing was a little different than most.  He doesn't fish for fish.  He just sits and plays with the worms.  He names them, measures them, compares them to one another.  And then, when Kase needs a new worm (which is every two minutes it seems because he is constantly casting and reeling in... casting and reeling in...), Kash takes his sweet time and pulls a worm out, "nope, not squirmy" puts it back, "nope, not slimy".  Then, the fights on.  Kase is chasing Kash telling him to just give him a worm, Kash is freaking out because there's apparently a certain order he wants these worms drown.  Oh... the joys of children!!!

We caught quite a few fish.  Some perch and some small mouth bass!  It was fun!  Later that day, we rented a paddle boat and paddled around the lake for a bit.  We also went to the tour of the dam and Saturday night, we went to the laser light show at the dam.  It was exactly the same as it was when I use to watch it as a kid.  Pretty cool.  The next morning, (3a.m.) we lucked out, it was a two-day fishing tournament!!  We ate breakfast, I think Kase drown a worm or two, we packed up camp, and headed home!  It was a pretty fun trip...

The Tail of a Squirrel

Kurtis calls me and tells me he found a baby squirrel lying under a tree near one of his job sites.

This is the picture he texts me!!!
"Oh my goodness, he's so cute!  Bring him home"!

So, I take this adorable creature (or varment, as aunt Hailey calls him) to the local feed store.  I show the owner the squirrel, and his brief response is, "what do you want me to do with it"?  Clearly, he's not as impressed with the squirrel as I am!  He rolls his eyes as he shows me to the kitten formula and bottles.                              

I bring him home, whip up a batch of kitten formula and dump it in one of those miniature bottles the feedstore man sold me... and, as luck would have, like my "real" children, we have a picky one on our hands.  He hates the nipples on those bottles.  Great!!!  I try all kinds of contraptions and we finally resort to a surrenge... and he takes it!!!  Yay!!!  This is a piece of cake...

He's got a full belly, we're off to a good start.  Google, here I come.  Caring for an infant squirrel.  Sweet!  All kinds of information, including the following:

How old is the baby?

1-5 days: tiny, size of a thumb, totally pink (no hair), formula every 1 to 2 hrs.... (NOPE)

5-10 days: development of soft, reddish, sable hair around nose and mouth, formula every 1 to 2 hrs.... (NOT OUR SQUIRREL!)

10 days to 2 weeks: grayish purple color on back, shoulder and head, belly and legs still pink, formula every 2 hrs.... (STILL NOT OURS)

2-3 weeks: gray/purple color deepens until the emerging hair is identified as hair, eyes still closed, formula every 2 to 3 hrs....

3 weeks: baby's lower teeth begin to emerge (hmmm... do you have teeth?  Yup, sure enough), hair is now slick and shiny, still no hair on legs and belly, formula every 2 to 3 hrs....

4 weeks: has light gray-brown hair all over except lower legs, eyes still closed, formula every 3 hrs.... hmmm. we could have a winner!!!  (Formula every 3 hrs... Are you kidding me???)

So, I am (unfortunately) becoming attached to this creature as we've been spending the wee hours of the night AWAKE together!

Kurtis is pretty attached as well...

Ok, a week of every 3 hrs.  what are we in for next?  When can he come off this formula and eat some nuts?  Back to google...

5 weeks: thicker hair, including legs and belly.  Tail hair is short, straight and lies parallel with the bone.  Formula every four hrs., eyes open... (Awww... sweet, an extra hr. in between feedings.  I'm in heaven....YEP, YEP, YEP... that's him).

5-6 weeks: Upper front teeth begin emerging (eeeek, that makes me a lil nervous), begins curling tail over back (awww... cute)

6-7 weeks: fully furred, sleeping less with more active periods (awesome), offer Zupreem primate chow, fruit and a couple slices of avacado (is this a joke?), formula as much as the baby wants (Ok, so does he really want it at 1:30 a.m.?  I sure do hope not).

7-8 weeks: tail is fluffy (cute), should be placed in a cage with plenty of room to play (What the hell?  Tell me more people... why a cage?  He does just fine in his laundry basket, with grandma Sandi's heating pad!), formula 3 times a day, plus solid food listed above; add broccoli, green beans and other veggies except corn and sweet potatoes.

8-9 weeks: Looks like a miniature squirrel (cute, our lil baby all growed up!)  Very active and and shredding your sweaters, curtains, furniture, and arms with its claws, has lost infant appearance (HOLY...What in the world did I get myself into?)

9-10 weeks: develops more muscular physique, formula 2 times a day, add corn and sweet potatoe to diet (this is ridiculous, my kids don't have this well of a balanced diet)

10-12 weeks: about 3/4 full size - release at 12 weeks (release at 12 weeks, ya freakin right, get me the abandoned squirrel hotline.  There's gotta be someone that will take him before that 8-9 week mark!!)  Will reject formula during this period (thank goodness), add to food list a couple almonds or pecans a day and a small handful of large stripped sunflower seeds.

The destroyer!!!       

...to be continued