Some things we've done the last few months:

 .....playing at the park down the street one Sunday afternoon...

 ...catching this moment...

 ...and this one...

 ...Aspen made this cool heart on her dry erase board and Eric and I really liked it...

 ...Roo and I went out for icees at the gas station just outside the neighborhood one afternoon before school started...

 ...we joined Daddy for lunch...

 ...we finally made it to Roaring Springs water park one evening, and it got chilly pretty fast, but it was fun.  Birch wasn't happy to be there at first but then discovered the kiddie slides and was singing a different tune...

 

For some reason our kids like to sleep on hard, cold surfaces.  One night Eric and I found O like this, completely asleep.  He did it again the next night.

The next day after church the kids were watching Veggie Tales and Birch was too tired to stay awake. I'm guessing he was uber tired, because...this???

 ...Aspen playing on the mantel at her Grammie and Papa's house...

 and the kids started school...

 3rd and kindergarten...

 waiting outside for kindergarten to begin...O just had to be first in line...

 ...oh yes then this happened the following week...really kids?  Better than your mattress?

 ...Roo and I went running one gorgeous, brisk summer morning.  She really just wanted to run with her iPod and earbuds (just like her mama), which was pretty cute.  One of them kept falling out so she settled with wearing one.

I decided to tackle some trees in our yard that had turned to bushes.  See the large Magnolia above? Before....

 and after.

 This sad crabapple tree before...(sorry for the blur)

 and after.

 Oakley built the coolest version of a wooly mammoth with blocks....

 and B started preschool....

O and I made some spooky owl masks one day while Birch was at preschool.  I love all the colors Oakley used on his...

B made his first letter of the alphabet at preschool (A with Apple Jacks).  The next week he made B with beans, and then C with candy corn.  His letters are starting to line the top of our kitchen wall and will continue to grow through the year, just like we did with Oakley's.

 ...we took the kids to the Boise Balloon Festival; a large event here that we'd never been to before.  Aspen was at a friend's house that night but the boys got to see and touch a hot air balloon up close. We had to go home and get Aspen before we could see the balloons all lit up for the big event but maybe next year we can stay.

 ...we took the kids to the paddle boats one Saturday...

 ...and went miniature golfing at Wahooz.  O really liked golfing and would like to go again.  He must get that from my dad.

 Delicate Arch anyone??

 We were soooo slow; the poor people behind us.  But kids must take their time.

 

 ...one morning I came out of my bedroom to find all the kids cozied up and reading books.  It was a great moment.  O especially likes having a blanket over him when we read together.

 ...we attended the Scentsy anniversary bash with Eric's parents and some of our friends.  Here's Oakley and Toby waiting patiently to have their faces painted.  It was a really fun evening; they served everyone Hawaiian pork and rice for dinner, and had lots of fun things for the kids to do before it got dark.  Then....

 the fireworks!  The kids all had friends there so while we adults sat and chatted while oooohing and aaaahing at the fireworks the kids played in the grass under the show.  It must have been a little bit magical for them.  I know it was for me.  The only downside to the evening is that Eric was out of town that night.

 They played some great classic rock to the fireworks; I wanted to get up and dance ;)

The next day we met Eric's parents at Kleiner Park for a neurofibromatosis (NF) walk/run (superhero theme). Our niece Ellie was diagnosed with it last year.  The event was really well organized with oodles of stuff for the kids to do, and lots of free food.  The kids did a great job walking; we all had a great time and it was even more fun knowing we were helping Ellie.

 ...went to the store the other day and the kids had a blast looking at all the Halloween masks.  I got a laugh out of this one Aspen threw on...

 ...and the kids and I found a new park the other day that is so pretty!  Love it when that happens!