Home By the Creekside

Do not get me wrong. I really like staying home with my kids this summer instead of working. Lately, they have been driving me nuts. Really nuts! If it is not the fighting, it is the whining and saying unkind things to each other. I know....welcome to motherhood and staying home full-time with my adorable kids.When they get this way, I feel like I am trapped in a tiny box and my kids are on outside beating and kicking and the only thing I can do is roll up into a ball and hope it will pass. I know some of you know that feeling especially you stay home all the time moms! :) Even when I am teaching, my students do this but in other ways that drive me just as crazy as my kids. My students will talk too much, be fidgety, or even argue with each other at recess. My husband would just roll his eyes when I would complain of how tired I am of my students behavior. But it does pass and they are angels once again until IT happens again. So after my walk with my good friend, I look up and lo! a...

T he kids love holding the sparklers and waving them. I really love fireworks! We love that we live here in Idaho and get to light fireworks. It is a luxury for us since we could not light them in Arizona. My brother and his family were up here for the 4th. We had a good time with them and we did not even have a brotherly/sisterly fight. We must be growing up. Next year, we would like to go and do more festivities. We took everyone to Menan for the fireworks show. I think they are really nice ones. Heck, it beats sitting in 105 degree temps watching the fireworks. That is something that we do not miss from AZ. Even though Idaho Falls is supposed to have the best fireworks west of the Mississippi, we have yet to brave sitting in the sun for 5 years I mean hours waiting for them. I have no patience especially when it comes to keeping Lyndee and Brayden out of everyone's way.

We decided to forego the mountains for our backyard. We set up our tent. Clayton should be a pro at it now. We started a fire in our pit and roasted marshmallows. The kids loved the s'mores! My cutie pie nephew, Tyler, totally had lots of fun sleeping outside in the tent and of course, eating s'mores. It was his first time and wants to do it again. I forgot to change Lyndee's pj's to warmer ones. As a result, she wanted inside around 3am. Clayton took her in and she finished her rest in the luxury of her room. I can tell you this we were all up pretty early that morning except for Brayden who burrowed down inside his sleeping bag.

I enrolled the kids into their first swimming lessons here in Idaho Falls. It is at the aquatic center. It is actually a nice place and the kids have a part where they can stand in the water without drowning. They are enjoying them so far. Although Lyndee can't sit still and Brayden is so eagar to start swimming, I can tell that they are having fun.

I always hate reading blogs where people just gripe and whine about things or their life. Life is too short. My focus is to share our positive family happenings or feelings. Although, yesterday was a real tough day with the kids especially my son. I can't help but think about how much I love my kids and how blessed Clay and I are to have them be a part of our family. Even if my son threw 3 screaming tantrums yesterday starting when he woke up and fights us everyday at bedtime. Even if my daughter plays with her feet in her bed before falling to sleep or has a crying scream that hurts everyone's ears because she can't find her tiger. Those are my precious ones that were placed in my care. This here is my favorite part. I love watching them sleep. I keep thinking about the Trace Adkins song about how I am going miss this and want these times back. I am putting that song on my playlist.

Even though I miss my family and friends in Arizona. I do not miss the Arizona desert heat. One thing I love about summer here (right now), is that my two lovely munchkins can burn off all their extra energy outside. It is not too hot. My kids love riding their motorcycles (that's what they call them) up and down our drive way. It never bores them. Clayton and I bought some yard toys at Fry's in Mesa that we could play together as a family. The kids were so adorable trying to use them. They may be a little to young for them. But, they had a blast.

I love raspberries and strawberries. They remind me of my summers in Oregon at my grandparents' house. So.... we went to get strawberry and raspberry starters from a teacher friend of mine. We planted them in our side yard where our garden was last year and was supposed to be this year but the landscapers covered it with grass. I figured now we can have a berry patch! Then, we went to an awesome nursery today and picked up some flowers (shown in the picture). I love petunias and snapdragons. We even got a snowball bush. Clay and I both had one in our yards growing up. We were so excited to get one. Now all we need to do is plant them and drug them with miracle grow.