Linder Farms

This weekend was Carter's buddy, Daysen's birthday. Abby decided to have it out at Linder Farms. Along with the entire valley. I thought it would be dead considering there was a home BSU game. WRONG. Way wrong. There were so many people there.  I took Carter and decided to make it a day, just the two of us. We had a great time at the party! Here are some shots:

Abby, Brandon & Daysen {engagement}

One of my oldest and best friends, Abby, is getting married this fall.  I've known Abby since we were tiny kids, so her engagement and wedding photos are my gift to her.  Last weekend, we met up to do their pictures, which included their son, Daysen.  Here are some of their shots:

The Holiday Recap

What a busy weekend!!  We were going non-stop the entire holiday weekend, and what a great time we had!  We decided to have our annual 4th of July BBQ on Sunday - we had lots of friends and family over.  Everyone brought great food and we had a bunch of laughs.  Carter got to play with his buddy, Daysen the entire time, and Kendall was Ms. Smiley and Ms. Snoozer.  Here are some pictures from our BBQ. 

 Carter and Daysen

 Grammy Michelle and Kendall

Great-Grandma Dort and Kendall 

 After the BBQ, we broke out the fireworks. Carter and Daysen had such a fun time - it's so fun to watch the excitement in their faces as they watch the bigger fireworks, and do some of the smaller ones on their own.

 On the 4th, we decided to head to Eagle Island - we did this a couple years ago after the 4th, and had a great time.  It was definitely packed with people also enjoying the gorgeous weather.  The water was so refreshing!  Carter made lots of friends who wanted to take rides on the floating alligator.  It's always a big hit!

 And we built big sand castles...

 And got in water fights....

Even a great battle with another kid!  It was highly entertaining!

Last night, we didn't really plan on going anywhere to watch any of the big displays around town, but some of our friends were planning on watching the display put on at Meridian Speedway.  So we packed up the kids and met our friends there.  It was a fantastic show!  I didn't pack my tripod with me, so I made due with a makeshift one and did the best I could.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend......though I'm glad I have today off to wind down a little bit!  ;)

Play

Yesterday, we went out to visit my friend, Abby, at her new house.  The visit allowed Carter to play with his buddy, Daysen.  They jumped on the trampoline, played baseball, rode around on bikes, watched a little bit of a movie, etc.  It was a gorgeous afternoon and the boys had a blast!  Here is a picture from their day:

 Cracks me up - Carter's jump makes him look like a little leprechaun!

And yes, this little cute got her shorts on and came with us.  Forgive the blur - forgot to change settings, and just wanted to capture her partial smile.

A Weekend in the Snow

So I have had this sledding weekend planned for....oh....months now.  Months and months.  LONG months.  In fact, the last few weeks, I have desperately needed this trip to the cabin. So when Friday afternoon hit, I was running for the door at work!  We were on the road by 3:00, radio blaring, snacks being passed around, and a LONG line of traffic.  99% of the drivers were clearly headed to McCall for the Winter Carnival.  Us?  To our private winter wonderland.  It was the perfect weekend. 

We saw more deer and elk on the drive up than we ever have - they were all over the place, though we only saw one actually ON the road.  So we didn't have any scares or near-misses.

Once we arrived and got everything unpacked and put away, the fun began.  We were joined by my brother and his girlfriend, our friend Nicole, and our other friends, Abby and Brandon, and their son, Daysen, who is Carter's good buddy.

 First thing Saturday morning, after a big breakfast of course, we got all bundled up and made our way out into the snow.  There were several feet of the fluffy, white stuff - and ample base for sledding!  Carter and Daysen kept themselves busy on the 4 wheeler (no, the key wasn't in it) while we inflated the tubes and got the sleds ready to go.

The guys (mostly Eric) were in charge of pulling around the boys.

 Which is actually quite easy.....until you start the climb UP.  ;)  I was more than happy to be pregnant at this point - my hardest task was carrying around my camera.

 Let me tell you, these boys were hilarious once the high speed sledding began.  Carter was screaming like a crazed banshee, and Daysen was just scared speechless!  Both claimed to be scared, but as soon as the sled stopped, the giggling began and they begged for more.  So it was a good fear that they had inside them - and definitely one that entertained the on-lookers!

 Abby and Daysen

 Nicole and Carter

 Abby and Brandon

 Eric and Carter - look at those red cheeks!  It certainly wasn't cold (as you can tell by Eric's lack of coat) - Carter just plays so hard and his poor cheeks get so rosy.  This was near the end of our day, and he had hiked up those hills countless times.  And when there wasn't a sled available, his snowsuit was slick enough that he just sat down on his butt and went down the hill just like that.  It was too funny!

 The boys continued to run wild late into the evening (his cheeks are still bright red here), and when it was time for bed, trust me, it didn't take much more than a few minutes for them to completely pass out.

All in all, it was a damn good weekend.  Of course, it went by entirely too fast - as great weekends tend to do.  I can't wait for the next trip up there!