Summer Fun

It's hard to believe that the summer is going by so fast already. It started so late here that it feels like it just got warm a week ago, but it's already the middle of July. As excited as we all are for the Delta trip to be coming up, we're a little dismayed that the 1st half of the summer has blown by so fast.

We have been packing as much a possible (to an exhausting degree, actually) into each week to take advantage of the weather. So here's a short rundown of how we have been spending the 1st half of our summer:

The Merc Campout - The Merc held it's first annual campout on the green a few weekends ago. Everyone pitched tents on the grass across from our house and spent the night. One of Jake's friends won a prize in the auction and was able to sleep in a ten on the Merc roof with a friend. So Jake spent the night in a tent on the roof, and Marisa and I slept with the little kids down on the ground. It was a lot of fun, even if it wasn't a lot of sleep. There were movies and a band, with smores and a pancake breakfast the next morning. Add to this the fact that we could just walk home and use our own bathroom and it was a really fun way to spend a night.

YMCA Flag Football - Last year when Jake did the YMCA flag football camp, the counselors asked me why he wasn't playing in the league since he was so good for his age. I didn't know there even was a league, so this year Jake is playing. It's a pretty wide age range of kids and Jake is by far the smallest kid on the team, but the coach has him playing quarterback again and he's having a great year. It's a short season, only six weeks with five games, but they got actual football jerseys, which Jake loves, and the games are really well run. Jake has a wide receiver on the team who is really good (tall and fast) and they've hooked up on a couple of touchdowns so far. Both of them are really into it and have brought plays to their coach together that they have been able to run in games.

The Crebars Visit Boise - Lisa, Clark and all the kids came thru Boise the week before last and

stayed for a couple of days. It was great to see them all again and was the 1st time Clark has been out since we moved. They stayed with us and it was a lot of fun to have kids everywhere in the house. The boys all slept in the big room and Faith and Kylie got to have a sleepover together each night (which Faith thought was the greatest thing ever). We went to the pool, out to dinner one night and just hung out. It was a great visit and we're looking forward to seeing them again next summer for another Daufel family trip to Lake Shasta.

The Pool - We have been living at the pool this year (we're heading out there again in a few minutes). It's gotten a lot better for Marisa and I the more water safe the kids have gotten. Jake is fine on his own and always runs into a friend or seven there to play with. There's a basketball hoop up this year and we bring a football so he's always off on his own. The little kids stay in the shallow end, but as long as they are there, they're fine on their own as well. They are both so good in the water that we don't have to watch them like hawks the entire time. We can read, listen to music or just visit with friends.

Marisa heads out to Pittsburgh for work this entire next week so I'm single dadding it for a week. The next week she's gone for two nights in Eastern Idaho, so I'm on my own again. After she gets back we leave for CA pretty quickly, which I have a sneaking suspicion I'll desparately need by then.

In the words of one of my favorite modern philosophers, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller

(That link always makes my day....) Enjoy your summer, I know we're enjoying ours.

Fourth Of July 2011

We were lucky enough to have guests in town, staying at Mom's house, for the last few weeks. Yet another California recruit to Boise! Sheila and Wayne decided to "live" in Boise for a few weeks to see if they might want to retire here in a few years (or sooner!). At first convinced they wanted to live in the North End, after spending some time in Hidden Springs walking the trails, eating at the Merc, and enjoying the scenery, I think they may now be leaning toward becoming our neighbors! It was so much fun having them down the street from us. The kids all loved "Funky Wayne" (named, much to Wayne's embarrassment, by Tanner when he was just starting to talk) and Auntie Sheila. I am pretty sure Sheila and Wayne haven't had that many hugs per day for a long time! We had lots of fun, including watching a Giants game at our houseone night, having a babysitter and going out with the adults to a great dinner and Allison Krauss concert, spending a day at Lucky Peak on the boat, and attending a Hawks baseball game and fireworks.

The kids did the neighborhood parade in the morning of the 4th. Tanner and Faith got to ride in the fire truck and throw candy out to all the parade watchers. This was thanks to the family of one of Tanner's best friends who works for the fire department. Jake rode his bike on his own and collected bags of the above mentioned candy. We only hung out for a little while at the concert/bouncy house/BBQ extravaganza because we had to do naps in order to be ready for the Hawks game. It was a busy 4th of July weekend but the Hawks game-ending in a walk-off home run in the 10th followed by an absolutely amazing and almonst-too-close-for-comfort fireworks display that went on forever- was worth it!

There was no time to be sad at Sheila and Wayne's departure, however, as four hours after they left for CA Brian's sister and her husband and five kids arrived to spend a few days with us. This is a huge treat for all of us, as the last time we saw them all was two years ago at Clear Lake. It is a short visit- just Tuesday-Thursday- and we have no plans, just a lot of hanging out together and enjoying each others company. I am sure there will be plenty of pool time tomorrow and then they are taking us all to dinner at Donnie Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine tomorrow night. They all get along so well together and seeing them together makes me wish once more that the Crebar's lived closer to us so the cousins could grow up together.

We love having visitors and even though our summer is a little chaotic and crazy I am enjoying every second of it and hoping it doesn't slip away too fast!