random September post

Every once in a while (okay, like twice times in the last two months), I have no ideas for the random collection of photos in my iPhoto folder. Therefore, the random post fills the gap!

Behold, some pictures of the kids playing at Canyon Lake on a beautiful September morning, just before fall began.

This particular morning the kids and I visited all three playgrounds, thereby fulfilling the kids' (Samuel's) desire to play there...which was voiced every time we had driven by (practically daily). Notice how happy Samuel is! :D

I posted this one on Instagram. So pretty with the tree and the green and the light. 

Terry snapped this of me reading Classical Conversation timeline cards to the kids one morning. 

Terry took the kids to the dentist one Friday morning while I was on a coffee date. When the three older kids were done Ezra insisted it was his turn. He's not old enough yet but they humored him. 

Selfies are okay when you have a cute little boy willing so sit on your lap. 

Alan Shlemon from Stand to Reason, a podcast we listen to regularly, was in town for a conference and we tagged along for an evening of visiting at a new friend's house. The boys almost watched a 3D movie - we switched to a Blu-ray - but they looked so cute in those glasses.

Noah's Suzuki recital

Earlier in the same day that we went to see Tim Hawkins, we had a family get together at our house for dinner and a little piano recital. Noah had memorized all of these Suzuki songs during the last two years of piano lessons and before he could move on to new ones, he needed to perform them.

It was a quick thing, no more than fifteen minutes. But even I was impressed at how much he had memorized. 21 songs!

Such concentration. Ha!

Here is a small sample of one of the harder songs towards the end of his recital (when everyone was getting sleepy). 

fun together - Hawkins and the boat

The weekend before my birthday, we went to see the comedian Tim Hawkins with Terry's folks and Shari and Jesse! We have most of his DVDs and employ his jokes around the house all the time. This was actually our second time seeing him live and it was even better than the first time.

Hello grumpy photo bombing lady behind us! I hope her frown turned upside down once Tim got started.

My favorite part was when he joked about all the silly things moms say and do. I was crying!

Two days before we had been out to the ranch to take a look at Terry's great grandmother's 1976 Chrysler New Yorker. We could fit all of our children in that trunk ;)

All four fit comfortably in the back seat!

Cute little faces.

The following weekend we went out again to try and get the old thing started and maybe drive it around. After replacing the spark plugs, adding new fuel, and airing up the tires, the engine actually turned over and we got to go for a ride. Talk about a boat right?!

I had heard stories about this car and how it just floated along the road and you didn't feel any bumps in the road. While we were fixing it up Terry told me about how when they'd go visit his great grandmother in Montana she'd have them load up and drive them around the city. As a kid he was less than interested but now it sounds like such fun!

Plenty of room for this Six Pack plus Snap dog!

Such a beauty! 

It was a lot of fun to ride around in her and I got to see first hand what a smooth ride she is. 

After our little drive we took the four wheelers out for a less than smooth ride around the ranch but just as fun. Ha! 

The last time we visited, this stock pond was completely empty. Just a couple days of rain filled it up at least a little.

my 35th birthday

Two weeks after Terry's birthday was mine, my own, my preciousssss. Urm, I mean it was my birthday. I turned 35 or as Terry likes to say, I'm halfway to 70.

Terry suggested to Jazmin that they take me mountain biking. He didn't have to twist my arm or theirs! Off to Bone Collector we went. That was the same location where nearly two weeks earlier we biked in the rain. Here on this cliff is approximately the same location where we took our group picture amongst the clouds, but obviously this day it was perfectly clear.

The view! This is overlooking Johnson Siding and Rimrock Church.

After our slow climb to the top of the hill we stopped at the first obstacle, a log, and Zoe grew bored. To entertain herself she started bouncing on a skinny pine trees. Around the bend she was bored again and used another tree is hang off of.

Further down I made Zoe pose with the largest collection of bones on this ride, this skeleton with a new pumpkin head. Oh, and Denise being awesome behind her.

My scary face was actually very similar to the face I was given for our forking incident. Thanks Natasha!

Happy face. 

I got home around lunch time and just hung out for the afternoon. Since it was such a beautiful day, all for me, I wanted to spend more time outside. Thanks to some coupons, we picked up dinner (Culvers for the kids and Qdoba for adults) and went to eat at Sioux Park. 

We returned home in time to meet my folks for cake and presents. 

During Terry's birthday I had told him I'd prefer a cake made by my mom over a "meh" store bought one and that's what I got! 

Sometimes, or rather often times, I am over come by the desire to consume my youngest, squishiest child. Poor Ezra gets quite tired of this...but I don't!

My first gift was these lovely round lilac magnets from my brother the wood maker. 

Terry took over my job as photographer for the night and took a great deal more photos than I usually do. I think he especially attempted to capture me making weird faces because there's a whole lot of them. Either I was hamming up or I always make weird faces. Who can say?  

The kids get bored when they don't have stuff to open so they have to find ways to entertain themselves. 

A semi captive audience. 

Mom gave me a quality fry-pan and this shawl she crocheted herself. I've been wearing it on cool mornings during school! Oh, and Evie planted me some flower seeds she picked out especially during a trip to Hardware Hank that morning with daddy while I was biking. 

The kids were properly engaged after the presents were opened because it was time for the final act - a riddle guided treasure hunt. 

I was given the first card with this riddle in it to solve and move on to the next clue. The riddles were what Terry and the kids had spent most of the morning working on. Noah came up with this one all on his own!

I could not figure out what "gold" meant. Classic over think. I thought they were talking about real gold all the while everyone was saying the answer. They meant gold fish!!

The second clue was written by Evie. She might have had some help but not all that much I don't think. 

There was a "Warriors" cat book on the table next to the fish tank and that is where I found the next clue.

On the cat book was this clue by Terry. I incorrectly went to the tea drawer and came up empty. So next I correctly went to cupboard with the play tea set. 

Stuck in the tea pot was this riddle from Noah:

Inside the tea pot was another riddle by Noah. 

I got this one right away - under my pillow.

The kids were bouncing along behind me so excited to watch me figure it all out. What good kids. Under my pillow was the final clue, which again, I guessed right away.

Behind my pink dress coat in the storage/utility room in the dungeon was a big ol box! What fun, what fun!

We went upstairs where the littles were bored again. Time to fly planes. 

I started unwrapping my gift and apparently made this face... I'm considering making it my profile picture.

Terry panned back to Ezra. This one cracks me up. 

He got me a blender/food processor! I've been making smoothies for months and our generic blender was pretty terrible. This new one has been working great! Thank you Terry and kiddies. You worked so hard and made my day extra special. I love you!