She's 8!

Somehow my baby turned 8. We are so proud of her and who she is and who she is becoming. She is such a good big sister, a wonderful example to us and all around her. She is smart, kind, silly and has the best laugh ever! 

Birthday boy!

Our favorite man had a birthday in November. He is the best Daddy and such a wonderful husband. We love him and are so blessed that he is in our lives.

A few touch-ups

I had the remodel itch this fall. My friend Heidi and I started by refinishing my banisters. They went from a maple to a beautiful white. My house was a mess for two days- but it was worth it. 

Then I brought in the big guns for some kitchen and bath upgrades. Here are some before/after a.

I'll post a picture of my main floor bath another day!

Halloween

This year we had a puppy and a my little pony in our house. June especially was obsessed with all things Halloween this year! 

September

How did my babies grow so fast!? 2nd grade and PRESCHOOL!!!

We also had a first for our family! A broken bone. June fell at the park and fractured her arm in two places. It was sad but she looked adorable in that tiny cast!

We ended our September in Sun Valley with friends for a mountain biking trip. I should have taken more pics.

Ending our summer right!

Summer in North Idaho is amazing and we soaked up every last bit of it at Silverwood, with family and friends on the lake!

Family Reunion

FAMILY REUNION!

We took a road trip down to UT for the Calderwood family reunion in late July. We split the 10 hour drive into two days. Kelsi did great- we hardly knew she was in the car. June on the other hand let us know every 20 seconds that she needed something or had to go potty. 

Once we got to UT we had a great time! Waterpark and Calderwood jokes. Awesome!

The 4th

Johns sister Valarie and fam drove up from Boise to spend the 4th of July with all of us. We had lots of fun playing, having cousin sleepovers and just enjoying each others company. We watched the fireworks over Hayden Lake. We are blessed to live in such a wonderful country.

The summer is half over, but we are having a blast! We make weekly trips to the lake and silverwood, we hike to the most beautiful places and soak up the beauty that surrounds us. I am SO blessed to live here!

I was able to perform in the Sound of Music as the season closer of the Modern Theater. It was fun to book-end the season, first with Les Miserables and last with the Sound of Music. I was cast in the nuns ensemble as well as a few other parts such as Frau Zeller, Festival Trio member and my favorite "New postulant". The best part of participating in this play was all the wonderful people that I could interact with. It was 3 months of fun! I am very blessed to be able to have been a part of this production.

Father's Day

This man. He is such a great Father to his little girls. He is the best story teller, coach, game playing, tea party participant, and so much more. Our girls are blessed to call him Daddy.

MAY

May truly was a wonderful month. After I got back from Women's conference in UT - a few of my friends drove down to Moscow to spend time with Shawnte who just had her 4th baby - a sweet little girl. We ate good food and shared even better company.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with these two little beauties! My life is full of joy because of these two. (PS - take 2 of potty training was a breeze! June picked it up without one accident!)

 I ran the Brain Tumor awareness 5K in Spokane for the second time. My friend Jaclyn and I sang the national anthem. She has such an amazing voice! 2/3 of the race is UP a steep hill, so while I was disappointed that I didn't keep my time under 10/min mile - I was happy that I crushed my last years time. 10:07/miles.

 Silverwood opened and we have been spending a LOT of time there. June is a little daredevil and loves every ride she can go on and is sad when she is too short for others!

 The month ended with a birthday for another one of my favorite friends. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing examples of women.

1st annual sisters trip

 My sisters were are able to get together in May for the BYU Women's conference. Tamar and I flew down together to Salt Lake and met up with Shayla at the airport. We grabbed a rental car and went to an amazing Mexican restaurant! I haven't had such good Mexican food since I left California.

 We stayed in a VRBO condo in Orem and stayed up late playing games and laughing. We ate at some of our favorite places, shopped and shopped and shopped, went to the Payson Temple open house and hiked the Y.

 I love my sisters so much. We had a great time together and I can't wait for our adventures together next year!

.

Spring Vacation! 

I tried to do at least one fun thing every day while Kelsi was out of school.

One day we took the kids bowling. June LOVED it. She got SO excited every time she knocked down even 1 pin. She would jump up and down and yell "YES" and then run and hug me. Her big sister on the other hand would cry in frustration that she did not get any strikes. Spares were not good enough for her. Perfectionist through and through.

 We took the fam to the resort for "personal" size gooeys. Always a treat!

 The kids were fascinated with the coy aquarium

 We have been members of our local Kroc center for just about 6 years and finally went rock climbing. Kelsi was so excited and it started out rough - but she started to like it. I just need to invest in some sort of cushion device because the caribeaner(spelling?) kept digging into her.

 My favorite day was taking Kelsi on a mommy/daughter date. She was dying to go to "Applebees" for some reason. So we ate and then went to watch Cinderella. What a great movie! The message was incredible and I am glad I brought tissues.

 We also took the kids on a hike of Tubbs hill. It was Kelsi's first time around the whole hill. She did great! June did great too on my back. My shoulders were killing me about halfway thru - but I am glad she wasn't walking.

Kelsi is had a fun break but is ready to go back to school (she says she really misses writing). She is such a cutie!

Potty Training Take 1

The time has come to be rid of diapers. At least that is how I feel. June has been ready in all sense of the word except for one thing...she is afraid of the toilet. She has been telling me for months when she needs to go potty - but is so afraid of the toilet. But - I decided that I was boss (silly me) and told her we were ready for her to be a big girl. She was VERY excited about her prize bowls and was successful every time I let her go around pant- less. But it seemed anytime I put undies on her - she had an accident. Very frustrating.

 After just two days we took a break because my mom was coming up to visit and we didn't want to miss the fun. That third day - June held it for 6 hours and then freaked out when she had to go. She couldn't decide if she should go in her diaper or on her potty. After lots of tears - she finally let it out. The following day she had me change her diaper after EVERY time she went the bathroom (waste of diaper). Sometimes she would tell me to change it before she even went. We will pick it up again next month when I get back from a short trip with my sisters. Hopefully "Take 2" will be the trick just like it was for her big sissy. Have I mentioned this is my least favorite thing about parenting so far?

March with Friends!

My friend Shawnte was up for a visit in March - so of course we had to get some old friends together for catch up and CAKE! I love how comfortable I feel with these ladies.

 Mama Mia also came to Spokane - so we got our Abba on and had fun together.