Thank you Krazy Coupon Lady!

In case it's not apparent, we have train enthusiasts lovers in our house, and have wanted to take them on a train ride with Thunder Mountain RR in Banks, ID for some time. The cost has kept us from pursuing this. Enter my new find of Krazy Coupon Lady's blog and we got to go for cheap! Thank you KCL! All I had to do was tell Ryan about it and he called up and made reservations for our family.

We drove up to Horseshoe Bend after a rainy morning garage sale and to enjoy the Wild West Train ride. There were some actors who were playing the Hatfields and McCoys on their way to become rich in Idaho gold mines. It was entertaining. My boys just loved walking on the moving train -- no menacing seat belts or restrictive car seats here!

they made me pose with the gun

Fire Station Tour

Remember when the firefighters were in our neighborhood doing checks on the fire hydrants and they invited us to come up and tour the fire station any time?

Well, I took them up on that offer for Roderic's 5th birthday party! The kids got to see where the firefighters eat, sleep, exercise, relax AND climb in the fire engine! The firefighters gave them all helmets and Jr Firefighter badges. Even better was that the firefighters remembered these boys from their hydrant checks. Totally cool!

Roderic was really excited to see his birthday couch when he first woke up.

I made 2 fire engine cakes for his birthday. They were yummy, although all of us decided that we don't like pull-apart cherry twizzlers (I used them for the hoses and windows on the fire engines).

Summer Reading

Our Library! has a summer reading program for kids that we participate in every year. The kids need to read or be read to 3 hours and 20 minutes. When they complete this, they get all sorts of cool prizes from local businesses (BOGO Ice Skating (Idaho Ice World), Free kid's meal (Applebees), free Fries (Carl's Jr), free Sundae (Elmer's), free ticket to Stampede Rodeo, free baseball ticket (Boise Hawks), free pass to Discovery Center of Idaho, free book, etc.). Sabrina finished reading 3 hours and 20 minutes before the end of June. Roderic and Hyrum have about 30 minutes left.

They also have a summer reading program for adults where for every 2 books you read (for yourself or to children) you get to enter a drawing for a cool prize. This has gotten me to think about what books I've read this summer.

• The Black Candle by Catherine Cookson
• The Tale of Desperaux by Kate Dicamillo
• Dear America Series: Survival in the Storm by Katelan Janke
• The Bailey Chronicles by Catherine Cookson
• Behind Every Good Man by John Bytheway
• Dear America Series: My Face to the Wind by Jim Murphy
• Her Good Name by Josi Kilpack
• Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
• Austenland by Shannon Hale
• The Chosen by Chiam Potok
• A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle
• The Promise by Chiam Potok
• Dear America Series: A Coal Miner's Bride by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
• Dear America Series: Freedom's Wings by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

What books have you read?

It Happened on the 10th of May in 1869....

That is the first line of a song that I learned in the Fourth Grade when studying about the Transcontinental Railroad. (It is the only line of the song that I remember...)

Over Memorial Day weekend, we decided to stop at Promontory Summit, Utah to see where the transcontinental railroad was completed. We've got 2 young train fans, you know. And the rest of us are fans of history.


Did you know that EVERY day from May 1 to Labor Day, they bring out the Jupiter and 119 Locomotives? And, EVERY Saturday and holiday they have live reenactments of the Last Spike ceremony? We arrived shortly before 10 am and got to watch them bring out the Jupiter. Then we got to wait a while, work on the Junior Ranger program, shop in the visitor's center, talk to the knowledgeable Fireman who works on the Jupiter - what a cool job - Ryan talked, and talked, and talked to him, and took photos. We watched them bring out the 119 and then waited some more. And then we watched the reenactment, getting a little sunburned along the way. (We had sunscreen in the van, we just didn't put any on.)

The reenactors got to wait in their period clothes.

All the kids completed their Junior Ranger requirements.

The fireman.

We got to be in the re-enactment of the "The Champagne Photo". Sabrina and Hyrum are holding the Arizona Spike and the Gold Spike. (Ryan was the photographer.)

Andrew J. Russell’s “East and West Shaking Hands at Laying of Last Rail" (aka The Champagne Photo)

Right before the reenactment began, Ryan was asked to portray the Mormon Bishop that President Brigham Young sent in his behalf (I don't remember his name). For his part, he got to stand and wave to the crowd.

It was a really neat place to visit, so when you've got a chance, go visit Golden Spike National Historic Site! We're making plans to be there in 10 years, for the sesquicentennial celebration.

A Different Independence Day

We woke up early to go to a flag raising ceremony and pancake breakfast at our church. Ryan, as scoutmaster, helped lead the scouts in the flag raising. They did a fine job, but Ryan commented that he could tell that none of those 12 & 13 year olds have had any dance training. Their stepping together was not. (I suggested they do some dancing at an activity.)







The children got to decorate their bikes and then ride them in a parade. Roderic had me walk next to him holding either him or his bike, the whole time. Hyrum held my hand and walked the whole way.



We went to Discovery State Park, about 5 minutes from our house, with a co-worker of Ryan's. Vitaliy has an inflatable canoe and invited us to paddle on the Boise River from the state park, down to Diversion Dam and back. I let Ryan take all our children in our inflatable raft, and stayed and read a book (A Wrinkle in Time) at the park under a tree. They were gone for 3 hours. Ryan said that both boys slept for an hour! On the return journey, after paddling for more than an hour and getting 3/4 of the way back, they realized that the current was too strong (paddling 10 minutes and gaining maybe 10 feet), so Ryan ended up getting out of the water and walked back, with the kids, carrying our raft on the bike trail right next to the highway. After Vitaliy and his daughter Kathy returned in the canoe, he went to help Ryan carry the raft (and Hyrum) the rest of the way.

Ryan's friend Adam took this photo in CA...my camera doesn't do fireworks.
The display we saw had some like this, too.

Up until 2 years ago, there was no public fireworks display on the 4th of July in Boise. That fact kept us travelling to Layton to visit family and enjoy the celebrations there. Then when our ward planned a flag ceremony, and asked Ryan to help with it, we had a reason to stay in town and head to Ann Morrison Park to watch the fireworks.



We invited the Smith's and Vitaliy, Lili and Kathy to come with us to watch the fireworks at Ann Morrison Park. We met up with some other friends and had a great view of the fireworks. While waiting for it to get dark, I played Frisbee with Kathy and Hyrum. Sabrina played "Hucklevation" (she created this game as an assignment in 4th grade) with Sara and Tessa. Ryan played UNO with Vitaliy and Lili. Roderic had some fun with Clara. Vitaliy remarked that that was the closest he has ever been to a fireworks display. Other than having Clara get lost right before the fireworks started, it was an enjoyable evening. We were going to light sparklers and ground flowers when we got home, but both boys were asleep, so we all went to bed (and were happy that church started at 11am).