1000 Springs

Rich and the girls went camping with the Millers. They had a blast! They went to 1000 springs, a campground just outside of Hagerman. The campsite was right on the Snake River. There was a dock there, as well as a natural hot springs indoor pool at the campground. The girls had a great time swimming, whittling, roasting marshmallows (and taffy!), and camping with their Dad and good friends! They also had "the best ice cream ever" made from "real milk" from a dairy just down the street! :-) Too much fun!

Happy Father's Day

Kickball Party

After WEEKS of rain here in Boise, we finally had nice enough weather to host our "School's Out" family kickball party. It was so much fun! We invited several of the girls' friends from school and their families, and played a great game of kickball. After the game, we headed back to our house for ice cream sundaes. A perfect way to end such a fun night!

Father/Son Camp Out

Rich and Trenton braved their first ever Father/Son camp out last weekend. Surprisingly, they both had a great time! We weren't sure how Trenton would do with sleeping in a tent, being near a fire, or just camping in general, but he loved every minute of it! He loved roasting hot dogs and marshmallows,he was snug in his sleeping bag and even found his thumb (!), and he was wide awake at 5am wondering what in the world his Dad was doing letting him sleep outside, in the cold.
Trenton fell asleep about five minutes after they left the campsite the next morning, and slept in the car for three hours! Once he was awake, he was so excited to tell his sisters all about his adventures with Daddy in the great outdoors.
The girls and I enjoyed dinner and a movie while the boys were away. We're all looking forward to this becoming a yearly tradition! :-)

Capitol Classic

One of our favorite family traditions here in Boise has become the Capitol Classic. It is a one mile children's race in downtown Boise, always on the Saturday after the last day of school in June. Olivia decided to ditch Dad this year and run with friends from school. Lola ran with Rich, and fell down about half way through the race. Rich spent the rest of the race convincing her that she could make it, and that her skinned knee would be okay. She finished with this look of concerned determination on her face! :-) Of course, ten minutes after she received her finisher's medal, she announced that this was "the best day ever!" Love that girl...

School's Out!

I am certain that the last week of school is CRAZY busy just so that we can all appreciate the summer a little bit more! While I felt like I spent the whole week at the elementary school, the girls had a great time during their last week. It started off with the jog-a-thon. The girls were so cute, running with their friends, and trying to get in as many laps as possible.
Olivia played the piano in the school talent show. She did a great job, and we were proud of her for actually trying out and committing to playing for her peers.
Lola had a fun kindergarten graduation, and despite the picture above, loved every minute of her year! We are so excited about all the progress Lola has made this year, and the ways that she has grown in confidence and ability. She will make a great first grader! Lola is looking forward to playing with her neighborhood friends and swimming this summer.
Olivia said goodbye to third grade! It's hard to believe we have a fourth grader now! She had a wonderful year, and is looking forward to a summer of camping and floating the river.

Hagerman Fossil Days

We had such a fun time over Memorial Day weekend! Brenda B. invited us to her "cottage" in Hagerman, ID, on Saturday for the Hagerman Fossil Days parade and carnival and then a bbq at her home. I always love a parade in a small town, but this one was the best we've seen! Of course, the kids loved the firetrucks and candy.
After the parade, we walked over to the carnival, where Trenton was "all business" on the train...he really did look like this the entire time, but totally loved it!
There was a carousel,
roller coasters,
flying saucers,
swings,
and fish?!
Yes, this was probably the funniest, most small town Idaho thing we've seen yet. After setting out a bunch of hay bales in a rectangle, then covering them with black plastic, a Fish and Game truck pulls up and start pumping (yes, pumping, through a big pipe) fish and water into the makeshift pond. Children are then "invited" to jump in and pick up a fish..with their bare hands! Olivia was the only "brave" child in our family to do it. When in Idaho....Wowza!

Dance Recital

Lola took dance lessons this spring and loved every minute of it. She was such a cutie at her recital, waving to us during the middle of the dance, and at least a step behind the entire time...when it comes to dancing, she takes after her mother!! :-)

Neighborhood Garage Sale

Every year, our neighborhood has a community garage sale. Due to Rich's "thriftiness" and my ability to throw out anything that doesn't have a place in our home, we rarely have anything to sell. But the girls were determined to make some money this year, so they helped me make strawberry freezer jam the day before and sold jars of jam the next morning. They made signs and decorated the jars, and were sooo excited about the money they earned that day!

Zion National Park

We had a Jones Family Reunion at Zion Ponderosa Ranch near the entrance of Zion National Park in May. Since Trevor recently received his mission call to Salta, Argentina, it will be the last time we'll all be together for at least two years.



We had such a wonderful time. Rich and I are really appreciating having children old enough to enjoy things that we love to do too! Livi and Lola were great hikers, and just loved every minute of their time in the park. Trenton rode on Daddy's shoulders for much of the time, but loved throwing rocks in the river and playing with his cousins. As we get older, we also love to see our children playing with their cousins, and becoming such great friends. It's really a priceless relationship, and when they become best buddies, it's even better!

Mom and Dad rented a beautiful cabin that was big enough for all of our families, which made for a fun time! It was especially nice to be able to put the children to bed and then have some time as adults for uninterrupted, meaningful conversation and some good laughs. Because we almost all live in different states, we most loved just being able to reconnect with family and spending some time with everyone. We sure do love the Joneses!!

prego sisters!!