You Know You Live in Idaho When...

I got this list forwarded to me via email from a friend and I just had to share it! Definitely some good laughs, esp if you live in Idaho. Oh, and I added a few of my own to the list too. For those that know us probably would've never guessed we would end up in ID of all places (of course, neither did we!), but we gently remind people when they ask, "How is Idaho?", we correct them with, "You mean, how is BOISE?" Yes, there is a difference in my opinion (no offense Eastern Idahoans!). I've learned to NEVER say NEVER because we also lived in KY and never thought that would've happened either! :)

So, I also decided to list some reasons why we love Boise and the surrounding area in the year and a half we've lived here, as to not think that we're completely dissing on Idaho completely! (And for those that have never been here to see what it's like.) :)

YOU KNOW YOU LIVE IN IDAHO WHEN...

1. Down "South" to you means UT or NV.
2. You see people wearing camoflouge at social events (including weddings).
3. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.
4. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
5. "Vacation" means going east or west on I-84 for the weekend.
6. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
7. You know how to pronounce the entire name, Boise, Idaho correctly.
8. You measure distance in minutes or hours.
9. You see a car running in the parking lot with no one in it, no matter what time of day.
10. Your idea of a traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
11. You got a new set of snow tires for Valentines Day.
12. Someone in Home Depot offers you assistance and they don't work there.
13. You've worn shorts and a parka at the same time.
14. Livestock have the right of way. (No joke!)
15. The kids are playing in the backyard sprinklers with their just swim trunks on the first somewhat-warm day of spring.
16. You own a shot gun, a fishing pole, and 4 wheelers (or snowmobiles).
17. IF YOU UNDERSTAND THESE JOKES YOU LIVE IN IDAHO!!!!


REASONS WHY WE LOVE BOISE:

1. They might not have professional sports here (which is a bummer), but they are crazy and loyal about Boise State University football (and for good reason!). Gotta love the die-hards that wear their blue and orange on game days from head to toe, have the flags sticking out of their car, the bumper stickers, keychains, and who knows what else-paraphenilia bleeding out of their ears. We haven't completlely jumped on the bandwagon yet, but have to admit, it's a little hard not to root for our local team.



2. Love Boise downtown-quaint, historic, charming, with lots of character. Boise downtown is actually a place people hang out at, unlike some other cities we've lived in. I absolutely adore all the outdoor cafes/restaurants, bikers everywhere, cute shops and boutiques, and the cleaniness. It really is a fun place to walk around and enjoy all year long.



3. Which also brings me to why we also love Boise Farmers Market. It's a GREAT farmers market that runs from April to Nov in downtown Boise. They block off streets every weekend and run all kinds of kiosks-and not just for food. Local artisans, businesses, etc sell their stuff. Always lots of people, DOGS, bike trailers and strollers w/ kids in them, yummy samples, and just a good place to people-watch. There's nothing like local, ripe produce too!!!



4. Boise River Greenbelt. A major attraction and hang-out along the Boise River, which runs through downtown Boise. It runs 70 miles along the river and it's great for runners, cyclists, strollers, you name it. People here are very active. Love it and wished our house backed up to this greenbelt.



5. A great place to raise a family. One of the main reasons we moved here was because it seemed to have a fairly good mix of culture (esp for ID), but very family-oriented. The church is strong here too, but not dominating (which is good, in my opnion).

6. Floating the Boise River. We have yet to do this (with a new baby and all last summer), but look forward to partaking in a Boise favorite tradition, which is floating the river on whatever-raft, tube, canoe, kayak...A great family activity for those hot summer days.



7. Bogus Basin. A smallish ski resort nestled in the Boise mountains about 45 min away from us. It's actually a great place to take and teach kids how to ski too, and with good snow, a "hidden gem" to ski on. It might not be Snowbird, but it's got some good stuff and you can't beat the prices.



8. Affordability. Boise is one of those up-and-coming U.S. cities that is always ranked high on "The Best Places to Live" lists and is drawing more and more people here, but also remains very affordable to live. This was a huge factor for us. Oh, and the housing market here? You can guess how great it is to BUY now. One word-CHEAP.



9. A plethera of outdoor activities, all in your backyard. People here live outdoors all year long-whether it's hunting or fishing (not our thing), cycling, hiking, camping (huge here), water/snow skiing, etc. Idaho is also world-renown for its white-water river rafting. And its practically in our backyard. The Payette River is less than an hour away and features world-class river rafting. Last summer we saw thousands of peole kayaking and rafting down those rapids, and let me tell you-that is some intense water-mostly Level 4 rapids! We will definitely be enjoying that some day!



10. McCall. A small, quaint tourist town nestled in the mountains on the gorgeous Payette Lake, 2 hrs from Boise. It's like Lake Tahoe, but on a smaller scale. People there flock to sail, waterski, hike, camp, bike, snowmobile, raft, snow ski, the list goes on. It's a great little weekend getaway place and so stunning. Can't wait to go there more often in the future!



10. C'mon, what's not to love about living near the mountains? Granted our mountains might not be the Alps or even the Rockys, but there's something about living near mountains that makes you happy! Have I recruited anyone yet? :)

Adam and Eve (in Austin's words)

So, we were getting the kids ready for bed last night and Austin randomly starts telling us the story of Adam and Eve. (Learned from his Primary teacher at church on Sunday.) We were both amused and amazed at how much he truly listens, absorbs, and UNDERSTANDS concepts like that. It was really something, and it definitely made us chuckle a bit too! Here's how his version went...

AUSTIN: "Adam and Eve lived in a garden where there were nice lions, not mean lions. And there were apples. But the apples were bad."

ERIC: "Why were the apples bad?"

AUSTIN: "Because Heavenly Father said they were. He told Adam and Eve not to eat them, but they did."

ERIC: "Who told them to eat the apples?"

AUSTIN: "I don't know."

ERIC: "Satan told them to eat the apples. But Satan was bad and didn't want to obey Heavenly Father. He wanted them to be unhappy like he was."

ME: "What happened when they ate the apples?"

AUSTIN: "They had to leave the garden and live in their own garden. And there were mean lions, not nice ones. And good apples that they could eat." :)

Officially a walker!

Carson took his first steps earlier this week, but I'm just now getting it on camera (don't mind my old man voice-I was sick!). He's been so excited about this newfound freedom, although he's still mostly crawling. Even Austin got pretty stoked about witnessing Carson's first steps and exclaimed, "Mom, do you know what this means? Carson can play on the playground with me!" (Little does he know.) I'm actually excited about Carson walking, even if that means more trouble and destruction to my house because he's been crawling forever and it's about time!

YEAH for sunshine!!!

We spent the most of the weekend enjoying the fabulous weather here in Boise. It was a perfect 75 degrees outside! We went to the park a couple of times, had a picnic, rode bikes, got ice cream, played baseball and flew our kite. Oh, and let's not forget yardwork! I also did my first ride of the season and rode for an hour and a half (my back is paying!), but it felt so good to get on my bike and enjoy the open road again! It was so great to enjoy the warmer temperatures, although I'm sure they won't last long yet!

My little sis

My little sis, Trish, left for Kenya a couple of weeks ago to volunteer as a Nurse in a clinic in a village 40 miles or so outside of Nariobi. I think it is so admirable, amazing, and such a once-in-a-lifetime experience for her! She has a roomate from Australia, that is also a nurse, and the two of them live with a couple in the village that they are working at. For Kenya (or for any 3rd world country, for that matter), their living quarters don't look half bad, but the culture change, the environment, and just life in general, has been quite the eye-opening experience for her. They regularly visit childrens' orphanages, where they go to play with the kids and help out. They even brought a bunch of fruit from a market once, and the kids were so excited to get bananas (not a staple food there), they acted like it was Christmas morning. I think if I went there though, it would be extremely hard to not bring home 12 orphan children!

I'm sure it is truly humbling to be there and see FIRST-HAND how life is for these Africans. For now, I can only live vicariously through her experiences and be GRATEFUL for what we do have here in this country. We are so blessed in so many ways! When she is able to get to an internet cafe every once in awhile (while she's not working in the clinic or volunteering at an orphanage), she updates her blog with experiences and pictures. It is so great to hear about these experiences she's having while her family is 1/2 across the globe!

Easter weekend

Eric with some of the kids at Baby Farm Animal Days


Carson and I holding a baby goat-too cute!


Salli and Carrie w/ Melia and Loni


My fave-the boys giddy while holding the baby bunnies! And Carson kept going after the ears!


Austin and Carson with the Easter bunny


Running through the sprinklers, yes, it was a mere 65 degrees outside!


Maecee and Kenna playing outside-such cuties!


The kids dying Easter eggs and making a mess!


A little smores action! Yum, yum!


Doing a little webcam Easter morning with Grandpa Mac and Grandma Donna in Russia!


Aunt Kimi and Carson


Austin teaching Dave how to eat an Oreo


The boys in front of Grandma Mac's grave-their first time visiting it!


Some of the girls (minus Carrie, Erin, and Tiff. Missed you guys!)


A little family photo at the cementary before we headed home(Carson was SOOOOO tired)

We made a trip to Logan, UT this past weekend to spend Easter with Eric's family. It was a total blast, a little exhausting and busy at times, but that's how we roll! :) Here's what we did: Baby Farm Animal Days. Way too crowded, but so fun to see all the baby animals. Especially the baby bunnies, chicks, and goats. Austin loved holding them and Carson would just squeal when he petted one. We even got to hold a little baby turtle and the kids loved sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap. Playing outside in the sprinklers, yes, the sprinklers with nothing but swim trunks on. Even despite a mere 65 degrees outside, the kids managed to play for hours at the park, in the water, and on the trampoline. Pure craziness. Dessert with friends sans kids. Yummy and good convo. Neighborhood Easter egg hunt and breakfast. Dozens of kids and parents scurring to pick up candy-filled eggs. Yummy food too. Beaver Mountain Hill Climbs. Snowmobile races (my sister-in-law's brother competed and won his Division). Austin had a fit when all the kids rode tiny snowmobiles and he couldn't (not old enough). Roasting marshmellows and making smores in the backyard. Best part? Heather lighting her marshmellow on fire after announcing she was going to make the perfect marshmellow and then burning her chin as she blew it out. Hilarious. Watching "Bedtime Stories" with the kids. Opening Easter baskets with the kids Sunday morning. Priceless. Talking with Grandpa Mac and Grandma Donna via Skype (they're on a mission in Russia). Love them. Church. Always good. Last, but not least? A family picnic at a nearby park. Oh, and can I say, perfect weather? YEAH for sunshine. It was beautiful, fun, and so good to spend time and play with family. Oh, and afterwords we went to the cementary to visit Eric's moms' grave (it will be 9 years since she died this coming Sat). We didn't get home until 11pm last night, but it was so worth it!

WOW!!

One of Carson's first words (after Dada and Mama) was "WOW". How random is that? We think he might have gotten it from a couple of his toys that say it. But he says it with perfect annuciation, and can even get pretty high-pitched and loud with it. He especially likes to say it in the car when we're driving somewhere, and he'll say it over and over again. It is seriously one of the funniest things and for awhile now, I've been trying to catch it on video. So, this is my lousy attempt at it, not the best (especially with Austin occassionally piping in!), but still funny! What a character that little Carson is!

Conference weekend

We had a great weekend watching General Conference. I have to admit, I didn't used to look forward to this weekend when I was a child or teenager, but now, I so look forward to hearing from our Prophet and other leaders of the church. It is truly inspiring, uplifting, and fills me with hope and renewed faith. It seemed like this session had many talks centering on faith and hope during these times, and I really appreciated that since we've had our fair share of trials recently. On a fun note, some girlfriends and I got together Sat. night and went to dinner while our hubbies went to Priesthood session. It was so fun to do that and afterwords, we met up with the boys at a hole-in-wall place in Boise, famous for their scones and had some good laughs! Fun times!!!

He did it!

For the past few months, Austin has finally been able to finally write his name, with no help! Sure, some of the letters he struggles with, but we're just amazed he can do it and he's not even 4 yet! And especially considering when he started preschool last Fall, he had little to no interest in really coloring, let alone writing letters! He's pretty proud of himself though, and I can't wait to see what he'll be doing in a year!