Fishing at Scouts

Last Saturday was the first day of Scouts for Jake and Kyler. Neither of them wanted to go though. I worked that day, so Russ hustled them out the door. Looks like it was a good day after all. The badge they worked on this week was Fishing. By the looks of it, all three of them should get that badge! There were a few other kids there (and Jake made a friend! They have the same interests--computer games, reading, etc. Imagine that--someone else DOES like the same things Jake does! Who would have thought?!) They each caught at least one fish with the regular fishing pole and Jake also caught one with a stick pole they made. They all had a great time. Zoey loved the idea of fishing too. She would throw it out and bring it back in before the fish even had a chance to see the lure. So Russ helped her slow down and catch two fish! She didn't want to touch the bait (can't blame her a bit!), but he did make her throw the fish back in. After the first one, she didn't mind quite so much. They all would have stayed out longer--they had a great time!

They are looking forward to Scouts now! It is a small group--even smaller than Blackfoot. Russ has volunteered to help with the Pack, too. I can't wait to go to Scouts and join in the fun too!

P.S. Although, it may look as though Zoey stabbed a fish with the pole, it is just how she is holding it. The fish was just on a hook and released back to its home.

Going for a drive...

So we loaded up in the car on Sunday and went for a drive. I wanted to go see Talladega National Forest and we didn't have any other plans, so off we went. We loaded up into the Dodge (ha ha ha! together time!) and off we went. We stopped at Tallageda Super Speedway, but since there was no race, it wasn't very exciting. Then we tried to find the Forest. You wouldn't think it would be difficult, but they don't do signs here until the very last moment.

We found Cheaha State Park and they had some fun roads! Up and down, left and right, it was a bunch of fun (see the video)! It was nice to get away for a while and not have any purpose.

Boating with Family

While Heather and Braedon were here, we went out on the boat one afternoon. After Audrey and Nate arrived we headed straight to the lake. We were out for an hour or so, when we had to go back in to run and pick up Jake and Kyler from school. It was fun though. Unfortunatly though, the boat we had was trashed the weekend before and hadn't been fixed yet, so it wasn't as fun as it has been in the past. I am glad we were able to go out with them though. =)

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park

A few weeks ago we went to Horseshoe Bend National Military Park because they were shooting the guns and cannons they used during the war of 1812. It was neat. The people were in period dress and then then went step by step how to shoot the cannon. We were probably 20 yards away and it was still really loud; and they only shot blanks. It would have been much louder if they had actual shots and the cannons would have shot back about 6 feet each time. I can only imagine how loud it would have been with lots of those being shot. It was neat to watch.

At the lake

We had a great time at the lake today. We started off by abandoning the kids on an island. Seemed like the right thing to do. Shrug. LOL! We played and played on the lake. We took turns jumping off the boat--yes, even Kyler and Zoey! With the life jackets on, they swim like nobody's business. Kick, kick, kick, swim, swim, swim! Off they go. Had some lunch, then we began playing with the towable! Woo hoo! I am a boat person now! Gotta have one!

Russ helped me learn how to drive and what to watch for. (I didn't get a permit yet, but I am going to.) The best part was, Russ was able to ride on the tube as well. It is a BLAST driving the boat, and I can understand why Russ didn't really care if he didn't ride the tube, but he had his turn as well. It took me a bit to get the hang of it, but now I know how to do it! Watch out for the killer left turns!

4th of July

We can get AWESOME fireworks in Alabama! Not just the fountains, but bottle rockets, roman candles and ones that actually shoot up into the sky! It was so exciting! They were loud, but fun. We lit off some at home on the 2nd and enjoyed them. Then on the 3rd we went to Audrey and David's home for a visit. (See Audrey's blog for more on that.) Kennesaw's fireworks were fantastic! I really enjoyed the grand finale--it was spectacular! While we were at Audrey's we went to their pool and had a great time. Little Zoey is used to having her arm floaties, and we forgot to bring them with us, so she just walked into the pool and sunk...three times! Oops! But she wasn't too afraid--she leapt off the side for mommy and daddy to catch her. And Kyler Kid...well he is almost over his water phobia. He played and played where he could touch the bottom. And he is really trying hard to teach himself how to swim. I am very proud of him. I wish we would have taken the camera, because Jake--a.k.a. the Dork--kept getting into Nate's floatie. He wasn't totally stuck, but it was quite amusing watching him try to get unstuck!
All in all a great 4th of July weekend.
P.S. I think David and Nate were relieved when we left. We can be quite overwhelming if you aren't used to us. LOL! Thanks for letting us come visit David, Audrey and Nate. We will see you again soon.

Playing in the Rain

The rain here is so much different than in Idaho. It is warm! We can go out in it and play. Not long after the kids got here, we had a great thunderstorm and Jake was bored. I told him he could go play on the trampoline. He wasn't sure about it at first, but then he got into it. And, as we know, if Jake is doing it, then so must Kyler and Zoey!