Atomic Days 2012 and Last T-Ball Game

Kyra is our little dare devil and loves to hang on things and say WEEeeeeeee!  This was a new place she decided to hang from.  She must have some super strong biceps. 

Last weekend was Atomic Days in Arco so Devin and I along with the kids drove out on Friday night and set up camp at my sisters home in Mackay.  Literally-set up camp.  Tent and everything.  The next morning we woke up and drove down to Arco to witness the ping-pong drop and the big Atomic Days parade.

We hung out at the park-listened to terrible karaoke, visited by grandma in the nursing home, watched some softball, and than returned to Mackay.  My mom was celebrating her 40th class reunion so her and my dad were the "party animals" of the group.  On Sunday my sister, brother-in-law and their kids decided to skip church and take up to Barney Hot Springs.  I've lived out there for 18 years and have never been there.  It was a LONG drive....thru pass creek and the mountains.  I'm not sure if Devin was daydreaming or looking at the sites but all of the sudden he drifted to the right, I said-Devin-and we went into the borrow pit. For a moment I seriously thought we were going to role the car.  Of course I said, "What the H@&& Devin??"  His response:  "It pulled me in."   Hmmmmm-ok.
When we got there the hot springs was full of tropical looking fish and very chubby people hugging and kissing.  EEEKKKK!  The kids had fun trying to catch the fish and Josh even caught a frog. 
Everyone was tired so we headed back home.  When we got back-Devin and Tristan went to the new Batman movie and I stayed home with Cortlynn and Kyra.  Kyra unfortunately got sick and threw up all night so that was a great time.   

Everyone waiting for the ping pong drop and the parade

My dad told me to get a photo of my moms high school class float-but upon closer look-it was the VFW float.

This is my mom's class float.

I think the ping pong drop was meant for kids but thanks to Devin each one of our kids had 5 balls which turned into 50cents a piece.  AWESOME-- the kids made $2.50 each at the parade.

I don't know what she was doing in this picture.  But she does look lie a politician saying, "I promise, NO NEW TAXES"

The next few photos are at Barney Hot Springs.

This week was Tristan's last T-Ball game and he is so sad it is over.  He was so good this year--double play, outs every game, fast runner, good sport.  I'm so proud of him.

This little girl on his team played by her rules:  she wore a Cinderella dress for one game, would carry the bat around the bases after she would hit, and for the last game-she wore fuzzy red slippers.

He hit the ball and 10 little kids went running for it.  They looked like ants running to a piece of food on the floor.

Cortlynn acting soooo bored--but hey, Tristan has sat thru HOURS of dance so you can sit thru 45 minutes of T-ball.

Childhood Home-and a New Roof

During the last few months; between funerals and visiting my family- I have traveled to Arco more than I have in the last 10years.  I decided to drive past my old house last week and just happened to have my camera.  I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not.  It is just so depressing to drive by your home you grew up in and see it a complete disaster.  In just a short amount of time-9 or 10 years-the home my parents worked so hard on and took such pride in-has become a garbage pit, car lot, dog poop facility, trees are dead, white trash looking-and that is just the outside.  I don't even want to imagine what the inside looks like.  My childhood home is now the "pig sty" home of the lane.  Just so sad.

You actually don't get the true magnification of the nastiness with these 4 photos. 

Thanks to the hail storms and wind-our roof has been in need of repair for quite a few months.  This Monday was the day we began the work.  Devin, my dad, and brother in-law Brett put their lives on the line to nail shingles to our roof.  It may not look like much-but don't be fooled; this was the steepest part of our home.  I really should have taken a photo from the top looking down-but I went up once and wasn't going again.  Brett was only able to help on Monday and Devin and my dad finally finished the job last night right when the sun went down.  I admire them--between the heat, the height, and the heat---they really did a good job in a short amount of time.  I was tired, hot, and sore-and I didn't even do the work.  Now we just have a few more sections of the roof to complete and we will be done-just not sure when that will be.  I want to say thank you to Josh for the tools, Larry for the air compressor, Daniel for the moral support, and a HUGE thanks to Brett for helping, Devin for getting up there, and my dad for being the slave driver and the one who knows what and how to do it.  THANK YOU!!!!!!!   And thank you mom for helping with the kids and being part of the "audience"---

 

Check out the scaffolding they put up.  There is no way I would trust a board, a piece of metal, and nails to keep me from falling off the roof.  Nope-I'm not that crazy!

Our roof was SOOOOO bad.

I climbed up to this section of the roof (where you see my dad) and I couldn't get down.  Devin had to come up and help me get down.  This was even the steepest section of roof.  I'm such a chicken.

Devin and Brett working...

World Class Leader-AKA Devin

The last couple of months Devin has had leadership classes at the store each week.  I don't really know what is discussed; he has shared one or two items and I would rather not know what is discussed during the classes.  Well-the final class was last week and every manager that was in the class had to vote on a person they thought was the "best" in the class.  Guess who received the prize???  Yep-you guessed it; my husband.  He came home with this really nice glass award for his achievement in leadership and listening. 

When he told me listening I was a little perplexed.  Listening Devin---really??  I have to tell him things multiple times and I still don't get heard.  I've reverted to saying random things in the middle of my sentences to actually see whether or not he is paying attention.

 EXAMPLE:  Today Tristan had a really good T-ball game, Boobs-and he hit the ball really far.  He also got 3 outs, Boobs-and was so happy. 


Could you see the random word in there???  Yep---Boobs seem to be the conversation getter.  I brought this up to Devin and I asked him if he shared that information with his class---he thought about it and decided not to.

I am proud of him for this beautiful award/achievement; but he won't be getting one at home.  Boobs-

Zoo, Donations Drive, and 4th of July

While Devin was in Boise I tried to entertain the kids so the time would go by faster and they wouldn't sit and ponder on how much they were missing him.  I put together Kyra's toddler bed, removed Tristan's training wheels, had pool days at the house, used some coupons for different eating establishments, went to parks, ballet, T-ball, movie night, and the zoo.  I think the only thing I accomplished was exhaustion for myself.  I was SOOOOO tired.  But-I think they had fun and was so happy when Devin surprised them and came home a day and 1/2 early.

While we were in Idaho Falls for doctor appointments we went to the zoo.  The kids loved the monkeys, lions, and the reptiles.

Kyra LOVES shoes and she doesn't mind wearing socks with sandals.  In this photo I guess she didn't want her picture taken.

Several years ago after Hurricane Katrina--Cortlynn and I watched a telethon to raise funds.  Cortlynn was so little but wanted to help.  So Cortlynn and I put a tub outside the bank I worked at and collected donations to donate to the victims.  The response was overwhelming; 2 truck fulls of donations.  Fast forward--on Tuesday a friend of mine put together a donation drive for the Charlotte Fire victims and the kids and I put some items together to donate.  Clothes, blankets, books, toys, bedding, dishes, toothbrushes, and body washes.  We ended up with over 10 bags and a box of items.  When we went to the park to drop them off-Cortlynn and Tristan were shocked by the amount of items people were bringing to help.

On the Fourth of July we stayed in town and enjoyed the parade, swimming at the house, and the fireworks located just a few blocks away.  It was weird to be home the entire day-but it was a nice, relaxing day.

Kyra was so tired by the end of the parade-but she hung onto her flag the entire time.

I thought this was neat---they had signs on the side of the truck thanking all the different agencies and businesses that helped the day of the fire.

We didn't even have to try to collect the candy---since we weren't in the front where the kids could get the candy--there were several people that would give us candy that they collected.  We came away with quite a bit of candy.

Yep-here is the Bull in the Van.  I don't even think they were technically in the parade-just conveniently at the "end" of the parade.  Could you imagine the smell in that van???

Before the fireworks show we let the kids throw some poppers.  Kyra was all over this--she loved it and both her and Tristan enjoyed running after Cortlynn and throwing them at her feet.  ;-)  This was really funny: Too bad Cortlynn didn't find the humor with it.

Kyra getting some poppers to throw.

What a beautiful sunset

We live only 2 blocks away from where the fireworks are set off-and could watch them from our home, BUT-we like to walk down to the soccer fields and watch them shoot overhead.  Kyra slept through the entire show.

There were actually 8 little fires started by the fireworks so I watched the flames grow and all the the trucks rush to put them out.  (I did get a little nervous and hoped that if it got bad enough they would stop the show and tell everyone to leave)

I thought this photo was cool---we came home and let the kids light a few sparklers.  Devin and a few other fireworks-but they scared Kyra so we went inside.  Poor girl and nightmares all night.

Shame On You--American Fireworks Company

With the fires ALL over the west and so many people left without a home (66 homes and 29 other structures gone/destroyed in the Pocatello area)-and the threat of more fires including a "Perfect Storm" type fire-this booth located in Pocatello-by Fred Meyer-infuriated me!  Look at the posters on the front; this is heartless and tactless.  I really wonder if they are a local vendor or a national vendor that comes in and sets up booths all over town.  Whoever they are--SHAME ON YOU!!!!!  The mayor and city council members aren't being jerks just to be jerks--there are valid reason's they have issued a no firework Ban as well as a No Sale of fireworks.                                                         

Unfortanetly tonight-this one and several other booths are again, open for business.  REALLY????  You are supplying amunition to people that are usually not the smartest and/or safest.  If YOUR fireworks cause another devasting fire--will you feel any guilt or will you just be enjoying the money you are collecting?? I wish people would boycott these stands, but unfortanetly-I don't think that will happen.

Pocatello Fire

Today a fire started in Pocatello and it is still burning.  The kids and I went up to Century High School to look at it.  These pictures really don't show the full magnitude of the fire.  It was MASSIVE!!!  We drove down and ate by Ross Park and watched fire trucks speed past from Shelley and the INL.  We also watched countless people evacuating.  It really was a surreal fealing. 

The kids thought the helicopters with buckets and the air tankers were pretty cool.  About an hour after we ate-we drove back down to Ross Park but that was now blocked off and the pool actually closed.  Tonight on the 9:30pm news--the fire is only 20%contained, people are still being evacuated, and 15+ homes have been lost.  How crazy!!!  It really makes you think, "what would we do?"  Being close to a mountain area and empty/dry fields--I think I will get all our important documents and papers, maybe even photo albums, and extra clothes--in one specific area so it would take seconds to pick up on the way of the house.

This was only about 3 hours into the fire---the fire has stretched far to the left and over the hill on the right--going down into residential areas.

This is a photo of the other side of the hill--the fire beginning to go down the hill.

One of the many roads closed off--only emergency vehicles and evacuating people aloud thru the barricades.