We had such a super early spring, my peonies bloomed in early July. I wanted one of those pictures that of Liv smelling the flower that I could turn into a beautiful sepia picture with just the pink of the flower in color...instead...this is the face Liv made when she "smelled" the flower. It was more of a dramatically noisy inhale through the nose than a beautiful sniff!! It's all Liv though!
The kids were just cute together when we were out to eat one night...I have to document the times they get along because it can be far and few between! ;O)
This just cracked me up....Liv let go of her balloon and decided to get it herself. So, she went and got her stool and kept hopping and grunting like it was just out of her reach. It's hard to see in this picture, but, the string hung just below the door frame, about 6' off the ground...not sure if I should be concerned about her depth perception or not!
From the time Owen got out of school in May through the third week of July, we had soccer or swimming after work 4 days a week!! It was a bit much and the kids were having to eat pb&j every night for dinner because we either ate in the truck or at practice. This is Liv sitting outside of swim practice with the lunch bag on her head...her idea!!!
As we do every year, we hit the Bear Paw Festival and had lots of fun. Liv was totally pumped to ride the horses and then chickened out at the very last minute. But, Owen loves it.
Liv's more a candy cotton kind of girl...hahaha...
Owen somehow managed to convince Shawn to ride the bumper cars with him. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more!
After losing Daisy, I was sure I didn't want another pup. But, unfortunately, Max started deteriorating physically very rapidly. He has always had some severe anxiety issues and without Daisy, there were days that he just sat and shook all day long. We tried getting him out with us more, but, he's never been a fan of truck rides and as it would turn out, he gets car sick!!!! So, after learning the hard way, that was the end of that!! We tried to go visit some of the rescue group booths at the Bear Paw Festival, but, didn't have any luck. We finally decided to stop at the pound and brace ourselves for what we'd find. Thankfully, there were only FIVE dogs in the place and one wasn't ready for adoption. So, it wasn't nearly as heart wrenching as expected. Even with just the five to choose from though, we found Ollie...
Ollie is the perfect match for Max. He too is a husky mix and FULL of energy!! After some investigation, it turns out he's about 4 years old and we are at least his third family. It hurts my heart to know someone didn't care enough to get him back from the pound (he was there 6 days before we adopted him), he's such a great dog and how can you not love that face!! His right eye is a "parti" eye, half blue and half brown, I'd never seen that before! He's a total love bug and very patient with the kids. He weighs about the same as Max, but, stands several inches taller and is kind of like having a horse in the house! We're working on fattening him up, but, he and Max spend so much time outside running and rough-housing, it's been difficult!! ;O) The dogs were almost instant friends and acclimating him into the family could not have gone any smoother. The only negative is that he doesn't like to come back if he gets out of the yard. We lost him the night we brought him home and he dug out of the backyard twice on Dave's poor mom's watch!! Then there was a 4th incident that was totally and completely Dave's fault...but, the good news is, after some coaxing, he does EVENTUALLY come back!! Our $72 pound puppy has already cost us almost $1,000 in a back hoe rental and supplies to fortify the fence....but, he hasn't been out loose since!!!
Dave's mom, Diana, came up ahead of his dad and I think one of the first things we did was drag her to Bouncin' Bears!
We roped Hayden and Kaylee into it too!
Liv got her first "bike" and thinks it's made of gold! Had I known she'd be so good on it, I would have made Dave buy an actual bike instead. By next year she'll need one...it's hard to keep up with her brother on a tricycle!!
The kids and I took Diana to the reindeer farm too. I didn't get too many good pictures, the reindeer are so pushy, it's like being in a pen with 50 Max and Ollie's...except, these are taller than Liv! She held her own, but, needed a lot of help staying upright because they were not above running her over. I just love going there, the reindeer are amazing.
The elk were more her speed...they have to stay behind the fence because they bite. But, there were lots of really friendly ones this year that were more than happy to eat our fresh grass.
Liv's hair is still really short and she hates me to mess with it...but, i did manage to get ponytails in it for a few seconds at least one day! ;O)
We hit the fair on "Mining Day" this year...never again will I go on a weekend!!!! We will totally be those parents that pull Owen out of school. It was SO crowded and miserable!! But, the kids had a blast.
