Family Reunion!

Our Family of Swashbucklers!

The kids in the freezing water!

Everyone for themselves!

Abby, Cambrie & Tatum!

Cambrie on the climbing wall - She did awesome!

One of our recent weekends was spent at Camp Perkins up in the Sawtooth Mountains for the Schwieder Family Reunion. It was really great to see and catch up with so many of the extended family members. The kids had a blast with all the fun things to do there. We had an especially hard time keeping them out of the 35 degree water if you can believe it! Some of the highlights were: the canoe race (pretty hysterical watching everyone battling it out), the climbing wall (even Aunt Clarice took a turn), S'mores with flavored marshmallows (you've got to try the roasted coconut), and much more.

The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you.

~Kendall Hailey,

Birthday Party

We had a BBQ for Tatum's Birthday Party! Every time anyone asked her what she wanted for her birthday, all she would say is, "A pinata and a cake!" So, that's what we did. We had her pick a few friends and had the families join us for the fun. Here she is with her cake in the shirt I thought would be cute for her to wear for the party. . .

She loved the cake. I finished it Thursday night and she just kept hovering over it with this big smile on her face. Her fingers found it more than a few times, but oh well, after all, it was her cake.

Here she is whacking her pinata in the outfit she changed into approximately 1.5 minutes after the party began.

And so, this quote is for Tatum. She always beats to her own drum, and hopefully will continue to do so.

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tatum's Special Day!

I tried to do all I could to make Tatum's 4th Birthday memorable. I guess even mother nature decided to give me a hand because we woke up to this~

well, snow in June is definitely memorable!

I gave Tatum her pick of whatever she wanted for breakfast and she said she wanted the BIGGEST PANCAKE EVER, and she wanted to flip it! Well, Cambrie mixed the batter and yes, Tatum even flipped her own giant pancake. She was sure to tell everyone that called to wish her a Happy Birthday, that the pancake was bigger than her head.

I guess the pancake flipping was exhausting!

We played (inside) all morning and for Lunch she had requested Chicken Nuggets and Tater Tots (how appropriate). Jason even stopped in to join us. We made cupcakes and let her blow out the candle since her party was still a couple days away. She was still so tired that when I asked her what I could get her (after all the lunch was made), she said "Warm Milk." She blew out her candle and when Jason asked her what she wished for, she said, "A bed!" She perked up a bit for the cupcake, but then went right to sleep.

She finished the day off with her Dad's Famous Macaroni and Cheese (thankfully she doesn't pick the menu everyday). Then it was, in her words, "The perfect day to take a cacuzzi!" We just got the hot tub up and running and this is what Tatum calls it. Well, by evening, it was pretty nice out, so we had to agree with her. Hopefully she had a great and memorable day! We love you Tatum!

Great Cacuzzi Weather!

Happy Birthday Tatum!

I can't believe it, but Tatum turned 4!

Here she is at 1 week old!

Tatum on her 1st Birthday!

While we try to teach our children all about life,Our children teach us what life is all about.~Angela Schwindt

The Brophys Came to Visit

If friend were flowers, we'd pick you!

We were so happy to have our great friends The Brophys come visit for a few days. Tatum and Cambrie were so glad to have their buddies Mason and Natalie to play with. We had lots of fun despite a bout of the stomach flu for a few of us. Luckily it was quick. Dandelions are everywhere in Victor, so we stopped at this field near our home and let the kids loose. It was great watching them run around with the amazing backdrop of the trees and hills. Mas and Taters loved tromping through the stream in our yard and playing in the dirt with their sticks.

Jason made sure there was time set aside for fishing. The kids loved it. I think just about every one of them got to reel in a fish.

Cam and Nat ~ So happy together!

Mad and Lynds ~ Fishing from the dock!

Waiting patiently for the next bite!

Born to fish!!

A trip to Victor would not be complete without a stop at the Emporium for our World Famous Shakes! All the kids wanted chocolate, but Heidi and I agree the Huckleberry is the best.

Does this thing have a maximum capacity?

The kids sure love the 4 wheeler rides!!

We're so grateful for such amazing friends and already looking forward to the next time they come visit. Cambrie told me just the other night when I was tucking her in, "Mom, I miss the Brophys!"

Island Park!

We had the opportunity to meet Jason's family in Island Park a couple weeks ago. It was a lot of fun. We played golf, enjoyed lots of swimming, and went to see the Phantom of the Grand Ole Opry at the Playmill which I highly recommend. The kids loved it and even got their pictures taken with some of the stars. Cambrie was serenaded by Billy Ray Dufus and Tatum is with Wynona Jugg! Really, you should go if you have the chance. You won't be disappointed.

Yellowstone!

We had our first family trip to Yellowstone and it was the perfect day. The weather was amazing and there were animals everywhere. The highlight for the girls was probably the chipmunks. There was an ongoing debate as the whether they were Pip's friends or Alvin's friends - still not sure if this issue has been entirely solved. They also loved all the baby animals everywhere. Dad even spotted a black bear on our way out of the park which got everyone pretty excited.

Cambrie with her buddy Pip (if you haven't seen Enchanted, you need to).

Tatum showcasing her fascination of all things disgusting.

Cambrie, Tatum and their cousin Abby.