harriman

harriman state park is at the end of our neighborhood. it is this amazing fishery/place/playground for the kids. this scene has become the new normal. we run up at least once a day, either me or andy fish, while the kids try to catch as many caddis as they can in their hats. so big news for me today - caught my first harriman rainbow on dry. super fun.

mud

can't get enough of mud puddles.

lys, i remember when you gave rowe this shirt as a baby & i just knew it would be forever before he could wear it. it is amazing how fast this is going.

fishin'

flowers

so the wildflowers really are amazing here. there is something called 'mule's ear' that looks alot like a big wild daisy & it's everywhere. i mean everywhere. it is a wetland wildflower, so since it just stopped snowing/sleeting/hailing yesterday, all of island park is a wetland, thus all of island park has this wild daisy. anyway, it really is gorgoeus. i must be saying that all of the time because chap said, 'just gorgeous,' when we passed some flowers on the way home from the dock tonight:-)

honey

lins - been thinking about you today. we picked up our local honey on our way home. you have spoiled us for life:-) hope your heart is well.

second

as luck would have it, the two things that i have ordered for rowe in the last year came in on the same day. some new undies and some new rain boots. by the way, welcome back, mr. frog boots, you have been sorely missed. anyway, enter the second child. what does chapin want to do? anything that rowe is doing, thus borrowing a pair of rowe's new undies, her new boots, which were rowe's old boots, and riding/hanging on for dear life on the back on the poor tricycle. did i mention that i was a second child. i can't help but empathize:-)

40

so today is my mom & dad's 40th wedding anniversary. this is one of my favorite favorite pics of them. i love even more how my mom labeled it on the back. happy day, mom & dad. we love ya'll.

stinkers

trouble #1 and trouble #2

daddy

so this is not only your day, but your cookies as well. i can take no credit for these ridiculously gorgeous and stinkin' tasty cookies. andy has been tinkering with his chocolate chip cookie recipe for years, literally years and now he has it. we love ya, goose and all that comes with you, cookies included. happy father's day.

morels

i think i mentioned this before, that andy's mom's family has a family reunion that is based around this huge mushroom hunt that they do every year on their family farm in indiana. well, we have been learning the ropes out here in idaho. island park is one of the best places, supposedly in the u.s., to hunt these same type of mushrooms - morels. so here are some pics from our family hunt. rowe is amazing at hunting these guys. so good. when i'm working, andy takes the kids and rowe usually finds as many as andy. chap's favorite part is putting them in the bag. i'm pretty bad at it, but it's a great family activity.

ps - sorry about all of the the wildflowers pics - it gives me hope that summer might be somewhere in the near future:-)

so here is one day's hunts worth . one additional bonus is that it is helping our food budget, too. counts as the protein for the meal and the kids LOVE them.

hail

we had the craziest hail storm the other night. we woke up the next morning to about an inch of ice on the back deck. june 15th. crazy.

birthday

so we didn't forget about you, momma lee. happy birthday a couple days late!!! we celebrated you by making your famous sugar cookies. love ya lova ya. it was also henry's fork day, so that is why there are small strange fish cookies:-)

springs

so we had heard about the beginning of the henry's fork river from a 4UR friend - thank you, dr. buddy, so we set off to see big springs for ourselves. he had told us that is begins from an underground spring and then the henry's fork just appears. so....he was right. here is the springs and it literally is at the base of a hill.

so here is the henry's fork 50 feet down from the spring. pretty wild.

the water is gin clear and the vegetation is just gorgeous. lastly, andy couldn't resist taking some fish pics. here is one guy that was hanging out by the bridge.

best

a little early for father's day, but i couldn't resist. you're the best, darlin'.

pink

ole punky punk

mud

i'm all for mud because it means that the snow is melting:-) only half kidding.

all this mud makes for a happy kiddo

love chap's determination here. she is going in that puddle. please excuse the crack & sorry, dad, for the black and white - brown water is not that pretty.

washin'

cutie tootie can wash some dishes

playin'

there has been such a big change in the last six months with rowe. this picture is the essence of it. he's just maturing. because rowe has always been busy, he has tended to need help staying the busy that he wants to be, well not any more. the house that we are renting has a long loft upstairs and it has become rowe's playroom. he will take woody, buzz, and rex and play, all by himself, for hours up there. all you hear is rowe's little voice telling woody who knows what. it is a pretty sweet sound. so, here's to woody.