Boise Zoo

We went up on a Friday so we could watch Chad & Fran's kids Saturday & Sunday while Chad was at work and Fran was out of town. During our trip Kelby's cousin Brandon conveniently had his homecoming. On Saturday we took all the kids to the Boise Zoo with all the fam that came up for the homecoming.
Taylor and Nathan riding the carousel at the zoo.
Kelby with Ian. Kelby has to patrol Ian to make sure he rides appropriately.
All the kids who went to the zoo.
What a cute kid! Of course I am his mom.
The giraffe slide. The kids loved it and we had a hard time getting them away. Why is it the playground stuff is always more exciting than the animals?
Ian adored this tiger. I just wanted him to keep his hands off. Birdie mess everywhere!
Make your own turtle. This one is unique with two heads.
Our fam.
The adults are getting tired. We are stuck at another playground area. At least the kids are entertained.
Ian in who knows what. Looks comfy.

Happy Birthday Ian!!! Party at Grandma Olson's House

Okay, we didn't really celebrate Ian's birthday on the correct day, but we did do it the next day. We really do have a good reason and it goes like this, Kelby took them to a father's and sons campout with Ron, (Kelby's sister Tysi's husband), and his boys. Now what kid would care about waiting a day if he got to camp? Certainly not mine, at least not at the age of 3. Holy cow! Is my baby 3? I am often amazed at how time flies and this is just one of those times.

Ian blowing out his candles. Isn't he good at it? I made Ian a frozen chocolate cheesecake pie.
Kelby & I got him another Thomas book despite how baddly we hate reading them. Not that we are stooges or anything, it's just that there are three stories packed into each book and he insists we read them all. This can make story time longer than we feel necessary.

Tysi and fam got him a look and see, or whatever it is called.

Working hard to open it.....

A Dora & Diego DVD. So worth the effort. Mom and dad know what is up. Okay, so Ian picked it out at the store. I had a hard time finding him something at Wal-Mart just before the party so I had a little help. I didn't want to get anything too big since we bought his main present and gave it to him at the party he had at my mom's house. A kid only needs so much stuff, especially when we already own half a toy store, (at least it feels that way).

And Grandma Olson came through with a tractor and trailer set. Taylor was a bit more excited than Ian, but isn't that how being an older sibling goes? Happy Birthday Ian! We love you!

Leaving Cleveland, First Dental Office Prospect

After graduation we exhausted ourselves with preparing what wasn't already packed for the move. I really hate moving from state to state. The inner-city move is so much easier! Everything isn't so final. You can move your stuff and come back later to clean up. When you move from Cleveland to Burley you must pack up your truck with everything you have and then clean. After that you just got to get out of town. There is nothing left to sit on or eat or anything. Uggh! I hate moving! I do appreciate my Dad for flying out to help us in our efforts and then drive across the country with us.

The day my Dad flew in I had to pick up Taylor from preschool on my bike because Kelby took the car to get my Dad at the airport. Taylor was so excited to have his mom show up on a bike. On the way home he told me that, "I wish Dad would use the car more often when you had to pick me up." Taylor always says some funny things. I love that kid, (go figure, I'm his mom).

Ian fell asleep on the couch while Kelby and I were busy getting things ready. Our kids were really neglected during the move. I'm surprised they lived through it. I guess there really is alot to that saying that kids are resilient.
One of Taylor's final projects at school. He is so cute when he brings them home to show me.
One last picture before we drive off. This is our house half covered by a tree. It is split into three apartments and we occupied all of the first floor.

I am so going to miss the cemetery nearby our house, the parks, friends, the library system, and the Cleveland Music School Settlement. One of my favorite things was the fireworks show every 4th of July on Mayfield Road. Guys would come running out of the back of a local restaurant with boxes on their shoulders, light off the fireworks, then clear the road so traffic could still get through. I always found it humorous and felt spoiled that I could just walk up the street and get an amazing show for free. I loved it! Cleveland has been good to us and we learned alot while we were there.

Driving across the country was fun. We started Friday evening, drove all day Saturday, Sunday, and then half of Monday. It got a little old Monday morning when I knew I would be in Salt Lake that afternoon. I had the GPS on and I counted nearly every minute down. Coming through Parley's Canyon and seeing the valley was awesome. I couldn't believe we made it!

We spent Memorial Day evening at my sister Jen's house. Ian cried when I put him back in the van for the 40 minute drive. He was not about ready to leave Grandma's house. In fact he cried all the way to Jen's house. Poor thing. I kind of felt the same way too.

On Tuesday we trucked out to finish our trip to Burley, ID. Now we are staying with Kelby's mom until he can find permanent work. I hope it is soon!

After visiting our first dental practice prospect we went to lunch with Jill at Chili's in Pocatello, ID. She watched our boys for us while we met with the dentist. Thanks Jill!
Kelby & Ian being silly.
Me taking a stab at being silly.

If you look careful you can see Taylor taking a pic of me with my cell phone. He was so busy taking pictures that he didn't end up in any of them, but he was there. One night after I put the boys to bed when I came back to check on them I found them together. I guess there is nothing better than a little comfort from a sibling. Taylor and Ian miss Cleveland and all their friends. It is hard to explain to them that everybody else left too or is going to leave in the next few years. Just watching a movie with their Dad. Can you guess which one? Probably Toy Story or Toy Story 2. The move jarred Ian so much that he took to new movies. Cars still has a place in his heart, but he has found a new favorite.