Here's a little update on my family:
The last major milestone I blogged about was our trip to Condon in June. This summer has gone all too quickly for us, so we have now put the pedal to the metal on some goals we wanted to achieve before school started back up again.
Around The House
Todd and I have been doing some random DIY projects around the house (painting and constructing Ruby's bed and redecorating her room, constructing Rocco's bunk beds, new bathroom storage cabinet, etc.)-- the most notable being the refurbished China hutch. I didn't take a "before" photo-- as I am always too anxious to get started. But I did take some "during" photos and an "after photo". Before the paint job, the hutch was a medium Oak wood with brushed gold hardware (can you say ICK?) I painted the whole thing black and distressed it. I looked at Home Depot for new hardware, but, to my dismay, the original hardware had odd measurements, so I was forced to make do with what I had. I debated spraying it silver or matte black. I decided with the matte black so it would blend into the furniture more-- I really hated the hardware as it was. Now, I love it. It looks completely different in black! Originally, there were glass panels with gold panes in the upper doors. To give it a rustic look, I decided not to put in the glass, but to add screen instead. I am thrilled with the result:
Solar Energy
Todd and I were accepted into a solar pilot program and it pays us 28.5 cents per every watt of solar energy we produce. There are a handful of guys installing the approximate 30 foot solar panel (28 panels total) right now. I don't know much about it-- I am super skeptical! So, if you have more questions, call Todd! :) All I know is that is supposedly going to save us money. And is a big deal. I guess?
Fourth of July
It was fairly laid back this year-- as we have little Miss Ruby-- and the heat was out of control (over 100 degrees ever day!) So, we stayed inside or in the shade as much as possible. We did go to the park one day to check out the vendors after Lion's breakfast. Rocco slid down the giant inflatable slide and went on the swings. We also made sure to watch the parade. We met up with our friend and Rocco's babysitter and her two boys. It was a blast!
Barton/Adams Wedding
Recently, a family friend got married. She looked stunning and the groom was glowing. They were such a happy, cute couple. I wish them the best!
Boise Zoo
We took Rocco and Ruby to the zoo about a week ago. They were excellent! Rocco was thrilled to see all of the animals-- the monkeys are his favorite! But he hated the new animatronic dinosaurs. They scared him. He always looks forward to the giraffe slide (as tall as a real giraffe) and hand feeding the goats. Ruby did not make a sound the entire time we were at the zoo-- just took it all in. And ended up falling asleep right before we left. It was definitely the highlight of summer vacation so far!
We all got together to celebrate Mother Mary's birthday recently. She is a young 82 and looks great! I love that I get to live close to my family and spend time with them-- especially birthdays. Birthdays are my favorite!
Rocco & Ruby
Rocco is growing like a weed and is not slowing down at all. He has had a great summer playing outside, going to the park, doing a week of swim lessons, and going on miscellaneous adventures. He is still infatuated with anything and everything dealing with fire trucks and fire fighting. He is also into Wreck it Ralph and Transformers. And he is super interested in construction stuff, too. We sure do have fun with him!
Ruby is also growing like a weed. She rolls around with ease, but has no desire to crawl yet. She loves sticking her toes in her mouth, eating baby food, making "smack/kiss" noises with her mouth, banging toys with her hands, splashing around during bath time, and smiling at people. She is a quiet little girl and loves to take it all in. It will be fun to watch her grow up.
The Rest of the Family
My mom is still enjoying retirement. So much that I am worried she is going to quit her babysitting job in the fall (not really!) She has been busy quilting and volunteering for lots of charities around the valley. The most notable is her work with the Boys and Girl's Club of the Treasure Valley. She has always been such an advocate for kids. My dad is busy, busy, busy-- farming away. Looking out my back door, I can see that they are swathing hay as I type. His crops look good this year. Todd's folks are doing well. Todd's dad was appointed county judge in January so he has been busy taking classes, going to trainings, attending meetings, and learning the ropes of his new job. Todd's mom stays busy at the bank and is always working on something around their house. They recently remodeled their kitchen and added a shop to their house. We were there when they were pouring cement-- something Rocco loved watching-- and we were able to get the kids' names in the wet cement. Jason and Lora are busy with Jaxon-- he is also growing like a weed and is so cute. Lora will be going to Jason Aldean at the end of the month-- her birthday gift from the family. Todd's sister, Stephanie, and her husband, Jim, are expecting a little girl ANY TIME! Her name is Jillian Marianne. We are eagerly awaiting news of her arrival! Everyone else not mentioned is good-- happy and healthy.
Looking Foward...
I am getting a much-needed and much-deserved 90 minute massage on Wednesday. Enough said!
I am also taking a CPR/First Aide class next week. It's the only "real" class I am taking this summer. I took some online classes and am proud to say that I am officially all the way across the payscale! Yahoo for me!
Todd and I will be celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary on the 25th. We are going to a restaurant in Boise called Barbacoa. There have been several people who have recommended it to us and it looks neat, so we thought we would try it!
We will be taking the kids to San Diego to visit Stephanie, Jim, and Jillian at the end of this month. We're hoping for a play day at the beach, a trip to Lush, and a possible visit to Sea World. With the HOT weather here, we are looking forward to the mild temperatures in San Diego. Mostly, it will be good to see family and meet my niece. Hopefully, we will be there for at least part of the time Todd's parents will be down there-- I think they are going to be there for a couple of weeks.
Todd has had the summer off of football commitments as he stepped down from assistant coaching high school football to head coaching middle school football. He is looking forward to switching gears this fall and being able to spend more time with his family.
Work starts August 19 for us with two inservice days before kids come. So that means that we have just about a month of summer break left. Yikes!
September is a big month for us-- my dad, Todd, and Rocco all have birthdays. Rocco will have his birthday on September 7th-- bounce house again for him and his friends! Todd is turning 30 on September 18th. Homecoming will be the end of September and that is a super busy but fun time for me. A fellow teacher and I are in charge of all of the festivities and it is a BIG deal where we are from. Then, in October, Rocco and Ruby will host their annual Pumpkin Patch Party. Fall is my favorite time of year, so I am looking forward to it.
I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer-- we are going to enjoy it while it lasts!
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