Twilight... the movie!!

Kindegarten?? That came out of nowhere!!

Connor started Kindergarten this past week. He is now an official member of the public school system. we had an argument that first morning on whether or not he should ride the bus the first day, or let his Mommy drive him.(Jeese, why don't you just move out while you're at it!!.) He finally gave in and let me drive him as long as I agreed to let him ride the bus home. (Sniff...) He has already made lots of friends, and everyday he comes home with a stamp on his hand because he was such a good boy in class. Maybe if I buy some really neat stamps he might want to stay home with me.......

Floating the Boise River

One of the benefits of living in Boise is one minute you can be downtown enjoying city life, and five minutes later you can feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, enjoying nature. Yesterday we decided to take part in a popular Boise past time and float the Boise River. I was a little nervous that the boys might be too little, but I forgot what little adrenaline junkies they are. They were so excited whenever the water got a little "bumpy". We did go over a couple tiny waterfalls, but for the most part it was very tame. Connor did manage to fall out of the float tube we had tied to our raft, but that was only because he lost his balance. I love doing this kinda stuff as a family, I want my boys to have great memories of their times with mom and dad.

Muscle Men!!

We have an agreement in this house. If you cooperate while getting your haircut you get a tattoo. I'm not sure how this started, but dad was making them work those tat's for this picture!!

Seven years!!!

Sunday the 20th was JF and my 7th wedding anniversary. In true redneck fashion we decided to load the boys and the dogs up and go camping for the weekend to celebrate. We drove up to Stanley Lake, about 3 hours from Boise. We had a great time, and we realized this was the first time that we have been camping with just our little family. JF was such a good sport about loading ALL of our camping gear up there, and then again when it was time to come home. The boys had such a great time, I don't think Ryan has ever been so dirty in his entire life. We went swimming, fishing and did alot of exploring. I'm lucky to have found this guy I'm married too!

Who stuck their head in the wall?

Crash!!! WAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH! As a mom, you know this is a bad sound combination. Yesterday Ryan was doing who knows what in the living room, and these pictures are the end result. Somehow he managed to use his HEAD to put a whole in the wall! That kid is going to kill me....

Update on all things McDaniel......

Busy, busy, busy!! Busy playing that is!!! Since JF came home we have spent all of June and this first part of July playing hard!! I remember when JF first came home and told me he had payed vacation until the 10Th of July I could not think of what we were going to do with all that free time together, but we have definitely figured it out! We have spent most of our time swimming at every pool, reservoir, and river within a 100 mile radius, plus LOTS of fishing. We have also ate way more fast food than our bank account and waistlines will allow!! It's all been so great though, A couple weeks ago JF, me and the boys were sitting at a restaurant we love, when JF told me he felt happy again for the first time in a long time. I'm so glad he is home!! We had an awesome finish to our super-long vacation this past weekend celebrating the 4Th of July. We went boating with A wonderful family, the Taylor's, who were nice enough to let us tag along in their boat. We went to Anderson Ranch reservoir, which is out near Mountain Home, and we spent the whole day riding the tube behind the boat, having lunch, and even a little fishing! When we came home that night, we managed to get ourselves together and drive downtown to watch the fireworks at Ann Morison park. I had my little family with me, all of us laying on a blanket watching the beautiful fireworks. It was such a great feeling. Now JF heads back to work tomorrow, however I have a feeling we still have some playing left to do this summer.....

Our awesome 4th of July!!!

Our week with Pompy

This past week JF's Dad came and stayed with us. The boys love him so much, they call him Pompy instead of Grandpa. He brought his boat, and we spent the whole week fishing and playing in the water. The boys caught their very first fish this week. We Love our Pompy very much!!!

Little Lucy Loo

Have you ever made a decision that was impulsive and perhaps not the wisest choice? well our latest impulse buy is 7 1/2 lbs. of cuteness! It all started with a "get out of the house drive" this past Saturday. We were driving by Cabela's, when we noticed a large group of people huddled around a truck parked in the back of the parking lot. Now I will admit that it was me who suggested we go see the puppies. We pulled in, and I KNEW the second we got out of the car to look at all those little Yellow Lab puppies that this was not going to end well. They were all so cute and cuddly, but the little runt of the litter really won us over. JF: "This is a stupid idea" Me: "Yes, this is a very stupid idea." JF: "OK, we'll take her." So now we are the proud owner of a tiny yellow lab.

Pictures from JF's homecoming

These are the pictures from the day JF came home. My brother took them for me so I didn't have to worry about it , I could just enjoy the moment. It was one of those "once in a lifetime" days!! Our whole family and some of our close friends all came out to see JF arrive.

Connor's 5th Birthday

Wow this has been an eventful couple of weeks for us! JF came home the 30th of May, then the next week was both Connor AND JF's birthday! Connor turned 5 on the 4th of June, and JF turned the big 30 on the 6th. We went to Pocatello this last week for a big birthday bash. Connor had so much fun playing with his cousins, especially Andy. He has turned into such a wonderful little boy these last few years. It's amazing how easy he is, and how he is such a great friend to me! We talk about everything, and he has the most amazing memory!! If I forget how to get some where Connor can usually remind me! He has a great sense of direction that he DEFINITELY does not get from his mom! This fall he starts Kindergarten, and I keep asking myself, where has the time gone?

Better than Christmas!

JF came home on Friday the 30th at 7:15pm. Definetly One of the best days of my life!! When Ihave some more time I will post more!

Meet Ryan..... if you dare

I decided to do a little spotlight on my youngest son, Ryan. Today at church he said the opening prayer for Sharing Time, and he sounded so sweet and angelic, he fooled so many people. I take that back, he is a very sweet boy, but he is also stubborn and very mischievious. He has the biggest sense of humor, and laughs hysterically at all his own jokes. He hates getting his picture taken, and considers it his personal mission in life to sabotage all posed photographs, (see above photo). He loves to cuddle, and has a tendecy to fall asleep at the table in the middle of a meal. Ryan has been nothing but exciting all 3 years of his life, and I cannot wait to see what kind of person he is going to become! His Dad and I love him so much, he brings more joy to our life than we could ever exspress in words. I love you you little stinker!!

Super Hot Army Man!!!! ( and I'm lucky enough to have him!!)

We are 8 days and counting from the BIG homecoming!! JF left on June 11th of last year, so that puts us at just under a year for this deployment. 11 months and 17 days. we have been so lucky to see JF a few times during the past year, once in August for a few days and then when he came home in January for two weeks leave. I was also able to see him when we went to Germany last month. It has been so long since we have had "normal life" though, I can't remember what it's like to just have him home, and not be watching the clock, knowing soon we will have to say goodbye.. again. The boys always talk about what they are gonna do with Daddy when he comes home. Ryan- "When Daddy comes home I want to sit on the couch and eat Cheetos with him!" The boys have changed alot since JF last saw them, it is going to be awesome to watch him get to know them again when he gets home. It might be a little tough too. This deployment has been tough, but we really have benefited from it way more than I realized we could. JF has had amazing experieces, not to mention the HUGE boost this will be to his aviation career. As a family it has brought us so much closer, and made me so grateful for the amazing man that I am married to. He is a real live hero, and, my best friend.

Summer Time!! ( for a weekend any way...)

This past weekend in Boise we hit 95 degrees!!! The boys and I decided to dig through the garage and dust of the water toys!! We had to double coat the sunscreen, since we were blindingly white after the long winter, then we were ready!! The boys had a blast on the slipin' slide, and we even bought some new squirt guns to play with. I was impressed that almost all the inflatables weren't full of holes. We still got a little sunburned, but it was well worth it. It's now in the 50's here, so we had to put the slipin' slide BACK in the garage, but hopefully we will be able to break it out again soon!!!!

Just days away!!!

So close, and yet so far! This has been the longest month of my life!! OK, that is a slight exaggeration. The boys and I are getting so excited to have Daddy home we can barely stand it!! The three of us talk all the time about what we are going to do when we are actually a complete family again. It has been fun being the, "Three Amigos" but we are ready to be whole again. The boys made a paper chain countdown, and every morning since the first of May they have been tearing one chain link off until Daddy comes home. They are so cute, it is usually the very first thing out of their mouth when they wake up in the morning! I don't blame them, I am just as excited to throw another "link" away!

Cuckoo!!

While JF and I were in Germany we bought this beautiful clock. It cost way more than I would ever spend on a souvenir, but thanks to my wonderful grandparents, who gave me "a little travel money", we decided to get it. JF and I picked it out, and the lady in the store told us it would take 4-6 weeks to ship it to our house. Lucky for me it got here in only 3 weeks! When it showed up today I was a little emotional , because this clock represents the wonderful time we had in Germany. We were so lucky to be able to go on that trip, and it somewhat makes up for the government taking JF for the last year. Somewhat. I'm actually glad that we had it shipped instead of bringing it home with us, because it was like saving a little bit of Germany for later!