The Lind Family

Family Photo Session

2012-01-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

When my parents, brother and his family were here for Christmas we had some family photos taken by our friend Marty.

I love this one of Oma and Poppa with the kids.

My brother with his beautiful girls...Michelle and Lani.

Mom and Dad...married almost 47 years!

I LOVE this one of us!

Us with the boys

Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T23:07:00.004-07:00

Some would say this is an unlucky day. For Tanner, it was one of the best days of his life! Not only was it his "month birthday" (he is 11yrs. 11mo. old today) But he got to meet one incredible guy!

Titus Young of the Detroit Lions!

Titus even had a few inspirational words to say to Tanner that he will never forget. And on the way home ....Tanner never even looked up once....he was too busy looking at Titus' autograph!

Christmas Concerts

2011-12-08T22:16:00.002-07:00

Tonight we went to both boys Christmas Concerts. It was a whirlwind of driving back and forth so that we were able to see some of each performance since they were both at the same time. Yikes! Thankfully we have wonderful friends that were able to join us at both schools so that someone was there for each kid.

Sawtooth Middle School 6th grade choir

Chase in his tuxedo for the Rocky Mtn. H.S. Symphonic Band

Our Idaho Family

Merry Christmas!

19th Anniversary!

2011-11-28T09:59:00.001-07:00

{We celebrated at Mona Lisa Fondue restaurant.}

I can't believe we've been married 19yrs. already!

I love you more than ever!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T22:01:00.013-07:00

We didn't get to go home for Thanksgiving this year, but we had fun making our own traditions. Turkey, football and a movie (went to see Arthur Christmas) before dessert.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T11:47:00.002-06:00

Carving Pumpkins

Tanner's Atlanta Falcons pumpkin

Chase's Tampa Bay Buccaneers pumpkin

Tricks and Treats from Oma and Poppa

Chase and Jordan decorating the yard..

Ready for dinner...
and after school snacks.

Dinner was the traditional chili with fixings, cornbread and hot dog mummys. We even had Blood Orange Soda!

Chase dressed as a" teenage boy"! Ha...how original! He spent the evening eating "teenager type" foods and hanging out with other "teenagers" watching scary movies.

Tanner dressed as a creepy Mad Hatter Mr. Hyde!

He and his buddies, Devin and Cody, had fun scaring kids! (Not the little ones though...they were really good about that)

Devin, Cody and Tanner

Happy Halloween!

DIII Performance at BSU

2011-10-24T16:38:00.002-06:00

Calvacade of Bands - Kennewick,WA

2011-10-04T09:58:00.001-06:00

RMHS Marching Band competed in the Calvacade of Bands this past weekend. The kids did great and are looking forward to the Treasure Valley Battle of the Bands this coming weekend!

Chartered buses! Chase and Aaron

Me and Chase right after I "Chickend" him!

Chase

D-Line Rocks!

Chases drum and shaker

Acting crazy for pictures

Chase and Josh

D-Line

Wolf Pack season

2011-10-01T14:29:00.003-06:00

Tanner (#82) really enjoyed his Jr. year of Optimist tackle football....Go Wolf Pack!

RMHS Homecoming Dance

2011-09-17T12:15:00.000-06:00

Chase and his friend Jasmine went to the Homecoming Dance at school tonight!

Her dress was beautiful....and Chase looked so handsome!

They wore their comfy shoes so they could dance all night!

Sometimes Chase needs to be "dragged" to these dances....hahaha!

Whoo Hoo!

The guys...looking sharp!

Dinner at Gino's!

And then, back to our house for dessert and a toast.

Chase and I stayed up late so he could tell me all about the big night. He said he was surprised at how much fun he had. He chose to ask a great girl...she is FUN!

We are so proud of this kid. He really is a handsome guy!

A new driver in the house

2011-09-09T19:16:00.000-06:00

Today was a big day for Chase!

We went to the DMV to get his Idaho driver's permit. Classes start Monday and he is so excited!!!

Go Broncos!

2011-09-02T12:49:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is the Boise State game vs. Georgia!

I made some cake balls to celebrate!

Yarn Wreath

2011-09-01T14:12:00.004-06:00

After seeing these yarn wreaths all over blogland, I thought I'd try my hand at making one for our front door.

They are so easy to make! Just get a styrofoam wreath, put a little hot glue at the starting point and start wrapping the yarn around it. I chose two different yarns. One with a nubby texture and the other with a furry.

My mom and I made the twisted fabric rosettes last month. These were the extras that I had from another project.

I love it! My new fall wreath! It reminds me of a cozy sweater. Tanner even hung it around his neck, saying it was so cozy he could take a nap with it!

So, what do you think? You should try one!
I am sharing this project over at Kristens Creation's

First Day of School

2011-08-30T09:55:00.002-06:00

Today is a bittersweet day for mom....my babies are growing up!

The backpacks are ready....

Chase is a SOPHMORE! This will be an exciting year for him. He gets to go to the Professional Tech school for half a day every other day.

Tanner is heading off to his first day of MIDDLE SCHOOL! He has already memorized his locker combination and is confident he can find all his classes. I know he will do great!

The house is quiet, I'm missing my boys, but excited for them at the same time. I can't wait for them to come home to fresh baked cookies and tell me all about their first day!

GREAT FIRST DAY!!!

Fun on the Lake

2011-08-28T22:42:00.005-06:00

We decided to make a quick run to Lucky Peak today for a little fun before school starts. The pictures don't show just how fast these Jetskiis can pull that tube! We were flying!!! And lucky for me, I had the camera, so there are NO pictures of me flying through the air while Troy was whipping me around on that tube! IT WAS FUN!!!

McCall, Idaho

2011-08-21T16:51:00.000-06:00

We took a quick trip to McCall the weekend that Donna and Don came for a visit. The drive was gorgeous and the weather was a little hot...but hey, it's August!

We had to get a cone in Ice Cream Alley of course!

Relaxing by the lake.

We also went downtown and checked out the capitol building...

ABBA Concert!

2011-08-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

We had a blast at the Eagle Pavilion watching an ABBA tribute band.

Us with a couple of the many crazy fans of ABBA!

The girls with their light-up lip gloss applicators.

Happy Summer!

2011-06-22T13:16:00.005-06:00

(picture taken summer of 2009.
I can't believe how much the boys have grown!)

Well, it's official...summer has arrived! It was in the 80's yesterday and the sun didn't set until well after 10pm. The lazy days of summer are here!

Skiing in May? Yes, in Idaho!

2011-05-24T17:44:00.001-06:00

Can you believe it? This Memorial Day weekend we can have our bbq and still go skiing at Silver Mt!

Happy Easter

2011-04-21T14:22:00.002-06:00

Wishing you all a beautiful Easter!

Hello Spring!

2011-03-31T12:19:00.003-06:00

Spring has arrived in our neck of the woods! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining with a slight breeze in the air, the windows are open and the house is feeling fresh. I've been doing some spring cleaning...the carpets were cleaned this morning, new spring outfits and shoes were purchased and my piggies enjoyed their first pedi of the season (thanks Marie!).I am so excited to see my tulips and daffodils getting ready to bloom.Spring break has been fun and relaxing and the boys are still enjoying their last couple of weeks of snowboarding. Now, I am off to the kitchen to bake up a yummy spring dessert for tonight. Angel Food Cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream!

bOyS + sNoW = fUn!!!

2011-03-27T22:35:00.003-06:00

Tanner
Chase taking a break
Brothers
Chase
Tanner

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T13:16:00.003-06:00

Wishing you all a wonderful St. Paddy's Day! We will be having the traditional corned beef, cabbage and potatoes for dinner...yum! The boys set out leprechaun traps last night and the little guy left all kinds of green treats behind.

If you're looking for a yummy dessert for tonight, try Cold Stone's new flavor. We had it last weekend and it is delish!

PACE project on Abe Lincoln

2011-01-22T15:22:00.003-07:00

Tanner is doing his 5th grade PACE project on Abe Lincoln...so we are off to downtown Boise to check out the Lincoln memorial statue. It's a beautiful January day here so it's the perfect time to go before the next storm hits!

And what's a trip downtown without a little treat?

Our favorite Christmas tradition

2010-12-25T13:55:00.003-07:00

We made it! We are in California for Christmas with the whole family! One of our favorite traditions is getting new matching jammies every Christmas Eve. And we wear them All. DAY. LONG. on Christmas! Cozy pj's, yummy food and family....what more could you ask for.

The girls...

The guys.... (don't you just love the In-N-Out t-shirts! Very California!)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-21T13:43:00.004-07:00

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

My birthday wish...

2010-11-10T00:08:00.005-07:00

For the last two years my birthday request has been to have family photos taken. We have a friend that we can always count on to take some gorgeous pictures. Here are the first few that she has let us peek at...

I can't wait to see the rest!

Last Home Game....

2010-10-15T14:22:00.004-06:00

We're going to the last home game of the season tonight. We never miss them...it's our date night. What are we going to do when football season ends? Good thing RMHS is going to the playoffs!!!
Do you go to your local high school football games?
{Chase is in this photo somewhere!!! Do you see him?}
I've never seen a high school with so much spirit...love it! GO ROCKY!

Choosing Joy

2010-08-07T15:11:00.001-06:00

I have to be honest. My MIA behavior on my blog (and blog reading/commenting) was not all because of my super busy schedule. Yes, we've been running around like crazy over here, but I'm also a little blogged out. Pooped. Over it.

My blogging love wanes sometimes. Sometimes I feel like I have nothing good to write about. Other times blogging can be quite overwhelming. There's a lot to deal with. A lot to keep up with. It can totally zap the joy out of writing.

Don't get me wrong, I love reading about everyone's adventures. Blogging is a fabulous way to stay in touch, keep up with current events and learn about different lifestyles. But for a while, it was bit of a chore. And things that you enjoy should never get put into the chore category.

So, I just removed myself for a bit. I stepped back and enjoyed being in real life.

A while back I read something about "choosing joy" ... living deliberately, simplifying. So, I had to do just that. But sometimes that can be hard. The pressures of "keeping up" are quite overwhelming. And I want to choose things that make my life joyful and keep my heart happy and light.

Stepping away from the computer was one of those things.

What is keeping you joyful?

We have we been?

2010-06-07T13:50:00.002-06:00

Sorry guys for being M.I.A lately! Our computer crashed and we have been putting off getting it fixed. Not sure if it's worth even fixing at all or if we should just buy a new one.

The school year is coming to a close and the boys are busy with their end of year celebrations. The 8th graders are enjoying Festivus as I write this with all you can eat pizza and the whole afternoon free to write in each others yearbooks. They are also enjoying a magic show in the cafeteria this afternoon. I can't believe that Chase's middle school years are over and he will be starting High School next year!

Tanner's class is having a P.J and Bingo day today and tomorrow they are having a pizza and yearbook signing party. We will also be enjoying a movie put together by one of the parents of everything the class did throughout the school year. Tanner is excited to be a 5th grader next year!

Hopefully we'll have some photos up soon. My parents will be here soon, with our neice and cousin, Lani. Planning on lots of water fun and plenty of trips to the shaved ice shack! Both boys will be enjoying sports camps at the high school, Basketball for Chase and Football for Tanner and also their annual vacation in California with Oma and Poppa.

Whoo Hoo!!! School is out! Happy Summer!!!!

Walgreen's Deal of the Week!

2010-04-23T21:55:00.003-06:00

I purchased these four bottles of Vitamin D for only $1.20. But I received $20 in Register Rewards! That's a $18.80 profit!!! Each bottle was on sale for $5. And for each bottle purchased I received a $5 register reward. But to make the deal even sweeter...I had 4 coupons for $5 off per bottle! So all I had to do was pay 30 cents tax on each totaling $1.20.
Another reason why I HEART WAGS!!!

SCRABBLE

2010-04-13T20:41:00.003-06:00

Oma sent Tanner these cool Scrabble crackers...

He had so much fun!

He even used each of our names spelled with crackers as our place cards at dinner...

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T23:21:00.000-06:00

Twas the night before Easter....

2010-04-03T18:13:00.001-06:00

Getting the Easter Bunny's snack ready...

Snowboarding in Bogus Basin, ID

2010-04-02T20:08:00.003-06:00

Nothing like snow during Spring Break! Usually you imagine sun, sand and warm days. NOT this year! It has been raining and snowing ALL. WEEK. LONG.

However....that was exactly the weather we were hoping for. So, lucky for us Bogus got 3feet of fresh powder for us to play in! And to top it off. Chase got to use his new snowboard right away...and not have to wait till next season!

Chase, Neitzel, Stiles and Tanner ready to hit the slopes!

April Fool's!

2010-04-01T21:23:00.001-06:00

I told the kids that I had a "special" drink for them. They thought they were getting orange soda with lunch.

SURPRISE...APRIL FOOL'S!

It was orange Jello!!!

Spring flowers

2010-03-31T20:21:00.000-06:00

My flowers are looking prettier and prettier everyday!

Even with a little snow on them! Nothing says "SPRING" like snow!

The big 1-4 !!!

2010-03-27T12:42:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Chase's 14th birthday yesterday...wow...where do the years go!

Do Oma and Poppa know this kid or what?!

He REALLY wanted a snowboard. He was so surprised when we gave it to him that evening after Troy got home.

Lovin' the new snowboarding pants too!

He wanted his two favorite things for his birthday meal:
~Chicken fried steak with biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner
~Better-than-Megan-Fox cake for dessert
Yum!

Here's a photo I took after I "thought" he fell asleep! Yep, that's his new board tucked into bed with him! Guess he really likes it!

Happy birthday bug! We are so proud of you and all that you've become!

Spring!

2010-03-21T13:16:00.000-06:00

Spring has sprung!

I am so excited for spring!
I have never planted bulbs in my yard before. I love going out each day to watch their beautiful little faces open up...

Time to sweep off the front porch and celebrate the sunshine!

Happy Spring!

St. Paddy's Day

2010-03-17T11:20:00.003-06:00

Tanner building the leprechaun trap...

didn't catch the lil' wee folk...but they did leave some treats!

The annual "Irish" breakfast...

Chase getting his "green on"!

We had a "bit-o-Irish luck and Tommy was in town again! So we celebrated with some corned beef,cabbage, potatoes and all the other traditional St. Paddy's day foods!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Time for the Orthodontist

2010-03-15T16:43:00.002-06:00

Well...it's that time. Time to get braces for Tanner. Poor kid inherited his mother's teeth!!! We spoke with the orthodonist and the first step is going to be having a couple of teeth pulled. Then spacers and then an expander placed on the roof of his mouth.

Tanner is excited...all he can think about is what color bands he's going to have put on. His favorites at the moment are: black/green (school colors), purple/gold (his football team colors) or red/black (middle school colors). I'm going for the black & green, but he's leaning towards the purple. Not sure why that's so exciting for him...but whatever floats your boat!

Here he is getting some x-rays done...

And here he is with Dr. Payne (I know, funny name for an orthodonist) But, he is the best in town...and right down the street from school! We love him already!

SMS Festival Concert

2010-03-12T15:27:00.004-07:00

Chase's concert was held at RMHS last night. They sounded so much better in the High School auditorium as opposed to our usual spot in the middle school gym!

There he is...in the far corner on the drum set. Being the parents of a percusionist, we never quite get to see our kid. He's always in the back!

Hawks

2010-03-10T18:13:00.002-07:00

This was Tanner's first year playing basketball. He wasn't so sure at first that this was going to be the sport for him, but he ended up loving it!

Getting his trophy from Coach Mike... can't wait till next year!!!

Fun at SMS

2010-03-08T09:55:00.002-07:00

I love working at the middle school! The kids are great and the teachers and staff are incredible.

Middle school age kids are crazy...love em!!!

Chase with a few of his friends...

Star Student!

2010-02-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Tanner received the Star Student Award for Friendship and Caring at school!

Here he is with his teacher Mrs. Bilkiss. We L.O.V.E. her!!! 4th Grade has been a great year! (No, she doesn't always dress like this...but doesn't she look groovy! The Sock Hop was that evening and she was ready to roll!)

So proud of you T!!!!

Dance

2010-02-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here Chase is...ready for the Valentine dance. He is getting older and would barely even let me take this picture. I thought he might want to come home early, but he wanted to stay till the very end. I also thought that he would probably only dance the fast dances with his buddies, but I was wrong again. He prefers the slow dances and he later told me that he danced with around 8 different girls...some were even in High School! My boy is growing up!!! He is so much like his dad... Love ya bug!

A Double Digit Day

2010-02-13T20:08:00.001-07:00

Our "baby" is 10 ... where does the time go???

He found his first gift when he woke up .... Rock Band 2 for XBox 360.

Tanner enjoying his traditional waffel loaded with whip cream and sprinkles!

Opening a few gifts... a basketball from Oma and Poppa.

A 3 month membership on RuneScape from Auntie, Uncle and Lani...

Fun with friends.

We took the boys to see The Lightning Thief... what a great movie!

Bryce, Hayden, Tanner and Cody

We love you T!!! Happy Birthday!
You are growing up to be quite the man...we are proud of you and love you so very much.

Officially a Weebelo

2010-02-10T10:06:00.001-07:00

Tanner is now an official Weebelo! At the Blue and Gold Banquet he received his Bear Rank, 3 red beads, 1 gold and 2 silver arrow points.

The theme of the banquet was a birthday party to celebrate the Boy Scouts of America's 100th Birthday! They boys played games and we even enjoyed birthday cake and ice cream for dessert.

Cute balloon animals...

We are proud of you T!

Mc Call, ID ~ Winter Carnival

2010-02-07T11:21:00.001-07:00

We decided to drive up to McCall for the Winter Carnival after Tanner's basketball game. We've lived here for 3+ years now and still haven't made it up there to check out all the ice sculptures they display each year. We weren't disappointed! However I think we'll try to make it up there a week earlier next year. Many of the sculptures were beginning to melt, but still quite impressive!

Chase broke off a HUGE icecicle he found on the side of a building!

Troy and the boys standing in front of Lake Payette...

everyone was out there standing and kids playing on the frozen lake. This is where the boats are usually docked...

can't believe this is the same lake we were skiing on last summer!

Our favorite place to grab a burger...

Tommy came for dinner...

2010-02-02T17:32:00.001-07:00

So, I was in the laundry room doing yet another load of laundry when the phone rang. I ignored it figuring it was just another sales call. When to my surprise I heard the answering machine click on and I heard a familiar voice. "Um, this is Tommy, your brother, Troy's brother-in-law. Uh, yea, I was wondering...what's for dinner tonight?" I hightailed it out of that laundry room so fast I almost slid into the kitchen counter. I fumbled around trying to pick up the phone before he hung up! Yep, Tommy was finally coming to town! We have lived here in Idaho for 3 years now, and this would be the first time he's been to our home! He is a truck driver and has the kind of schedule that he never knows where in the country he will be. We haven't seen him since last summer and we really miss him. So it was a WONDERFUL surprise to have him stop by for a few hours to have dinner with us. And of course to do a load of laundry and fill up his coffee thermos!

Love ya little bro...can't wait for you to swing through town again!

From one extreme to the other...

2010-02-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

From this...

To this...

Well, Saturday we had the S.C.U.B.A lessons and on Sunday morning we woke up to snow! Very light snow, but snow none the less. So after church we headed up to the hills to do a little sledding. After such a warm, relaxing experience at the S.C.U.B.A lesson the cold was a little off putting. I'm telling ya...all I needed during that lesson was a little sand to dig my toes into and a drink with an umbrella! As nice as it was to warm our winter weary bones on Saturday, we bundled up, (goodbye swim suits!) and headed out...

Good Times!

2010-02-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

We had fun with our little friends, Tori, Maddie and Chelsea on Saturday night. Their mom and dad, our dear friends Todd and Marie, went to a company party. So we got to hang out, play games and eat pizza. Ha! That beats a company party anyday! I do believe that we were the ones that had more fun!!!

Tanner was a little outnumbered by all the girls in the house, so he made sure that his buddy Chase was there too!

Guess what we did today???

2010-01-30T20:01:00.001-07:00

S.C.U.B.A. lessons!

I got all this for 6 cents!

2010-01-19T16:04:00.001-07:00

Well ladies...spring cleaning is just around the corner. Are you ready???

Friends...

2010-01-19T15:57:00.003-07:00

I love these girls!
Love to laugh with them, have coffee/lunch with them, walk with them, cry with them, take turns picking up the kids with them and celebrating birthdays with them. What would we do without friends?!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2010-01-18T23:02:00.004-07:00

Today we honor an amazing man - a man with vision, faith, and courage. A man who was able to see beyond his present circumstances and into a future full of promise. I hope we will all take the time today in our own way to remember Martin Luther King, Jr. and pray for the continual healing of interracial relationships in our country.

Christmas traditions...

2010-01-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

Cookies for Santa...

New Jammies!

Reading the Night Before Christmas...

Christmas morning...

More Christmas

2010-01-07T17:04:00.011-07:00

Well, just like with my scrapbook...I am also behind on my blogging. But that's ok...right??? I'll just continue using the first half of January as my time to catch up up on what else we did during the Christmas season.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chase added a camel to his Nativity set. His Godfather, Ken, gives him a new piece each year.

Heading home after sledding on the hill in our neighborhood.

Building a snow fort in the neighbors yard.

My friend, Elaine, and I went to the Farmer's market to buy a Christmas tree for a family that was going to go without one this year. It was so fun for us to be Santa's sneaky lil' elves and to make the secret delivery.

Cookie exchanges, friends and wine...how much better can it get!

I built a snowman with Tanner and we dressed him in Sawtooth Sabercat gear!

Went to look at Christmas lights with mom and dad.

Made my grandma's almond coffee cake recipe in my Great Aunts yellow bowl. A very important tradition every Christmas Eve.

Cookie baking with Oma.

Games, games and more games!

A visit with Santa for Tanner.

Gingerbread House

2010-01-06T23:35:00.003-07:00

We had so much fun creating our Gingerbread House this year! The boys are REALLY getting creative!

Peppermint Bark

2010-01-05T20:39:00.004-07:00

When my mom comes for a visit the boys love to make yummy things in the kitchen with her. Tanner was really looking forward to making some peppermint bark...I don't think she even had a chance to unpack before he got Oma busy in the kitchen!

Congratulating each other on a job well done!

Go Broncos!

2010-01-04T01:05:00.007-07:00

*****UPDATE*****
THE BRONCOS WON! 17-10
WHOO! HOO!!!

BSU is playing in the Fiesta Bowl tonight! You'll be sure to find us in front of the T.V. promptly at 6:21pm ready to cheer on our team! The last time they were in the Fiesta Bowl we were still living in California, only a week away from moving to our new home in Idaho. Troy was on his way to Idaho that day start up our new business and I was still in Cali with the kids. We watched the game in our family room with my parents while occasionally chatting with Troy on the phone while he listened to the game on the radio. We've been fans ever since. Can't wait to see the town burst with pride in all it's orange and blue glory!

Historic Houses of Worship

2009-12-28T09:00:00.003-07:00

Sunday evening we took a candlelight tour of downtown Boise's historic houses of Worship. There were nine total, but this year we only got to three of them. All I have to say is WOW! I have never seen more beautiful architecture!

Oma's Birthday

2009-12-26T17:07:00.007-07:00

We were able to spend my mom's birthday with her again this year! Doesn't she look great!!!
The two of us went to Miss Tami's Tea Cottage the day before to start the celebrating early.

After a wonderful dinner at Olive Garden and looking at some beautiful Christmas light displays we came home for mom to open gifts, eat birthday treats, and receive love and hugs from the boys...

We all love you so much Mom!!!

Christmas fun at school

2009-12-26T16:36:00.008-07:00

Tanner ready with his teacher and bus driver gifts...

The last day of school before Christmas break is always fun! At the middle school they took a vote from the students on which teachers they would like to see dressed as elves for the Christmas assembly. This years theme was from the movie ELF. The teachers had to go through obstacle courses, sing karaoke and even eat a plate full of spaghetti covered with Pop Tarts, candy and syrup!!!!

Chase here playing the drum part of the song from A Charlie Brown Christmas...

Tanner's class had a fun day too. They watched the movie, Polar Express, had a gift exchange and munched on all kinds of goodies!

Chase had his band concert and both Troy's dad and my parents were able to be there from California!

Christmas Lights

2009-12-15T10:25:00.001-07:00

On Saturday night we went over to our friends, Pam and Brian, house for dinner and then out driving around Boise to look at Christmas lights. Boy did we find some great houses!

Pam and Brian
Thanks so much guys...you always know all the cool places to go!

So, after looking at a home with one of the most amazing light displays this is what we saw on their neighbors house! Troy REALLY liked this one!!!

Christmas Decorations

2009-12-15T09:44:00.006-07:00

Albie's Deals

2009-12-14T17:09:00.001-07:00

I ran to Albertson's on Saturday night to pick up a few deals.

The Progresso soup was on sale for $1.39 each. I bought 12 and it totaled $16.68. Then I used four $1.10/4 coupons bringing the total down to $12.28. Because my before coupon total was over $15 I received a $5 catalina towards my next purchase and also 3 double coupons due to the promo sale Albertson's is having this week. If you subtract the $5 off of my soup purchase it would make my soup total only $7.28. And to make this deal even sweeter I got another $4.98 off the total. For every 6 cans of soup you buy you get 1 free broth or $2.49 taken off your total whether you get the broth or not! So my total price was $2.30 for 12 cans of soup...that's only a little over 19 cents a can. That is a great price!!!

The Dannon Light and Fit are on sale for 49 cents each. I purchased 8 which totaled $3.92. I then used two 75 cents/4 coupons I found on coupons.com and then doubled each of those for a total of $3.00 off. That equals 92 cents for 8 yogurts!!!

These Progresso Bread Crumbs were on sale for $1.00. I printed off two coupons for $1.10 off each one. Equals = FREE!

What deals have you gotten lately? I would love to hear!

Girl Time

2009-12-13T00:52:00.004-07:00

Saturday afternoon I got to go to the mall! If that doesn't sound exciting or unusual to you, I can understand. Going to the mall isn't usually one of my favorite things. But that's probably because I am living in a houseful of boys! Well, today I got to "borrow" my dear friend Marty's little girl for an afternoon of shopping. Natalia needed a dress for an upcoming orchestra concert and she asked me to take her. ME!!! I felt so honored! So off we went for a little "girl time"...

We had so much fun! Isn't she just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen!

Not only is she beautiful, she's well spoken, intelligent, athletic and the sweetest thing you've ever met!

These are the two dresses she was debating on. She chose the pink. LOVE IT!

Thank you Natty for a wonderful afternoon!

Traditions

2009-12-09T22:19:00.003-07:00

We have many traditions during the holidays that we enjoy.

#1 Decorating the Christmas Tree
and talking about each ornament as it is put on the tree...

#2 Baking
Here are some Russian Tea Cookies that I baked today for a cookie exchange I went to tonight. I have another exchange to go to on Sunday so I need to come up with a recipe. Maybe peppermint bark? I LOVE cookie exchanges and coming home with all kinds of yummy treats!

#3 Time Spent with friends
About 20 of us girls got together last night at Gino's for an earring exchange. We had such a great time! How can you top great food and fabulous ladies!!!

Our annual Christmas Bunco at Judy's house! Again...lots of laughter and great food!

#4 Tree Lightings
Enjoying hot cocoa at the Meridian Christmas tree lighting

#5 Parades
Watching the Meridian Christmas parade

Those are a few of our favorite things this time of year. And that was only THIS week....we have lots more planned in the upcoming weeks!

Baby It's Cold Outside

2009-12-08T10:18:00.005-07:00

Monday morning driving down our street on the way to school...

My friend Elaine and I decided to take the dogs over to the park...

Last night, on the way home from a ladies Christmas tea with my friend Mary, I noticed the outside temp on the car said it was 5 degrees! When I woke up this morning the newscaster on the clock radio was letting us all know that it was now -5 degrees at 6:30am. That's right folks...NEGATIVE 5 degrees!!!!

Mary and I at her church for the Ladies Christmas Tea. What a fun night!

Thankful...

2009-12-01T17:48:00.005-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends in California. We ate too much, watched lots of football and enjoyed catching up with one another. It was our first Thanksgiving at home since moving to Idaho....and it was WONDERFUL having my mom's cooking again!!! The boys spent the rest of the weekend playing with their cousin, Lani, and visiting friends. My parents took the boys to see Christmas Carol 3D at the movies and they ate at In -N-Out more than once! Troy and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary on Saturday with dinner,a movie and visiting with our dear friends, The Espinosa's. We are truly blessed...
Here are a few snaps of our weekend.
We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thank you!

2009-11-11T06:00:00.001-07:00

Be sure to fly Old Glory and say a prayer for all Americans who have served our nation so proudly. If possible, thank one personally. More than 25 million American veterans are among us.

A very happy birthday to me!

2009-11-06T11:04:00.003-07:00

What a great day! Troy took the day off of work, which is very unusual and made me feel oh so special! The boys were off school due to teacher conferences...so I got all three of my favorite guys home with me for my birthday! We spent the day enjoying lunch at a fellow Pursuiter's restaurant, having family portraits done, cappacinos at Pamela's, parent teacher conferences, dinner at Gino's...Yum! and finished off the evening with our dear Life Group. What more can a girl ask for? Oh yes...a snuggie, my favorite beverage and endless photo viewing, of course. Chase gave me a BSU Snuggie, Tanner picked up a Dutch Bros. coffee gift card and Troy surprised me with a digital photo frame that holds 1000 of my favorite photos!!!!

My neighbor and friend, made me this delicious birthday cake! Thanks Cindy!!!

Halloween '09

2009-11-04T16:17:00.003-07:00

We had a great Hallowe'en filled with fun and family traditions!

Tanner carved his pumpkin in a traditional style, but was most proud of the fact that he grew this pumpkin himself over the summer!

Chase carved a USC (Univ. of So. Cal.) on one side, TCU (Texas Christian University)on another and his football #42 on the the third side.

Trick or Treating in the neighborhood with Tanner and his buddies...

Chase and his buddies went out on their own this year...

Tanner as SCREAM!

Chase dressed as a "creepy old farmer guy"

The boys with their stash...

Sun Valley, Idaho (part II)

2009-11-03T15:42:00.004-07:00

Mary and I with some of the Basque women...

Waiting for the Trailing of the Sheep

A cute bookstore... can't wait to get back in there on our next visit!

The sheep and the herders on their way through town, bringing their flocks to their winter destination.

Afterwards we were hungry and so we stopped at Wise Guys.This has got to be the best pizza I've ever had!

Cute pic of the kiddos...

Cool sign on the side of the building... kinda sad though after watching all the sheep go through town!

After lunch we stopped at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some treats. Isn't this a cool model they made all out of chocolate?!

We had such a fun weekend with all the wonderful families from the WolfPack team. I can't wait to get up there again sometime very soon! I bet it's beautiful in the winter. Anybody up for a little snowboarding????

Happy Hallowe'en!

2009-10-31T16:20:00.002-06:00

Our pumpkins are carved, the candy bought, the costumes laid out...we are ready for a fun night!

Fall baking and carving...

2009-10-30T23:42:00.000-06:00

Chase loves to bake...

Tanner roasting pumpkin seeds from his home grown pumpkins...

Chase's pumpkin carving skills

Tanner and Troy's pumpkins

Tanner was proud that he was old enough to do his own!

Hoping you and your family have a safe and fun Hallowe'en!

Old Barn...

2009-10-27T10:19:00.002-06:00

Just couldn't resist taking some family photos next to this old barn...

A fun weekend

2009-10-26T16:57:00.004-06:00

Bunco this month was fun! Elaine, Patty and I dressed as The Biggest Loser contestants! While I was with the girls playing Bunco, Troy took the boys and their friends to the Haunted Woods. Boy did they have a frightfully good time! I don't "do" scary, so it is the perfect thing for the boys to do with Dad.

On Sunday, after church, we headed over to a farm in Caldwell for the Pumpkin Launch.

Boy, these guys really know what they are doing. They shoot those pumpkins crazy far!!!! I think one might have even reached the road, which was probably about a half mile away!!!!

And of course the traditional poses by the pumpkins!

After leaving the farm we headed over to the movie theater. We saw Where The Wild Things Are. It was great! Have you seen it yet? We hope you had a wonderful weekend full of fun family traditions!

Sun Valley, Idaho

2009-10-25T19:07:00.007-06:00

Sorry it's taken me awhile to post the photos from our Sun Valley trip.
We had such a fun weekend! The boys won their game, we camped with a great family and we got to explore the town of Sun Valley a bit. I can't wait to get back up there! It is such a beautiful little town. We didn't see any celebrities, but that's O.K. We had our own. Don is the anchorman for the ABC news here in Boise. So we were his groupies for the weekend. I am sure many people recognized him there, but we weren't slowed down much by the paparazzi or his fans! Love ya Don!

Here we are in front of the Sun Valley Lodge. This historic lodge is gorgeous! Loved going down the hallways and looking at all the famous families that have stayed there over the last 70 years.

Don and Mary Nelson, Me and Troy, Ben and Meg Hiatt and RaeGail and Paul Drace. Love these families!

The boys enjoyed a long soak in the hot tub after the game. Us parents were inside the cabin enjoying drinks and conversation.

Later, we went to town. The boys bowled in the basement of the Sun Valley Lodge and had a blast!

Mary and Ben keeping score...

Tanner scored a 165!

The famous lodge ice skating rink.

Don and Anny found a great place to warm their hands...

Hanging out in the motorhome.

A rousing game of UNO

This is what we did on Saturday. Sunday we went back into town to see the Trailing of the Sheep parade...more photos to come.

More photos...

2009-10-22T14:28:00.000-06:00

When my parents were here we did so many fun things. I just found more pics.

Here are the boys at the History Museum Comes to Life at the park. They had the park divided up into different times in history.

One Saturday after a football game we went to check out the Hyde Park festival. My dad enjoyed playing the drums...

We went to a Rocky Mountain High School football game...

Had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel...

Coffee at Rembrandts...

And a visit to the Boise Train Depot

Easy Peasy

2009-10-21T14:22:00.000-06:00

Tanner and I made this "treat" for his teacher. No "tricks" necessary...this project is EASY! Just buy some hand sanitizer and peel off the label. Then decorate with your choice of stickers and ribbon. Done!

With all the icky flu germs going around...what teacher wouldn't love this on their desk?!

Trip to Sun Valley

2009-10-20T15:08:00.007-06:00

The weekend of October 10th we headed over to Sun Valley, Idaho to watch Tanner's Optimist football team play the Wood River Valley team.

Packed up and ready to head out...just needed to get the kids out of school a little early.

This is the way to travel!

The weekend before we drove up there they got about 6 inches of snow. Beautiful!

This was our view on the way up there...the back of the Nelson's R.V.!

We camped with the Nelson family. We had a great time hanging out in the motor home, enjoying meals together, playing UNO and watching sports on T.V. next to the fireplace. Oh...what a rough life!

The boys played a little football in the campground the first night...

Brrr...The game was at 10:00am and it was cold!!! In the 20's. But with all the cheering going on and the sun shining we warmed up in no time.
Tanner was excited to be team captain for this game...

What a great time we had watching these boys win....Go Wolfpack!

A fun {but chilly} date night

2009-10-20T13:52:00.004-06:00

I had been wanting to see a Bronco game for awhile now. The boys had plans with friends and Troy and I needed to go do something fun by ourselves. Well..our friends have season tickets and since two were being unused this game they offered them to us...Thanks Oord Family!!!!

The parking lot was PACKED with tailgaters...

The band getting the crowds ready...

The team was just about to run out onto the field through the smoke...very cool!

Here we are all bundled up... it rained on us halfway through the game. But, we stuck it out and had a blast!

Oma and Pappa

2009-10-12T21:21:00.003-06:00

My parents were able to visit us last month and to catch a few football games. We love their visits and creating new memories with them. We did so many fun things while they were visiting...here are a few highlights of their trip.
Lunch at Moon's in Downtown Boise

Tanner's haircut....my mom was sad to see him loose his long hair. But it was just getting to be too hot under that football helmet!

Oma and Tanner playing a game of Connect Four
My dad and I planting a few new plants in the front yard

Crafting with Mom. We made fall banners for our fireplaces and some magnets.

Cheering on the Sabercats for Chase
and the Wolfpack for Tanner. (Isn't my mom the cutest the way she always coordinates her outfits with the team colors!)

District Champions and a Life Scout

2009-10-08T13:11:00.003-06:00

Sawtooth Middle School Sabercats are now the District Champions!!!! Great Job guys!

Here we are just minutes after the winning game! We rushed over to the church and as you can see we didn't have a chance to change our clothes. (And not looking too cute for photos I would say) I still have on my Sabercat football sweatshirt and Chase is still in his game pants!!! He was awarded with his Life Scout as well as many other merit badges he has earned the last few months. Here he is pinning me with my mother's Life Scout Pin. He is now on the final stretch towards earning his Eagle.
We are so proud of you Chase!

Watch out Wood River Valley .... here comes the Wolfpack!

2009-10-07T09:36:00.004-06:00

We are heading up to Sun Valley this weekend to cheer on the WolfPack. Maybe we'll even catch of glimpse of Arnold, Demi or Bruce while up there. I mean....who wouldn't want to watch these guys play??? Even celebrities know a good team when they see one!

Fall has arrived!

2009-09-29T15:43:00.002-06:00

There is a chill in the air...fall is here! Whoo hoo!

And to all of my dear friends and family that have been concerned with my lack of updating the blog... we are all just fine here in the Lind household. I haven't posted for awhile because we were enjoying my parents 12 day visit from California. They left yesterday and we miss them already! I will catch you all up later this week with what we've been up to.

What's for Lunch?

2009-09-11T00:19:00.002-06:00

My girlfriend, Carrie, and I love to try out new places for lunch. We've tried so many great spots this past year that I've seriously considered starting up a restaurant blog. I came from a town that is FULL of places to eat, but they were always of the "chain" variety. I got bored! Living here in the Boise area I am thoroughly enjoying checking out all the cute little bistros and quaint historic buildings turned into restaurants that we have here. My boys aren't big on trying out new "cute" places, so I turn to my girlfriends to check them out with me. This week we tried out Rachel K's Bistro in Eagle, Idaho. Let me tell you...it's a KEEPER!

Fall is in the air! And in our house that means....Football!

2009-09-11T00:09:00.002-06:00

The boys had their first games this past week! It was so much fun to watch them play.

Back to School

2009-08-31T17:37:00.002-06:00

WOW! Where did the summer go??? It seemed like only yesterday that we had three months of freedom and no bedtimes ahead of us! I can't believe the boys are now in 4th and 8th grades. Next year I will have a high schooler...yikes!

Boise Curb Cup

2009-08-30T19:53:00.005-06:00

We went to the 1st Annual Boise Curb Cup this afternoon. And shall I say...it was "interesting"! It is called the Great Street Circus of Creativity. That about sums it up for a lot of the acts.

Each person received three tokens. You were to go around and check out each of the 130 entrants and watch their act, listen to them sing or hear their music. If you liked them, then you put in one (or all three) of your tokens. The entrant with the most tokens wins.

These guys were awesome.

This group was great. They would take your name and make a song out of it. Hilarious!

And these guys....well...they were "interesting"...err...creative, I guess.

This group was my favorite! They had a great beat going on and I loved the Nacho Libre mask!

We decided to walk down to Ben & Jerry's for a treat and these flowers and bicycles caught my eye...

And we thought this art display of Ben & Jerry carton lids was really cool!

It was a fun day, perfect weather in the low 80's. Tomorrow is the first day of school and we are all a little sad that summer vacation is ending. But, fall is on it's way and we have a lot of exciting times ahead!

Optimist Football Jamboree

2009-08-30T01:54:00.005-06:00

Tanner's Optimist Jamboree was held today at the Boise State University stadium.
We feel so blessed that Tanner was chosen to be on the Wolf Pack team. The coaches, players and parents are awesome! We are looking forward to watching the boys play on this team together for the next 4 years.

The boys had a blast playing on the "smurf turf"!!!

Lemonade Stand

2009-08-27T12:14:00.003-06:00

We were driving down Harrison Blvd. in Boise, feeling a little parched, when we decided to stop at this neighborhood lemonade stand.

What's summer without stopping at a stand at least once...

Cookies, 4 per box for $1, all wrapped up with a sweet brown ribbon...

Did you notice the ice in the silver bowl with matching silver serving utensils?

Big brother was teaching his little brother how to make change...

Marie and Katie waiting for their delicious lemonades. Large cup with a lid and bendy straw!

This family sure knows how to do an elegant lemonade stand! And to top it off. All money earned went to buy underprivledged children school supplies!

BUNCO!

2009-08-27T11:56:00.002-06:00

It was my turn to host Bunco this month. What a great time we all had. And even better...my high school BFF and her daughter were able to join us!

We both won, "Most Buncos" and had a roll off to see who would win the big $$$!

Marie won!

An afternoon with dear friends...

2009-08-27T11:44:00.003-06:00

Last weekend my dear friend, Marie, and her daughter Katie came to visit us. We spent Saturday afternoon wandering around downtown Boise, enjoying the farmers market and lunch at Moon's Cafe.

Old skool movie night!

2009-08-17T12:30:00.003-06:00

The boys have never been to a drive-in movie and with summer quickly coming to an end we decided to pack up the SUV for a trip back in time!

The evening was perfect! The kids sat outside while Troy and I cuddled in the back on an air mattress.

Ewwww! Mom and Dad... stop it!

Isn't this what your supposed to do at drive-in's???!!!

It was late by the time the 2nd movie was over, around 1:30am. We went to start the car....and nothing...it was dead!!! The lady that was running the film just came down and started us right up with her portable power pack. I guess we weren't the only ones that forget to use the auxiliary mode!

We found the perfect campsite!

2009-08-10T09:18:00.006-06:00

Not too far from home ~ No need to over pack ~ Saved tons on gas ~ Clean bathrooms ~ Convenient ~ what more could you ask for?!

All showered and ready for movies and bed!

The real me, wet hair and all!

Already??!!??

2009-08-10T09:12:00.002-06:00

Football was on at our house yesterday. The Hall of Fame game, the Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans. It was nice to hear that background music coming from the T.V. It means fall is on it's way! Tanner also got the call from the coach last night. Practice starts Wednesday for him! Yikes...the carefree days of summer are coming to an end!

Camping in McCall, Idaho {part 2}

2009-07-30T15:28:00.003-06:00

OK, I finally got the photos back from my Mom. We had an amazing time in McCall over the 4th of July weekend. It is so gorgeous there!

We spotted some deer...

and try to rig up a trap to catch a chipmunk!

Celebrated the 4th...

had fun together...

We did lots of tubing...

my dad...

Chase and Tanner...

and jetskiing...

Troy and Roxy

Troy ~ Tanner ~ Lani

Me and my mom

My dad...

"Chef" Troy...

the kids making smores...sure made a lot of those over the weekend!!!!

The gang

played on the beach...

Waiting for the firework show...

playing games on the beach...

We had a terrific time in McCall...what a great place to camp! And the firework show was probably one of the best we've ever seen...