Law Enforcement Appreciation at Zoo Boise

We are lucky to live in a community that supports its law enforcement. We were able to attend a special free event at Zoo Boise this summer as a thank you for Matt and the work that he does! The kids loved seeing all the animals, and it was cool to have so few people in the zoo with us (the zoo was reserved just for Boise PD, neighborhood watch leaders, and citizen police I think). The highlight (besides dad dropping by for a few minutes during his shift) was definitely feeding the giraffe!

Steam Locomotive and Rooster Tail

Sunday, April 23rd was a fun day for my family (well, at least for the kids and me - Matt had to work). After church, we packed up and headed out to see some fun sights! We first stopped at the Boise Train Depot to see the Living Legend - the historic steam locomotive. It was neat to see this piece of history!

After checking out the steam engine, we headed up to Lucky Peak to see the rooster tail. It has been a long time since I've seen the rooster tail (I'm thinking I saw it when I was a kid? and maybe just from the car?), and my kids had never seen it. After a quick picnic at the park, we were able to walk down the greenbelt to right near the rooster tail, and even feel the mist from the water. It was cooler than I thought it was going to be, and definitely an afternoon well spent.

Close to Home

Earlier this month, two Boise Police Officers and one K-9 Officer were shot when trying to aprehend a fugitive. One of the officers was treated at the hospital and released the next day. One of the officers is still in the hospital with serious injuries. The K-9 Officer, Jardo, underwent surgery and was expected to make a full recovery, but then ended up passing away a couple days later. Needless to say, it was a rough couple weeks there (and longer for the families directly involved)!

I was amazed at how much this shooting affected me. I had met one of the officers briefly one time, and I had never met the other officer or the K-9 (who worked on Matt's team). I was an emotional mess! I broke down in tears multiple times, and for several days after the shooting. I had a hard time even talking with people about it without crying. Someone posted this image on Boise PD spouses facebook group I am a part of, and it is so true...

It really was amazing how close to home this shooting was. I truly appreciated those who reached out to me with calls or texts or facebook messages. My friend Devyn even spent that evening of the shooting with me, so I wouldn't be "alone" with my boys (Matt was called into work right after the shooting occurred). I was constantly checking my facebook group for updates on the officers, and even attended a prayer meeting with some of the other spouses. I found comfort in their presence, and knew even more that my husband holds an honorable position serving our community.

A memorial service was held for the K-9 Jardo. I took Kylee and Tyler. I had told the kids that a bad guy had shot the dog, and Tyler was convinced that bad guy was "The Joker". The memorial service was very nice, and I was thankful to Jardo, who may have saved the lives of other officers that day.

I saw this idea and think I'm going to make it for the door leading out to our garage... I love it :-) And I pray every day that my officer will "come home safe".

Summer Break 2016 - Week 8

Week 8 of summer break was HOT! We had a really fun time going swimming as a family on Monday - I think the kids could have stayed in the pool all day. I was surprised at how much Bradley liked the pool compared to earlier in the summer... Matt suggested it might be because the pool is warmer now than it was at the beginning of the summer :-) It was nice seeing how much more comfortable Tyler was in the pool and I could see that Kylee was so much more confident and a better swimmer.

The highlight of the week, though, was definitely our Passport to Boise adventure - a hike in the foothills with Richard the Mule. Richard (along with his owner Matt), pack up coffee and hot chocolate into the foothills to share. On our adventure, he packed popsicles :-) We learned about the difference between a donkey and a mule, how long mules can live, how much weight they can pack, and more. The kids thought it was pretty cool to feed the mule too. It was such a lovely morning!

Summer Break 2016 - Week 6

Our big highlight for week 6 was our camping trip with neighbors... but that deserves its own post :-) Here are the other favorite events of the week.

Monday
Another Passport to Boise stop with Stoked for Science. We learned about the physics surrounding water rockets and then made and launched our very own :-) It was pretty cool... Matt wants to make our very own water rocket launcher!

Wednesday
Another Passport to Boise stop took us to Scentsy headquarters. The kiddos got to make their own fragrance, design a warmer, and take a tour of the main headquarters building. I was bummed we didn't get to see any of the manufacturing... maybe another day! The highlight for the kids, or at least Tyler, was taking pictures with these giant stuffed animals :-)

Summer Break 2016 - Week 5

Our big highlight for the week was the 4th of July! But we did do a couple other fun things to round out the week.

Thursday

Matt and I took the boys to Eagle Fun Days Family Night. It was honestly a little underwhelming, but Tyler had fun. He played in the bounce house, tried his hand at "fishing" and got to meet some firemen and police officers. We were bummed there were no food trucks as advertised, but we made up for it by stopping for some yummy Mexican food on the way home.

Friday

It was a cooler morning, so Beki and I took the kiddos on a walk around the wetlands. It was so lovely and just so nice to be outside and active. I wasn't sure how Tyler would do walking the whole way, but he did great. He did hitch a ride a couple of times on the front of Ellie's stroller :-)

Summer Break 2016 - Week 4

Here are the highlights of this week!

We wrapped up swimming lessons! Like I mentioned in last week's post, the kids both made great improvements. Kylee passed off all her beginner and intermediate skills so will be in the advanced class next summer.

Tuesday
Kylee learned all about Tae Kwan Do at our next Passport to Boise stop. She learned some of the history and then got to try out some moves. She was SUPER proud of the fact that she broke a board with her foot!

Summer Break 2016 - Week 3

Here are this week's highlights.

We had our first of two weeks of swimming lessons! Kylee has done awesome and is already getting so much better. Tyler and I are doing mommy and me and I have been so proud of him and how brave he has been.

Tuesday
We had another Passport to Boise stop at Boise at its Best Flowers. Talk about fun! We got a tour of the flower shop, got to learn about some of the different kinds of flowers, and Kylee even got to make her very own "ice cream sundae" arrangement!

Thursday

Beki and I spent the morning picking raspberries! A friend of mine was out of town so invited me to pick berries and I was SO grateful. Beki and I had a lovely time.

Friday

I made the MOST delicious jam - raspberry peach. I seriously think this is my new favorite.

Saturday

Believe it or not, we had a garage sale! I have always said I didn't want to do garage sales because they are SO much work, but after reading the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and going through and purging stuff out of my house, I decided it was worth it. My mom and dad, Matt's mom and dad, Beki, and Mandi all brought stuff over to contribute, so we had a pretty good setup! Matt and I made close to $400, so it was definitely worth the time!

Summer Break 2016 - Week 2

We are loving our summer! Here are this week's highlights.

Tuesday

We had our first Passport to Boise stop - The Egyptian Theater! We learned all about the history of the theater (it opened its doors in 1927!), got to watch a silent black and white film, and got to tour the theater. Kylee's favorite part was all the gold leafing.

Wednesday

Our second Passport to Boise stop was at the ReUseum. Kylee and I got to make little "bristle bots" out of old cell phone vibrators, toothbrushes, and a little battery :-) SO fun!

We also went to the Library where the kiddos and I made no-sew t-shirt bags out of old t-shirts.

Saturday

We met up with the Hudsons for a family reunion... lunch in the park and roasting smores at Matt's parents house in the evening. It was nice seeing and catching up with grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, etc.