Twin Falls County Fair and Rodeo

Growing up in Twin Falls, Idaho, we always looked forward to the county fair.  The rides, the animals, the food and especially the rodeo.  I've always wanted to take my kids and now that we live closer I finally got the chance.

 

Caleb is obsessed with all things tractor/mower so he was pretty thrilled to see the giant tractors at the fair.

 At the petting zoo the boys got to brush a cow.  Now come on, when was the last time YOU brushed a cow?  Pretty exciting.

 Once we got close to the rides Caleb wanted to ride everything.  It was really hard to limit him to just a couple.  He picked out this off road trucking ride.

 He still talks about driving the blue truck!

 Dillon and Wesley chose to ride ponies.

 My crazy cowboys!

 This folks, is Dillon heaven -- the train display.  He would have liked to stay all day!

And this, is an elephant ear!

I tried to share with my boys, but I'm pretty sure I ate most of it ;)

I munched on it as we walked through the barns with my Dad and sis.  (the dripping honey kept me from grabbing my camera, sorry)  I love checking out the cows with my dad. He educated us on the different types and uses of cows -- quite interesting!

Then it was off to the rodeo!  I LOVE the rodeo.  Aaron and I put on our cowboy shirts so we'd fit in!

 The boys were really excited when the "queens" came out!

Aaron's parents were with us, making it even more fun.

 (The one pic I got of Don wasn't great - sorry)

 It was a great show.  We all loved it!

 Afterward, Wesley got to meet the 1st runner up in the Mutton Busting competition.  He was the cutest little boy.  He autographed and drew a picture for Wesley on a paper sack.    So cute!

It was a great day!  We just may have to make it a yearly tradition...

First day of school!

Today was the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL -- a NEW school!  We have been anxious to start so we can get into a schedule and meet some new friends.  Yesterday was the "Sneak Peek" where we got to meet the teachers and see their classrooms.  Both boys were pretty excited!  So we ran for fresh haircuts and headed to the school.

A pretty handsome kindergartener!

 My big boy is in 3rd grade! Ahhh!   Love my Dill!

 I forgot to get a picture with Dillon's teacher.  Wesley was pretty shy meeting his new teacher until she offered him a big squeeze and he literally ran into her arms.  Pretty awesome!

Today we got up and got the whole crew ready to ride bikes with Dillon to school.  Wesley insisted on wearing his long sleeved Batman shirt ;)

 So exciting to see the school grounds covered with children and their parents.  Some happy, some sad.  There's such an excitement to the first day of school!  Dillon was pretty nervous last night, so I was pleasantly surprised when he ran right off toward his classroom door.  I had to chase him down for a hug!

 We went to a little gathering for mommies and then it was Wesley's turn!  Waiting all morning was rough.  He couldn't wait to go!

 We loaded up on the bikes again and rode over with our kindergartener. 

 It's pretty fun he has 2 cousins in his class.

 Big boy going to school!  Whoa!

 Off they go!  Hand in hand -- with matching backpacks :)

Both Dillon and Wesley had lots of positive things to say about their first day. It's going to take a little adjusting, especially for little Dill who doesn't know anyone.  But we're praying they'll both find some great friends.

 

We spent our evening as a family doing a little yard work, hiking at the end of our street, and then going for a little ride off-road in Dad's new Jeep!  Boise is going to be great!

Cousin time!

One of the best parts of moving to Boise is being closer to family.  We've had lots of cousin time!

Dillon and Cade are pretty awesome buddies!

 The Utah cousins joined the fun for a week.  Oh how we love little Violet!

 Super cute when the boys asked to hold the babies!

 All 8 Chandler grandkids!

 Day at Sandy Point 

 I get to see this sweet face all the time.  I'm falling head over heels!

I've decided it's really fun to take care of other people's babies because I physically feel good -- no post partum.  Really enjoying my baby nieces!

 Fun in the sand!

 These two are very similar.  When the rest of the crew is playing with toys, they find the cars, keys, lawn mowers, strollers, etc. 

 Bath time!

 Movie night!!! On our classy hide-a-bed ;)  Doesn't get any better than this folks!

 ICE CREAM CONES!

We also got to dog and cat sit for our other cousins.  The boys were in heaven!!

 

We've really enjoyed our last couple weeks of summer with cousins!!  Such a blessing to be close!

Making our new house a home

We are loving our new home in Boise.

 Aaron thought all we needed to make it a home was a Jeep, and as you can see in the 3rd garage, he found one -- a 1981 beauty -- I'll post about that later :)

 Aaron's sister and mom and I knew better.  We needed some décor.  So with their creativity we set to work.

There is still work to be done, but we're headed in the right direction and I'm loving it.  It really is starting to feel like home.  Now I can start entertaining!