What were we thinking?

Perhaps it was Hannah's well written letter pleading for a pet. Perhaps it is because our children ogle over every dog, cat, horse, goat, (or moose, for that matter) that walks by our house. What ever enticed us into it, we are now the proud owners of two kittens. We were tempted to bring home three, but resisted (Gigi is still tugging at my heartstrings from the shelter). Introducing Sophie and Max (name not firm). If they survive the excessively loving attention of four girls, they are sure to grow into hearty and happy cats.

I DID IT!

I have been running a lot these past 6 months. In fact, I had a goal to run a half marathon by the end of the summer. I didn't run in an actually race, but I did run 15 miles. The longest I have ever gone. Cassi and I ran through Sandpoint, then across the long bridge (what a view!) and into Sagle. The only time I usually go to Sagle is when I'm headed to Coeur d'Alene or Spokane. Who would (or could) run all the way to Sagle, I would have said. No more! I have been there on foot - and back!

Dream Vacation

Do you have a favorite vacation? One of ours is an annual (well, it's annual whenever we don't have new babies we can't leave behind) rafting trip on the Lower Salmon River. I was lucky enough to marry into a family of river guides. Between Kirk, his brother and sister we can outfit ourselves for a river adventure some people only dream of. It is a unique and amazing experience to spend 4 days away from everything, floating and camping down a beautiful stretch of river. We love to sleep under the stars, run the rapids, fish, eat, and play. There are plenty of fun rapids, but they are mellow enough that we can take the kids. Maren was finally old enough to go this year and made her maiden voyage. Kelli's new Husband, Brandon, also made his first trip.

The girls love to row. We can't wait for the day when the girls and their cousins are old enough to row the 'kids' boat down, with the adults following in the gear boat and kayaks.

Hannah caught the first fish of the trip... on her princess fishing pole. This seemed to aggravate our 14 yr. old friend, Ben. He spent the rest of the trip trying to out fish her. He did pretty well, but she ended up with two fish on her first attempts - a natural. Way to go Hannah!

Our rain gear stayed safely stowed away except for one quick sprinkle as we pulled out of camp on the second morning. Otherwise we had beautiful weather - if you don't count the sandstorm on the second night that forced everyone to sleep in tents and still wake up coated with grit.

River time is great time with cousins, Grandma, Aunts and Uncles.

The river has a special beauty. This is our camp on the last night along the Snake river.

On our drive home, we couldn't help but talk about all of the other rafting adventures we want to plan. Maybe we can go down to Southern Utah sometime and do the Green river through desolation canyon. Maybe the Rogue river in Southern Oregon. Or perhaps the main stretch of the Salmon. Too many fun rafting adventures, too little time.

Nothing Boring About It

Maren wins for the best first day of school quote after she exclaimed 'We didn't even do anything boring'. That was high praise coming from Maren after her first day in Preschool. She has been excited for WEEKS, carrying her backpack around the house and clutching the welcome postcard she received in the mail from Mrs. Barbara (her preschool teacher). This morning she was singing and dancing more than normal. No doubt a more than a little excited for her first day of Preschool. It was everything she has been waiting for and more. Her favorite part - they had cookies for a snack!

Maren and Nora on their first day of preschool with Mrs. Barbara at Superior Preschool.

Can't Wait

We are leaving Friday and heading to central Idaho to raft the lower section of the Salmon River. We will spend four days rafting the Salmon and Snake rivers, playing in the sand and sleeping under the stars (provided we have good weather). This is one of the girls all time favorite trips. Maren is finally old enough and will be going for the first time this year. We are looking forward to spending the labor day weekend with Kirk's brother, sister, mom, spouses & kids.

Blueberries

Maren and I went blueberry picking a few weeks ago. We spent the morning with friends wandering through the Laclede Blueberry Farm. It was surprisingly easy. Maren was a good little picker and, between us, we came home with 14 lbs. of blueberries.

Plenty of blueberries were consumed fresh. Paige is the biggest blueberry fan and begged for her own container in the fridge. Everyone enjoyed them. In fact, I had to start limiting Isabelle because her diapers were looking too mysterious. I froze most of the berries, but couldn't resist making blueberry buckle. If you have blueberries (fresh and frozen work equally well) try this great recipe from http://www.simplerecipes.com/ ...

Blueberry Buckle Ingredients Cake ingredients: 2 cups and 1-2 Tbsp of sifted, all purpose flour separated 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 large egg 1/2 cup milk 1 pint blueberries Topping ingredients: 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup sifted all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Method 1 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch spring form pan. Set aside. 2 Sift together the 2 cups of flour, the baking powder and the salt. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk. Toss the berries with the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour (to separate and scatter evenly throughout the batter) and fold in. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Set aside. 3 Combine ingredients for topping with a fork to make crumbly mixture. Sprinkle this over the batter. 4 Bake for 45 - 50 min., then test for doneness by gently inserting a fork. If it does not come out clean, give the cake another 5 to 10 minutes to bake. 5 When the cake has cooled, run a knife around the edges and lift the cake out o the pan. Serve with whipped cream.

Maren and I went blueberry picking at a local farm this week. It reminded me of this beautiful children's book by Neil Gaiman. I love this video with the author reading the story. All of my girls are blueberry girls.