Summer Update

The boys on their new balance bikes in Bozeman. Our backing trip to Yellowstone, sans little ones.

Uncle Chad and Kessler on the electric 4-wheeler.

Great Grandma Martha and the boys admiring the pond.

Grandpa Richard Weaver and Kessler doing a pop-a-wheelie in the canoe on the Weaver pond in Bozeman.

Kessler and Caulder in Bozeman.

Watching fireworks from the rooftop of the Great Northern in Whitefish, MT. Photo compliments of Ellie Peterson.

The whole gang in Whitefish enjoying a childless night out. Photo compliments of Ellie Peterson.

Camping in Stanley, Idaho.

Enjoying the view at Redfish Lake. Well, maybe not the boys.

Grandma Katie and Cualder at Redfish Lake.

Climbing the hill to take a look at the little white church in Silver City, ID. A partial ghost town.

Summertime camping.

Enjoying Rocky Canyon Hot Springs.

The boys airing out after a dip in the hot springs.

Bummer, I see that the last post we made, along with pictures, was never updated and published to the Internet for some reason. I'm sure it was user error. I'm having a hard time remembering what we posted about. I'm pretty sure it was an update on our summer activities, in which case we have been very busy. We just got back from our second trip to MT this year, where we relaxed in Bozeman, MT and the surrounding area for a week. Danielle and I spent our first couple nights away from the boys, together. We spent our first night backpacking at YNP in the Pebble Creek Drainage, located in the extreme NE corner of the park. We did a 13 mile hike through lush forests and wildflower laden meadows in a beautiful canyon. It was a nice contrast to the plains and geysers typically found in Yellowstone. We spent the second night at Chico Hot Springs Resort in Paradise Valley, MT. I think the backpacking was my anniversary activity and Chico was for Danielle. Either way, we are much indebted to Grandpa Richard Weaver, Oma Rachel, G. Grandma Martha, and Uncle Chad who watched the boys on our much needed hiatus.

Prior to that trip we spent the 4th of July in Whitefish, MT, and a few other weekends camping in and around Boise. While in Whitefish we were treated to an extravagant time by the Peppemeiers and the Larkins while we caught up with long lost friends from MSU. It was a blast hanging out with the Petersons, Bertlesens, and Dahlbergs. Love you guys. Our camping trips took us to Stanley and a couple of campgrounds along forks of the Boise River. The most memorable of the weekend camping outings was a trip to Rocky Canyon Hot Springs.

A few pictures to recap the summer. I'll post more later when I get time.

Spring Vacation

The Weaver family took a 10 day vacation at the end of May to visit family and friends in Northern California and Southern Oregon. We started our trip with a visit to Sacramento to introduce the boys to their Great Grandparents and Great Aunts and Uncles. It was a busy two days, and we enjoyed catching up with everyone. We then headed to Clear lake for a night in the heart of wine country. We even managed to visit one vineyard along the way. Our next stop was Redwood National Park and the lost coast. It was absolutely beautiful in both the park and on the coast. We had amazing weather, and the boys got their first glimpse of the ocean. We camped amongst the redwoods, and even hiked through trees. I think our most memorable hike was up a canyon called fern canyon in which you had to literally hike up a creek. We failed to bring the boys backpacks along on that hike, and carried them on our shoulders through the water, over fallen logs, and across slippery rocks. It was an adventure. We also saw lots of wildlife along the way, and took advantage of our zoom lens to get some close-up shots. After the redwoods, we headed into Oregon to Oregon Caves National Monument, and stayed in their beautiful historic lodge. The boys were too young to go into the caves (but as you will see in the photos they climbed the 'cave stairs test' just fine). The park, nestled way up in the mountains, was pretty spectacular. We'll have to return when the boys are older to explore the caves. We then headed to Glide, Oregon (near Roseburg) to a wedding of a co-worker of mine. The wedding was in a beautiful spot at the top of a very green hill, and it was fun to catch up with co-workers after a week long hiatus. Our final stop was a quick overnight in Bend, OR where we met up with my parents. The boys had fun saying hello to their Grandparents before the final long drive home on Memorial Day.

Mothers Day Weekend

Kessler needs a haircut.

Chillin' at the park.

The Weavers.

Mat and Caulder taking a dip.

Danielle and Caulder on a hike.

Caulder enjoying his spaghetti dinner.

Kessler enjoying his spaghetti dinner

Mothers Day weekend was a success, thanks to all three Weaver Boys! We started the weekend with a bike ride down to Saturday Market. We then headed to the park to climb on the play ground and chase squirrels. We met up with Chad Saturday night for a barbeque and movies. Sunday we headed to a park on the Snake River for a picnic and hike into a lake. Mat's mom joined us for the picnic and some relaxing in the sun. The boys had a great time playing in the dirt and watching bugs. We finished the day with an awesome spaghetti dinner in which we purchased all the ingredients the previous day at the market. It was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend.

Dinner at the Dahlbergs

Mat, Danielle, Kessler, Caulder, Danielle, Mike, Keaton, Eric, Amy, Grant

We had a fun dinner at Mike and Danielle's last weekend, and got a chance to catch up with Amy, Eric, and Grant. It was fun to see the boys interact (or really just play side by side) with each other. Thanks for the great dinner!

What do all these things have in common?????

...............They may have all been they boys' first words. Kitty, Ball, Broom, Bath, Baby. I always thought that a first word would be obvious- like first steps. But, that has definately not been the case. For quite a while now, it seems as if the boys are saying words. However, they say something that resembles a word, and then never say it again. Recently they have been repeating, on command, the five words previously mentioned. They even point at the correct objects, and say the words. In addition to these four words, it seems that they have also said mama, daddy, mouse, no, bird, car, puppy, hi, bye-bye, and more. If we hear these words again in the next couple of weeks, I'll believe it.