4th of July Festivities

I woke up Saturday morning and stepped outside to retrieve my morning paper and all the participants in the "Soda Screamer" marathon were coming down off the hill from the top our street, there were a few spectators cheering them on. Then we had our own pancake breakfast before heading down to enjoy the parade.

It seemed like the entire town all gathered together for the parade! Having been our first year to attend the parade here in Soda, I was tickled to see the creativity of the floats, they were Awesome!! The librarians were doing a dance to "Thriller" in the parade, their costumes were wonderful and the portrayed the music video very well. We got to see what has to be the world’s largest shopping cart from Broulims, and the Girls from Advantage Plus Credit Union were on the coolest pedal bike ever. It came equipped with a canopy too. The thing the kids loved the most about the parade was...TONS OF CANDY!!!!! It is so great to see that they plan well enough for the parade route that they didn't run out!! Our cousin’s were able to ride in the Big RED fire truck during the parade, so much fun!!! Looking forward to many more years of traditions here in this wonderful small town......

Oh say can you see.......the FIREWORKS!!

After a fun day of fishing, we headed to Mom and Dad Peterson's to do some traditional celebrating. We had sloppy joes, potato salad, and fruit and veggies. After dinner, we hung out for a while, then Dad started a fire in the backyard and we roasted marshmallows and made smores while we waited for the city fireworks display. The kids had a "BLAST" setting off their fireworks on the back patio. I think their favorite firework was the GOOD OLD-FASHIONED......sparkler. Yup.....I do believe it was.

We watched the spectacular display of fireworks courtesy of the city, bundled up in our blankets and sweatshirts to boot!! So very THANKFUL for wonderful family and friends, sure does make life more enjoyable!!  What a great day it was!!

The start of the weekend festivities..........

Saturday morning we took the kids fishing out to Chesterfield Reservoir and had a ton of fun. A lot happened out there and I will fill you in on all the events that happened.

Who knew that it would be so chilly, but then again, I tend to sometimes forget about the crazy Idaho weather. However, it was a very brisk morning when we arrived at Chesterfield Reservoir. Well, we got all our ducks in a row or at least our boat in the water after being inspected and lacking only the forgotten registration, which was back at the in-laws house, in Dad’s truck.

Okay, poles in the water…. FINALLY!! I was the first to actually catch a fish….. Taylor had a nice fish on and got it all the way to the boat, and then it got loose!! He was so bummed....sorry little man!!  Despite Taylor’s loss, I was so proud of the one I landed and thought it was a pretty good size fish. Not knowing at the time that I was going to have my bubble burst. I was able to enjoy the "GLORY" if only for a little while.

Shelbi was next one to catch a fish…. here comes the part where my bubble got burst. She was reeling as fast as she could, trying to keep it on the hook. Once it was close enough to the boat, her dad snagged it with the net. With the sounds coming from our boat, you would have thought we landed the WORLD’S LARGEST FISH or something. It was so much fun to see the excitement from everyone, especially the kids. As you can see, it was a NICE FISH!! It made my fish look like a minnow!! Way to go Shelbi Jo!!

Next it was Taylor’s turn, and this time him and Brandon worked well as a team and landed it. His was lots bigger than my “MINNOW” too. Oh well!! The excitement soared once again as he was so PROUD!! Job well done Taylor!!

Poor Renee, the only thing she caught was moss….she was such a good sport though. It has been so fun to have her visiting. She has to go back on the 7th and we will miss her lots.

So... after the 3 of us caught our fish, the girls had to use the restroom, so we headed for the dock. We decided to go back out for a bit, not to sure that was the greatest idea. This is where it gets pretty funny.... On the way back out, Brandon lost his hat, then we lost 2 nice lures. They were a couple of Brandon’s favorites so he was a little disgruntled. However, what took the cake was when I was putting my pole into the holder I got a bite, it was jerked right out my hand and I lost the pole, the reel, and the last of Brandon’s favorite lures. We knew then it was best if we just headed home.

I was really nervous to tell Dad that I had lost the pole and it was now sitting on the bottom of Chesterfield!! He laughed and said out of all the poles, that was the best one to loose. THANK GOODNESS!! All in all we had a very fun day!! Enjoyed the family time….which is always PRICELESS….

Here are just some random photos of the adventure.....

Top of the Tetons

The girls went all the way up to Driggs this last weekend and played in a 2 day tournament. They received many injuries, including a head butting. They with-stood the pain of the injury and held out to claim the title of CHAMPIONS! They played really well, 8 games total in 2 days!! Exhausted as they were, they came home to turn around and play Monday and Tuesday nights, double-headers, winning all 4 games. And they have a double-header tonight in Soda at Kelly Park for city rec. They are in the running to take the Pocatello City League and Soda City League championships. They have not lost any games with either league. WAY TO PLAY PANTHERS!! Shelbi, I am so PROUD of you!! Love you, Shelbi!!

P.S.- Photos are slightly blurry due to being taken with a cell phone....SORRY!!

Preston League CHAMPIONS

The boys had a GREAT season and played so well. They improved so much too. It was fun to watch them progress throughout the season. They took 1st place in the Preston League!! They will have a team BB-Q to celebrate the week after the 4th of July. WAY TO GO BOYS!! Taylor, I am so, so, so proud of you!!! Love you, son!!

Remembering the good times......

Just remembering the good times that we shared with Uncle Jay up at the dry farm. From camp outs to snowmobiling to great tasting dutch oven meals, we did it all up there. Uncle Jay was taken from this life on Saturday June 19, 2010 in a 4-wheeler accident. He was a wonderful, kind, and compassionate man that loved his children and grandchildren very much. He would have done anything for anyone. He will be greatly missed by all those who had him touch their life in someway.

Our NEW kitchen....LOVIN' IT!!!!

I told you I would keep you up to date on the progress of our new kitchen.

It has been quite an experience. I am just thankful to have great in-laws that

live just across town. We ate there many nights while our kitchen was in

such a disorganized state.

Well, here is the unveiling....

Brandon and I worked all evening on trying to put it all together.

My kitchen has been in my living room for the last month. Not great for

having company come visit.

We still have to put in the new flooring, which will be

some time this summer. We will eventually save enough money

to get all new appliances. Hopefully by this time next year. (hopefully!!)

Our next big project along with the kitchen floor is new windows.

Our windows now are pretty drafty, and Soda Springs gets pretty

darn chilly in the winter. The only one we will not replace at this time is

the dining room window. Plans are in the making for a new sliding glass

door for easier access out to the deck. Patience though, I have to keep telling myself.

I hope you enjoy the photos, I know I will just enjoy baking and cooking in this new

kitchen. I still cannot believe how different it looks. LOVE IT!!

THANKS A MILLON DAD PETERSON!!!

Work In Progress

Okay, we bought our home in November, and the reason we chose this home was because loved the layout of it. Not because it had a beautiful kitchen, but because the kitchen had the potential to be beautiful; with Dad Peterson's woodcrafting skills of course. However, we started the project a little sooner that we had planned because every time Dad Peterson came to visit, he could not stand the sight of the old cupboards.( See first 4 photos) I am not sure what look the previous owners were going for, but it is surely not my cup of tea. I have always wanted a bright and cheery yellow kitchen, so that is the color I chose to paint it. I had to paint before they started the woodworking part of it. Brandon and Dad have been working very hard on building all new doors, drawer faces, and overlays. It has been a challenge with trying to get their schedules to coincide with each other. They did finish all the doors though. Shelbi took a day to help Grandpa hang all the cabinet overlays up, and then Brandon and I wood puttied the nail holes. Then we had to hand sand all the puttied nail holes and then varnish the overlays. My house had and still has a terrible odor. Thank goodness it is door hanging day today!! Almost finished and cannot wait. I will post pictures of the completed cabinet project soon. Probably when I get my kitchen back together. It will be nice to actually be able to cook a meal and sit down at the table again. I will keep you up to date on the progress. Until then....

Fishy Fishy in the brook, take ahold of that darn hook....

I took Taylor fishing Saturday afternoon out to Alexander Resevoir. We did not catch anything but it was so wonderful to spend quality time with him. We had some good chats and some great laughs. Even with the overcast weather, I was able to get a beautiful picture of the mountains. We also went out Sunday afternoon down below the dam. They were jumping but not biting. It was fun and the weather was very nice.

Little Piggies

Taylor got involved with 4-H this year and is raising pigs. After his game on Saturday, he showed them to me. They are fascinating and cute creatures. I am so proud of him, this has taught him responsibility and some great life lessons. I cannot wait to go to the fair to see how he does. I will let you know.... until then.....