Sold!!!

After a year and a half of having our home on the market, and after MULTIPLE deals falling through, some at the absolute last minute (I can't believe how flaky people are!), we have FINALLY sold our house!

I thought I would be a little sad; after all, this was Randall and I's very first home. And we really did love that house (and it is a lot nicer than what we are currently living in, and the view was absolutely breathtaking!). But, after everything we've been through trying to get it sold, I'm just so.... relieved! Ecstatic! No more paying a mortgage on a home we don't live in anymore! Time to celebrate! We had to settle on a much lower selling price, but with the housing market in the slump that it is, I'm feeling very grateful to have it sold. It's all about perspective, isn't it?

This is what our house looked like when we moved in, fall 2005. Yep, the yard needed A LOT of work!

This is how our house looked, summer 2007.

This is what we left behind, Feb. 2008. Check out that snow drift!

Cowgirl!

My little cowgirl! Lainee Sue at 6 months

Randall was out roping with some friends and coworkers the other night, and I realized that we didn't have any pictures of her on the horse with her Daddy. We have pictures of both Cooper and Carson when they were quite a bit younger.

Well, better late than never, right?!

Lainee's 1st food

Lainee: 5 1/2 months

Lainee had her first taste of "semi-solid" food on August 2nd...... rice cereal. Yummmm! She wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but she ate a fair amount for a first-timer! After about 2 weeks of it, though, she decided rice cereal just wasn't for her. So, we moved on to sweet potatoes, and then to baby oatmeal. She seems to like that much better.

On another note, Lainee popped out her first tooth on August 19- her bottom right. And the bottom left was only a couple of days behind. I was a bit surprised- I knew the teeth were coming, because she was always sucking on stuff and drooling a lot, but she wasn't the least bit cranky. So when I stuck my finger in her mouth to see if they were getting close I was caught off guard to actually feel those sharp little things poking out of her gums already. I can't believe my baby girl has 2 teeth already. It almost makes me a little sad- she's growing up!

Raymond Family Reunion 2009- Island Park

My family was kind enough to lend us the use of the family cabin in Island Park for Randall's family reunion this year. We all had a blast, despite the unusually cool temperatures which kept us inside more than out on the boat. Oh well. The kids all got along great and we had LOTS of yummy food to eat!

My little sister Shalani came along, because my parents were gone to Martin's Cove with the youth in their stake. Shalani was a big hit with all the kids, especially mine- she's not that much older than some of the older cousins, and she helped keep tabs on them all while were there! We had our own little entertainer and babysitter in one! Thanks Shalani!

All the girls: Cheri, Cali, Sharlie, Melissa (and Lainee), Amy, Jera, and Maureah

Boys in the air!

Kade

Randall

Mike

McKynli, Shalani, & Cooper

Amy & Shalani on the knee boards

Randall & I trying to high five it on the knee boards

Randall just finished doing a 360 on the knee board. And yep, those are storm clouds behind us. I think we got off the lake 5 minutes later after we spotted some lightning. Yikes!

Lots of kids digging in the dirt: McKynli, Cooper, Linlee & Carson

Carson and Linlee

Melissa & Lainee

Cooper and Tyler: Trying to stay warm

Randall & Sadie

Shalani

Little ones in the front of the boat: Klayton, Trent, Shalani, Cooper, & Amy
Klayton said to Amy: "You're just kind of little like us, huh!"

Shalani skipping rocks

Cooper

Carson: "What?"

Carson

Klayton: "Whoa!"

Cooper: "That's cold water!"

3 kids splashing in the lake: Klayton, Cooper, and Trent

Roaring Springs, Take 2

Some of Randall's family (Randall's Mom and Dad, Maureah and her friend Mandy, Mike & Sharlie and some of their friends) ended up coming to Boise for a shopping trip the last few days of July, and they all wanted to go to Roaring Springs Water Park to cool off. We got back from the ZX on Friday afternoon, and went to the water park on Saturday morning. Guess what we were all doing early Saturday evening? Sleeping! But we sure had fun!


Cool as a cucumber Cooper

Like father, like son

Handsome Cooper

Grandpa Raymond... He almost came down the stairs rather than coming down the slide. He's afraid of heights, and when he got almost to the top he started to chicken out. Randall told him he'd be fine, and some ladies behind them in line said they were not going to let him go past. His only option was to keep going up and come down the slide :)

A sleepy Lainee

Carson was so funny coming down this ride. He was silent the whole way down (you come down a pitch black tube), and a bit scared. But then he was so proud of himself for going on the big slide!

Cooper and Grandma Raymond

A happy Lainee after her nap!

Carson and Grandpa coming down the kiddie slide


Cooper and Daddy. Cooper couldn't get enough of the slides! He can't wait 'til next year when he's even taller and can go on ALL the slides!

Carson, just hanging out in the shade.

Just us girls!

Back to the ZX

We were able to go with Randall to the ZX Ranch in Paisley, Oregon again this summer. We stayed in the barn house again, which should now more appropriately be called the "bat house."

We had been warned that bats had been spotted hanging out in the rafters. We arrived really late... ok, more like in the weeeee morning hours :) and when we opened the door and turned on the lights we heard a bat fly around. So we just left a few lights on and went to bed, and didn't see anymore of them. Well, the last night were there, after the kids were asleep, Randall and I were hanging out in the living room and all of a sudden a bat started circling above our heads. Then, out of nowhere, it started swooping down and dive-bombing Randall's head! Yikes! So, we quickly closed all the bedroom doors (to keep it contained and away from us and our sleeping kids) and went to bed.

Despite the bats, we had a great time hanging out in the pool and spending some quality time together as a family. Its kind of nice to have our hard-working Daddy all to ourselves in the evenings. When we go on work trips with Randall, he typically finished up work a little earlier than normal, AND he doesn't get called back out again. It's fabulous!



Mmmmm! Smores!

Cooper, getting ready to jump off the diving board. He insisted on having on his life jacket and holding onto his crocodile, so he wouldn't go under the water.



Me and my little boys!

Look at that form!

Mr. Tough Guy

Cute boys all snuggled up!

Carson wasn't too sure about jumping off the diving board. One time was enough for him!


My little cutie pie hanging out with my handsome man!