Goodbye Jacobsons

When Heidi and Mark moved here last August, I was super excited to have family living where I live. It was especially nice to have my best friend living so close and having cousins close by to play with. In mid July, they decided to transfer to the Arizona State and just a few weeks later they had the moving van packed and ready to go. I spent a lot of time at Heidi's packing boxes those last couple weeks. My mom came up for the big move and to help Heidi drive down with the kids. We got to spend a few days playing with Nana, but then the reality set in that they were moving. Having them pull away that last morning here was sad. A few tears were shed. We will miss them tons, but are extremely grateful for the time we got to spend with them in Spokane and the time Landon and Elliot had with their cousins. Goodbye and good luck Mark, Heidi, Dallin, Steven and Ryder. You will be missed!

The day before they moved, my mom and I took the kids for the day and let Heidi and Mark finish getting everything ready for the moving van. We piled all the kids in my car and went to music class and the park. We had a full car!

A few days before the big move, we had a "goodbye" get together for them at the park. The kids had a ball pushing big cars all over the sidewalk in the park and checking out the waterfall.

Rocks

This summer we have spent some time at the lakes in the area. Landon and Elliot's favorite activity while we are there is throwing rocks into the water. This trip was no exception. It has started cooling off here a bit and I think we are all going to miss our trips to throw rocks in the water.

Landon found a BIG rock to throw in. What a treat for him!

Videos

Sunbeam from Shelci Crandell on Vimeo.

We were at the park and I started to sing this song to them. They jumped right in and finished all the endings for me. I didn't realize they even knew the song.

Somersaults from Shelci Crandell on Vimeo.

I don't think we have the somersault mastered, but we are working on it.

Little Star from Shelci Crandell on Vimeo.

Landon loves to sing and he loves to sing loud. "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is a favorite around here.

Mirabeau Park with Dad

Best buddies

Brooks took the boys to Mirabeau Park one evening while I was gone. They had a great time running around with Dad. Some of the highlights were chasing each other around on the trails, playing "ready, set, go," jumping off the edge of the sidewalk and being followed by a duck.

jumping over curb from Shelci Crandell on Vimeo.

Play Group

We have play group every week with some of the other law school moms. At this park, they have a tire swing and we somehow squeezed five kids onto it. The Jacobson's have a tire swing in their back yard as well, and all the kids love it. If Landon and Elliot heard we were going to Aunt Heidi's house, they asked to ride the tire swing.

Landon is a bit particular with food. This picture shows his daily lunch of a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Maybe one of these days he'll branch out a little.

Elliot Smiles & Landon Jumps

We went to Liberty Lake County Park for what seems like the hundredth time since we've lived here. We love it out there! On this particular trip we seemed to get a lot of close-ups of Elliot smiling and a lot of pictures of Landon jumping into the lake. Man, we love these little boys!

Sullivan Lake

Towards the end of July, we took a trip with the Stoddard's to Sullivan Lake. Heidi watched Landon and Elliot while we had a weekend camping. On Saturday we went on hike to the top of a peak with a lookout over the lake. Other than a nasty blister for Sam which required a little shoe swapping, we all had a great time. After the hike, we headed down to Sullivan Lake for some swimming. We dove off the dock doing flips, tricks and dives. On the way out of town, we stopped to eat and I had my first huckleberry shake ever. Thanks to Heidi for taking the kids for the weekend!

These nasty horse flies were bugging us the whole trip. Brooks thought it would be awesome to get a few pics. This fly landed on Brooks' leg and he couldn't resist pulling out the camera.

Priest Lake High Adventure

In mid July, Brooks went with the priests and teachers to Priest Lake for a high adventure camp out and backpacking trip. They hiked, went down the natural water slides, played cards, shot water balloons at canoes passing bye, cut down a tree and wake-boardedf. He came home wanting to get a boat. I have never been to Priest Lake, but I want to go after seeing his pictures.