Genola Days 2012

So we ditched our dad on Father's Day and headed down to Genola for their town celebration to party it up.  We're rebels like that.  It's every bit as fun as we remembered it!

 

 Here's one cool dude waiting for the parade to start.  Typically, if you blink during the Genola town parade, you will miss it.  They even run it forward and backward just to give it a bit more oomph.

 But this year, I'm pretty sure it lasted almost a half an hour.  Don't worry though, what it lacks in length, it makes up for in awesomeness.  Do you know of any other parade that not only throws candy, but also warm hot dogs and cool freezer pops?  I didn't think so.  Long live the Genola Town Parade!!!

 Klive's favorite part:  The big black horses, the lovely town queens and princesses, and the noisy fire trucks.  

But the best part is getting to spend it with the Johnson crew - our best buddies for life!

 It was our first year going to the rodeo - and it didn't disappoint.  Klive squealed with delight every time a horse and it's cowboy buzzed by and sprayed him with stinky dirt.  

 Winnie was on cloud nine when she got to sit right next to a rodeo queen.  She didn't know they existed in real life!  She almost aspired to become one until one of the lovely ladies got squished under a spooked horse's back.  Luckily, the girl's okay, and Winnie has added yet another thing to her "I will never do that" list.  No to swimming in Wa-hi-he, thanks to "Soul Surfer," no to Ferris wheels, thanks to Disneyland, and now, no to riding horses or farm animals of any kind.  The list is always growing.

 We all loaded up on rodeo grub and held our breath when the "wonkin' wonkos" came charging by.  Winnie did get up the nerve to do the half-time chicken chase once all the big animals were safely caged away.  Sadly, I forgot to tell her that she had to pick up the chickens.  She ran her little heart out and shooed the ones away that got near her legs.

 Unfortunately, June's heart couldn't handle the inhumane calf ropin' and she decided to become a vegetarian in protest.  I think it lasted until she got her pulled pork sandwich later that night. 

We finished off the night with the traditional firework watching from the roof of the paint shed.  Oh, all except for Winnie who was tucked safely in bed in the basement.  Fireworks are also on her unapproved list.  Loud noises just freak her right out.  Thanks Genola for another great day!

Father's Day

Poor Kolby had to work on Father's Day weekend this year.  So we did what we always do, and celebrated a bit early.  What a lucky dad - these kids love him so much.  They all came up with their own special presents this year.  Klive shot the wad and bought his dad a wireless router, a 4-stroke weed whacker, and a new work lunch box.  He aims to please!

Winnie and I were at JC Penny in March and she decided that Daddy needed a bow tie for work.  She was adamant that it had to be red and it would make him look more professional, so we bought it.  I can't believe she kept it a secret until June.  Nice one Winn!  June really surprised me with her artistic ability on this one.  She knew that her dad loved the cartoon, "Adventure Time."  So she paused the show and spent over 3 hours drawing and coloring Finn and Jake.  It turned out so nicely, we framed it.  Daddy was so thrilled when he opened his presents.  He proudly wore his new bow tie the following day to work and hung his new picture in his office. 

Kolby may have lucked out in the present department this year, but we think we lucked out in the Daddy department every day.  He works non-stop and magically finds the time to play with these kiddos every day.  They literally pace the floor and are glued to the front room window every evening waiting for Daddy to come home and wrestle.  The big smiles and laughs don't come out until Daddy's around.  Love you Daddy! 

Iron Chef

  I made a date bucket for one of Kolby's Christmas presents last year.  Because he rarely has free time, I got very creative and filled the bucket with over 50 fun, prospective dates, most of which we can do at home when he has the occasional day off.  I even color-coded and coordinated the dates with the appropriate seasons in which they could take place.  I know, I'm as anal as Monica on Friends.  I secretly like that about me.  The idea was to have one date a month this year - we are a bit behind schedule.  Our first date was a video game night in April.  It was just the two of us, and it was super fun - like before we were married fun!

  A handful of the date ideas involve our kids - if you can count that as a date.  In June, Kolby drew out "Iron Chef" for our date.  The kids were dying to be involved!  Kolby and Winnie teamed up against June and me.  We chose pineapple as our secret ingredient and went to work planning.   When the day came, we decorated like a luau, ran to the grocery store to race for our ingredients and got to work in the kitchen. 

 

 Dad and Winn made pineapple frog-eye salad, a delectable pineapple, cheese, and cracker dessert, and a homemade pineapple sorbet.    June and I made marinaded shrimp and pineapple kabobs, chips with pineapple guacamole, and strawberry, raspberry, pineapple punch.  Sadly, Kolby's cheesy treat, encased in a glass pan, exploded all over the oven.  June and I swear we didn't sabotage them.  It was so good, we scooped it from the oven floor and ate as much as we could, hoping we didn't swallow any glass chunks.

 We knew we could never be objective when it came to judging our creations, so we invited Nana Deb and Papa Lee to the feast as our judges.  Some judges they turned out to be - they wouldn't pick a winner!

 It was a super fun pineapple afternoon!  We've decided that family dates can be just as fun as couple dates.  We are lucky to have such great kids!

 Talk about being stuffed!

I'm pretty sure Kolby is totally impressed by my date planning skills - and my psycho level of organization.  I'm sure it would overwhelm a lesser man!

Nana and Papa Time!

 We've officially been in Idaho for a year now.  Somehow, it just didn't seem like home until Nana and Papa moved back to Malad last month.  The kids just can't get enough Nana and Papa time.  And Kolby and I are happy to let them go for a visit and get a few, long-overdue naps in.

 Last weekend, we met in the middle and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at Lava Hot Springs.  It was nice and cool outside - that's the best way to enjoy the springs.

 Papa took a few laps with kids on his back . . .

 and he taught Klive a few swimming strokes.

 We made sure to slather Kolby with sunscreen.  Poor guy, he spends 5 minutes in the sun and turns into a tomato.  Truth be told, he's developed vampire skin from spending nearly every waking minute at the hospital.  We've been told that second year of residency will be a bit easier.  We have our fingers and toes crossed for that.

 It just feels good to have the folks home.  Now, if only we could kidnap the rest of the Ivies from Oklahoma . . .

 We'd been to Lava several times, but never really explored the town.  Until now.  We visited every shop, ate at a cute little joint, stopped for ice cream, and dove into a museum when it started to rain.  Papa bought Klive this manly cowboy hat.  It was just too cute to resist.  Sorry Tish, we tried to talk Nana into buying a t-shirt for the new little chick that said, "Boob: it's what's for dinner."  She just wouldn't go for such crudeness.

The girls picked up some authentic pioneer bonnets.  A day of fun and these kids were spent.  Nothing like a quiet ride home with these ice cream mustaches!

Summertime Countdown

 There's only so much waiting around you can do for summer vacation.  By May, Klive definitely had had enough of the cold days spent inside watching cartoons - but I still can't get enough of his favorite t.v. watching position.  He's always such a cool dude. 

A bath is the next best thing when it's too cold to head out to the pool.  This kid can't get enough of the water. 

Winn spent the entire month of May touching up her make-up.  Seriously, this girl has developed a love affair with all things beauty parlor.  She must take after her Auntie Audra.

 June had a busy month of May with all the end of school year celebrations.  Daddy took the girls to McTeachers' Night.  How cool is that idea?  The teachers served the food at McDonalds and a portion of the money went to pay for new school playground equipment.  

I can't say enough good things about June's teachers this year.  Mrs. Meline and Mrs. Froelich made her year so special!  I lucked out and got to be the room mom, so I think Winn got to be an honorary student.  At one point, Mrs. Meline was even sending homework for Winnie and grading it with June's papers.  Winnie was so excited to get her work back with special notes and stickers.  Mrs. Meline is a sweetheart.

 June finished out the year with several field trips and a pioneer day.  Here's my first attempt at a pioneer skirt.  She's cute enough to pull it off.

 Then, at long last, we made it to summer vacation!  We pulled out our lawn chairs (now the kids' favorite t.v. chairs) and got our summer celebration going.

And there's definitely nothing better than a sassy summer haircut to start things off with a bang(s)!  Happy Summertime!

Tukk's March for Babies

We got to be a part of Tukker's March for Babies this year.  Here he is - Mr. Ambassador in all his super-hero glory.  It was a great day, even though it made us all a bit emotional to look back at Tukker's rocky beginnings and the many trials he overcame that made him the special boy he is today.  What a great kid - he loves life.  He also loves treats.  A boy after my own heart! 

Misty and Cole got up and shared Tukker's story with the whole crowd.  I think Misty was able to get through it without crying because she hid her secret identity behind her super hero mask.

 

Here's some of Tukk's fellow super hero crew.  It was a pretty good looking group!

Yaya and the Babe

Aunt Rylee and Winnie

 

 

 Aunt Darby, Junie and Klive (aka Evil K)

  

Grandpa Fred and Grandma Jan

 

The kids had a most enjoyable time.  The March of dimes really knows how to throw a party!  They had dancers, bounce houses, balloon artists, jugglers, a kids' radio station, and free food as far as the eye could see.  They must have know Tukker was coming.

I'm so glad we live close enough to be a part of Tukk's fan club.  He is truly a miracle boy. 

 Nothing brings us more joy than getting to watch him do regular old little boy stuff, like play with his cousins.  We are one blessed family!

11

Kolby and I celebrated our eleven-year anniversary at the end of April.  We dropped the kids off at Yaya and the Babe's house and escaped to Park City for some shopping and relaxation.  Nothing like a weekend away from all our responsibilities to remind us how much fun we still have just being together.  Kolby even booked us a night at a beautiful hotel and Spa.  The highlight was the bathrobes - now that's really living the high life.  We even wore them over our clothes, just so we could get the maximum enjoyment out of them.  Eleven years and we're keeping the magic alive.  Life is good.