First Day of School

Kids on their first day of School and Eastons first EVER school pictures.

Landon is 16 and a sophomore, McCall and Cameron are 13 and 8th grade, last year before high school, Jaxon is in 5th grade but is in a 5th/6th combo class, so he is in a 6th grade class and spends his day at the middle school and Easton is in preschool.

Can't believe how big he is!

 

Fall Apple Festival

We have a great place North about 30 minutes called Green Bluff where we can go apple picking every fall. They have differnt orchards and all kinds of fruit all Spring, Summer and Fall you can go pick or just purchase from. This weekend here was from the Fall Apple Festival. There were hay rides and little kiddie rides and face painting. Jennifer, Matt and the girls came with us too.

 

 Doing some picking!

 They had the most clever little kid play area! It was a pea pit...instead of sand. It was little baby split peas. We all cracked up saying all our funny jokes about "playing with the pee" and on and on. Don especially!

 Jaxon was our volunteer to be buried

 Sweet girls

 Ok, so the goats... OH MY GOSH!!! they were so FUNNY!! I litterally laughed so hard I was crying. I could not stop. These were NOT typical goats, they were making the weirdest noises I had ever heard. I sat there laughing and listening and just couldn't get over it. Some how not everyone was laughing as hard as me.... I think by the end of it they were laughing at me!

 Fun face painting

A bit of summer fun

 So this summer Jennifer, Matt and their girls Regan and Lexie moved in for a few months. Matt is on a long break from school until January and so they came here to work and be near family. I have LOVED it. We had  a lot of fun in the sun and in the warm summer nights this summer.

 We may have fed them chocolate for breakfast when their parents weren't around!

 Hanging out at our favorite aquatic center

 Warm summer nights and SMORES by the fire. I love it!

 Roasting
(and stuffing)

marshmellows

 

 Don's mom rented a house on the river in Post Falls. On Sunday night we did a family fireside and testimony meeting. Don did a little show with his fireside message for the kids.

 It was a fun and spiritual experience to share with his family.

Bryant Family Cousins Renunion

This summer my moms side of the family had a cousins reunion. For the most part it was my mom and her cousins. My grandma, who is the matriarch of our family now was there along with her brother Uncle John. They are a hoot when they get together! I can't believe how much my 93 year old grandma still travels. The reunion was held out in Sandpoint ID on the lake. One of my moms cousins has a house out there that we used. It was a beautiful and hot weekend! We used the boat a few times and went tubing, Easton LOVED it and even went alone a few times. The boys had fun playing with some of the other kids that were there. Some of them came from across the country and some just from over in Seattle. While we were all together we did family history. Each person there wrote down the names and dates of all their children and grandchildren and it was compiled and sent to each of us in attendance. It was interesting to see the difference in those who were raised LDS and stayed active and those who hadn't been. I am so thankful to be among those who were active in the church. I am so grateful for that gift in my life.

Here are some photos from the weekend

 

Everyone who was there                                                         

 All the Cousins

 My mom and her two brothers, brother in law, husband and her mother

Don did a magic show one of the nights for everyone. It was a great success. My grandma especially just LOVED it and LOVES him.

 Eating fire...rope trick (my favorite)

 Uncle Robin and his mom

 This was the BEST part of the weekend... 93 year old grandma swimming in the water. At first, she just was walking right up the dock as if she was going to jump in! Everybody freaked out and we helped her walk in from the beach. It was pretty special to be out there with her.

Little Easton on the tube. He loved it.

The Voice Audition in LA

So a few months ago Don took me down to LA to audition for The Voice on NBC. It was  a really fun experience. We stayed with a good friend of his, Dan Bird and his sweet family, who I had been dying to meet since Don and I have been married. We spent some time at the beach in Malibu with them and ate at some yummy restaurants.

The audition itself was a long experience!! Or at least a long day. I arrived at about 11am and finished about 4 or 5 hours later. At the beginning of the day you stand outside just waiting in this LONG line of people waiting to get into the building, there they check your idea and your audition pass and give you a bracelet showing you belong there. So, nobody was there who wasn't auditioning, unless it was a parent there with a minor. Then they eventually split you into several groups of ten... still waiting... and then those groups audition together in a small room with one or two producers present. You wait for your name to be called and go up, tell them your song and sing one verse and one chorus  A Capella, and that's it!! It's pretty nerve wracking, even tho you aren't on TV or anything. I felt like I did pretty good, but wished immediately that I could have done it again. One other person sang the same song as I did, but luckily a different verse, and he forgot some of the words. I sang  "I Can't Make You Love Me", I got my inspiration from Carrie Underwood. Anyway, it was a good experience... I didn't get a call back or anything from it, only one person in my group of 10 got a call back.

I was grateful for the opportunity and for a husband who loves me and believes in me enough to help me get there. I was grateful to feel the spirit after my audition and feel of His love for me and to know I had a wonderful and fulfilling life to go home to. As I looked around at the people around me who had been there waiting and hoping and wishing for something to change their lives, I wondered how many of them would also be going home to such a blessed life, as I was. I thought for most of them this may have been the "only" chance they had to happiness. How many of them thought life wasn't worth going home to after not making it there? I was so grateful to realize and to have a husband help me to see, how many other talents and abilities I had beyond singing and how much good I can do in my little world and for my family, which will reap far more benefits in my life than making it to some TV show. I also felt proud to be someone who wasn't afraid to try, even if it meant what some might call "failure". I hope it was an example to my children, but I am sure they have forgotten about it by now! I would still love a life full of singing and performing, but maybe for me it's just singing everyday with my kids and husband and performing in church. And, that's enough for me.

 Here are a few photos from the trip to LA....

 Malibu Beach... You can't see them, but there were about 4 or 5 Dolphins swimming around in the waves. It was amazing!!!

Pictureless

So... I have bad news! My camer is GONE!! My WONDERFUL boys took it without me knowing and lost it at the YMCA. I am so sad and so frustrated! I just expect more from people and expected it day after day to be returned, but no luck. I had a lot of pictures on there I would have blogged with and some I probably don't even remember. Very sad.
To add accident to injury I also recently lost my cell phone to a watery grave! I had a lot of pictures on there as well, just so sad! Luckily Don has a good phone that takes alright pictures so I will have to rely on that for now.
A few things I would have blogged....
Easton did his first ever sports camp. It was two weeks long and it was 2 days each of Soccer, Softball, Football and Basketball. He was adorable to watch! He is really gifted when it comes to sports. He's a very very athletic little boy. He really did a great job and had so much fun.
Cameron, Parker and Landon all did a strength training course at the school, early mornings for about 6 weeks. It was sort of a cross between Cross Fit and P90X I think. A few times when I would drop off  Cameron I would see the other bigger kids there pushing Suburbans! It was a great course for them this summer. Cameron really enjoyed it but I am not sure how much "strength" he actually gained this time around, I think it was pretty intimidating for him but he will know what to expect next year.... hopefully that doesn't mean he won't want to do it!
McCall and Jaxon both did Summer Track at the school a  few days a week. McCall is a great runner and was really into it. She will be starting Cross Country soon. Jaxon got a good taste of what it will be like for him in another year when he's in Middle School (WOW thats crazy!!). He is NOT a runner as of yet, he has a little bit of a husky build right now, but he really enjoyed throwing shotput. He is really hoping to also start on a tackle football league this fall. And I would love to get Cameron into a Basketball camp. It's been a busy summer to say the least!!!
I went to Twin Falls to see Jessica and Jennifer and the kids, that was fun. I took McCall and Easton with me. Then Jennifer came here to visit and decided to stay! Until January anyway when Matt starts back up at school. They will be living in Couer d' Alene with the Lymans and working for them at their resturant Scruds. It will be nice to have her here and her two little girls... and watch her baby bump grow! She's due early February. 3 kids under 3 years... that will be nuts!!
Right after I got back Don took me to Leavenworth for the weekend. Oh how nice that was! We stayed in a beautiful mini condo on a little putting green. Its a darling little town to walk around and shop in. It was a perfect get away. I am really hoping we will take the kids there next month before school starts up again.
Its been a busy, HOT summer, but it's been fun. Looking forward the last few weeks as we rapidly count down to school again.

Updates updates updates

I have been a bit behind on my updates! Enjoy the next 5 or 6 posts with things
 that have been going on the past few months. Make sure you check out one of my
 first posts with our family pictures, I finally have them on here!