Boston

Dear Carrie, Paula, Rachel and Jacque,
I am writing this post to you since apparently you are the only readers I have of this blog. I think I may go private again, as it appears my writing is for a few select, all be it, very special people. Hahaha.

Anyway, after a week in Michigan, Tyler, Mollie, Ashtynn and I were able to fly to Boston to spend some time with Matt and Rachel and their family. A huge thank-you to Carrie for letting Reagan and Elise spend the week there so we could make this trip.

We flew from Detroit at 6:30 am and met Rachel at the airport at 11:30. We jumped in her car and headed to their home in Needham, about 20 miles outside of Boston (I think?). After a quick rest and some lunch, we went to the train station, about 1/2 mile away and got on a train headed for the city. Oh my word, I love Boston, what a beautiful city that is. We went to Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall where we ate dinner. We also walked down to the Harbor, wow, it was so pretty.

Could these 2 girls be any cuter, oh my goodness, they had so much fun together

Matt, Rachel, Me, Tyler
Ashtynn, Ethan, Hailey and Mollie

Rachel and I at Fanueil Hall

Tyler, Mollie and I in front of a random building that I really liked

The girls were so impressed with the Sax player

The next day, Rachel and I hung around the house with the kids, she took the girls to a nearby farm while the babies slept and I worked. Matt and Tyler went back in to Boston to take a tour of Fenway Park. Sadly, the Red Sox were not in town while we were there, so this was the next best thing. Tyler loved it, they had so much fun and it will do until one day we can get back and go to a game. Don't hold your breath, it may be a few more years.

That's a happy man, right there

Thursday, we had access to passes for the Boston Aquarium and spent a couple of hours there. It was pretty cool, and the kids all loved it.

Me and my Ashtynn, who was amazing on this trip, by the way. She was a dream child

Mollie and Hailey checking out the dolphins

Check out the shark heading toward Tyler and Mollie...so cool

The Larsen Family minus Reagan and Elise

After the aquarium, we went to James Hook Lobster company, got a couple of crab rolls and a lobster roll for Tyler. We couldn't resist and also bought a live crab and a live lobster which we took back to Rachel and Matt's and boiled right up. DELICIOUS!!!!!!! We were in heaven.

Tyler had fun getting to prepare and eat a live lobster

The girls loved the lobster and crab, but ironically were very sad they had to go to bed and didn't get any to eat

Oh, the sweet succulence of crab

More fun in Michigan

With 9 kids, Carrie and I found the best way to entertain the kids while not at the lake was to take them to some of the parks in the area. Michigan has some pretty cool parks. The kids' school playground was awesome, there were tires everywhere to jump, bounce, skip, sit, roll, dance, sing, shout and anything else you can think of, and there seemed to be hundreds of them set up in cool designs. My kids were pretty impressed with it all.

This is Hilton School park, I love the picture with all 9 kids on the tower, so fun! Check it out, they even had zip lines.

This was one of the Metro Parks, the guys went golfing here, so we took the kids over the park right next to the golf course, such a pretty lake here.

We also went in to the City of Brighton, which I think is really a fun town. That is the town my sister lives in and downtown has some fun shops, a beautiful lake with boardwalks crossing over it and more, but that is what we saw. The kids fed the ducks, we had ice cream and then they played at the park.

Ashtynn, Tayden, Kaylee, Tyler, Karyna, Trevyn, Mollie, Reagan, and Elise on the boardwalk

Tyler and Ashtynn, she loved the ducks

Feeding the ducks from the bridge

So pretty, I love that they put hanging baskets along the bridge.

Elise, Trevyn, Karyna, Tayden and Tyler, check out the park in the background and the cool buildings, I loved it!

On the Road to Michigan and the Lake House

Wow, where has this last week gone? I have been wanting to post about our trip and yet everyday something new makes it so I can't seem to get this done. I will blame work mostly, but I also have spent a few days getting a Snapfish album organized of our trip. At this point in my life scrap booking has taken a back seat and yet it made me very sad to think all of these pictures from our trip would just sit on a disc in my desk. It came today in the mail, and I love it.

I figured I would do a post about Michigan and then add another post about Boston. So here is a little taste of our trip to Michigan. We left Idaho on Saturday the 17th the evening after Tyler's race and drove through the night and through the next day until we hit Cedar Rapids Iowa where we got a hotel. Originally we wanted to get a hotel so the kids could swim and play, but since it was around 11:00 pm when we checked in, we all went right to sleep.

Our fearless leader...

...and his amazing side kick

See, don't they look so happy! Thank heavens for DVD players.

After the all night drive, we stopped in Cheyenne Wyoming to let the kids stretch their legs and let Tyler get a little rest.

The next morning, we got up and headed for Michigan. We arrived Monday evening around 7:00 at Carrie's house. The kids were awesome on the trip, blew us away. Believe it or not, not a single puking incident, that has to be a record.

While we were in Michigan we stayed at their lake house on Handy Lake. It is about 10 minutes from their home and I must say, not a bad set up. The lake is out the back door, with sand to play in and their most recently acquired toys, the jet skis. So much fun. The kids loved being with their cousins and sitting around visiting with Carrie was the best. Of course, it would have been easier to sit around and visit without 9 children hanging around, but how boring would that be.

Tyler and Mollie out on the Jet Ski, she is such a little daredevil, it is hilarious.

And Mollie doing a little Ariel impersonation.

Reagan, cousin Tyler, cousin Karyna and Elise

The 2 babies had such a good time playing on the slide.

This is one of my favorite pictures. The pasty white baby is mine and the tanned sun bathed baby is Carrie's so funny.


Mollie and Tayden

Carrie and me!
Tyler and Ashtynn

The Lake house, view from the water

And the view of the lake from the house

Twin Falls Triathlon

Tyler competed in his 7th Triathlon on July 17th. We spent the morning at Dierkes Lake cheering him on. I took him over first thing in the morning, helped get his bike set up and waited for him to get in the water. He was excited, but I could tell he was a little nervous. After he was in the lake, I headed back home to pick up the kids and try to make it back before the 1st transition. Sadly, we missed the transition, but we saw him riding his bike up out of the canyon, which was pretty cool too.
Tyler's mom came as well, it was so nice having her there and getting to spend the morning with her. Here Tyler is ready to get going. The pre-race meeting went way too long, so it was getting a little tedious waiting. We couldn't have asked for a prettier day though.

While Tyler raced the kids and I played. Reagan got a hold of the camera while I took the girls over to see the lake. This was just one of many pictures I later found on my camera.

Elise, Mollie and I posing and waiting.

Reagan had even more fun with the camera.

We were sitting right next to the Bike to Run transition area, so we got to say hi to Tyler while he was switching out his shoes. He has a gel pack hanging out of his mouth in this picture.

And he's off and running!They put the numbers on their legs and the O was for the Olympic distant competitors. The sprinters got an S. (Nice legs, dude!)

At the end of the race, the girls ran after him to run across the finish line with him. It was so cute.

And he did it! Yeah Tyler

With the best supporters in the world.

Mollie, Elise, Reagan and Ashtynn

Happy 1st Birthday Ashtynn

Upon my return home I will update our trip back east, but I figured since today was Ashtynn's first birthday this was more important. We celebrated Ashtynn's birthday at Carrie's house in Michigan. So much fun to have the Cook cousins be a part of it, that's a first for our kids.

Ashtynn was a doll, she had so much fun opening the presents, eating the cake and I really think she got a kick out of being the center of attention. (hmmm.. I wonder where she gets that?)

This picture was first thing this morning, I decided to get a picture of her in her new birthday clothes... not birthday suit, you sickos. Sadly, the hair bow did not make it through the rest of the day.

Blowing out the candles, she really looks like she is trying, but that was just a lucky shot on the picture, her cousin Tyler had to help her.

Despite Tyler's dislike of this tradition, we did let her attack the cake first and she loved it, not a moment's hesitation, I think her cousins were horrified by the whole thing.

Time to open the presents
See what I mean, she loved it. What a cutie, I kind of like this kid. :)

and like everything else, the presents went straight to her mouth, yep, that's wrapping paper in there.


Here's the crew

Mollie, Elise, Ashtynn, me, cousin Tyler, and Reagan

Kaylie, Tayden, the girls...

...and Karyna