What a summer!!

Just thought I would catch you up on all the happenings of our family this summer. What a summer it has been! I hate to see it come to a close, but I guess it is time to get back to routines and homework, yuck!!

July started off with a fun 4th. We had fun with Grandma and Grandpa enjoying the parade and fireworks. It is a tradition for our family to ride with David in his police truck and throw candy. About halfway through, their wasn't much candy throwing going on from the back where the boys were sitting. Can you guess what happened to most of the candy. :-) Mom and Dad's trailer sits up on a hill from the park where they let of fireworks and I have to say that I quite impressed with the show that this little town put on.

The middle of July brought us visitors from the south, as Milt, Stacey, Alyssa, Jake, Mariah, Bethaney, Sandy and Cy drove up for the family reunion. Mike and Kadie and family joined us also and Mike was a trooper as he had just had sinus surgery. Mom and Dad brought their fifth wheel trailer up and made quite an encampment with each family having a tent and two wall tents that served as a game/play room and the other serving as a kitchen. We had quite a time jumping off the dock, floating on tubes, fishing, riding on the paddle boat, visiting and of course eating lots of great food. Alyssa produced and directed a few short and cute skits with all of the kids and of course we had to get the fiddles and gituar out or it wouldn't be a Briggs family gathering. We survived one very long night with some partying "redneck family" that cussed, screamed and played loud music till sunup. It was a good thing that I didn't have a gun handy. :-) Other than that it was perfect and a great time was had by all. I do have to add that I knew that I lived in a small town when the newspaper lady called me and wanted info on the family reuion including wanting to list everyone's name. So yes, I guess it was a good time, for we made the Meagher County News. :-)

The first part of August brought the Meagher County fair where Jake and our friend Jasmine took their 4H lambs. They were the only ones with sheep and Jake took Grand Champion adn Jasmine won the showmanship. There were some very happy sheep herders when they found out they sold their lambs for $6 and $7 a pound. Now that's some spendy lamb chops!! Jake sure learned a lot and we had some funny moments with the sheep especially when it became a family effort to get them washed and groomed.

This last week on the 10th, David and I celebrated our 13th anniversary. We decided this year to celebrate with our boys and we took them to the Silverwood Theme park in Couer d;Alene, ID. We had a very fun time and even survived a whole day of pouring rain. Some things that will go in our memory book forever will be when Zane and I got stuck at the top of the ferris wheel and Zane couldn't "hold it" anymore and needless to say it was quite emabarrasing to have it announced to those standing in line that the ride had to be shut down for cleanup and sanitation. Oh the joys of having a four year old. Zane was quite the crazy man as he went on all the huge roller coasters with his brothers and Dad and was still smiling when he got off. It was fun to watch the smiles on Jake and Seth's face as they would come off the "Corkscrew" rollercoaster and run right back in line to go another time. After four times Seth got off and while holding his stomach announced that he had had enough time on the rollercoasters and last but not least I will not forget standing under an umbrella in my bathing suit in the pouring rain with Luke in a stoller (freezing my behind off) while David and the rest of the boys ran wild on all the waterslides as there were no lines because we were the only insane people left at the waterpark.

I am thakful for this summer. I have learned that times like these with your kids and family will all be gone someday. I live by the rule that life is not lived if you are not outside enjoying it everyday, so having the short warm weather season that we do the boys and I have spent most of the summer outside as much as we could. From bike riding, golfing, playing at the park, walking, going up to the lake and Grasshopper campground, haying for Grandma and Grandpa Wendt, swimming, playing basketball, football, baseball and freeze tag (yes, I was involved in all of these), enjoying popsicles and ice cream on our back deck and last but not least arming ourselves against malicious misquitoes every night, I would have to say that we have made some great memories. May we all remember to enjoy the simple but wonderful blessings of life!