Lunch on Top of the World

We feel like we have been hanging out on the bottom a bit lately and decided it was time to feel like we were on top of things again, so we went and had lunch on top of the world a couple of times this week.

I love this picture. Anna was like a little Gazelle on this hike, hopping and bouncing up and down the mountain. I caught her in the air as she was jumping down to the next log.


That was the mountain we just climbed behind them.


These next couple of pictures are of a bike trail about a mile from our house. It is great to run down too. We have hiked this area quite a few times and always find a new trail to take. This one is by far one of the coolest trails we have been on. It had really cool obstacles all throughout the trail. This picture is one of the many plank bridges.




Some crazy sideways jump they had built.

This was the top of the mountain where we had lunch. We had invited the neighbor and her little girl to go with us too.

Colten having lunch with Dad.

Anna and Autumn with the Maple Valley area behind them.

Aaron and Colten on top of the world. Colten had a pretty good nap going up the mountain.

Anna, Autumn and bud.

Our Little Artist

Chance has a great imagination and it really comes out in his drawings. He loves to sit and draw and color. Aaron and I really enjoy having him explain to us about his drawings. The one below is one of our favorites. I am hoping he will follow in Aaron's footsteps and develop this talent as he grows.

A quick explanation: Dad (Aaron) is hanging from the helicopter. He was stabbed with a knife and is about to be attacked by that eagle flying towards him. He barely escaped from the bear that was chasing him through the woods. Chance's explanation was much, much, much, :) more detailed, maybe I will have him help me edit this later. There is even a fallen log in the forest and the cave the bear just came out of behind him.

Huh?

Cody:
Yesterday as we were pulling into a store parking lot, Cody says to Aaron and I, "Mom and Dad can we adopt an 'african brother', I hear they are a lot of fun. My friend Capri from school is getting one." Aaron and I busted up laughing, it was like she was talking about a new toy or something. Cody has never ceased to amaze us with the things that leave her mouth.

Anna:
Last Thursday Aaron and I were cleaning up dinner and heard a loud gulping noise. I didn't think much about it, but Aaron looked over and saw Anna staring up at him with wide eyes. She looked like she had seen a ghost and he started questioning her as to what happened. She told him that she had swallowed a penny. I started questioning her at this point and found out that she had actually swallowed a quarter! Aaron was wigging out a little bit and went to get some answers online. I decided that since she was breathing perfectly fine, we didn't need to take her into the ER, that there wasn't much they could or would do at this point. (I hate taking my kids in only to find out that there is nothing they can do.) So we started watching every bathroom trip, but still haven't seen the illusive quarter. I have to admit, that we are not looking all that well, but I am still leary and keep hoping that she doesn't end up with some crazy blockage. Ugh!

Nothing says happiness like a .....

RIDING LAWN MOWER! A guy from church was getting rid of his riding lawn mower and asked Aaron if he wanted it. He told him it wasn't working, but if Aaron wanted to fix it he could have it. Of course Aaron wanted it! He has been wanting one for forever, even when we didn't have grass to mow. I swear Aaron can fix anything, he had that thing running in a couple of hours. It wasn't put all the way back together in these pictures, but it is now. After the grass was all mowed, he started pulling the kids around on sleds behind the mower just for an excuse to use his mower. Boys and their toys. Look at the happiness radiating from him.

Whistling away while he's cutting the grass. Oh yeah, I think his tractor's sexy!

This next one is just for fun. Aaron has been building us a shed with a really steep pitch to the roof. So to roof the shed, he decided to build himself a harness. He wanted to try it out before getting up on the roof, so he grabbed the dog's leash and hooked himself up to the porch. While he was up there the log he was standing on rolled out from underneath him and off the porch. This is what I saw when I opened the door to a soft knocking sound. I couldn't help myself, I let him hang there while I went to find the camera. Ha! Life is never dull with Aaron around.