As Kim and I have been teaching 14 and 15 year old Sunday school we have learned that teenagers really like Taco Bell right now. Kim and I have not had Taco Bell for a LONG TIME. So we had to take Lyza and Nixon to experience Taco Bell. They liked it but didn't think it was anything special.
Nixon had his final concert of the year
His band got to play this piece with Lyza's band (can you spot them both)
Lyza with her band
And the final performance was all of the bands combined
Here they are after the concert
Kim took them out for milk shakes and French fries to celebrate
We got our washer/dryer combo delivered and installed
Kim's patio furniture all set up
Nixon getting a haircut
Mason enjoyed building this solar powered robot he bought from a garage sale
We had our first outdoor meal of the year on Memorial Day weekend
On Memorial Day we drove 2 hrs and 15 mins NE to Kootenai Falls in Montana
Here we are the kids at the start of the short hike to the falls
It was a fairly short and easy hike to get there
There was a lot of water
I brought my camera get to take photos
With a tripod and an ND filter I was able to take long exposure photos to smooth out the water and give it a more dreamy look. Here is what that look like:
Everyone was exploring while I was standing around taking long exposure photos (see them in the distance?)
These two climbed up high to see where the water was coming from
This photo has the long exposure and us in it, which means everyone had to hold still
Everyone really liked exploring near these falls
Lyza finding bugs
After that it was another short hike to a suspension bridge
The bridge had great views
Lyza wasn't terrified at all ;)
Here is a video of the beautiful sights
After that we had a picnic lunch
We then drove to the Libby Dam and Lake Koocanusa
Fun fact, the name of the man made lake created by the Libby dam is a mix of the works KOOtenai, CANada, and USA
The dam was pretty underwhelming but it had a fun visitor's center
After that we had dinner and dessert in Sandpoint
Lyza went to a friend's house one day after school and that friend's brother (who is Nixon's friend) came over to our house. Nixon had committed to clean someone's garbage and recycling bins as part of our service auction/fundraiser so he and the friend cleaned those together
Mason's art was on exhibit at one of the schools so we went to check that out
After we went out to pizza at a place that has lots of arcade games
After pizza we stumbled upon a car show that the boys really wanted to check out
Henry spent his own money to buy this beast of a Nerf gun
Nixon has been saving his money for over a year and finally bought himself an electric guitar
He has been loving it
With some nice weather we dusted off the ladder ball set
Mason showing off some of his drawing
And large scale building
The shower door was finally installed in the basement bathroom, which was the last thing for our basement project
Here are some pictures of the completed project:
The TV room
Exercise room
Guest room
Bathroom
And Nixon's room
Nixon and Lyza had their last days of school last week
Lyza is officially done middle school!
Kim and some other moms dressed up in silly costumes to celebrate the kids when they were released from school
Nixon
Bring on High School!
Lyza and some friends
Kim and Henry took advantage of the wind that afternoon and flew a kite
Nixon had some friends over to celebrate school being over
This last Saturday Nixon asked if we could go to a classic car show at the local veterans' home
There were some pretty sweet cars there
My favorite part though was watching Nixon photograph the cars
That evening we had a couple of families over as a going away party for one of the families that is moving away
We had some epic games of thunder
We also played lots of cross net
And had delicious dessert
Kim and "the Heathers"
Henry excited to be working on a school assignment :)
Kim took Lyza and Nixon to Tubbs Hill this week to hike
And then out for lunch
Henry and Mason had their last day of school today so it is officially summer break!
That's all for now. Nixon and I have young mens camp next week and then it is up to Canada as a family
Take care
