Fun in Boise (which is NOT a state)

I'm a Vandal, and as such I feel obligated to point out that, despite what the Boise State University believes, Boise is NOT a state. Just to clarify, BSU is (was?) our college rival. I wouldn't be a true Vandal if I didn't mention this fact. I wonder who thought it was a good idea to give their college this name.

So, you may be asking why I'm going on about this. Well, normally a trip to Bronco country wouldn't be all that appealing, but since my sister moved to Boise I figure I had better get used to it. I thought I would have her show me around over the Memorial holiday weekend while my sexy husband shot trap at the state tournament.

My sister showed my boys and me a very good time in Boise. We went to the Farmers' Market, the Capitol Building, the Zoo, Powell's Candy, one of the city parks, shopping, good food, and a movie at the theatre (Pirates of the Carribean 4).

Here are some of my pictures from the weekend, most of which are from our trip to the zoo.

This little guy seemed to be posing for me. Work it! Work it!

There were some very interesting looking creatures.

There were beautiful animals.

And some not so beautiful animals.

And some that I couldn't decide whether they were beautiful or not.

My boys got to get up close and personal with these prairie dogs. I thought this was such a cool idea!

There were some very regal animals.

This Sloth Bear obviously hadn't visited a manicurist in awhile.

This slimy toad reminded me of Jaba the Hut from Star Wars.

We took a very short boat ride that the boys seemed to enjoy.

I suspect these two partied too hard the night before we visited. During the three hours we were there these hyenas never woke up. Must have been some party!

The animals seemed to be drawn to my baby. Penguins are such characters.

My older boy had fun feeding the funny goats.

Seriously! Can you even look at this picture without smiling?

Some of the animals were kind of scary and intimidating. The king of the jungle loved flaunting his stuff in front of the windows.

Here he is giving my son a little looksy. I can't help but wonder if he was thinking "snack" while staring at my baby. Thank goodness for the very thick glass!

After the zoo we hit Powell's Candy Store and enjoyed some gilato. YUM!  Spiderman's flavor of choice was strawberry.

Cala's favorite wall was the Jelly Belly wall. Can't say I blame her. Another YUM!

I loved how cute the presentation of the gilato was. This kid's flavor choice was rocky road.

After the candy store a little energy-burning was in order so we headed to the park.

We had such a great time, and my sister was a perfect host. I look forward to visiting her and Boise (not a state) again!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Soccerrific!

It's time for another montage of Levi's sports pictures.  He had a soccer game last night. This spring has been weird so there haven't been a lot of games due to rainouts. Boohoo!

So when they've actually gotten the chance to play, they've made up for it and played with complete gusto.

After his fourth goal. Silly kid!

Kudos from the coach.

There's the big bro in the background running along for support. Or more likely it was just something for him  to do to keep from being bored.

Oh, and do you recognize the tongue? I did a post about CJ and his tongue awhile ago. Aparently it runs in the family.

Ladies first?  Not likely. Ruthless is Levi's middle name, especially on the soccer field!

After all was said and done, we don't know the score, but everyone had a great time!

Especially Levi.

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Locker Reveal

Remember the locker I built?  It's made out of pine and cedar.  I couldn't decide whether I should paint it white or stain it.  Almost everyone said "stain it!"

Here's what I came up with. White wash stain on the pine and dark stain on the cedar back planks. What do you think?

I think it turned out great, and I really love it!

I had tried to make wood boxes for the cubbies made out of old pallets.  I wasn't a crazy fan of that.  The reason I tried that was because I had a hard time finding baskets to fit the spaces. After searching every store I could think of I finally found some!  Can you believe it? They fit perfectly!  Needless to say, I was thrilled.

Here's the locker loaded up with the boys' backpacks and coats.

And the boys getting ready to go to school.  The top is so bare. I don't know what to put up there. If you've got any suggestions please share!

Have a fantastic week, and remember your blessings!
Amber