Spirit of Boise.

     The Spirit of Boise Balloon Festival was going on a few weeks ago and we thought it would be fun to check it out so early one morning we got up and rode our bikes to Ann Morrison Park to watch all the hot air balloons launch.
     When we got there some balloon owners had already asked my dad if he could help them set up and launch their balloon. Nate quickly joined in and it was pretty neat to see how its all done and what goes into prepping a balloon for lift off.
     After it was all ready to go they asked Nate if he wanted to chase the balloon in the truck with them and help put it away when it landed so he stayed and did that which sounded just as cool!

Non-boating.

     For Heaton's last day in Boise we tried to take the boat up to the lake but naturally once we got it in the water it wouldn't start. So instead we headed over to a little beach to splash around on. Some of us had more fun than others...

Visitors.

     We had a couple visitors come the beginning of August. Aaron and Alyssa came to hang out a few nights before they moved to Ohio. We had a lot of fun and did a lot of things including; rode bikes on the greenbelt, walked around the MK Nature Center and saw the giant sturgeon, floated the Boise River, and got ice cream at Goodys.
     We hope they're enjoying Ohio and can't wait to see them again! Oh, and here's the only picture from their trip :)

Huckleberry picking.

     The middle of August we made our way up to McCall for the day to pick huckleberries with my grandma. Even though we got caught in a huge rainstorm that drenched us all, it was worth it and a lot of fun. And we still got plenty of huckleberries!

     
     After getting soaked picking berries, we headed over to Gold Fork hot springs and hung out there for a few hours. It was the perfect way to end a cold, wet day but we didn't get any pictures of that part!

9 months!

3 quarters of a year! How did that happen?!

Porter loves him, sometimes a little too much :)

     This boy just keeps growing and growing! He is very mobile and getting into everything. He really wants to walk and pulls himself up on everything and then walks holding on to it for as far as he can. He LOVES to eat and NEEDS a bite of anything you have. We discovered (though a little early) he is not allergic to peanuts which makes life easier. He is babbling up a storm! Usually yelling at me for one reason or another. But he sure likes to hear himself "talk", he must get that from his mom...

     Spencer is still loving the water! He doesn't care how cold or hot it is he will splash as long as we let him. He doesn't even mind when I dunk his feet in the cold river on our walks. Last week he had his first experience at a hot springs and he really thought that was cool. He especially liked playing in the sand at the bottom and dumping it on his dad.

he prefers to swim in the buff.

     Teething this time around has been miserable. He has 3 teeth swollen just under the surface of his gums and they must be painful because he has been a grump for weeks! This in turn has made for a regression in his sleeping habits. It's been a long few weeks...

Hiking the foothills.

   At the end of July we bought a hiking backpack for Spencer. We've only used it a few times but we have high hopes!

this adorable boy loved the wind blowing!

taking my turn.

we even saw a snake.

putting the pack to good use!

5k

     I ran my first ever 5k on July 26. It was called the Push 5k, push referring to pushing a stroller. I hadn't ran since before Spencer was born and signed up with about 3 weeks to prepare which ended up being just enough time. My goal was to not die and I succeeded! But really my goal was to just run the whole thing, and I did so I was happy with that. The course started at the east edge of Ann Morrison park and ran down the greenbelt to friendship bridge, across the river, down the south side of the greenbelt back toward Ann Morrison, then back across the river winding through Ann Morrison park to the finish. Spence enjoyed his time in the stroller like always and even fell asleep the last half mile. Nate was great support and even better paparazzi!

Spencer showing his support for mom.

at the starting line.

crossing the 2nd bridge.

the finish line!

we did it!

and a big thanks to this big guy for encouraging me and running laps with, I mean around me!