Another flood! AARGH!

Today was not so great. Our house flooded again. And it happened the night before we leave for New York for 5 days - of course. (Thank goodness it didn't flood tomorrow while we are gone!) For those of you keeping track, this is our 2nd flood in 2 years. It flooded everything that the first flood didn't - including the theater room this time.

The culprit was the small kitchen sink - it was one of the ONLY TWO LINES not replaced in the first flood with braided steel - you can see from the picture why. The shut off valve is UNDER THE CABINET. If I ever find the guy who plumbed our house, I will cut off his nose.

As I write, I smell wet hickory and drywall and there are men in the house ripping out the basement ceiling and carpet. Sloane is asleep, blissfully unaware. Guess we get new carpet and our hardwood redone again!!

Sloane made the news!

When we went to the Snake River Stampede last week, we went on the "tough enough to wear pink" night to raise funds for breast cancer. Everybody was supposed to wear pink, including the cowboys so I dressed Sloane up in her pink John Deere cowboy boots and big pink bow on her head. After we went home, a friend called us to say that Sloane was on the local news! I tuned into the 11:00 and sure enough, there we were! Watch closely, can you spot her?

Some (short) video clips

More summer fun!

It's been a wild start of summer! This is what happens when you leave the umbrella up on your patio set and a rogue gust of wind comes whipping up the backyard... On the bright side, we get new patio furniture - yay!! You can bet your last dollar that it will NOT be glasstop.


We had a BBQ in the park and invited all of our friends. Too bad it poured rain but about 60 people still showed up for hotdogs and rainy fun. Sloane got to hit the swings for her first time with her friend Brian Churchman. Dads are so much fun!




Sloane went to her first rodeo! It was the Snake River Stampede in Nampa and we went with Auntie Julie and Uncle Jesse. It was "tough enough to wear pink" night in support for breast cancer so all the cowboys and even security was dressed up in pink! We were no exception and we even made a cameo on the local news!! Sloane is a celebrity already!


We made sure to bring the horsey purse that goes with us everywhere.


And we got out the pink cowboy boots...


We really had the best seats in the house, too. Right above the pens! Perfect for watching the mutton bustin competition!
Till next time!

4th of July week!

4th of July was such a blast this year! For the 3rd time, we headed up to the cabin in McCall for a family getaway and this time it was for almost a whole week! JJ and Sloane drove up with Grandma and Grandpa Suitter on Tuesday then Phil and Auntie Julie flew up on Wednesday followed by Uncle Jesse driving up on Thursday. Robert brought the Gator (which is now street legal, by the way) and we had alot of fun driving back and forth to the marina, the grocery store or the hardware store - we were just looking for excuses to hop on and drive somewhere. Sloane is getting some big new teeth in so this trip was a bit of a challenge for her with a fever and general unhappiness. She needed coddling THE WHOLE TIME and everyone was happy to oblige.

JJ and Phil golfed 3 days in a row - twice at Jug Mountain and once in New Meadows. Any chance we get to use a free babysitter, we take FULL advantage. 4th of July we were able to watch the fireworks from the front porch instead of the melee downtown.

The new park in McCall 1 block from our cabin!

We made the now traditional "crab pot" dinner, too which is a concoction of red potatoes, corn on the cob, shrimp, lobster and king crab legs which all get thrown in a pot and eaten off of a table covered in plastic wrap. When finished, the kitchen looks like a butter drenched seafood massacre and we are all wishing we hadn't eaten so much.

(Last year's photos - when Sloane was still in the oven)

Sunday, Sloane got her first ride in a boat, courtesy of Auntie Julie and Uncle Jesse. She wasn't too sure about her life vest that practically swallowed her up, but she got used to it and by the end of the ride she was smiling and watching all the water and boats go by. Next year, she'll be wakeboarding! Hope everyone's 4th was happy and safe!

Sloane's first purse with a little horsey in it to carry around!