Hess Family in Boise

While Jeff and Matt were running the mighty South Fork of the Boise River, Brandi and the kids and I spent the day at the park (followed by Rafiki indoor playground and some thrift store shopping)...

That night we all went downtown for dinner and the kids thought it would be fun to dunk their heads in the fountain at City Hall. Little did we know that we'd get soaked in rain a little bit later while touring the Wilderness Park. Oh well! When we got home Max decided he would wear a cool yellow helmet--he looked so cute in it we had to send it home to Utah with him!

Peyton + Max = Buddies

Kiddos Back in Idaho

The kids arrived home safely on Friday night after two weeks in Utah with Grandma & Grandpa Chewy and Grandma Judy & Grandpa Leo. Peyton ran up and hugged me so hard I almost fell over and then he started crying which made me feel like the worst mom ever. We missed them, too (although we did spend some quality time together while they were gone). They were both happy to be home but it sounded like they had fun in Utah, too. They told us they made stepping stones and a derby car; I thought the car was a toy car, the size of Peyton's hand, but he informs me it is the size of ALL of him. Oh dear. They went to Raging Waters and Hollywood Connection and the Dinosaur Park. They saw their cousins, Bailey & Brady, Avery & Cash, and Madi, Max, and Mia. They came home with many happy memories, new school clothes, and a suitcase full of freshly cleaned laundry--thanks moms! And thanks to Brandi & Matt who drove them home, along with 3 of their own kids, and spent the weekend with us in Boise. We know the only reason they came was so Matt could fish the South Fork of the Boise River, but we appreciate them anyway.

Christmas Card Preview

One (or more) of these will most likely show up on our Christmas card this December. Sorry to spoil the holiday surprise but they are just too awesome not to share right away. These pictures were taken on the Cabarton section of the North Fork of the Payette River (South of Cascade, Idaho)--the rapid is Howard's Plunge (aka Peyton's Plunge). Ahhhh, Idaho.

Babies, Babies, and More Babies!

Over the past year, we have had four new additions to our extended family. They are each precious and we couldn't be happier for our brothers and sisters. Peyton is happy to have a boy cousin on the Meyer side (finally!) and it will be exciting to watch the 3 new cousins on the Banks side join the other crazy kids. Congratulations to all! We love you!

Mia Elizabeth Hess

December 28, 2008

Brandi & Matt Hess

Sister: Madi & Brother: Maximus

Cash Leo Meyer

May 14, 2009

Harley & Angie Meyer

Sister: Avery

Parley Justin Banks

May 28, 2009

Justin & Erika Banks

Samuel Finn Michael Banks

August 7, 2009

Mike & Emalee Banks

Summer Baseball

Peyton's summer baseball team was the WOLF PACK. It was his first season without the pitching machine so they got to warm up their pitching arms. Peyton really likes to pitch and his coach (not Coach Butler this time, darnit) let him pitch a couple innings in a few different games. He did great! Especially for his first time on the mound--he threw some strikes, and some balls, and managed to get several outs. I think it was a little scary for him at first--walking out to the mound was a little like standing up to do a solo--but he relaxed and didn't let it phase him. We are so proud of him.

Jeffe Palooza July 2009

Whenever Jeff and Ken get together, they always call it Jeffe (pronounced heff-ay) Palooza." I feel bad it's never called "Ken Palooza" but that's their business. For those of you that don't know, Ken is the man behind PeakUK-US (all that cool river gear you see us in); he was also a professional kayaker for Riot kayaks. He and Jeff take turns visiting each other and taking whitewater excursions together. Their latest endeavor has been to master the art of paddleboarding. In the latest installment of Jeffe Palooza, Jeff and Ken worked on making paddleboards in Ken's garage (check out his inventory of kayaks) and testing their moves on the river.

Summer Storm 2009

We had some crazy weather last week in Boise. Check out this picture from the local newspaper that was taken Thursday night:

Josh & Therese: Milwaukee (5/31/2009)

My cousin Josh FINALLY got married to his lovely Therese in Milwaukee at the end of May. On the Oswald side of the family he is only the 2nd grandchild to get married (only 11 years after Jeff and me!). After losing Grandma and Grandpa recently, our whole family was ready for a reason to celebrate--and boy do we know how to celebrate!

Kayaking 101

There are some crazy moms living in Boise and they all happen to be friends of mine (thanks, Peyton, for being friends with their kids which has allowed me to get to know them). These ladies talked me into taking a kayaking class with them this past weekend. Now, when Jeff and I were first married I did what any new wife of a kayaker would do--I took a class to try and be kayaker, too. In that course it was apparent that I was not meant to be a kayaker. So for the past 11 years I have been content to be a kayak widow on the weekends (and some weeknights) while Jeff pursues his passion. When Melissa sent the email about taking this class, I figured it had been 10 years and maybe now that I'm older I'd be better (the irony is now apparent but when in the midst of peer pressure one overlooks such irony). So I forked out the money and signed up.

We started the course on the pond at 9:00am. We reviewed all the strokes and braces and practiced our "wet exits" with which we would later become very familiar. After lunch the demonic instructors thought it would be fun for us to fight for our lives on the Boise River. I can't say I cried like a baby (but I wanted to). After the first few eddy turns I was feeling pretty good, so I challenged myself on one of the rougher eddy lines--and let's just say we learn from our mistakes. Good thing I've learned how to swim through rapids after years of rafting.

I ended up swimming "by accident" twice. I'm still frustrated about it. However, it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. And our instructors were not demonic at all--I even wrote on the class survey that I liked the hands-on river experience! Can you believe it?! So, in my older age, I'm not a "better" kayaker, but I think I enjoy it more. I'm ready to go again! And I'm pretty sure Melissa, Carrie, and Carolyn will all join me -- the bunch of crazy women that they are!


(kudos to Mr. Scott Burnett for providing the photography for this post)

Rafting the Payette

We took the raft, the Burnetts, and 1/2 of the Freeman family to the Main Payette on Saturday. It was the first time on the river for Carrie, Matthew, Ty, and Jack. Ty and Peyton were trading spots in the front as our wave-blockers while Matthew, Jack, and Ashley hung back in the 2nd row. By the time we finished AMF all the kids were jumping in the river! Good thing we followed the Stingley's big purple boat so the kids had something to swim to. As always, Jeff was the ultimate guide in keeping us safe and out of the holes -- although not very dry!!!

Melissa, Carrie, & Jen = River Hotties / Jeffe = El Cap-i-tan / Peyton & Ty = Wave Blockers

(is Scott Burnett good on the camera, or what?)