Forts & Monopoly - New fav's @ Rich house

Yep that's right Hudson has a new favorite game - Monopoly - and he is actually pretty dang good at it. This photo is a picture of a game that lasted 4 days. He loves buying properties and then houses and hotels to go on them. If you think that he lets you get by without paying - you are wrong! He has an eagle eye for that. He also knows that it is great to have all the Railroads and utilities!



These are just a few shots of the boys playing and sleeping in one of their many forts they built this summer. They are getting more and more creative. As much as I hate the mess I love it too. I have such fond memories of building forts with my siblings as a child. I only wish we would have taken pics of the outside - next time.....

First day of school

This was a big first day of school for us at the Rich household. This year is the first and the last year that all of our boys will be at the same school. Braxton is in 5th grade, Porter 3rd, and Hudson is in kindergarten! The boys were all very excited about it. Hudson especially since he is finally at the "Big" school. Braxton was excited for this year because he is the "Top Dog". Hudson was a little upset when we dropped Braxton and Porter off at 8:30am and didn't get to go to his class. He is in the PM class so had to wait until 12:30 for his turn. Then to find out on top of all of that that he didn't get to have lunch at school just about put him over the edge. He has since adjusted and actually quite likes his quiet mornings with mom (well mostly quiet:). The kids love their teachers and are off to a great start.





Hudson with his friends from Preschool Jared and Evan



Hudson getting ready to start his first day in Mrs. Corea's class

One last day at the beach

These are just some shots form our last day at the beach this summer. It just never gets old. I love the Jersey Shore!

Porter turn's 8

This year Porter wanted to have a sports(game) themed bday party. So he thought of all the games and organized the whole thing. He decided he wanted to have two teams so when all the boys arrived they divided into teams and decorated their team shirts. Then they competed in some of Porter's favorite games & sports. There was knock out, capture the flag, a balloon toss, pinata, and soccer. He had a great group of boys and they all fun! Happy Birthday Porter!

Alaska - Part 1

This Summer we went on a cruise to Alaska! Bill and Carol were celebrating their 50th (yes I said it - 50) wedding anniversary and were nice enough to have us along for the ride. There were 18 of us in all with Bill and Carol and their 8 children + spouses. Yes, that is right no kids allowed! What a great vacation it was. Braxton, Porter and Hudson also thought it was a pretty good deal because they got to stay with G&G Wilson in Boise for a week, which was a lot of fun. Here are a few pics and memories of our trip.

Mike was all ready to go waiting on the waterfront in Seattle to board the cruise ship.




The famous Pike's Place fish market in Seattle



Formal night on the cruise ship




Can you spot the Bald Eagles?



Salmon fishing in Ketchikan

"Look out Malcolm - here comes the catch of the day!"








Creek Street in Ketchikan - Notice the fish jumping in the background and also my little caramel popcorn craving (it just smelled so good).

Alaska-Part 2

I know. Just when you think no more pics, we have more. Since this is serving as my scrapbook I figured why not...

This is Mike and a couple of his brothers on top of the ship. Todd, the one in the middle, actually served his mission in Alaska.



This is us getting up early in the morning to see the amazing scenery as we went up the Misty Fjords to the Juneau Icefield and glaciers. The pictures don't do it justice.





The Championship Ping Pong Tournament on the cruise ship



Mendenhall Glacier




All the ladies of the family



True Fishermen



We saw a lot of Bald Eagles. This one was just sitting on top of a building near the fish hatchery in Juneau.



This was a seriously fast 2 mile hike to the top of this Mt. Roberts trail in Juneau. We were in a hurry because we were running late to board the ship. Needless to say, we were happy to take the tram down:)





This was a black bear that we saw on the side of the road just outside of Skagway.



Emerald Lake. We rented vans and went on a tour around Skagway and then on up into Canada. There were beautiful mountains, waterfalls and several emerald looking lakes all along the way.



When you have to pack 18 into 2 vans, things can get a little cozy:)



Reid Falls in Skagway just above the famous little gold mining town and cemetery.



This is the family on the ship after the "50th Wedding Anniversary" tribute to Bill and Carol. What a great couple - 50 years and a lot of great memories!



Relaxing poolside on the ship



Our last stop on the way home was in Victoria, BC. We went to Butchart Gardens to see the awesome displays of flowers/plants and then took in the firework show.





Mike and I weren't the only ones having fun. While we were gone on the cruise, the boys were having the time of their lives with G&G Wilson - fishing, going to the park, going to Po Jo's, the Discovery Center, the Boise Zoo and just having fun with their cousins.