Jackson Lake

Our friend Mary and her family have a tradition of going to Jackson Lake every summer. Mary and I have been friends for 16 years and for all of those 16 years she has been trying to get me to go to Jackson Lake with her. This year Jeff and I and some of our other friends finally did it. We went with Mary to Jackson Lake. After the trip Jeff and I both conceded that it was awesome and that we should have listened sooner.


The water was a little chilly, as a river flows from the Glacier mountains into the lake , but the kids didn't mind a bit.


Chandler and Elise kayaking off shore.

The Smith family brought their kayaks and we floated down the Snake River one evening. We saw all sorts of wild life and the kids were in heaven. So was Jeff. I think the girls and I got a bigger kick out of him than any of the wild life.


Mary has been telling us about swimming behind Moose Falls, in Yellowstone forever. I wasn't sure how the kids would feel about it, but of course they loved it. A hot spring runs into the river so the water is nice and warm.





This was such a proud mom moment for me. Lena told me last summer that she wanted to learn to ski because I loved it so much and she wanted to be like me. They have both tried but haven't been able to get up. On our Jackson trip they both did it. They were so proud of themselves and couldn't stop talking about it. Watching them being pulled behind the boat I felt more than ever that they were really mine.


Another of Mary's musts was Jenny Lake.


This is my nerdy husband, putting on a show. Other people at the lake were laughing at him but he didn't care. Anything to make me and the kids laugh.




We drove the boat across the lake to Leeks Marina and got ice cream cones, another Cannon tradition.

Parker doesn't like to get in the water much, but he loves to drive the boat.




I didn't know if the kids would come home friends or enemies after roughing it in the wild for five days. We have the bears in Yellow Stone to thank for a successful trip. We had a bear in camp almost everyday. The Park Rangers would come warn us and then blow whistles, and throw rocks at the bears to get them to leave. After watching two older Park Ranger women throw rocks at a big bear and blow their whistle, I figured we weren't in too much danger. The kids weren't so easily convinced. After the first whistle and bear experience the kids went everywhere together. They made sure no one was ever alone and they were always plotting what they would do if a bear got one of them. Maybe it was having a common enemy, but whatever it was, those bears sure got our kids on the same team. Jeff and I couldn't have been
happier.

Lena Lena Lena

Sara burst into the house crying, "Lena ruined my tomatoes."

"What did she do" I asked

"Go see" she said, storming off to her room.

I walked out to Sara's garden box. All of her once green tomatoes were now red. Lena was standing next to the garden box laughing.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I painted them red."

"With what?"

She held up a paint brush and a bottle of red paint. "I wanted her to think they were ready, funny huh." And she started laughing again.

How could I not laugh?

Another night I came home to this flower bouquet and card on my counter. They were from Lena. The card said she loved me and she was sorry for not being nice to me. I laughed but even harder when I noticed the bouquet was made up of my bushes and the neighbors flowers. Despite all the trouble she causes, she is exasperatingly lovable.

Our skydiving Grandma

Jeff's mom has always wanted to go skydiving. For Mother's Day we all chipped in and paid for her to go.

The kids watched in amazement as their grandma prepared and then jumped out of an airplane. They thought she was crazy.

All the grandkids ran to meet her when she landed. They were glad to see she was still alive.

We sure love our grandma!

Our adoption Friends

I love all the awesome people we have met on our adoption journey. This is our great friend Wendy and her family. She was in the play Peter Pan with her kids and we had so much fun watching them. I even got Jeff to go.

They took our kids back stage and showed them all the props. The girls had the best time and talked about it for days. That is Alex on the right who was in the same orphanage as the girls. Isn't he cute?

Lagoon with the Kellers

The boys started a water fight and were picking on the girls, but the girls got them back. Don't mess with four Ukranian girls.

Lena and Tanya

Ethan, Victor and Parker

Chandler's Birthday

The kids wanted Lagoon passes this year and so they all worked together and earned the money they needed. It was cute to watch Lena showing her brothers how to make bread and watch them output loaf after loaf and sale them to the neighbors. It took them a month of hard work, but much to my surprise they all managed to earn enough money.

We celebrated Chandler's 12th Birthday at Lagoon. This is the cake the girls made for him.

Jeff's mom is awesome and loves to go on all of the scariest rides. Lena wanted to go on the Sky Coaster and Grandma was only too willing to join her. Jeff and I were not surprised about his mom, but we couldn't believe Lena wanted to do it. She loved it! She melts down in tears at the Dentist and won't open her mouth but then has no qualms about doing this.

Memorial Day

Our Memorial Day picnic with Jeff's Family.

Chandler desperately trying to finish his book before school on Tuesday.

Sara making a flower wreath out of dandelions.

The cousins were all very impressed with her skills.

Lena wondered why I was taking her picture. I told her, "Honey not very many American kids would be sweeping the picnic area with a broom they made from branches. I don't want you ever to forget that cute Ukrainian girl in you." She laughed and posed for me.

Parker and Lena helping their little cousins build a waterfall.

The Garden

The girls asked me a few months ago for a garden. I told them we would, but they had to help. I thought they would be excited for a few days and then leave all the work for me. I was wrong. They moved the sod, helped me build garden boxes, hauled three truck loads of dirt and one truck load of gravel all without a word of complaint.

They both wanted their own box and insisted on doing the work themselves. I showed them U-tube videos on building garden boxes and we went to work. They sawed the wood for their boxes and drilled all the holes. I was very impressed. At the nursery, they insisted on buying their own plants and seeds, I tried to pay for it but they wouldn't let me. I am constantly surprised and amazed by these two girls. We had the best time building our garden. When they would get tired of working and needed a rest they would ask me to read to them and we would lay in the shade with our latest book. I really do love being their mom.