A quiet week......

Last Friday Alaina and I took the kids to Sterling so we could beat the heat at the little "water park".  We had a great time and it was nice to sit and talk for hours with a good friend!  The kids played great together and we escaped the nasty weather that was hitting Sidney and surrounding areas.  Matt said the tornado sirens went off and he had to go into the basement at work for 30 minutes.  He headed home early to make sure everything was okay.  Thankfully the storm skirted around Dalton and everything was safe.  Morley stayed in Sidney for Elliot's birthday party!  They say Monster's University.  Matt went back into town with Drew to watch Man of Steel.  They all enjoyed their movies while Ella, Brayden and I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks.  Oh....Drew brought home a GIANT bull frog home from work on Thursday for Brayden.  It seriously is HUGE!  Brayden is in frog heaven and it is living outside.  We bought gold fish for it to eat.....

Saturday morning we woke up early so the boys could participate in the Gurley Centennial Celebration.  They kicked off the event with a flag ceremony and then walked in the little parade.  Ella wore her Girl Scout uniform and walked with all the boys.....the only Girl Scout.  I was very proud of her!  Then we came home and the boys got all packed for their week of Scout Camp and had Bountiful Baskets.  We had a BBQ planned with with some friends and then a BIG storms moved in.  It really was really quite scary. DeAnn called and told us to come over to her basement with our company. We did and felt better that the kids were really safe.  We wouldn't have all fit in our storm shelter.  Matt and Dusty stayed behind to be storm chasers.....  The sky was rotating in several different locations, green clouds.  Thankfully, we only received a little rain and the clouds stopped swirling and we went back home after about 45 minutes.  We continued the BBQ until it started raining a bit more.  The kids watched a movie while the adults stayed upstairs visiting.  It was another late night but a very good night.

Matt left with Morley and Drew bright and early Sunday morning to Scout Camp.  They had to be in Gurley by 6 am.  They are camping in Eastern Nebraska with the Dalton/Gurley troop.  We chose to have the boys go with this troop instead of the church troop.  Drew is just 11 and wouldn't have been able to go with the church troop.  They were also the same week so we chose to send the boys together, especially since Matt wasn't able to stay the whole week.  Their scout leaders have been taking pictures all week and posting them on their Facebook page.  It was been fun looking at them every day!  B and Ella were willing to be silly so we took some pictures since it was just the three of us at home, which doesn't happen very often.  Mitch and Elaine came over for dinner and then took Brayden back to the ranch with them.  He knew he would have a fun time.....

The week has been so quiet and so very busy, even with everyone gone.  Mowing, housework, sewing, rental house appointments, more sewing, yard work.....

Brayden came home Thursday afternoon....though he wanted to stay forever!  He rattled off everything that he had done in 3.5 days.....snake killing, 4-wheeler driving, rode a horse BY HIMSELF while gathering the cattle for the branding, wrestled the calves during the branding, learned to drive the riding lawn mower, caught turtles, fed the calf, fireworks, camp fires, water fight, yard work and I am sure more.  Mitch and Elaine didn't want to let him come home and they are already planning when he can come back again.  Elaine was sweet and gave him a new buckaroo hat.  She told him that a real cowboy can't have a hat that flies off his head while he rides!  It fits perfect and he is in heaven.  She also spoiled him and paid him for some of the extra work he did.  He is one happy cowboy!  I know Mitch and Elaine loved having their little buddy with them for a few days but I think Brayden liked it even more!!!

Ella and I just had a great time hanging out.  She is very patient while I sew, sew, sew.  I am trying to get all of my orders completed before we head to Idaho as well as the other responsibilities around here.  I made Ella a new dress that she LOVES!  I think I may just have to make a skirt with the same fabric too, it is so rich and colorful!  Hopefully she will be able to wear it along time.  She loves listening to music on my little iPod lately.  Today I caught her singing out loud while making a beaded necklace.  I melted.  Matt left tonight with Brayden to pick up the boys from scout camp.  He will tent it tonight with them and make the trek home tomorrow.  Erica will also be here tonight so we can run the COLOR DASH race together tomorrow in Scottsbluff.  It is going to be so fun......

Sunsets are gorgeous around here.  Sometimes it is beautiful to have no mountains and very few trees.  Tomorrow night....we will all be together again.  I can't wait!!!!