Braden and his cousin Liam decided they wanted to go to “The Berry Ranch” and pick out some Pumpkins last Sunday (or their parents decided, but that is neither here nor there). They had a great time going on a hay ride, playing with Pumpkins that are as big as they are and just being together!
Photos follow (for more you can view the photos link above):
This month is full of birthdays for our family and friends. So Happy Birthday to you all! We love you for everything you have brought into our lives and for everything that makes each of you special and unique to us.
Dad
Happy Birthday Dad! Sorry we couldn’t be there to spend it with you, but hope you had fun celebrating it in So. Cal! 
Can’t wait to see you in October!
Mom
Happy Birthday Mom! I know that it’s not till the 25th, but I thought I’d include you in this too. I’m really looking forward to this weekend at the Large Ladies Walk (err… Largest Ladies Walk, err… The Women’s Fitness Celebration) with your sisters. It’s always such a fun time! We’ll have to share a cake for your Birthday.
Sarah
Happy birthday! I haven’t talked to you in too long! But I love that no matter how long it has been I know that you are praying for me and thinking of me. I know this because I’m doing the same for you! The Lord has blessed me with your friendship all these years. I love you girl!
Stephanie
Happy Birthday dear friend! I hope you had a wonderful day, work wasn’t too busy, you didn’t have to walk too far ;-), and had a margarita for all of us up here in Boise. Friends like you are once in a lifetime! I look forward to seeing you in October.
Grandma
And last but certainly not least is Kevin’s Grandma Turner. Happy 90th Birthday Grandma! This woman is in inspiration to me and I’m sure many more. She is 90 years old and still goes into work almost everyday. Grandpa ran Turner Sportsfair for so many years and when he wasn’t able to anymore, she took over. She raised 4 wonderful children and has helped raise and enjoyed 5 grand children (not including spouses) and now 4 great grandsons. And while we were there this last weekend she proved again to me how incredibly resilient she is: when she had painters come in to estimate the cost of repainting the cabinets in her bathroom, she decided that they were probably going to charge too much and that she could do it herself. Her daughter Jan said Grandma called her and mentioned something about painting the bathroom and when Jan said she’d come over and do it, Grandma simply replied “Don’t worry, I already did it!” What a woman! I can only hope that at 90 I have a fraction of the grace, humility and a can-do attitude that she has. Thanks for creating a legacy Grandpa and Gradndma! We love you and here’s to 90 more!
Also to be mentioned: Happy 30th Anniversary Mom and Dad! In a culture that has a divorce rate of over 50%, 30 years is very rare and very exceptional! Way to stick with it and thanks for creating a beautiful example of what marriage should be for your family to follow. Hope you had fun in Vegas! Love you!
Camping in Ponderosa over Labor day weekend has become a family tradition, so who are we to break that tradition?! We left on Thursday evening set up camp with Dick and Joyce and settled in for the night. Brian and Eryn joined us the next day which we spent boating, water-skiing (way to go girls!) and wakeboarding. So fun!
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After a dinner of roasted hot dogs we had SMORES! And for those of you who didn’t know, s’mores are one of my favorite desserts, and I have so much fun getting my marshmallows to the perfect tan before squishing it onto chocolate and graham crackers! I’m getting hungry just thinking of it!
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The next day was spent on the lake again and ended with the Boise State vs. Idaho State football game, which we won by the way.
Saturday night was a long night for most of us at the camp site. When the thunder and rain storm moved through, Brian and Eryn were woken up and stayed awake concerned that it would wake Liam. Kevin on the other hand loved it and slept through almost the whole thing. Braden and I were in Dick and Joyce’s trailer because the night before we’d had a rough night in the tent (crying every 20 minutes or so). So in the interest of the rest of the campground Braden and I opted for sleeping in the quieter trailer. This didn’t seem to help much and he still woke up crying about every 20 –30 minutes. At 4 he woke up screaming and nothing I did could help. So there we were 4:15am and both of us sobbing in the trailer. Needless to say after breakfast at The Pancake House we packed up and went home. It was a good decision because it rained all day up there. The weekend brought long nights with fun days. Hopefully next year we will have more fun with more sleep!
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| Neither boy liked the trailer. (Can you see the straps going right over Braden’s face?!) We did one loop and came back to camp. We’ll try again next year… | This was the first idea for night sleeping in the tent. What you might not see is that it didn’t quite fit… his legs are curled up and completely cramped into the bottom of the sack. I decided to go with the brown sleeper instead. I called him my little toasted marshmallow. Here he looks like my un-toasted marshmallow! |
I know this is really late, but we just are downloading pictures from our thumb drive onto our laptop. So here they are!
While in California we got the chance to spend the day with my cousin Lisa in Santa Monica, and her husband, Kevin, joined us for dinner later that day. We had a wonderful time catching up with them and shopping in the great stores on the promenade. Thanks Lisa for showing us around! We can’t wait to see you again soon! P.S. You made the cut! 
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The ocean won. On the 4th of July we went to Santa Barbara to visit the beach and watch the fireworks. It was Braden’s first time at the beach and since he loves to be in the water, we figured he would love the ocean. We were wrong, it guess when you are a little over 2 feet tall, the waves are slightly intimidating, loud, cold and rushing towards you. If you look closely, he wouldn’t put his feet down, it was so funny. But he was a real trooper all day long. He even slept through the entire fireworks show!
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Ok, I know it was last week, but here it is.
On Fathers Day Kevin got breakfast (fresh blueberry pancakes, bacon, hashbrowns, strawberries, oj and milk) in bed with the Sunday paper. The day before we decided that we were going to go on a picnic with the other Turners, Dick and Joyce and Brian, Eryn and Liam. So after breakfast, we packed up the car, stopped for some fried chicken and potato wedges, and headed for Veterans Park. It was a beautiful day and it was fun watching the boys enjoy themselves. It was so nice we went from there to the community pool in Tuscany near Dick and Joyce’s house. It was so fun taking the little boys into the water! We have little inflatable chairs that will also keep them shaded, so they are completely pampered! What a life! All in all I think a good day was had by all and many fun memories were made and traditions started!
Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers in my life! (and Happy Birthday Joyce!) We love you all.
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Kevin and Braden took me to Ann Morrison for a picnic of fried chicken and Grandma’s cookies. It was a beautiful day and I could not have asked for more for my first official Mothers Day! (I think I was technically pregnant last year but didn’t know it yet.)
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| Braden, my mom and I flew to Portland to visit her sisters and take part in our traditional MS walk. He was a great flyer! Slept the whole way there! |
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| Braden with the girls on the walk. I think he got the best seat in the house! |
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| Once again, he’s got the best seat in the house! Thanks Great Aunt Wendy and Diane! We love you and hope to see you again soon! |
Saturday April 12th, Kevin’s Grandma Longenecker passed away. She had Alzheimer’s and on the Sunday before her death, she suffered a stroke. It limited her to her bed and also her eating and drinking abilities. We believe that due to her faith in Jesus, her personal Lord and Savior, she is now dancing on the streets of Heaven with her husband and praising God! We miss you Grandma and will see you and Grandpa soon!
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| The Longenecker headstone |
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| Red was Grandmas favorite color. Check out Braden’s tie. He matches his daddy! |
