Fire!

I feel like it's been awhile since we've had some exciting drama in the Ball family so we made up for it in a BIG way on July 5th.  We decided to take the boat to Lake WA for a dinner cruise with the Johnson's which should have been no big deal.  The truck that we share with our boating families had been acting weird so I took it to the mechanic earlier that week.  They changed the spark plugs, did an oil change, and still needed to fix some sort of steering problem that was causing the check engine light to go on.  The mechanic was taking forever on the repairs (no boating when the truck is in the shop), so I picked up the truck so we would have it while the Johnson's were here and paid the mechanic for all the repairs, even though it wasn't completely done.  He told me we could totally drive it and to bring it back after the holiday.  

Imagine our surprise when we were driving it on the freeway and the engine was starting to roar like we needed to shift gears.  It's an automatic so we couldn't shift gears.  We kept driving even after I suggested we turn around.  The truck kept getting slower and slower as we made our way onto I-405 South and it finally rolled to a stop, not far from the exit we needed to take.  We couldn't put it in park and nothing was working.  I hopped out of the truck to make sure our hazards on the trailer were working because there was no shoulder to park on.  We were literally stopped on the freeway.  When I turned around to go back to the truck I saw flames coming out from around the front tire.  All seven of us quickly got out of the truck and jumped over the cement barrier as we all had visions of our truck exploding into flames.  

Randy got the fire extinguisher out of the boat and tried to spray the flames but it was like putting out a fire with squirt gun :)

The Johnson's took great pictures and videos while Randy called 911, and then I called 911 because I thought Randy didn't call 911 and in about five minutes there were three firetrucks at the scene.  By this point the flames were shooting high and the smoke was billowing into the sky.  When the firemen arrived, I think they were surprised by the flames because they hadn't put on their coats or helmets yet and had to quickly finish dressing before fighting the fire.  They asked us if anyone was trapped inside and you can imagine the huge sigh of relief when we said no.  They worked quickly to block three lanes of traffic so the fireman could douse the flames, first with some retardant stuff and then with water.  The tires exploded, so that was exciting, and the smell of burnt rubber will be seared into my brain forever.  A tow truck arrived and dragged the truck and boat to the median at the top of the exit ramp and left the boat Parker there, then took the truck away to an impound lot.  The tow truck guy used a snow shovel to scrape up all the melted car parts and rubber and just dumped it all on the other side of the median.  April was smart enough to point out to our boys that if they don't go to college someday they too could be doing that terrible job :) Then we called our friend and fellow boat owner to come get us and take us home so Randy could come back with my Expedition to pull the boat home. 

We successfully caused a major traffic jam in both directions

I was barely functioning at this point and couldn't believe we blew up the truck.  I also couldn't believe that everyone was ok.  It felt like something traumatic enough to involve 911 feels like something bad should've happened.  Long story short, we the insurance took care of everything after lots of phone calls and interviews with everyone to confirm we didn't get hurt or intentionally blow up our truck

We sure got a good laugh when the two truck guy tried to shift the truck into park to try to unlock the back wheels.  There was literally nothing left of the engine :) Silly tow truck man!

Balls Family Reunion

Randy's parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary so we met up with everyone in Ashton, Idaho (twenty minutes from Rexburg) for a quick weekend trip.  This was a long drive for us and one of the rare times when all seven of us were in the car at the same time.  It was twelve hours of torture.  But we made it to the big, beautiful cabin we rented for the weekend and the kids wasted no time exploring and playing.

In the short two days we were there, we took a lot of family pictures, ate good food, floated down a super slow river (without any rapids but we saw three moose), and hung around the house relaxing.  I had vague memories of bridge jumping back in my Ricks College days which was not too far from where we were staying so I asked our raft guides about it.  They said it was still a thing so we grabbed anyone who was up for the adventure and went bridge jumping.  It was my favorite thing we did. Probably because it scared me to death and the college kids cheered me on and said I was a bad a**.  So I felt cool.

So many photo shoots!

Ethan wasted no time climbing all the way up and jumping.  I was so proud!

And this is me jumping to what felt like my death :)

On our last night there, Randy and his siblings put together a little program to honor their parents.  Randy put hours into costume design so they could recreate one of their favorite family photos.  They also sang some awkward songs and laughed at their inside jokes while all the grandkids smiled politely.  Reed and Pam loved it and it was fun for us to all be together.  We left early the next morning so Randy and Ethan could catch their flights from the tiny Idaho Falls airport back to Seattle, while I drove the rest of the boys to Utah where Landon's next lacrosse tournament was.  

Now....

Then...

Then

To say Randy was excited about recreating this was an understatement!  Here he is back at his office before the reunion showing off his costume and backdrop :)

Just Me and the Little Boys

The last few weeks of summer were a little different this year.  Randy was gone for a week at scout camp with Marcus and Ethan, and then they spent an extended Labor Day weekend with Randy's family in Southern Utah.  This meant I lost my babysitters but I got to spend a lot of quality time with my little boys.  It was pretty awesome spending time with boys who think it's a treat to hang out with mom instead of a punishment or obligation.  Plus, they like going on little adventures which is something my older boys have outgrown.  It made me remember why I love parenting younger kids even if it takes a lot more patience.

We took a quick ferry ride over to Whidbey Island, a place I've never been to and a place the big boys never wanted to go.  We drove across the little island to explore Fort Casey, a military fort that was built in the late 1800's to protect the Puget Sound and is now a boy's paradise.  I put Henry in the backpack so I could climb up and down the ladders and steep stairways as I tried not to think about how one wrong step would lead to serious injury or death.  That's why it's a boy's paradise!
There were huge cannon-type guns and tunnels, and dark stairwells that we had to use a flashlight to explore.  We could've stayed all day but I wanted to explore the beach too.  We definitely need to go back again.

Ferry rides are so fun, especially when the sun is out!

Driving onto the ferry is always cool too

Fort Casey and some pretty cool kites flying

These stairs were steep and dark

I told Landon next time we come here we are bringing the Nerf guns!

And I just found out they do a "haunted" Fort Casey in October.  I can't imagine how scary that would be since this place is even scary during the day.

This fort is HUGE and you can't see any of it from the ocean side, making it the perfect defense.  It's incredible!

My boys were in heaven!

Standing next to these huge guns made me realize just how big and terrifying they could be

The Puget Sound

Henry loves throwing rocks (no surprise there) so he could've stayed there all day

On our way home we stopped at a farm known for it's pies.  Naturally we tried some slices which reconfirmed what I already knew:  I like cream pies a whole lot more than fruit pies.  Although the salted caramel apple pie was pretty tasty.

Another adventure took us into Seattle to the Pacific Science Center.  We pretty much had the place to ourselves so we were able to do so much.  I hate museums and even I had fun!

Could there be anything cooler than naked mole rats?

The butterfly room was impressive

snakes and babies do not go together

Hurricane simulator where the wind got up to 80 mph.  I think the whole museum could hear them laughing.

So awkward.  So fun.

Our reflection gave us the giggles

The boys earned free tickets to Wild Waves.  It's a water park with rides and if I never go back again that would be great.  Spending a hot day pushing Henry around in the stroller while my boys swam and went on kiddie rides was definitely an act of love.

I missed my boys coming down but here are our neighbors.  I wanted to jump in so badly!

See that mass of humanity at the kids section?  I couldn't even put Henry down for fear of him being trampled.

Well now I'm a little more caught up on summer stuff.  I still need to share about Marcus's awesome eagle project and my latest skin cancer surgery.  The scar is going to be HUGE!