Cub scouts tour of the Idaho Press Tribune

On Thursday evening Mike gave Owen's cub scout pack a tour of the Idaho Press Tribune. The cub scouts got the full tour from the front of the building; classifieds, sales, advertising, editorial and sports departments through to pagination where the plates are made and ended in the press room. The boys learned a lot and asked good questions. Mike gave them a great tour.

Mike meeting the cub scouts in the lobby

Mike showing the boys images burned onto a aluminum plate

Mike explaining that each color is printed separately one on top of the next; yellow then red then blue and finally black. 

Mike showing them an example of the red ink printed on top of the yellow.

The boys watching a plate being processed

Mike showing the boys all the rolls of paper. They use about 600 rolls a month.

Showing the boys the ink tanks.

Explaining how each 1 ton roll of paper is loaded onto the press.

The boys watching with the pressmen start running the press.

Mike showing the boys how the registration is not quite lined up yet.

Mike explaining how the paper is folded and cut as it comes off the press.

Mike talking about the inserters, where the ads and other sections are put inside each paper

Answering last minute questions

Mike and the boys.

Owen and Mike by the press.

January Birthdays

Last Monday we got together at grandma Reva's house to celebrate all the January birthday. We were missing Alaina who turned 9 and Mariah who was having a great time in New York. We did have Amanda who turned 17 and Ashley who turned 12. We picked up a pile of Little Caesar's pizzas for dinner, had cake and ice cream and opened a few presents. It was a nice evening.

Grandma Reva showing Ashley how to make a scarf.

Ashley with her pool party cake she decorated.

Amanda with her birthday cake she decorated

Ashley's 12th birthday

For Ashley's birthday she invited two friends from school to go swimming and stay the night at a local hotel. The girls rode the bus home with Ashley after school. Then they had fun playing monster high dolls while I finished making lasagna and homemade bread for dinner. After dinner we all headed to the La Quinta here in Caldwell for her pool party. The kids all went swimming then we headed back to the room for cupcakes and presents. Then we all headed back down to the pool for a few more hours. Mike and Owen headed home around 9:30pm then we finished the night with a girls' only slumber party. We watched a movie and had snacks in the room. The next morning we all went to the free breakfast in the hotel then packed up and headed home. It was a fun birthday party.

Ashley, Lexi and Elisabeth

Elisabeth, Lexi and Ashley

Alysha and cousin Amanda

2015

We started the new year by staying home and playing family board games. We all had a great time playing "Ticket to Ride" and "Settlers of Catan".  Yes, I am sure you are thinking.... "Stacy hates games..." I'm not the biggest fan of games but I did enjoy these two games. They are not word games and are not highly competitive ones either. Plus they helped us mark off one more of Owen's achievements for cub scouts, family game night.

Every January, we head out to Lake Lowell to see if it is frozen. It was in most places but we still played close to the shore. It had been lightly snowing all morning, which made the ice very slippery. Ashley used her ice skates but we quickly learned that snow boots worked just as good. Mike and Owen made a few holes in the ice to see how thick it was. Ashley and Owen drew pictures in the snow and took turns pulling each other on the sheds. Then it was time to head home for hot chocolate.

It took us a while to get Owen into cub scouts but he is loving it. We have been working on his achievements so that he will be ready to move from the bear den to the webelos den in February when he turns ten. At this month's pack meeting he received his Bobcat badge. Now we are very close to finishing his Bear badge.

Ashley, Bella, Owen and Zak at Lake Lowell

Stacy and Mike at Lake Lowell

Owen's ice fish

Ashley on the ice at Lake Lowell

Bella trying to stay warm

Zak and Mike at Lake Lowell

Owen receiving his Bobcat badge at the cub scout pack meeting

Owen building and painting a model for cub scouts

Mike adding extra details to Owen's model

New trampoline for the new year

It isn't Christmas without having to put something together. This year there was only one thing the trampoline. We split it up into two days of construction which the kids were not super happy about. By the time we where almost done we had a line of kids waiting to try it out. The next day it snowed but the snow has not slowed down the jumping. Ashley has been going out every morning to sweep it off and they have been having a blast with it.