HOWDY STRANGERS!!! Okay, so my last post was in April and I was still attempting to catch up with 2011! Life is so busy and it's flying by way too fast, but I really need to make this more of a priority, because it's such a great way to journal. I want to make a blog book of 2011, so here is the plan:
I'm going to try to do at least two posts a month, covering the most recent month with that same month last year. It may actually turn out to be kind of fun to see where we are in comparison to last year, especially with pictures of the kids. We all know how my blogging ambitions tend to fizzle rather quickly, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? We'll see what happens!
I've already written about last July, so here's a summary of July this year..
We started the month with our annual trip to Red-fish Lake near Stanly Idaho and the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains. This year was even more fun than last year, because we not only had the Hornes and the Starkeys with us, but also the Madisons, Harrisons, Christiansons, and Ereksons. (That's a lot of "sons", isn't it?) Talk about a fun group of friends! We are so blessed to know these people. They feel like family to us, since we are far away from ours.
Kellen and Jane had such a great time playing with all the kids, and I just love to see my kids out in nature. I think it does them good to be away from worldly distractions and just making their own fun the way kids are supposed to. Plus a kid just needs to get good and dirty once in a while, and boy did they!
On the fourth we all took our camp chairs and drove for a few minutes to the tiny town of Stanley, population
sixty-three, to get ready for a firework show. While waiting we played missionary tag in a giant circle, which turned out to be so much fun. Jane even played and everyone was so cute to her, always letting her win. She was probably the most tagged person. :)
The firework show was surprisingly impressive. It was no USU stadium, but better than anything I've ever seen in Hyrum. Tay and I did our usual cheesy thing, naming each firework, making the kids laugh hysterically. At least
they think we're funny!
The next day was spent entirely at the lake. The Starkeys pitched a giant shade canopy that served as our kitchen. We also set up a volleyball net and played several games throughout the day. Best of all, each of us put in a little money to rent a huge pontoon boat. It was money well spent. We were able to get an even more amazing view out on the lake, and on the other side there was an awesome spot for cliff-jumping.
I think the cliffs were only about 15-20 feet high, but it's amazing how much more intimidating that looks when your on top looking down. I used to be so darn gutsy, but being a mom has made me a softy I guess, and I now start thinking of all that could possibly go wrong. It's not like I start sweating bullets or anything, but I really think hard and make sure it's totally safe before I decide to pull any kind of stunt, where as before I wouldn't have hesitated. (Come to think of it, braking my face on that snowmobile in 05, kind of brought me crashing to reality as well. Nothing like some good old stitches and a wired jaw to make one realize, she is breakable!) After the first jump, the nerves dispersed almost completely, and Tay and I both had a great time jumping several times. Some of our comrades got really fancy/
insane doing back flips, professional looking dives, and even handstands on the ledge. My specialty was the classic jump, knees spread, bum out, arms flailing in the air routine. Very graceful.
Some of the fun things back at camp were mountain biking, music making (Jay on guitar, Joyce on ukulele, and me on the fiddle), story telling (everyone really liked hearing the story of how Taylor lost his wallet in Vegas and found it three days later through a total miracle), s'more and cobbler making, swimming in the nearby river, and just enjoying the good company.
Not as many pictures this year. I was too busy having fun. :)
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| Jane and Brenton playing in the rocks and dirt at camp. |
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| Krista, Kellen, and Caleb on the big boat. |
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| Katie, Jane, and Jaylin. She felt safe as long as the big girls held her hands. She is so doted on by all the young women in our ward. It's like she has tons of big sisters. |
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| The beautiful scenery from on the boat. |
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| Kellen is such a sweetie to me. He gives me this sign all of the time. Love him!!! |
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| Captain Taylor and Co-Captain, Willie. |
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| Kellen loves being on the raft and hanging out with all the kids. These guys all stayed together, younger and older, the whole trip. It really feels like family. |
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| Trevor, Sam, Becca, Alana, Savannah, Brina, Caleb, and Kellen |
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| Other than one boat ride, Jane spent the entire day contentedly playing in the sand, hardly making a sound. |
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As for the rest of the month, it was spent mostly in blissful leisure, with daily trips to swimming lessons, often followed with lunch in the park, and a trip to the library, grocery store, or anywhere else!
It was a record hot month, so I indulged the kids with regular trips to our local Sno Shack for mini snow cones. Our routine was to try something new every time and share with each other. The kids were adventurous so we got to try flavors like root-beer float, cotton candy, birthday cake, chocolate, and vanilla. I still prefer the fruity ones mixed with daiquiri or coconut, but it was fun to experiment. I love how the kids make a simple thing like snow cones feel like a special occasion. They just make everything fun.
At home we've been keeping our little swimming pool out most days and the kids love to jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath. Jane especially loves the backyard, and stays out there for most of the day, popping in here and there for a toy or a snack. She also snacks from our garden, and has especially enjoyed our blackberry bush and snap peas. It's like her own little candy store out back!
Nights, we go for family walks or bike rides, and just get as much Daddy time as we can. It's never enough!
Just a block down the street there is a little rock drainage system that fills with rain water when it rains and then slowly drains, leaving behind little puddles and... TOADS! Luckily I love amphibians and reptiles, thanks to my big brother Dave, who always had creatures in the house. Last week I stepped out to cut some flowers and felt something slimy brisk my bare foot. To my delight it was an escapee toad from the rocks. I picked him up and carried him to Tay and the kids who were reading books before going to sleep for the night. He was quickly named "Toady Boy" and we let the kids walk down to the rocks with their jammies and bare feet to send Toady Boy back to his home, safe and sound. Some gentle tears were shed, and they both lamented over how they had loved their pet of twenty minutes, and would miss him so. :)
It's really been a wonderful summer, and I'm sad it is coming to a close.
Having Kellen home every day has been a joy. He is starting full-time school this year, and I don't know how I'm going to cope. He makes everything better, and is such a caring and kind big brother. Jane and I are really going to miss him during the day. What are we going to do?!
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| On this particular evening Jane didn't want to eat her lasagna, so Kellen patiently offered to spoon feed it to her. He's so cute playing the part of big brother. Here he is saying, "Here comes the train! Choo-choo!" |
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| Works like a charm. This big brother knows how to work it! He can always find a way to get her to cooperate | . |
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| Jane wanted her picture taken because she was so proud to be big enough to fit into one of Kellen's old shirts. She loves to wear his clothes, and she pulls it off, don't ya think? |
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| This is Kellen's favorite toy right now. A green build-a-bear affectionately called Leprechaun. They love to wear their matching Spidey suites. Also notice Kellen's missing tooth. |
On the Saturday before Pioneer Day, our Primary put together a huge carnival for the ward. The primary kids marched down the street in a parade. Taylor has visited our primary as Captain CTR many times and the kids just love him, so we had to have him in the parade. Kellen was thrilled to be the CTR sidekick with his matching mask and cape.
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| Janers with the other sunbeams. She was supposed to be a little clown but utterly REFUSED to be seen in public with a clown nose. She wanted to be a pioneer like some of the older kids. She cried bitterly the whole way to the church, and wouldn't come out of the car until I rubbed the red nose off. Vain!? What's the deal? Oh well! She was cute anyway! |
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| Captian CTR! "And REMEMBER! Always CHOOSE THE RIGHT!" |
Like I said, time is going by way too fast, and I am realizing how very blessed we are. I wish I could just push pause for a little while, because I know these years with my little ones are so precious, and I have never been happier. Life is so sweet.
