One last Hurrah before school starts

There were a few things on my to do list for this summer, and for the most part, most of those things we were able to do.   What a busy summer it has been!    In the past 8 weeks we have:

* Participated in Moroni's Quest

* Had a surgery 

* Spent a week in Coeur D'Alene

* Had family up here for a week

* Survived one doozie of a hailstorm

* Built a few fences

* Did some minor excavation in our backyard

* Spent four days at a resort in Montana (and subsequently fell in absolute LOVE with Montana)

* Went to Big Sky with my family

* ate wraps and fries at Dave's about 142 times

* Hiked Bears Hump

* Hiked to Bertha Falls

* Took Swim lessons for two weeks (all kids passed!!!)

* Stayed in Waterton for two nights

* and watched a LOT of movies until way WAY too late at night;)

I'm a little bit tired, and definitely ready for routine, yet somehow still kinda sad that it is all coming to an end.    The past few days have been anxious ones as I prepare for the fall.    The kids are ready to go back to school, there is no question about that, and sometimes I would even say that I am ready for them TO GO back;)    In truth though, I'll miss having them all around, and I'll definitely miss having John around.     

  I finding myself wanting to drag my feet a little more and beg for it all to slow down.    Can't we just have a couple of more weeks of summer before it all begins?

To say good bye to our lazy summer days, we spent Monday out at Walley's Beach.    It was the last place on our "Summer To Do" list to get to, so at least we can say now that we did it all!

It was a gorgeous afternoon!   The kids spent a good hour just swimming in the lake catching weird bugs and minnows.   

And who needs a motorboat when you can just tie a tube to Daddy and make him run fast!  It doesn't take much to make my kiddos happy- that's for sure!

After they grew tired of the water, they moved on to the sand and they each began building a sand castle of their very own!   John takes is sand play very VERY seriously;)    Oh and as always, when I said "Everybody look at me" so I could take a picture...

John and Nate looked (see above photo) and Sam gave his token response:

Here is Abby's creation:   (It's a German Shepard)

Jessica's Creation:   Mystical Mountain

And Sam's work of art:   Bowser!

As we packed up our toys and chairs and headed home, I took a sentimental glance back and couldn't help but wish we could stay right here and pretend that school wasn't about to begin at all.    

Here's to an amazing couple of months!

Moroni's Quest (part II) - Me and a bunch of modern day Abinadi's

Moroni's Quest was almost two months ago!!!  I can hardly believe it.    It seems crazy to me to think that this event took a year of preparation, and then ....it was done.     I have kinda felt lost without it, and I miss having the motivation that this event gave me to study the Book of Mormon.    I also miss getting to focus on these awesome youth that we got to share this experience with.    

Luckily, I was able to get my hands on a few pictures (taken by one of the official photographers) to remind me of some of the awesome moments!  

This was a picture of most of our tribe as we were assembling our travois.   We had known these kids for about an hour by this point, and I was still hoping and praying that they'd like me!  haha

I LOVE this shot!   We spent a lot of time walking that first day, and it provided a lot of opportunity for us to get to know our tribe a bit better.

   I can honestly say that visiting with nine teenagers while walking towards old chief is very VERY different then taking my four kids under the age of 9 hiking in Waterton.     I mean, not a single one of them uttered the words, "Are we there yet?"   ;)

This picture makes me smile, because the photograph captured John's and my tribe, but then behind us you can see my sister Jewel and her husbands tribe.   Cool!

I'm not too sure what it is we are analyzing here, but this young man was one of our tribe members, and I just loved him.  

  One minute he'd have me (and the entire tribe) laughing hysterically, and the next he'd do or say something that had us all feeling the spirit!  When it was time for the reenactment of the Savior's visit, and as we all waited and observed this amazing moment, I kept looking at him and he was absolutely overcome with emotion!  You could just tell that the spirit was touching him and it was like that for all of our tribe.    I'll never forget that.

Oh and this picture belongs here in my online journal, just because of it's sheer hideousness.  

  Yup, I must be crazy to post such an unflattering photo of myself, yet there is something that I kinda like about it.    I must have been telling a really really funny story at the time.    

Wish I could remember it?

Here is a shot that shows the aftermath of one of the many battles we were a part of.    Usually, after one of these battles I would sit in the tall grass, and look around to observe the youth.    It always amazed me every time to see such a large group of youth in such a beautiful setting as this.    I felt so lucky just to get to be a small part of it. 

It was so neat to get to interact with these people (that I normally would never have any reason to ever even speak to really) and to see how strong they all really are.   I remember on the last night together, each ward gathered together for a testimony meeting, and as I sat and listened to the youth in our ward bear their testimonies, I was just so thankful that I got to be there to hear it.    It was absolutely inspiring, and I literally felt as though I was sitting among a bunch of modern day ABINADI'S,  the way they were all testifying of what they knew.   

Such a cool thing, and definitely an experience I'll never forget!

Because I know how much John likes to play in the dirt

We once had this shed.    

It sat in the far corner of our back yard and provided the perfect place for us to store all of our junk. 

(Extra kiddie pools we never used, half a dozen kites...again...that we never used, that sort of stuff.)

One day, I got it into my head that I wanted to get rid of this shed, and I wasn't about to rest until it was gone!

At first we tried to sell it, then we tried to give it away, and finally...I came pretty darn close to trying to PAY someone to come and get it!  

Luckily, someone did eventually want it, and they took it away one evening in June.    

It made us de junk and get rid of all that "stuff" we'd been storing, and it gave John the chance to do a little bit of this:

I'd asked John if he could build a patio where we could have picnics, and marshmallow roasts.

He said- "He'd love to, but shucks, we just didn't have any paving stone."  

So...I got online and found us some paving stone, and told him he could begin whenever he wanted, just so long as it was done in time for the weekend.  (I'm flexible like that;) 

By the end of the week - this is what he'd built!

I think John really likes these projects that I give him to do.  

 Without these little requests, he'd feel all empty and unfulfilled.   

And I like having a spot where we can have our picnics and marshmallow roasts.   

See?   Win- Win!

Garden In August

At the end of July, a massive hailstorm blew through town wrecking our roofs, and vehicles, and sadly...our gardens.    I actually think it was the garden and flower beds that I was most sad about at the time.    My tiger lilies had just started blooming!!!

However, despite how beat up things looked for the following few weeks after, most of the things that were once growing have started to come back and things are looking green again.  

One thing that didn't make it - was this babies breath.    My Dad once told me that it was my Mom's favorite flower, and that's perhaps the reason why this giant bush in our front yard has become a favorite of mine too.     I look forward to those tiny white blossoms every year!

In the back yard our corn, carrots, tomatoes, beats and chard have all perked up and I think we'll get a harvest out of them after all.   

What I most love about our garden in August though, are the sunflowers.   We planted them along our back fence (technically in the alley.  tsk tsk;) back in May and we weren't sure if they would grow well at all.    We came back from our family trip last week though, to find this:

I LOVE them and think next year I will plant three times as many.   Such a cheery flower, that literally turns to look at the sun.   So COOL!

I've decided that I want to be just like the cheery sunflower too;)  
(It's gonna take some practice;)

My hardworking husband

So much of our Summer has been spent playing.

For John though, a portion of the summer was also, so kindly, spent working!

For three weeks, John worked to build a few fences.   He did one chain link fence and then had a couple of jobs building the type of wooden fence that he builds so well! 

I love watching him build these fences, and am so thankful for the skills he learned while in Edmonton. 

Mostly though, I thankful that John is willing to work a bit during his hard earned summer break, while we go off and PLAY!

He's such a champ, that guy!

A Prize Winning few days

Last year, I had entered a photo of mine into a contest and as a result I won a two night stay in Waterton.    We waited until this summer to redeem it, as I knew that it would be the perfect family getaway before school starts up again.  

Some things I want to remember about the trip:

1) 

 I probably won't ever forget what an absolute dive the room was, and the lesson I learned about myself as we dealt with it.   Seriously, I was so surprised when we first arrived, because we'd stayed in other suites this particular hotel offers that have always been really quite nice.   This time though- our three bedroom suite was pretty much the grossest place ever, and I think what happened is that they honestly just forgot to clean it.   If it weren't for the fact we got it for free I would have probably really complained.  Instead though- John and I set to work cleaning it up ourselves.    We washed walls, mopped the floors, changed the bedsheets, picked up the old cobs of corn off the balcony and John found access to a custodial closet and stole the vacuum a bit so we could clean the carpet.   Ew Ew EW!    Looking back I really should have said something, but I'm such a nice person such a wimp who is afraid of being confrontational.   ;)    It's kinda funny how fuming mad I was initially - yet I was still more happy to clean it myself then to ever have to say anything to anyone.

 Which brings me to the lesson I learned about myself while on this trip:

  When I grow up - I want to be a more assertive person.    

2)   

Once we got the suite all ship shape we set out to experience a bit of Waterton in ways we perhaps normally wouldn't have.    Waterton is so fun when you get to spend more then just a few hours there.    

For starters- Sam FINALLY got to ride one of these bikes.   (He's only been asking for the past decade!)   We rented two of them and drove around town stopping every now and then to enjoy the scenery.    

Oh yeah, and I do want to take this opportunity to remember the time that I let Abby drive the bike and she almost killed us!   The combination of controlling the wheel AND the brake at the same time got her so flustered and confused that she steered us frantically right into the way of an oncoming car!!!     

Perhaps she's a little to young to be given control of a vehicle?

I think so.  In fact, we're going to wait until she's 17 before letting her get her learners;)

3)  

 One morning we took the kids up to Bertha Falls.    It's a fairly easy hike, though it seemed a lot longer then I remember it being.  Perhaps, that is just because the kids kept asking (every 3.5 seconds) "why we had to do this?" and "When is it going to be over?"

It was enough to make any hike seem long, no matter how small it really is!!! :)   

Abby snapped this photo during a "rest" and then she said, "There mom.  Now you can put that on the blog."   (Yup- when your kid starts taking photos for the blog-  you know it's time to put the camera away!)       

Here is Bertha Falls!   One day I want to keep going and get up to Bertha Lake- but there was no way our little group of hikers were going to sign on to that.   Instead, we sat and snacked and played here for a bit before heading back to the hotel.   

4)  

  One evening Grandpa came out and joined us for a wiener roast and some fishing up at Cameron Lake.     We LOVED having him with us again, as our evening meals are never the same without him!

We also loved the s'mores for dessert!   Here's a tip I found on Pinterest:   Take a Rolo (the chocolate covered caramels) and stick it on a skewer with our marshmallows.  That combined with a marshmallow on a graham cracker equals pure chocolate, caramel, marshmallow AWESOMENESS!!!

5)  

Perhaps, most exciting for the kids though was the fishing they got to do at the base of Cameron falls!    Actually, I wouldn't let Nate go down and Jess only got to hop the fence for a second, but Abby and Sam both took a turn fishing with Daddy.  They caught SIX trout in total!    (They actually kept two of them, and cooked them up later for dinner!)   They still talk about how cool it was to catch a fish there of all places!

6)

I loved being able to sneak away occasionally for a little bit of time a lone in this beautiful place!  In the evenings, I would walk up and down the streets and pop into each little shop to explore.   One evening I sat outside the theatre.  The doors had been opened to let the cool breeze blow through, and I could hear the sound of the live band as they performed their version of  "Hallelujah."  Love that song, and liked it even better that night.  

In the mornings, I would hop out of bed and walk around the lake, taking pictures as the sun rose.    Everything is so calm and still at that time of the day, and that's usually something I don't get to see and enjoy when we come to Waterton.    

I'm glad we got to spend those few days together, in one of my favorite places!  

Two Amazingly fun Days with my Favorite People ever!

This past Thursday, we checked out of the Meadow Lake Resort, and drove the few minutes to BIG SKY where we would be meeting up with ALL of my siblings!   

John and I had been planning to take the kids to the water slides all summer long, and somehow we managed to get the rest of my family to agree to come too:)  

For most of the day- the kids formed their own little groups and went wherever they wanted, stopping in often to touch base with the parents, or have a quick snack before setting out again.   I personally LOVED just floating around on a tube!  Geronimo was a bit too crazy for me - which makes me think that I must be getting old or something, but at least I can say I did it;)   Sam, Abby and Jess were MIA most of the day, and it was all I could do to keep tabs on where they were.   And Nate?  Well- he was content to just dig in the sand beneath the Volleyball Nets.   I'm not sure if that boy got fully wet once!

Still though- he continually asks to go back to Big Sky - so he must have still had fun?

 I'm so glad that my family all came, even though some of them had already done the whole water slide thing this summer,  but John and I both agreed afterwards that our kids would not have had near has much fun without all of their cousins.    It was a fun day, with lots of visiting.    

Lucky for us though- after Big Sky- things just kept getting better.    Chad and Crystal and their families came back home with all of us and stayed at Jewel's house for two more nights!

On Friday we loaded up the kids and drove out to Waterton to hike Bears Hump.  I'll admit, I wasn't quite feeling the love as we tried to make that climb.   If I thought going down Geronimo was tough, it was nothing compared to going UP Bears Hump!  I wouldn't say I'm out of shape or anything, but I do think I might be getting old;)  

Despite how tired the kids (ahem...and I) all seemed, we all felt energized as we reached the top.  The kids instantly set out to play with the chipmunks, and I hunkered down on a rock to catch my breath and keep from passing out.   (kidding;)    Despite Sam's earlier insistence that he was just.too.tired. to do anything - he seemed to muster up enough strength to try and catch one of the giant over fed chipmunks that live up there.    Before heading back down, we made sure to take lots of pictures because John and Kendall both really love it when we take lots of pictures:)   

Despite my initial hesitancy at the thought of dragging our little kids up that mountain, Jewel assured us all  that we would all be so glad once we all got to the top, and she was right.   

I'll never get tired of seeing that amazing view, and I loved having the whole family together!!

As soon as we'd gotten back down to the town site and had lunch, it was time to make good on the promise we'd made to the kids.    What better reward for a good hike then a stop at the Splash Park to cool down.  

Apparently it wasn't just the kids who needed to cool down, because we hadn't even been there for 10 minutes before Jewel and Chad started the biggest water fight ever!  I'm not sure if anybody made it out of that without getting soaking wet - but it sure was fun! ;)

Uncle Chad treated the cousins to ice cream at Big Scoop, which was an extra special treat for my kiddos, as we don't stop here near as often as they all would like!

We came home from Waterton and had a quick BBQ before making plans for our evening out door Movie Theatre!    Jewel and Kendall really pulled out all the stops to make this a fun thing for everyone!

While the Moms all worked to make yummy movie munchies like licorice, chocolate bars, caramel popcorn, butter popcorn and lemonade - the Dad's set to work outside setting up the theatre!  They moved out couches, set up beds for the little kids to lay on, and hung a giant white sheet for a screen.

As soon as it was dark enough to begin, the kids were able to file through and order the treats of their choice!

And then the movie began!   Kendall and Jewel purchased the Lorax and my family was so excited because that's one we had seen yet.    It was awesome!   

Several times during the movie, Nate who was all bundled up in blankets and a hoody, would look up at the sky and notice ALL the stars!  He was so excited to be able to see them!  

 It was such a fun evening and a perfect way to end a fun day together.   I couldn't help but wish that my parents could have been with us, because this is exactly the kind of thing I know my Dad would have enjoyed!

It can sometimes be a challenge for us to coordinate our schedules and get together, but every time we do, it ends up being the BEST TIME EVER!    

Honestly though, that's probably because these happen to be some of the very BEST PEOPLE I KNOW!!!