A great start!

The family has already been back at school for almost a month!  I wish I could say that we have ironed out all of the kinks and got the whole "routine" thing down pat - but that would be a lie.

The truth is, September is flat out kicking my butt!

Twice I've dropped Nate off at school twenty minutes early, smack dab in the middle of his teachers lunch break; more than once I've been a half hour late picking up Abby after volleyball practice, and Sam and Jess are already complaining that their school lunches are boring.   haha. 

  Clearly, I am off to a good start;)

  It's all good.   I'll get everything down pat sooner or later, and I'm starting to realize that this quest for simplicity and balance may be a little bit delusional.   At least for now;)

Two weeks ago, John helped the school host the pre-season tournament.   Nobody could remember the last time it has been held here in town and John was excited at the prospect of hosting future ones.

His team played GREAT!  In fact they took second place after losing to the winning team in the 3rd set.   This is a huge thing for John as his team is usually not super strong starting out, but already these guys are accomplishing lots and winning lots too!   They've beat teams that they never have (or rarely have) in the past, and that alone is exciting for John.     He thinks it's great that already these boys have proven to themselves and others that they can pull off a victory against some of the strongest teams in the league.    

The kids are really enjoying every chance they get to watch John and the team too.    A couple of times this month, I have had to attend a Moroni's Quest fireside or be somewhere else during a home game.  The kids (determined to go) have gotten themselves to the games to cheer Dad on.   Granted, it's just a short walk down the street, but I think it shows great motivation on their part!  (Granted,  there is a well stocked vending machine there that the kids have "cart blanche" access to when I'm not around - but still - they are motivated, Ok!;)

Another highlight for the younger kids each Volleyball season, is of course, the weekends when John has an away tourney.   An "away tourney" means only one thing to these kids - Dad is likely going to be bringing home a bus!

Without fail, when they see this big huge thing pull up, they drop what they are doing and run around the house screaming, "Dads got the bus!!  Dad's got the bus!!!"   They storm out of the house and on to the bus, each assuming a role, whether it be to "drive the bus" or simply be a passenger - the make believe play begins.  Of course they always beg and plead with John to take them joyriding around town.   If they are lucky, he'll take them with him up to the bus barn.   And that is all it takes.  

 Their life is fulfilled.

Nate has been enjoying kindergarten.  I've heard from his teacher that (aside from his lunch break interruptions;) he's been a "joy to have."   A joy to have?  I sometimes wonder if that is just what teachers say.   I mean, he's a joy to me, definitely, but I can actually picture him being quite a little turkey in class.  Jessica once told me that she walked by his class one day while he was having snack and he was hanging upside down on his chair talking to others from under the table.  I guess that could be considered joyful?   She has told me that he is a leader in class (which could be code for "Turkey?") and I'm Ok with just leaving it there.   He is a Joy and a Leader;)

Abby has been enjoying her braces this month (sarcasm intended;) and is constantly reminding us of all the injustices that are now hers to bare as a result.  (ie: others get popcorn during family movie night and she does not.   Others get to chew gum at church still and she does not.)  Sigh...it's hard living such a privileged life and having to deal with 1st world problems such as this.  

She has enjoyed being on the volleyball team and has her first real game this week.  On top of that, she's this close to talking me into let her join girls choir.   She auditioned last week, on the fly, and has been trying to convince me that her schedule will permit this added commitment.   To tell you the truth, it is not her schedule that I'm worried about;)

For a young Women's goal she helped me preserve peaches AND pears this year.   She still has to help me do salsa and relish, but the darn girl keeps running off and doing other things!  It's been fun to visit with her while we work together and I am proud of that fact that she already knows more than I ever did at that age.   And she doesn't hesitate to tell me so, either!;)

I realize that Sam and Jess were barely mentioned in this journal entry, but stay tuned - the next one is all about them!

Adjusting...

Yup, I was right. 

The first day of school played out exactly as I thought it would.   

Called it! 

...or did I create it?  

 (I could spend hours analyzing that question;)

Bottom line - it was crazy.   It was hectic.   It was (in my opinion) a month too early, still.

Despite my resentments - the kids were all so very excited.  John pretended that he was sad summer was over, but he wasn't fooling me - he couldn't wait either.  

 Sigh...  Run along little ones.  I'll be fine.

The rest of the week has been spent adjusting.  (Mostly to a new schedule, but there have been a few extra adjustments for our family that have made this past week extra exciting.)

First, Nate started going to "real" school.  (Not just that silly preschool stuff;)   He has woken up all week long, made his bed (sorta) and spent the morning anxiously watching the clock.  He knows that, for him, kindergarten starts just after noon.   He loves the fact that he now attends every single day and he also thinks it's pretty cool that is older siblings pick him up and bring him home.   When the whether is good, Nate and I ride bikes to school so that he can ride home with the siblings.   The little turkey always insists on riding in front of me and reminds me often that I have to "ride far back."  (As in, far enough behind him that it doesn't look like he's riding to school with his mommy.)

Ouch!

When we get to school, he throws me a coy little wave and tells me not to come in with him.    I watch for as long as I can to make sure he gets in the right door and hopefully down the right hallway, and then he is outta site.   I've been reduced to some sort of "Mommy Paparazzi," it's ridiculous!!    Of course I have to ham it up and act like I'm devastated that my little boy is growing up (because he loves it when I'm devastated) but in reality - it kinda thrills me to!   I LOVE not having to walk him into his classroom as it saves me from having to reveal the bed head that exists under my bike helmet;) Three hours each afternoon I now have to catch up on things (or not) hasn't been too shabby either.    Run along little one.  I'll be fine.

Another excited event this week came when this happened:

Braces!!!!

I can hardly believe how much this girl has changed lately.  She just entered grade 7 and thankfully loves it, so far.   (knock on wood)   I worried that getting braces the first week would embarrass her greatly, but the darling girl has taken it in stride.   She even mustered up the courage to run for Sports Rep during the school election.   She worked hard making posters, gluing notes to Hi-Chews (bribery perhaps?;) and wrote a sweet speech.  She didn't win the election, but John and I both knew that she likely wouldn't (sports rep and other similar positions usually go to kids in the older grade) but I was so.darn.proud of her for trying.

And really she is going to be busy enough playing volleyball, anyways.

(Now this girl growing up on me does make me sad.  She needs to knock it off!)

Other crazy adjustments for us:

*John is in full swing with the volleyball season.  He's expressed more than once that he doesn't feel like an experienced coach yet, but I think he's the bee's knees.   (whatever that means;)

* As of this week - Young Women's, Young Mens, Cubs, Activity Days, choir and piano are all back in full swing.   Time to dust off the ol' Calendar!

*  I received the call this week to serve as 2nd councillor in our Stake Young Women's Presidency.   I have about two months total experience ever serving in young women's.   I've prayed all week that I could learn my role fast.

* I also got hired as a substitute EA (Education Assistant) here in the school division.  During my interview, the super intended I was talking with, encouraged me to instead consider going back to school and getting my teaching certificate.   "Dare to Dream," he said.    

* This beautiful autumn season arrived in a blustery way.   Leaves are beginning to turn yellow, the air is cool, and we've even seen SNOW!    Waterton's Red Rock road closes today for the season and I had so badly wanted to drive it one last time this year.    I'll just have to look forward to spring;)

Tomorrow is Labor Day and we plan on enjoying our first Holiday of the school year in a big way. 

I mean, seriously, I feel like we could all use a break!;)

A long walk to water

John took the kids out to Wally's Beach one.last.time before school officially began.   

I stayed home to get some things done, but I wish I hadn't.   I've never seen Wally's like this before!

Poor Nate seems a little confused as to what he should do.  haha.   

See those trees back there?   There is usually the slightest beach between those trees and the lake.   The kids had to walk for quite a ways before they found a deep enough water hole;)

John's excited to explore this place a little more this fall, in search of fossils and ancient artifacts, of course;)

Smoky Skies and dry dry conditions.

It seems like a good time to welcome a cooler season.  

Random August Highlights (as if there could be more to say)

Tomorrow morning I will get up at 6:30 am.

By 7:00, the house will be filled with little people that I love, all rushing to get ready.

I'll make breakfast AND five bag lunches.  (which I haven't done in awhile)

We'll panic as 8:00 approaches and undoubtedly scramble to brush teeth, find shoes and fill backpacks with all that will be needed.

If I'm lucky, I'll be able to steal a picture of them all.

After that, they'll be gone.  Off to school for a new year.

And then, I may sit down and cry.

SUMMER - WHERE DID YOU GO?

I've often complained commented to others about how busy this summer seemed and how quickly it raced by on me.   It was a summer full of family, and food, and fishing, and exploring new places right her in our neck of the woods,  and lots and lots of fun!   

As I looked back though through some of my photos, I realized that there were still a few summer memories that I had neglected to record.   So, in an effort to always remember what made this summer great, let me add just a few more highlights to the list.   (As if there could be more to share, eh?;)

A Dam fun time:

Is it ok to say that?  Because it is true.   We had a really fun time one summer evening out at 

Beaver Dam Lake!  (What did you think I meant?)

Beaver Dam lake is a charming little lake not too far from the more well known Payne Lake.   It's a bit of a drive + hike in though, that's for sure, so I wouldn't recommend trying to haul a bunch of food and drinks.   A fishing pole and some grubby clothes are pretty much all you'd need.  We visited this spot with my sister Jewel and her family.  The kids LOVED this rope swing, we lugged in way too much food (my warning comes from experience;), we fished, picked Saskatoon berries and just enjoyed the summer evening.   The highlight for me was discovering the patch of lily pads in full bloom.   I haven't seen Lily Pads in a coon's age!  (That's how you have to talk when you are at Beaver Dam lake, just so you know.)

We got into a bit of a pickle:

So once upon a time I placed an order for 50 lbs of baby cucumbers from a nearby hutterite colony.   The next day, worried that I would not receive that order, I put in a different request for 50lbs of cukes from an entirely different company.   I figured I was probably one of a million other local people trying to buy from the hutterites and I'd be wise to cover my bases, yes?

No!

It didn't take long to realize that both orders were going to come through and I was soon to face the arduous task of dealing with 100 pounds of cucumbers!    Now we like our pickles but that is aLOT of pickles!!!   I thought of cancelling an order (duh, of course I'd thought of that) but  I didn't know which order to cancel.  I wanted to take the order that would be ready on the same day I was available to process them.   (That's how it works when you preserve food.  The food tells you when you are ready to do the work, not the other way around;)   I guess I was kinda "playing the field" so to speak.   

As it turns out I got a call on the same day and the pick up times for both orders were much too close for my sanity.  The solution came in the form of my sister Jewel.   She luckily wasn't too busy (which is really not ever the case) on one of the days and so she graciously picked up one of my orders, enabling me to only have to work with the 50lbs of cucumbers that I wanted.   Nothing like pawning a days worth of work off on those you love most, but hey - we both got 45 jars of pickles out of the deal!

You may think that is too many pickles - but you'd be wrong.

You may also have thought that this was a stupid, pointless story, but again - you'd be wrong about that too;)

Lemonade Wars

At one point in early July, I started reading a short novel to the kids at bed time.  It was called
The Lemonade War and it was all about a Brother and Sister who struggle to get along one summer.  Their frustrations and inability to communicate with each other are played out over a week long Lemonade War.  It was a darling story that took about four days to finish with them.   The day after we'd finished it - they wanted to have their own Lemonade War.

So, Team Sam and Jess set up shop around the corner and across the street from us on a good friends front lawn.   They sat out there for a couple of hours together and capitalized on the traffic of the busy road they were on.  Even Auntie Jewel passed by serendipitously and stopped for them!

Team Nathan was a one man operation as per his request.  We set his stand up right outside the house so that I could sit on the lawn and be near him.   He hadn't been set up for two minutes before a kind elderly woman stopped by and bought a cup.  She paid him $2 for it and Nate was so shy he could barely look her way.   She graciously took the time to teach him that when thanking his customers, he should always look them right in the eye as they do so.   It was a sweet exchange.   He didn't have nearly as much traffic go by, but his cause was aided by the fact that I phoned Grandpa and tipped him off as to what Nate was up to.    When Grandpa stopped by to buy a cup, I could tell Nate was trying extra hard to look right at him and say "Thank You" as professionally as possible.
Such valuable social skills these Lemonade stands teach, eh?  haha

After two hours we called the kids back and they tallied up their money.  Sam and Jess had made $15 but had to split that amount between two of them, so they each got $7.50.   Nate, on the other hand earned $13 but had to share that with no one.    The kids instantly declared him the winner.

Unfortunately, word had gotten out that Jewel had stopped at Sam and Jess stand.   

Nate was so devastated by this fact you would have thought he'd lost the war.  With fist full of money, and sticky lemonade and candy all over his face, he sobbed and sobbed at the unfairness of it. I wanted to say "hey, it's economics dude" but I could tell it really had nothing to do with business.  

 Next year we'll have to remember, it's not about who makes the most $, it's about who's stand Aunt Jewel visits!

Beans, Beans and Beans!  ...and corn;)

This year was unlike any other when it comes to harvesting.   

The kids were front and centre, HELPING!    Believe me,  that is pretty rare.  

 (I think the reason being that in the past, neither me or Grandpa Max have wanted to let these four clowns anywhere near our gardens.)  This year though we were either overwhelmed with the work of it or we could sense that they might actually be helpful.  And boy were they ever helpful!  

As soon as John and his Dad had gathered all the bean plants from the garden, the kids descended on them with more energy then I've ever had.  They visited with Grandpa, counted beans as they went, and competed to see who could pick the longest bean.   If we ever suspected to have the longest, we'd challenge the owner of the current longest.  It reminded me of that game "bigger and better" that youth in town sometimes play.  In the end, I think Jessica was the one holding the longest bean.  

Despite her searches for the World's longest green bean, she obviously also found time to skip out of working.   At one point I looked up to find this lazy little lizard chilling up above us all up in the tree.   Harvesting beans + Climbing trees = a perfect summer day at Grandpa's house.

I could hardly blame her;)

The kids had so much fun doing beans that day, we had a repeat party the following week!!!

Hooray!!

Balloon Babies!

I'm not sure who in the world inspires my kids to do some of the ridiculous things they sometimes do (I'm going to take a stab in the dark and suggest it's Jewel's kids?) but boy do they latch on to some weird ideas!   For example, Around the middle of August we were blessed with a couple of down days, where for the first time in over a month, the kids were at a loss of what to do.  It wouldn't be summer without the age old "I'm bored, what do I do?" bit, now would it?    Their boredom didn't last long though thanks to a large bag of balloons they discovered high up in a cupboard.   Of course it wasn't enough to just blow up the balloons and play with them.   No, they had to be filled with water.   FILLED!

Then Jessica decided that she couldn't just have a water balloon.   No....she had to have a Water Balloon Baby!!  So that became the new game.  Every day.  All day.   For a good week.
Who could take the best care of their water balloon baby.   They had ice cream pails for "car seats" thank goodness , but only because I refused to let them walk around the house with bulging water balloons in hand.   Jessica was by far the worst.  She dressed her water balloon, bounced it lovingly in her arms and took it everywhere we went.    You might be thinking I'm exaggerating, but let me refer you to this photo of her at COSTCO as evidence.

The kicker came when we were standing in line at a check out and Jessica got distracted by a toy.  "Here" she said tossing me the balloon.  "Hold my baby!" and off she went.  

I stood there, bouncing her baby in my arms, afraid to put it down anywhere for fear that they'd be calling for a clean up on Isle 2 at any point.  

IS THIS NOT PSYCHOTIC?

I think it is certifiably CRAZY.

That's when we told her "no more making babies and transporting them around."  She seemed to handle it gracefully enough, but the next day I went upstairs to discover that she had ramped up production.   Though she insisted that her babies would never leave the tub - there were definitely more than I ever wanted to see.   And FYI- our tub is still full of them.   Abby does strategically pop a few of them on a daily basis, bless her heart.   (Perhaps if we do it gradually enough, Jess will never notice?)

And perhaps now that school is about to begin we will be able to line up some sort of intervention (or counselling?) for this delusional, albeit funny daughter of ours;)

House Hunting:

As busy as our summer was, we managed to find enough time in early July to completely wig out over our search for a new home.    Our plan had been to stay in this house until the summer, but to purchase one by September for sure.  By mid July we realized that that just might not be the case.
We came close though.

We found a house that was pretty darn decent, had a great yard,  a good location, and a fantastic price.   We talked with the owners often and even had some contractors give us some quotes for some updates/construction that would have been needed.   In the end, we did not put in an official offer.

I don't know if it was the work and money that would be needed to get it to where we'd want it to be, or if it was the feeling that there was still a better possibility down the road - but we just held off.
For now, we are waiting.  Hoping.  And trusting.

We did notice this beauty passed through town the other day though and I was awakened to all the possibilities.   Perhaps this is what we've been waiting for?

Heck NO, we won't go!

Our last Friday night of the summer was spend doing what I think depicts the underlying theme of our life the past two months.

Fishing!

It was the perfect (though smoky) evening out on Romeril lake and I felt determined to hang on to the last of summer for as long as I could.   All the kids were enthusiastic about joining us, even Nate.  Perhaps they could sense that it would be awhile before we did this again.

We stayed out until the sun was almost down and snapped one last grainy photo of us in the dark.

As we drove home that night I felt so grateful for every event of this past summer.   I may spend all of September napping to recover, but it was definitely one for the books!!

Camping (Part2)

After such a successful camping trip in July with John's family, my kids were more than happy to have a repeat Waterton excursion in August.   We sat down in front of the calendar in hopes of choosing the best possible group of days, only to find out that we had only one slot of time with nothing going on.   August 13-15th.   Before that...after that...all filled up.  August was spent!  Done!  Before long, school would be starting and summer would be over.  

I took a moment to freak out and then I wiped my tears away and booked our site.   

This little family camping trip took on new meaning for me now.  

It wasn't just a summer camping trip.

It was our final summer camping trip. 

The last hurrah!

This time around I had asked all of the kids to pack their own bags for a change.  I mean, why do I always insist on doing everything for them anyways?  I felt 100% certain that they were all, each and every one of them, more than capable of packing their own essentials for a two day period, no?

Nate was packed in two minutes tops.  Luckily, I checked his suitcase before leaving, which gave me the opportunity to explain to him, with a little more clarity, just what exactly "essentials" meant.  haha.  The second picture shows his bag after my little tutorial.   Still a whole lot of extra stuff, but hey- underneath all that, there was a pair of skylander underpants, one change of clothes, and his red plaid pajamas.    Fine with me!

John and I are always amazing at how much we seem to pack when we go camping.  I mean, how can we ever think we are "roughing it" when we haul more for a three day stay then we ever actually use at home?  It's CRAZY!!!   Though I'll admit, filling the van to the roof did cut down on the noise and arguing as we travelled.  Everyone had there own little designated pocket of space in which they had enough room to stare ahead and breathe;)

Before long the kids were released from the confines of our filled to the roof van and we had spread our things out rather nicely in the beautiful big outdoors!!!    All that time spent preparing all morning?   #worth it!

I loved unzipping the tent each day and finding the kids' stuffies laying nicely on their sleeping bags.  I totally remember camping with my favorite stuffed Taradactyl "Petrie" when I was there age.   

We had a wiener roast for dinner and Abby reminded us of how fun it is to cook the wiener in a squiggly shape.   It holds that shape even once it's put in the bun, which of course, makes it taste all that much yummier!!!

We did a couple of fun things that evening.   First, we drove up to the Prince of Whales hotel to explore a bit.   Jasmine Low was playing the harp and it was nice to sit there and enjoy the music and beautiful scenery.   We all spent way too much time in the gift shop, compiling long lists of things we suddenly realized we need.   (ie: T-shirts, grizzly bear flashcards, and wildflower seeds!)

After supper we made our way to the head of the lake so John and Sam could feed their fishing addiction.  (Just kidding, we all enjoy it, but they just enjoy it on a whole other level.)   While they fished, Jessica showed us the most enchanting little tree fort ever!  It's right at the head of the lake and has probably existed in that grove of trees for the last couple of years.   We've been missing out!  

I could have sat in there all day.   (Though John took one look at it and said, "Well that's a forest fire waiting to happen.)   Some people see a magical tree fort - others see timber and kindling.  

While John and Sam fished, the rest of us went and watched a live show at the Falls Theatre where we learned all about some of Waterton's toughest creatures.  (ie: the mountain goat and surprisingly the teeny tiny mouse like Pika.)   The kids were fascinated and the walk back to our tent that night was spent talking about how cool little Pikas must be to with stand the cold Alpine conditions.

We got back to the campsite just time for some hot chocolate and cookies.
 This has got to be my most favorite part of camping! 

Things get magical in Waterton, when the sun goes down.  The kids love watching the sky for bats and constellations.  Our voices get softer as we all whisper about the highlights of the day and our plans for the next.  

It's dreamy.

We did notice though that camping in August is significantly cooler than camping in July.   Our hot chocolates were a welcome thing on this night when the low dipped down to 5 degrees! 

As much as we love the whole "mug up" thing, we were all pretty excited to don our toques and get into those warm sleeping bags;)

Morning couldn't come soon enough.  It always takes me one night to adjust to sleeping outside, but falling asleep this particular night was even more challenging thanks to a noisy couple camping beside us.   They sat outside their tent and talked until 11:30.   They talked so loud I felt like I was right there, a part of the conversation, and believe me, it was the most ridiculous conversation I've ever not been a part of!  haha.   Finally they quieted down and I was able to fall asleep to the rustling of the wind and babbling creek.

In case you didn't know - that's how one is supposed to fall asleep in Waterton.

And for the record, one is also supposed to wake up in the same zen like manner.  

That's why as soon as the sun started to rise (and before anybody else in town woke up) I made my way down to the head of the lake for a bit of yoga.    My little buddy Nate came to and played on my phone while he waited.  (I think that's how he meditates;)   

(For the record, this is one of three yoga poses that I know.   

John's the real Yogi in our house, but don't tell him that I said so;)  

The forest fires to the north and west and south and south west of us (seriously, fires everywhere) have made for a pretty smoky/hazy sky the past couple of weeks.   There was even a forest fire in Waterton while we were there.  Though it was isolated to the far end of Waterton/Goat Haunt area, a couple of popular hiking trails were closed as a result.   This provided some extra motivation for us to try something new.   Lower Rowe Lake!

As you can see, we started the hike bundled up in sweaters, blankets and toques.   An hour later, we'd shed all of our layers and stuffed them in the hiking backpack for John to carry.   

The hike into Rowe Lake was a beautiful one and this trail quickly became a new favorite of mine.  

The walk up begins with some beautiful waterfall views before climbing up and through a meadow eventually leading to this lower lake. 

I think my favorite part about hiking is always the lunch we have when we arrive.   Ham Sandwiches, granola bars, fruit and hummus with crackers could not have tasted better!  This giant rock we are all leaning/sitting on is what we chose to use as our table.   Due to the slant of it though I think we spent more time catching our food then eating it!

 Nate, John and Sam all spent some time fishing.   Unfortunately, this was not a very ideal lake for fishing.   Not a single nibble, jump or bite.  The kids noted that there weren't even minnows in sight.  W

hat it lacked in fishing it made up for in beauty;)

The back drop behind the lake consisted of a steep wall of rock and shale which provided a good hours worth of fun, right there.    The chipmunks were as friendly as they are atop Bears Hump and we even heard and spotted, you'll never guess - 

...a PIKA!!!

(a million dollars to whoever can find it in this picture;)

Pika's live in the sub Alpine/Alpine regions in Waterton and fair much better in the harsh cold winter temperatures then they do in warmer temps.   Abby was the first to recognize the sound of it (thanks to the lecture we'd attended the night before) but it didn't take long for us all to spot it too.   It's small like a mouse or squirrel but is actually a part of the Rabbit family.   It was pretty darn cute, I have to admit.

Though it took us two hours to get up to the lake, it was probably a 50 minute walk down.   And every second of that time was spent walking hand in hand with Jess and she did her very best to negotiate with me a way to get a pet.  (Preferably a Pika!)

Other highlights of this trip included:

* watching the kids play badminton with neighboring campers

* going to Big Scoop and letting the kids order WHATEVER they wanted.  (That never happens;)

* Swimming late into the eve at the hotel pool 

& 

* Enjoying the absence of telephones, computers and ipods!  

On Wednesday morning as we enjoyed our last meal there we all sat around and considered the possibility of staying at least a couple of more days.   The kids all wanted to.   John wanted to.  

I wanted to!

In the end, practicality won out and we packed our things and headed home as planned.

But not before agreeing that next year - we'd go camping for a whole week!!!

Thanks Waterton.  You've been so very good to us this summer;)

Sam's Birthday and a couple of A.W.O.L frogs

Our Sam man had a birthday last week!    We were so very thrilled to get to celebrate this 10 year old of ours, but we were also so very tired of all the parties we've been having.   

It's hard, partying all the time, you know?

In our family though, we alternate between "friend Parties" and "Family Parties" and unfortunately for me - this happens to be the year for friend parties.  

I tried to talk Sam out of it, suggesting alternative ideas, offering to pay HIM what I would have spent on a party ... all to no avail.  He wanted his friends and that was that!

About four days before his birth date, I finally buckled down and faced the reality that there was one more party to plan and worry about enjoy;)  Luckily, we had the most genius, last minute idea EVER!

...Wallys Beach!!!

If you've never been to Wally's beach before - well...you've obviously not come to visit us.  It is where we take all of our family when they come to visit and we can't think of anything else to do.  

It's fun.

It's laid back.

It's sandy.

It's.....

...usually much much wetter than this!

When we arrived with Sam and his friends, we were shocked to see just how low the water had gotten.   You see that pile of rocks, right there?That used to be covered in water.
 (In fact, just a few weeks earlier, we had been paddle boarding on that very spot!)    You can see the trees off in the distance that mark the Island that the kids often talked about swimming out to.   Of course, on this day, all it took was a dry, hot, sandy stroll  -and they were there.   Crazy!!!

Thankfully, there was still some water to be enjoyed.

We recently heard someone refer to Wallys beach as Cardston's Caribbean.   It's a suiting nickname.   

We spent a chunk of Sam's party playing in the sand, swimming in the water, soaking in the mud and catching frogs!  (the receding water has made for great swampy areas - perfect for frog hunting!)

As an extra effort to make Sam's party fun - John was equipped and ready to feed us all burgers or hot dogs, watermelon and more!  Mmmmm....

It ended up being the most relaxing birthday party we've ever thrown.   How could that me?

I was inwardly super thrilled when, on the way home, as I was buying them slurpees before dropping them off, I heard one kid tell Sam, "This has been the coolest birthday party ever!" 

VICTORY!!!

Listen up parents - I seemed to have figured out the key to throwing a successful party and I am willing to share it with you now:

1. zero planning

2. marginal effort

3. Mud

4. Water

5. Sand

6. Slurpees

It really was a pretty fun day and I enjoyed watching Sam with his buddies, all of them are such fun boys!

If I had to point out any negative part of the day it would be that many of them returned home with frogs in tow.  

 Nate had one stored up in a paper cup and I really don't know when he decided to not care about it anymore, but I've not seen it since taking this picture.   One friend of Sam's apparently brought several home in his water bottle.   We didn't know this at the time, but figured it out much later that day as we were cleaning out the van and found a piping hot bottle of water under the back seat.   (it was gross and quite frankly a tragic way for a bunch of frogs to die.)   Jessica actually brought two frogs home, made a Tupperware container cage for them and took loving care of her new found pets for the entire day!    We were relieved to find that at least someones frogs had survived.  

Sadly, the next morning we woke up to Jessica's confused exclamations that her two frogs had gone missing.  A few things I'd like to point out at this time:

1.  A Tupperware container is NOT a cage

2.  I have said it before and I'll say it again - we are not a PET kind of family.

3.  There is not a thought more gross to me then to wonder where, in my house, those two frogs could be.  Sometimes, as I fall asleep at night, I worry that I'll wake up in the morning with one of them staring me in the face.   

Oh for the love - that day had been almost perfect.

Now, please excuse me while I go search for some missing frogs!;)

The Meadows

Nestled in a charming little valley just below the majestic Chief Mountain is a happy little chunk of land (owned by a few very cool people) called "The Meadows."  Our friends, Curtis and Mandi, have a trailer here and this past week we were invited to join them for a day of fun!

I wish I had taken a picture of this road from the top as we afraid.  It is crazy steep and I was genuinely afraid that our van would start doing somersaults all the way down.  Once we safely made it down, I wondered if our van would ever make it back up to the main road.  As it would turn out, I soon discovered that this wouldn't be a bad place to be stranded after all!

The Creek that runs through it was so warm and shallow enough for Nate to safely navigate his way through any part of it.    The kids all had a blast splashing and swimming.   Sam spotted several fish just a few feet from him.

...and Jess found that a luxurious mud bath was more her cup of tea;)

Mandi's Dad (who is an amazing local photographer) took John and I on a ride to see the meadows from a couple of different angles.  He clearly knew where all the best views were!  I don't know what was more fun- careening through the forest and up and down hills in the Ranger, or stopping for every spectacular shot we saw.   It was beautiful!

It was pretty fun talking with Mandi's Dad about photography.   You learn a lot listening to him, and occasionally he pulls out one of his cameras for you to test out;)

After supper we went for a walk up that big steep hill we drove down when we arrived.  

And my original assessment was right - this hill was ridiculously steep and we would probably never be able to leave.  Sigh...what a pity;)

We reached the top, just as the sun was starting to set, which made for the pretties, softest light.

I LOVE Chief Mountain!  One of these summers I am going to hike that mountain.  

For now, I'll stick to photographing it;)    I actually am trying to photograph it every month for the next year, from a different location each time.   It has been fun to see it from different perspectives and notice the changes with each season.  

(Curtis and Mandi are such a great couple ever and I love how well our kids play together)

Mandi's Dad didn't just give John and I a ride around the property, he graciously hauled around any kid that was willing, or brave enough, to hop on.   Nate made me laugh because he was initially so worried that the ride would be too fast.   And it was fast, but every time Nate passed by us he was biting on the rim of his hat and grinning from ear to ear.   For the rest of the evening he constantly asked for "another fun ride on that red thing!"

We stayed until after the sun had gone down and just until the mosquitoes really came out.   

It was a perfect day of eating, swimming, exploring and visiting with some of our favorite friends.  

The Meadows is a pretty magical place to be on a Summer Evening!