Ward Campout

The first weekend of the month we went to our ward camp-out. It was a great spot: lots of grass, a volleyball net, and best of all - a super steep, long slip-n-slide! You can imagine how much fun we all had. Mike took the kids down it that evening. Sometimes he would take both of them at the same time. Elsie, our thrill seeker, loved it, and Peter (the dare devil) also had a blast!

Here they are about ready to take off. You can barely see it dropping off, but it is quite steep.

Peter would slide around like crazy! No matter what position he took off on, he always landed on his belly going backwards.

In the morning I took the kids down. It was kind of scary the first time, as Elsie and I's face show. I promise though, Elsie was loving it.
As Mike was taking down the tent that morning, he found a mouse underneath. Yikes! Undaunted, Mike decided to capture the mouse in one of our water bottles. Peter had a great time carting the water bottle around, showing the mouse off to everybody. After a while, Mike was wondering how we were going to get rid of the mouse. He had an ingenious idea: give the mouse a ride down the water slide!

Here they are getting ready to let the mouse have the ride of its life.

Can you see the mouse in this picture? It's near the top. It was a great distraction to the reality of letting the mouse go, and it made a vivid memory for everyone at the campground that morning. We may have made ward history.

Wind Rivers

While I was vacationing at my parents, Mike went to the Wind Rivers with his brothers and dad. He had a great time. The first year we were married, I went with Mike and his brothers to the Wind Rivers. I liked it, but I think it's best as kind of a "boys only" club. Mike loves the place, he talks about it and looks forward to it every year (whether he goes or not). Here they are at the beginning of the week: cleanly shaven, clean clothes, and still smelling somewhat like humanity.

I heard the mosquitoes were really bad! This picture was enough for me to be glad I was not there. Luckily Mike brought along netting they all wore over their faces. He's pretty brilliant, I'll admit!

The hiking is pretty rugged. At one point they had to chop down a tree so they could cross on over a river. I think if I were ever lost in the woods, like in the book Hatchet, I would want Mike glued to my side.

On Wednesday, he and his brothers climbed the continental divide where they got cell phone coverage so they could call their families. I was so excited to get that phone call from him and know everything was okay. It looks like fun!


Yuck! Yikes! Isn't this picture creepy?

Ahhh.... A beautiful Penstemon. The wildflowers is what hiking is all about!

And this is what the Wind Rivers is all about...FISH! Mike hates to eat fish, but he likes the sport of fishing (or maybe it's just the hiking to the lakes that he likes). He said they found a couple great lakes to fish in and had a good time. I'm glad he had a good time, and I'm just as glad I was at my mom and dad's house have a different good time instead.

Separate Vacations

Mike and I took our first separate vacations this summer. He wanted to go into the Wind Rivers with his brothers. It's kinda family tradition. I wasn't dying to spend a whole week all by myself with the kids, so me and the kids flew to my parents home. Mike and I had very different, fun adventures.
Mom's adventure:
The airplane ride with the kids was such an adventure. I got so many looks (crazy and sympathetic) from strangers in the airport, and I guess I don't blame them. The four of us finally got to our terminal and boarded the plane on time, so I can't complain. Peter and Elsie had soooo much fun. As the plane took off Peter yelled, "This is AWESOME!!" and Elsie laughed like she was on a lagoon ride, yelling, "WHOOAAA!"

As we got off the plane, Peter said, "I wish we could live here!"
When we finally got to my parents, the fun began. My sister, Becky, arrived there with her family just shortly after us, so there was lots of company for my parents, which equated to a lot of fun. We stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's for a week, and if I could find a common thread for the week it would be Birthday Parties! My mom threw a 'birthday party' for her grandkids, since she can't make it to their real birthdays, and party it was! There was good food, balloons, cake, party favors, and even presents for all the kids to open. They were spoiled rotten and lovin' it. A few days later, my dad had a birthday, and then at the end of the week my sister, Michelle, had a birthday as well. I ate so much dessert while I was there, I was stuffing myself full of Mom's great buttermilk chocolate cake every chance I could get! There is no boxed mix that can beat my Mom's.
Without all the birthday parties, it still was a party to my kids every day. Elsie was beside herself playing with her cousin, Eden, all the time. She called her "my new friend" and still asks for her "new friend" almost 3 weeks later.

Peter really bonded with his Uncle Micah because he was the only one that had the patience to play the Wii with him. Peter loved Grandma's Wii! He played for hours on end, and I chalked it up to vacation (his and mine - we both needed it).

What would a trip to the country be without a tour of a dairy? We tried to get Peter to milk the cow, but there was no way he was havin' it! I can't say I blamed him too much, it took me a few deep breaths before I grabbed onto the tit of a cow and squeezed. I am very grateful to the beasts, but I think if almond milk were more affordable, I'd be going that route after this experience.

I have a brave sister, Becky, who let a baby cow suck on her fingers. We tried to get Peter to give it a try (who is also brave), but he couldn't quite get himself to take the plunge.

I think the most exciting part about the tour for Peter and Elsie were the coloring books, cow erasers, pens, and even fruit snacks that were given out at the end. They thought this was sooo cool! Thanks Nesha for the fun time!

Another great country experience....gathering eggs from chickens of course! My mom had yet another friend who was willing to indulge the grandkids.
Peter was really excited about the eggs. He loved gathering!

Grandma is always a great helper.

....and so was Grandpa at the end of the day.

This little guy was such a trooper! He came along for the ride and seemed to go with the flow where ever we went. What a cutey.

We wore ourselves out at Grandma's. At one point Elsie fell asleep eating on Grandma's lap. It was hilarious, and we even captured it on video. However, I couldn't get it to upload. We had a great time. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

As the kids and I arrived at the Salt Lake Airport baggage claim, I looked around and could not see any sign of Mike. I waited for a while, but after a few minutes the kids started climbing on the baggage claim and getting in trouble, so I decided it was time to leave. I loaded up all three huge, heavy duffel bags over me (I had Kimball in a Bundleme in the front), and we headed to the parking garage. We climbed the escalators, no problem, and we headed for the walkway that's like a big treadmill (I hope you know what I'm talking about). By the time we got to the walkway thing, my arms and back were burning from all the heavy weight. I let the kids on first, and then I climbed on and dumped all the duffel bags in front of me to give my weary body a rest. Just as we were nearing the end, Mike walks through the doors from the parking garage, just in time to see the train wreck. I hollard to the kids, "Look there's Daddy!"
This must have been too much distraction for Elsie, because she forgot to get off the walkway thing. She just sat there staring at her dad, and then the baggage hit her, and hit her again. I was next, and I was carrying Kimball. As I neared the duffel bags, I leaped over them, then I leaped over Elsie, and then I landed on my hands and knees on the other side of the wreck. All my children were okay, but it was the pinnacle of a very long day of traveling with 3 kids, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Mike helped me up and helped gather everything up and took care of things immediately. He is so great, and I was SO glad to see him!