Lazy Summer Days

Labor Day really signifies the end of summertime fun...the start of fall fun! We had a such a lazy easy summer. I'm just going to make a quick list...that doesn't seem so lazy but it really was quite laid back...I'm sad- in some ways- to be stuck in a rigid routine once more...
Seattle
Mariners
Rock climbing
Scout camp
Swim lessons
cousin sleep overs
braces
gymnastics camp
The Hobbit by JR Tolkien
On the Banks of Plumb Creek by Laura Ingals Wilder
Bike rides
Trek
10 year anniversary!
OLYMPICS!
rasberries
nectaries
corn on the cob
Dust Devils
baseball
30 years old!
FORKS!
ferry rides
boating
jet skis!
baby birds
fair
good-bye to good friends
freedom on wheels (we let the older two kids basically ride around wherever the wanted to with the neighbors the last few weeks of summer...they thought that was so cool:)
Happy Summer!

School starts!

The first day of school was Tuesday, August 26th. Emma marched confidently off to first grade and James sauntered smugly into third. They both came home happy and excited about teachers, classmates, recess... I feel more and more the blessing of good schools and good teachers. My little precious people are away from home for 7 hours- I can't imagine feeling insecure about where they were- it really makes me question uprooting my little clan???
Adam woke up Wednesday morning in quite the mood. He was not going to get dressed- he was not going to go to school- he was not going to eat breakfast- HE WAS NOT GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL! The more you fight him the angrier he becomes- so I said a little prayer and walked away. An hour later he was dressed and fed- but he was still NOT going to school. I really didn't know what to do because Adam can be very stubborn and I wasn't going to drag him kicking and screaming into the school. We had a few minutes so I asked him what he wanted to do- play uno & not go to school:) So we played a game of Uno- and I was prepared to play another when he jumped up and said, "I want to go to school now Mom. I love Miss Jan!" Wow! I was so relieved! It was a beautiful moment. And he went shyly into school- and I think had a good day, trying to be brave without his best cousin Ashton. Kyle will definitely miss Adam- they are good playmates!

My heart aches as I send my kids off every day...but I must say...I HAVE GOTTEN SO MUCH DONE THIS WEEK!! Wooo-hooooo!

Funny things I've heard the last few days---

Adam went potty- I went in to help--
Mom: "Man- Alive Adam...stinky!"
Adam: "Are women alive Mom?"

I can't remember the other one!

Forks

I have to clarify that we did not drive 8 hours just to go to Forks. My sister is starting graduate school at Seattle Pacific University in September and had a few things to take care of on Saturday- and my Mom was flying in from New York City late Sunday night- so we had all day Sunday to kill some time. And it was worth every moment. Forks is a dumpy little town- very excited to greet anyone who is "vampire hunting"- but the drive from Port Angeles to Forks is an amazing drive around Crescent Lake. The water was so blue and inviting. Unfortunately it was a beautiful sunny day so we didn't spot any vampires- we did see a lot of dead deer though so they must not be too hungry this week:) We ate at Bella Italia- and I guess Stephanie Meyer had been there just a couple of weekends ago! As we headed back to catch the ferry to the mainland we realized it was Sunday night- and everyone was headed back so we had a long wait for the ferry (talk about wasting gas! you have to leave your car on the whole time- about 1 1/2 hours- as you inch along!) But it was actually very refreshing to just sit and stare at the green and smell the exhaust--And of course the time spent with a dear sister is completely invaluable!

Happy Anniversary... to Edward & Bella! (and Ted and Stacy too I guess)

Man....if I had known 10 years ago that we were this close to sharing our Wedding Day with Edward and Bella I would have moved it up a day! (yes, I proudly admit that I am a little obsessed) I guess I can't change the past now...and I wouldn't change the past DECADE for any other life in the whole world. I can't imagine being happier with anyone else. I remember when we were dating and I was wondering where it was all going to lead- one of the thoughts that kept wandering through my mind was how I felt so at home with him. And I'm definitely a home girl. He gave me the same peaceful wonderful feelings of home- and I decided that was a pretty good sign.
And so...

Post-Edward Depression

Really really sad right now...the saga has ended. Vampires aren't real. Edward is not going to show up on my doorstep and sweep me away to Forks. However, Tedward is watching the kids for the weekend while my sister and I explore the Olympic Peninsula- including Forks...:) And yes, I was definitely bitten by the Twilight Saga- there's no other word for it.

Tidbits of the Next 8 Miles

The next 8 miles were fairly blah. Ma/Stacy wanted to sing 'We Are All Enlisted' but we could only think of the first 2 lines. She even bribed Aaron with a Starburst if he could think of the the rest. She finally dug through her bucket and found her hymnal. Hallelujah! Other songs that first day included but were not limited to: The Ant's Go Marching (Michelle's Favorite), I Say A Boom Chicka Boom, Come, Come Ye Stains (oops, Saints), Book of Mormon Stories and other hymns and primary songs.


We had a few vignets(sp) along and the way. One was a mother and father with a baby. The father had fallen ill and was not going to make it. The mother asked us to take her baby to Zion for her. Our daughters stepped up quickly to take the baby - named Benjamin (we called him Benji). We took an extra shirt and made a papoose for him. We all took turns holding the baby - Sarah has Benji in this next picture.


Sometime during this leg we brought out a bag of dried mangos from Costco. Manna from heaven! (Sorry Sarah- I guess we gave you too many the first 2 days). Having extra snacks proved to be providential though. When we finally stopped that night the trek planning crew had some hot soup and rolls for us. The line was long so we decided to get our beds ready first. The McGary's and we were the last 2 families in line when the announced that they had run out of soup. How do you explain to your kids that after pulling a handcart for 12 miles they had to go to bed hungry? Bishop Grover pulled out some jerky to us stave off hunger but it was still a shock. Many of the handcart pioneers ran low on food on their way to Zion and some ran out entirely. They were rationed to 12 ounces of flour a day at one point. We could handle it for one night.

Here are some others pictures taken during these 8 miles. Again, some were candid. Kids, don't kill your pa!

















Well, Stacy finally finished Breaking Dawn, so she can add the next few posts regarding the trek. She is a much better writer than me so enjoy!

First Leg of the Trek

We began the first leg of our trek around one'ish. In keeping with the time of the handcart pioneers we were asked not to bring ipods, cellphones and other electronic paraphenilia (digital cameras were ok). It seems a lot of us took this to heart and didn't wear any watches, hence, all times are calculated guestimates. We hiked for about 2 1/2 miles with intermittent breaks. We wanted to make sure that we took care of any hot spots on feet and also stopped frequently and drank water.

At that point we reached a creek bed that we had to cross. It had a wooden bridge that spanned the creek but there was a very steep and sandy bank leading to and away from the bridge. Each company (a group of 3 families) had their young men work together for this portion.












Afterwards we had a long steady incline that took us on top of a bluff. The picture shows the front of the train waiting for us. We were scheduled to take a 1 hour snack and bathroom break on top of the bluff, but we were at the back of the handcart train and by the time we caught up with the front we only had about 10 minutes left. This was mainly due to the fact that when one handcart stopped - to wrap a sore foot or to relash gear - everyone behind stopped as well (I'm sure this was a common occurence with our pioneer ancestors). Our family was awesome though and raring to go. Later that same day we were put at the front of the train and all agreed that it was much nicer to set the pace than to be ruled by the whims of those in front of us. The kids were so enthusiastic and strong! Big brother Aaron kept us all singing- we called him our juke box!


I took these pictures as the kids were pulling up a long incline. They had other things on their mind besides posing for the camera. Kids- sorry if they aren't the most flattering.

Pioneer Trek 2008

What a wonderful experience we had. I wanted to get some pictures posted online so that our trek kids could see them, and Stacy is busy (she hasn't finished Breaking Dawn yet) so I decided to get them up myself.


Our trek began on Tuesday, July 29. We drove south from Kennewick about 20 miles and arrived at the starting point at 8:10. We were late because we had to turn back around and get our lunch (which we left at home). Stacy didn't want to be late and had resigned to eating dried mango for lunch- but I knew that it could lead to some uncomfortable results. We unloaded our car, shuttled it to the ending point and then had some orientation before the kids arrived. We were nervous but excited to get started.

The kids began arriving around 9 with the last group coming in about 10:30. They signed in and then sat in groups waiting to see what happened next. Stacy and I had received a list of the kids that would become our family. The trek planners tried to place a good mix of kids in each family and made sure that each family had a sturdy 18 year old boy to help pull the cart. Our 18 year old boy was Micah Leavitt. . . yes, Micah is in our ward and she is not a boy. We were excited to have Micah though and with a little bit of juggling we had another older young man moved into our family as well.

Each Ma and Pa had prepared a skit and presented it in front of everyone. Then we each went up and read out our families. Stacy and I were family 2 out of 20. We had our kids follow us and found a spot to spread out a tarp. We got to know each other a little, prepared a family name and flag, had a shake down and then packed our handcart.

Here is our family: the Stormin' Mormons. From left to right: Micah 'the Pika', Michelle 'Bella', Katie 'the crazy cat lady', Jake 'the cake', 'Nina' Brynna, Ma 'Racy Stacy', 'Seafarin' Aaron, Ben 'Ten', Sarah 'Barah', and Pa 'Dead Ted'. Our family was a member of the Christmas Company and our Captain was Sam Smith.

As we lined up and got things ready to go, a mob arrived on horseback and told us to get out of there. The brandished rifles and had their faces covered with bandanas. We all knew it was part of the act but it did make things a bit more uncomfortable. President Ottley (holding a rifle in the foreground) got to through some insults around and kick some of the leaders in the back of the pants. . . just like at church every week!

At that point, we were ready to go. All of the rides had left and there was no turning around. We were ready to see if we were pioneer material.
Westward Ho!