27 September 2011
Chloe's Book - You Should Always Read A Book
Chloe worked on this story for a good chunk of the summer.
23 September 2011
21 September 2011
May the Force Be With You
Chloe drew this picture a few weeks back (before we watched the movies as a family and the real mania began). I love it. And while I think that she got distracted before she could finish Princess Leia, at least she got her most distinguishing feature. :)
19 September 2011
The Everyday of it All....
I consider myself to be a pretty naturally cheerful person. I don't get easily annoyed by other people, I think life is generally pretty fair, and I tend to see the the bright side of most situations.
This morning, however, I sort of failed my natural self. I about had a breakdown and wondered if I could possibly survive another minute of the motherhood grind.
We got up at 6:40 for scripture study. Cannon had fallen asleep at 4:30 yesterday afternoon and never woke up, so you won't be surprised that he woke up at 3:48 this morning bright and chipper. I somehow convinced him to sleep next to me the rest of the night, but he didn't actually fall asleep until about 5:00, so it wasn't the most pleasant night's sleep I've ever had. Anyway, 6:40 came earlier than I really wanted it to, but up we got and had scripture study. Right after scriptures we started our normal school routine which is thus:
Chloe practices piano from 7:00 - 7:30 while Lily gets dressed and makes her bed. Then they switch from 7:30 - 8:00. (The boys usually play in the bathtub for this entire hour). After that we do hair, brush teeth, eat breakfast, and say prayers before the girls leave for school. The girls actually did really well this morning. Chloe even helped Cannon get dressed and make his and Brigham's beds during her half hour of getting ready time. I should have been really cheerful this morning. But instead, I had a knot of anger in my heart over piano practice. Chloe has a hard time focusing during this time. She doesn't hate piano...it's not that. She just struggles with focus (this is one of her general personality challenges - one that she does try to improve) on the task. I get so frustrated with her when she is just mindlessly pounding on the keys or stops in the middle of a song. I am insulted that she doesn't value my time and the fact that I am sitting there with her for a half hour every morning. It's so silly - what 7 1/2 year old values anyone's time, let alone their mom's? Seriously. The feelings I have are so immature. Anyway, I raised my voice at her multiple times during her half hour of piano. I was better with Lily, but mostly because we just worked on theory, not actual songs. Not to worry, though, I spent part of that half hour getting after Brigham because he wouldn't get his own towel and go downstairs by himself to get dressed.
Things were decent by the time we ate and said prayers. But then I remembered that we had thrown Brigham's homework aside on Friday afternoon in favor of family pictures, visiting the Grandmas at Legacy House, and watching Star Wars as a family. All fine things that I'm glad we did instead. It was tough, though, to spend an hour helping Brigham write Os, cut and tape Os to things around the house (hard letter for that activity, by the way), and write his name over and over. I feel so bad sometimes that we gave him such a long name with difficult letters. Chloe and Lily really had it easy. I found myself SO annoyed with him while practicing his g and h. Oh my goodness, I just couldn't understand why he just couldn't go over and around then back up and straight back down with a tail for his g and make a slow hump for his h so it wasn't gigantic. I mean, seriously, who am I? Why am I so annoyed? You know, if I'd worked with him for a few minutes say...every day last year?....he would already have this down and having to write it 3 times a day wouldn't be that difficult. I need a chill pill. We immediately followed the name practice with his reading, which hello, I should be so thrilled that he is reading anything after less than a month in Kindergarten. Instead, though, I actually belittled him for not getting "the" "feet" and "what" consistently. I know! I'm really ashamed of myself. I am going to make the poor boy hate reading if I let this become a habit. I need to learn to just put the book down and realize that his little brain is probably as exhausted by the whole thing as I am and it's okay to not turn in a completed book every single school day.
I did apologize to him and say some sincere words of encouragement. Then instead of turning on the TV, I let him do a puzzle and get out the paints with Cannon. It's 10:42 and I'm still in my pajamas almost "hiding out" in my room. I need to read my scriptures, which I usually get up and do before family study. I haven't exercised yet and my clean laundry pile is back to the old days of ridiculous proportions. I have a lot to get done and just want to curl up in a ball and go back to bed.
I know it's ridiculous - the way I'm feeling.
Can I list a few positives of the last week or so, though?
*I actually used one of the afternoons where all 4 kids are in school to go to the temple. It was nice.
*Instead of going out on Friday night, we stayed home, ordered pizza, and watched Star Wars episode 4 with our kids. It was SO amazingly fun I can hardly describe it. We ended up watching episode 5 on Saturday and episode 6 yesterday. It has been a truly wholesome and fun recreational activity. We have loved it.
*We have visited Grandma Allen several times over the last week and have truly brightened her spirits.
*I got to substitute in the 16-17 year old Gospel Doctrine class on Sunday and it was a really incredible experience for me. They were good kids, but there were about 10 minutes at the end of the lesson where the Spirit was so tangible. I can't really describe it, but I hope they recognized what they were feeling - it was neat.
*Stanton and I have been working better as a team.
*We got the office room cleaned out and organized, our finances in better order, and a huge project with some lawyers we've hired that has been hanging over our heads set in motion.
*I've been studying my scriptures daily for a couple of weeks now.
*We started ward choir practice again and I'm really happy with our songs and the progress we're making. I forget how much spirit there is during those practices and how much it strengthens my testimony.
Life is good. It really is. Sometimes the daily part of it feels so overwhelming, but it is so rich, full, and blessed. And now I've got to get that scripture study done...after I take the dog out to the bathroom....more every day.
This morning, however, I sort of failed my natural self. I about had a breakdown and wondered if I could possibly survive another minute of the motherhood grind.
We got up at 6:40 for scripture study. Cannon had fallen asleep at 4:30 yesterday afternoon and never woke up, so you won't be surprised that he woke up at 3:48 this morning bright and chipper. I somehow convinced him to sleep next to me the rest of the night, but he didn't actually fall asleep until about 5:00, so it wasn't the most pleasant night's sleep I've ever had. Anyway, 6:40 came earlier than I really wanted it to, but up we got and had scripture study. Right after scriptures we started our normal school routine which is thus:
Chloe practices piano from 7:00 - 7:30 while Lily gets dressed and makes her bed. Then they switch from 7:30 - 8:00. (The boys usually play in the bathtub for this entire hour). After that we do hair, brush teeth, eat breakfast, and say prayers before the girls leave for school. The girls actually did really well this morning. Chloe even helped Cannon get dressed and make his and Brigham's beds during her half hour of getting ready time. I should have been really cheerful this morning. But instead, I had a knot of anger in my heart over piano practice. Chloe has a hard time focusing during this time. She doesn't hate piano...it's not that. She just struggles with focus (this is one of her general personality challenges - one that she does try to improve) on the task. I get so frustrated with her when she is just mindlessly pounding on the keys or stops in the middle of a song. I am insulted that she doesn't value my time and the fact that I am sitting there with her for a half hour every morning. It's so silly - what 7 1/2 year old values anyone's time, let alone their mom's? Seriously. The feelings I have are so immature. Anyway, I raised my voice at her multiple times during her half hour of piano. I was better with Lily, but mostly because we just worked on theory, not actual songs. Not to worry, though, I spent part of that half hour getting after Brigham because he wouldn't get his own towel and go downstairs by himself to get dressed.
Things were decent by the time we ate and said prayers. But then I remembered that we had thrown Brigham's homework aside on Friday afternoon in favor of family pictures, visiting the Grandmas at Legacy House, and watching Star Wars as a family. All fine things that I'm glad we did instead. It was tough, though, to spend an hour helping Brigham write Os, cut and tape Os to things around the house (hard letter for that activity, by the way), and write his name over and over. I feel so bad sometimes that we gave him such a long name with difficult letters. Chloe and Lily really had it easy. I found myself SO annoyed with him while practicing his g and h. Oh my goodness, I just couldn't understand why he just couldn't go over and around then back up and straight back down with a tail for his g and make a slow hump for his h so it wasn't gigantic. I mean, seriously, who am I? Why am I so annoyed? You know, if I'd worked with him for a few minutes say...every day last year?....he would already have this down and having to write it 3 times a day wouldn't be that difficult. I need a chill pill. We immediately followed the name practice with his reading, which hello, I should be so thrilled that he is reading anything after less than a month in Kindergarten. Instead, though, I actually belittled him for not getting "the" "feet" and "what" consistently. I know! I'm really ashamed of myself. I am going to make the poor boy hate reading if I let this become a habit. I need to learn to just put the book down and realize that his little brain is probably as exhausted by the whole thing as I am and it's okay to not turn in a completed book every single school day.
I did apologize to him and say some sincere words of encouragement. Then instead of turning on the TV, I let him do a puzzle and get out the paints with Cannon. It's 10:42 and I'm still in my pajamas almost "hiding out" in my room. I need to read my scriptures, which I usually get up and do before family study. I haven't exercised yet and my clean laundry pile is back to the old days of ridiculous proportions. I have a lot to get done and just want to curl up in a ball and go back to bed.
I know it's ridiculous - the way I'm feeling.
Can I list a few positives of the last week or so, though?
*I actually used one of the afternoons where all 4 kids are in school to go to the temple. It was nice.
*Instead of going out on Friday night, we stayed home, ordered pizza, and watched Star Wars episode 4 with our kids. It was SO amazingly fun I can hardly describe it. We ended up watching episode 5 on Saturday and episode 6 yesterday. It has been a truly wholesome and fun recreational activity. We have loved it.
*We have visited Grandma Allen several times over the last week and have truly brightened her spirits.
*I got to substitute in the 16-17 year old Gospel Doctrine class on Sunday and it was a really incredible experience for me. They were good kids, but there were about 10 minutes at the end of the lesson where the Spirit was so tangible. I can't really describe it, but I hope they recognized what they were feeling - it was neat.
*Stanton and I have been working better as a team.
*We got the office room cleaned out and organized, our finances in better order, and a huge project with some lawyers we've hired that has been hanging over our heads set in motion.
*I've been studying my scriptures daily for a couple of weeks now.
*We started ward choir practice again and I'm really happy with our songs and the progress we're making. I forget how much spirit there is during those practices and how much it strengthens my testimony.
Life is good. It really is. Sometimes the daily part of it feels so overwhelming, but it is so rich, full, and blessed. And now I've got to get that scripture study done...after I take the dog out to the bathroom....more every day.
17 September 2011
Brigham's Gift
Brigham built this pot for me (with included lid with handle) this afternoon:
His instructions to me:
Brigham: Mom, never break this pot. (pause) Even when I'm in college. (pause) And when I get married, give it back to me and I'll give it to my....
Me: your kids?
Brigham: No. No, that, that, that person that I marry.
Me: You mean your wife?
Brigham: Yeah. Give it back to me and I'll give it to my wife.
-From Blogpress for iPhone
His instructions to me:
Brigham: Mom, never break this pot. (pause) Even when I'm in college. (pause) And when I get married, give it back to me and I'll give it to my....
Me: your kids?
Brigham: No. No, that, that, that person that I marry.
Me: You mean your wife?
Brigham: Yeah. Give it back to me and I'll give it to my wife.
-From Blogpress for iPhone
08 September 2011
Some thoughts from my journal today. The past few days have been really inspired for Stanton and I. We've seen Heavenly Father at work in our lives and for our salvation. I wrote some things down that I learned from these experiences. There is another I wrote about that I don't feel I really have the right to share, since we were just a small part of the bigger picture of the experience. But, I wrote it in my journal and I hope that by putting these thoughts here, my children will know to look in my journal for even more of the story.
Also, two thoughts from our stake president a couple of stake conferences ago that have really been on my mind lately. I want to remember them:
We live by covenant, not by convenience.
We have a testimony. The question is: are we valiant in that testimony?
-From Blogpress for iPhone
Also, two thoughts from our stake president a couple of stake conferences ago that have really been on my mind lately. I want to remember them:
We live by covenant, not by convenience.
We have a testimony. The question is: are we valiant in that testimony?
-From Blogpress for iPhone
Bokeh
Pioneer Woman taught me about Bokeh. It's the intentionally blurry background with an in focus subject. Does that make sense?
07 September 2011
Brigham's First Day of Kindergarten, Cannon's First Day of Preschool
otherwise titled: WHAT HAPPENED HERE??????!!!!
Yes, 2 hours a day, 4 days a week, all 4 of my beautiful children are in school...at the same time. It's still messing with my head a little, but I am too far behind on too many things to really be able to "enjoy" it just yet.
Anyway, Tuesday was the first day of school for both Brigham and Cannon (Brigham should have started last Thursday, but we were on our Yellowstone trip).
They had a REALLY hard time waiting till the afternoon to go, but we passed the time with some playing, some Disney Jr., haircuts at Cookie Cutters, and lunch. They were so excited to get out the door once it was time!
I walked him to school Tuesday, but today (Wednesday), he decided he wanted to walk himself. Well, about 5 minutes later he came back into the house and said he was too scared to walk because he didn't know how to get past all the kids at recess. Sweet boy! I walked him to the edge of the sidewalk where I could see him all the way to school and sent him off again. He kept turning back and then, after a deep breath and an "I can do it!," he ran all the way to the door. Chloe was at recess and saw him. She gave him a big hug and my heart was warmed to the core. She had no idea I was watching and I loved that she ran right over to him in front of all her friends. He ran right in the doors after that and was happy the rest of the day.
He is LOVING Kindergarten. I've felt really good about sending him even though he is so young, but I still have those moments of wondering if we did the right thing. I don't worry anymore. He bounces right in from school and the first thing he says is, "Okay, I've got to read and do my homework right now." And the best part is....he DOES IT. His handwriting is really improving already and he's just a really happy little guy. I'm so proud of him.
Not to be left out is Mr. Cannon. He started at Miss Traci's preschool, where all 4 of our kids have now gone. He loves it -- especially the music. He's definitely my music boy. I'm so glad they are offering a 4 day preschool now because Cannon really, really misses Brigham when he's gone. It's awesome to have 1 hour with Cannon by himself, but it's so great for him to have something constructive and interactive to do for the other 2 hours Brig is gone. All in all, I couldn't be happier with our school situation right now.
That is...until I say goodbye to all of them and realize I don't have anyone around to point out the Slug Bug Beetle Bugs No Slugs Back while I'm driving. Or anyone to laugh at my jokes. Or anyone to listen to imagine and sing to themselves. I miss my kids! I wouldn't rearrange things, though, this is such a wonderful situation for every single one of them and I am really proud of the adventures they're having. And I really didn't mind grocery shopping by myself today...there's definitely that.
Yes, 2 hours a day, 4 days a week, all 4 of my beautiful children are in school...at the same time. It's still messing with my head a little, but I am too far behind on too many things to really be able to "enjoy" it just yet.
Anyway, Tuesday was the first day of school for both Brigham and Cannon (Brigham should have started last Thursday, but we were on our Yellowstone trip).
They had a REALLY hard time waiting till the afternoon to go, but we passed the time with some playing, some Disney Jr., haircuts at Cookie Cutters, and lunch. They were so excited to get out the door once it was time!
He is LOVING Kindergarten. I've felt really good about sending him even though he is so young, but I still have those moments of wondering if we did the right thing. I don't worry anymore. He bounces right in from school and the first thing he says is, "Okay, I've got to read and do my homework right now." And the best part is....he DOES IT. His handwriting is really improving already and he's just a really happy little guy. I'm so proud of him.
First Attempts at Manual...
I bought this little book from Kristen Duke photography a couple of nights ago. It's a great introduction to turning your camera to manual and getting better photographs.
Well, I am really struggling. I know how to change the ISO and the Aperture, but I am still trying to figure out how to change the shutter speed. BUT, in the (literally) 10 minutes that I have played around I have gotten 2 half decent pictures. The other one included in the collage is a better representation of the 25-30 others that got deleted. Either crazy blurry (because I had the shutter speed too low) or crazy overexposed (because I had the ISO too high, I think?).
Who knows if I'll really make the time to really learn the whole thing well. I want to, but it seems like there are SO many other things that are demanding my time right now. Well, I'll fiddle around here and there. But honestly, if I can't figure out how to even set the settings on my camera, I don't know how I'm going to improve....
Well, I am really struggling. I know how to change the ISO and the Aperture, but I am still trying to figure out how to change the shutter speed. BUT, in the (literally) 10 minutes that I have played around I have gotten 2 half decent pictures. The other one included in the collage is a better representation of the 25-30 others that got deleted. Either crazy blurry (because I had the shutter speed too low) or crazy overexposed (because I had the ISO too high, I think?).
Who knows if I'll really make the time to really learn the whole thing well. I want to, but it seems like there are SO many other things that are demanding my time right now. Well, I'll fiddle around here and there. But honestly, if I can't figure out how to even set the settings on my camera, I don't know how I'm going to improve....
05 September 2011
Yellowstone Conversations
Chloe as we drove past another area with hot pots: Why are they all stopping just to see more hot water?
Cannon: Hey, I need those gunoculars to see da bears.
Brigham: I need the binocleeurs.
(We were all getting a bit too much of a kick out of how he was saying binoculars and Briggy got his feelings hurt. After that, I taught him the right way to say the word...)
All of the kids referring to Jolly Ranchers: Can I have another Jolly Roger?
Lily: Is a buffalo a kind of pig?
Grandma Rose after Brigham bit his tongue: Do you want me to kiss it better?
Brigham: You can't kiss people's tongues!
While on the trip, Cannon named his stuffed piggies Roger and Bean.
Brigham searching faithfully for bears through the binoculars: Nope, nothing but dirt and trees and grass....
Cannon: Hey, I need those gunoculars to see da bears.
Brigham: I need the binocleeurs.
(We were all getting a bit too much of a kick out of how he was saying binoculars and Briggy got his feelings hurt. After that, I taught him the right way to say the word...)
All of the kids referring to Jolly Ranchers: Can I have another Jolly Roger?
Lily: Is a buffalo a kind of pig?
Grandma Rose after Brigham bit his tongue: Do you want me to kiss it better?
Brigham: You can't kiss people's tongues!
While on the trip, Cannon named his stuffed piggies Roger and Bean.
Brigham searching faithfully for bears through the binoculars: Nope, nothing but dirt and trees and grass....
Giving Without Receiving
My garden has been a living embodiment of that principle this year. I planted it in haste - VERY late in the year (like end of June late), have not fertilized it, and have only weeded it twice.
Well, look what's it's giving anyway:
Beets- beautiful, delicious beets. Grape tomatoes. Regular tomatoes. Eggs (did you know we have an eggplant? Har dee har har). There are four watermelons on the vine, some peppers that might just make it before the frost hits, some small carrots since I never bothered to thin them out this year, and three cauliflower plants that are just humongous, although I don't think they're actually going to produce a head of cauliflower before the frost hits. We also enjoyed two pickings of beans, several of basil, and even a few pickings of spinach earlier in the summer.
I know it would be producing a lot more if I had taken care of it, but I'm really happy with the return on my completely half-hearted investment this year. I wanted to play this summer, not garden. Play we did. And this nice little garden accommodated my selfishness.
Well, look what's it's giving anyway:
I know it would be producing a lot more if I had taken care of it, but I'm really happy with the return on my completely half-hearted investment this year. I wanted to play this summer, not garden. Play we did. And this nice little garden accommodated my selfishness.
Yellowstone Family Trip - 2011
We were lucky enough to go on a wonderful trip this week/end with my folks to Yellowstone National Park. Oh, how I love this gem of a place so close to home!!! We had a really fabulous time, as evidenced by the 18 collages of pictures that will follow in this post.
It was so fun to have the motorhome for this trip - it was the funnest way to experience the Park. The kids had the freedom to switch from one window to the other in order to see things, they had space to stretch out and even a place for potty breaks. It was awesome. And we were so glad my folks agreed to come along. It was fun to spend some extra time with them and nice to have extra hands, too!
We started out the trip with a little hike to Mesa Falls near Rexburg(?) and a trip to Pond's Lodge, the lodge in Island Park my Great Grandparents started and ran for years. It's been restored recently and it was so fun to go inside and see it back to being beautiful. The cabins in the above picture are ones you can rent....there are many of them. My parents did it earlier this summer and said they were beautiful inside. I'm so happy to see it beautiful again.
We set up camp at Madison campground our first night and gave Mom and Dad an opportunity to set up their tent for no particular reason....we decided afterward that it was going to be too cold for the kids to camp out in it that night. haha.
We roasted hot dogs and had cheesecake Mom had brought along for Brigham's birthday. The night's sleep was less than awesome, but Stanton was so nice and let me sleep while he was up most of the night with one kid or another. I had no idea he had done it until I woke up at 5. I really did appreciate it, though!
After a great breakfast, we got on our way to some sightseeing. The kids had their wildlife checklists in hand (they give these at the entrance to the Park. Oh, and my dad was able to buy a Senior Citizen lifetime pass to all the parks for $10! Booyah! We sure took advantage of that one - it even got us a discount on some of our campgrounds. Thanks, Dad!) and we saw plenty of animals. We also stopped for waterfalls and any other sights and hikes that struck our fancy.
This is at the Fountain Paint Pots. I never get sick of these geological wonders. And I am always a little more wary of what exactly is going on underneath the ground in such places as this....freaky, but darn cool.
After the Paint Pots, we parked the motorhome at a pull-out and hopped in the Jeep to go to Old Faithful and few other little sights. Old Faithful had just barely erupted when we got there and we opted not to wait another 2 hours till it was to erupt again...and really, once you've seen Old Faithful...well, you've seen it....is that horrible to say? While we were there, though, we stopped in the store to buy some chips and had a potty break.
The kids had as much fun where we stopped the motorhome as anywhere else. Brigham was in stick heaven.
After Old Faithful, we headed to the Mud Pots & gueysers. They are so cool. Cannon was pooped by then and fell asleep in the pack. I was sure glad we brought that thing along. He would have been a crazy man without it!
We enjoyed the motorhome so much. And sweet Charlie spent most of his time in his kennel in the cargo storage area. He was a sweet boy and didn't put up too much of a fuss about being treated as the lowest man on the totem pole. It was just too crowded with his kennel up top most of the time! We did have two incidents with him and the kids, but overall, he was a really good dog.
That night was really pleasant. We stayed at Fishing Bridge RV Park and had full hookups, so we were able to really live large that night. We visited the Yellowstone Lake Visitor's Center (which had lots of stuff for the kids to touch), threw rocks and sticks into the lake (What a humongous lake, Wow!), drove to an old hotel whose name I can't remember, but had a very Teddy Roosevelt-era feel and look to it, and really enjoyed the evening. Everyone had showers and a great meal of BBQ beef sandwiches and a terrific night's sleep. Thank goodness, because day 3 was a tiring one!
We love the Uncle Tom's trail to the beautiful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Lower Falls. We did the viewpoint first and the kids did some gymnastics for us. Chloe was pretty darn amazing, if I do say so myself. I think we gave my parents a heart attack, though, with all the climbing and rock balancing and jumping around we allow our kids to do. :)
All 4 of the kids walked down all 328 steps by themselves. We were pretty proud of them! It is such a breathtakingly beautiful place. I never miss an opportunity to get to those falls.
Chloe bounced her way all the way back up the stairs with nary a worry. Lily and Brigham each made it about 1/2 way or a bit more, then took turns being piggy backed by Stanton. Cannon made it about halfway, too, although his short little legs took a bit longer to make it! He asked to get in the pack about 1/3 of the way up, but I convinced him to keep going. He was beat by 1/2 way, so I threw him in and up we went. That was a good workout, as was Stanton's piggy backing with the big kids.
We always find a family to switch camera duties with. It is such a picture worthy place. Amazing.
After Uncle Tom's, we headed North toward the Lamar Valley and a part of the Park we've never visited before. We saw a lot of wildlife this afternoon. This picture of Cannon out in the middle of nowhere with his arm up, searching for a bear just cracks me up. He was so fun to have along on the trip. I really don't like leaving him home anymore - he's the life of the party.
The northern part of the Park is so gorgeous! We stopped at a picnic area and had a quick little lunch and let the kids throw rocks in the water...Brig ended up wet to his ankles, but that's nothing new. He never met a puddle he didn't like. :)
We passed the Continental Divide a couple of times on this drive, which is always cool. I hadn't ever really understood what/where the Continental Divide was, so it was fun to learn more about it. It's not really a straight line and doesn't have much to do with latitude and longitude, it's just an elevation point where the water divides between flowing to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Pretty cool that it's so far West and that so much water flows all the way across the country to the Atlantic. We didn't stop there, but my dad told us there's a spring right there on the divide where you can actually see the water split and go both directions.
We went up and down some steep country crossing the divide and I was amazed at the motorhome's ability to tow the Jeep with ease. Stanton didn't even have to touch the brakes going down the mountain...the engine just automatically switched to a lower towing gear and handled the terrain amazingly. Well, that and Stanton is an awesome driver. Seriously - the man drove nearly 700 miles on this trip and was just awesome. I really appreciate his willingness to be the driver (most of) the time. I don't love driving.
We ended up camping outside the Northeast entrance to the Park past Cooke City. The campground where they had the terrible instance of the mama grizzly bear actually going into some campers' tents and attacking them is right there, along with two others. All three have been made "hard-sided campers only" areas, so we were able to stay there. We opted for the second of the three campgrounds. It was nice and safe and we never felt in danger. We did hope to see bear the next day, but no such luck. We're beginning to think bear are a Yellowstone myth, although the campers last year certainly wouldn't agree with us and I shouldn't make light of that.
We lit a campfire and made chili that night. It was while noticing how cute Stanton, Brigham, and Cannon looked around the campfire that I made a really gut-wrenching discovery. I had left our camera and the bag (which had a second lens and our HD video camera - in all, about $4000 dollars worth of camera equipment) at the picnic area earlier that day. I cried, we all prayed, we had some freak out moments, and Stanton headed off in the Jeep to see if there was even a chance it might still be there. It had been several hours by then and there wasn't any reason to hope that it would still be there. But while Stanton was gone, we all prayed again that an honest person found the camera or that it would still be there. Our prayer was answered -- Stanton got back to our campsite so quickly we knew it had to be good news. At the Ranger kiosk at the entrance to the Park, he asked the attendant if there was any chance someone had turned it in. She asked him to identify it, he did, she handed it to her, and he cried. We all cried when he got back to camp. There are honest and good people in this world and we were blessed by them on this trip!
That's Stanton looking totally relieved and emotional (and scruffy) after returning with the camera.
We had our chili and cornbread dinner after a walk around the campsite and a visit with the camp hosts. The night's sleep wasn't nearly as good as the night before, but not as bad as the first night. I think everyone was just getting excited to be back home and in their own beds.
We woke up and got on the road in decent time. We headed back into the Park and made the loop around to the Northwest. We stopped in Mammoth Hot Springs, which is the headquarters of the Park, but none of us had ever been there. It's another place that has a very Rooseveltian feel to it, which I adore. While we were there, we saw a beautiful small herd of elk just hanging out on the lawn of someone's house. Another young elk with velvet still on his horns came right in front of our car to cross the street. A car scared him and he turned to go the other way. He was so handsome - what a sight!
The Mammoth Hot Springs are an incredible sight, too! Wow. They are HUGE and so unique in their look. In places it looks like there's snow on the ground, in others, it's the Yellow Stone that I imagine the Park got its name from. It was amazing. I'm so glad we made the big loop this trip - we saw some beautiful country as a result.
Oh! Before we got to Mammoth, we passed the picnic ground where I left the camera. Stanton with his eagle eyes noticed that there were some rocks on our picnic table, so we found a place to turn around and sure enough, when we got to the table, there was this note from the person/people who found our camera equipment.
I so appreciated that they were careful not to say what was in the pack. And we really hoped they had left a number or taken a picture of themselves with our camera or something to identify themselves....honest people rarely seek credit for their good deeds, though, do they?!
So, on to Mammoth. The kids started to get a little hungry, so we did that most convenient of things -- used the generator-powered microwave to heat a big bag of corned beef hash whilst driving! Things like that make me so grateful and awed. We ate while we drove to Mammoth and enjoyed our brief time there.
Mammoth Hot Springs, some gorgeous country, and Roaring Mountain (center bottom) where steam is coming out the side of the mountain in several places.
It was so fun to have the motorhome for this trip - it was the funnest way to experience the Park. The kids had the freedom to switch from one window to the other in order to see things, they had space to stretch out and even a place for potty breaks. It was awesome. And we were so glad my folks agreed to come along. It was fun to spend some extra time with them and nice to have extra hands, too!
We roasted hot dogs and had cheesecake Mom had brought along for Brigham's birthday. The night's sleep was less than awesome, but Stanton was so nice and let me sleep while he was up most of the night with one kid or another. I had no idea he had done it until I woke up at 5. I really did appreciate it, though!
That night was really pleasant. We stayed at Fishing Bridge RV Park and had full hookups, so we were able to really live large that night. We visited the Yellowstone Lake Visitor's Center (which had lots of stuff for the kids to touch), threw rocks and sticks into the lake (What a humongous lake, Wow!), drove to an old hotel whose name I can't remember, but had a very Teddy Roosevelt-era feel and look to it, and really enjoyed the evening. Everyone had showers and a great meal of BBQ beef sandwiches and a terrific night's sleep. Thank goodness, because day 3 was a tiring one!
Chloe bounced her way all the way back up the stairs with nary a worry. Lily and Brigham each made it about 1/2 way or a bit more, then took turns being piggy backed by Stanton. Cannon made it about halfway, too, although his short little legs took a bit longer to make it! He asked to get in the pack about 1/3 of the way up, but I convinced him to keep going. He was beat by 1/2 way, so I threw him in and up we went. That was a good workout, as was Stanton's piggy backing with the big kids.
The northern part of the Park is so gorgeous! We stopped at a picnic area and had a quick little lunch and let the kids throw rocks in the water...Brig ended up wet to his ankles, but that's nothing new. He never met a puddle he didn't like. :)
We passed the Continental Divide a couple of times on this drive, which is always cool. I hadn't ever really understood what/where the Continental Divide was, so it was fun to learn more about it. It's not really a straight line and doesn't have much to do with latitude and longitude, it's just an elevation point where the water divides between flowing to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Pretty cool that it's so far West and that so much water flows all the way across the country to the Atlantic. We didn't stop there, but my dad told us there's a spring right there on the divide where you can actually see the water split and go both directions.
We went up and down some steep country crossing the divide and I was amazed at the motorhome's ability to tow the Jeep with ease. Stanton didn't even have to touch the brakes going down the mountain...the engine just automatically switched to a lower towing gear and handled the terrain amazingly. Well, that and Stanton is an awesome driver. Seriously - the man drove nearly 700 miles on this trip and was just awesome. I really appreciate his willingness to be the driver (most of) the time. I don't love driving.
We ended up camping outside the Northeast entrance to the Park past Cooke City. The campground where they had the terrible instance of the mama grizzly bear actually going into some campers' tents and attacking them is right there, along with two others. All three have been made "hard-sided campers only" areas, so we were able to stay there. We opted for the second of the three campgrounds. It was nice and safe and we never felt in danger. We did hope to see bear the next day, but no such luck. We're beginning to think bear are a Yellowstone myth, although the campers last year certainly wouldn't agree with us and I shouldn't make light of that.
We lit a campfire and made chili that night. It was while noticing how cute Stanton, Brigham, and Cannon looked around the campfire that I made a really gut-wrenching discovery. I had left our camera and the bag (which had a second lens and our HD video camera - in all, about $4000 dollars worth of camera equipment) at the picnic area earlier that day. I cried, we all prayed, we had some freak out moments, and Stanton headed off in the Jeep to see if there was even a chance it might still be there. It had been several hours by then and there wasn't any reason to hope that it would still be there. But while Stanton was gone, we all prayed again that an honest person found the camera or that it would still be there. Our prayer was answered -- Stanton got back to our campsite so quickly we knew it had to be good news. At the Ranger kiosk at the entrance to the Park, he asked the attendant if there was any chance someone had turned it in. She asked him to identify it, he did, she handed it to her, and he cried. We all cried when he got back to camp. There are honest and good people in this world and we were blessed by them on this trip!
That's Stanton looking totally relieved and emotional (and scruffy) after returning with the camera.
We had our chili and cornbread dinner after a walk around the campsite and a visit with the camp hosts. The night's sleep wasn't nearly as good as the night before, but not as bad as the first night. I think everyone was just getting excited to be back home and in their own beds.
We woke up and got on the road in decent time. We headed back into the Park and made the loop around to the Northwest. We stopped in Mammoth Hot Springs, which is the headquarters of the Park, but none of us had ever been there. It's another place that has a very Rooseveltian feel to it, which I adore. While we were there, we saw a beautiful small herd of elk just hanging out on the lawn of someone's house. Another young elk with velvet still on his horns came right in front of our car to cross the street. A car scared him and he turned to go the other way. He was so handsome - what a sight!
The Mammoth Hot Springs are an incredible sight, too! Wow. They are HUGE and so unique in their look. In places it looks like there's snow on the ground, in others, it's the Yellow Stone that I imagine the Park got its name from. It was amazing. I'm so glad we made the big loop this trip - we saw some beautiful country as a result.
Oh! Before we got to Mammoth, we passed the picnic ground where I left the camera. Stanton with his eagle eyes noticed that there were some rocks on our picnic table, so we found a place to turn around and sure enough, when we got to the table, there was this note from the person/people who found our camera equipment.
So, on to Mammoth. The kids started to get a little hungry, so we did that most convenient of things -- used the generator-powered microwave to heat a big bag of corned beef hash whilst driving! Things like that make me so grateful and awed. We ate while we drove to Mammoth and enjoyed our brief time there.
Some of the wildlife we saw on this trip. A coyote, bison (lots of calves this time, as well as some lame older ones - they have some sort of hoof rot disease going around and it's sad to see), the elk pack near the house, the young elk right out our window, and pronghorn antelope off in the distance. Not pictured: bald eagle, chipmunks, ravens, pelicans, cranes, and mule deer. It was fun to see such a variety of animals. I have yet to see moose and bear in Yellowstone, but I'll keep going back in hopes of catching a glimpse one day.
We headed home out the West entrance of the Park (same entrance we entered through). We stopped in Idaho Falls to visit my Grandma J at her new apartment in a retirement home. It was so beautiful and roomy. She had toys for the kids to play with and filled up her nut bowl twice for Lily, Cannon, and me. It was a treat to visit with her and it was super fun to run into Aunt Gloria, my grandma's sister, who had come to visit her.
It was a great little visit and I'm so glad to see Grandma doing so well. I miss her terribly and love her so much.
We dropped my folks off in Blackfoot, but didn't stay long. We were anxious to get home and start cleaning up from our 4 days of fun. I'm so glad my parents decided to come along. It was really nice to have them on the trip with us. They provided lots of entertainment in the form of travel games, crossword puzzles, treats (Jolly Rancher were definitely the favorite), and conversation. We sure love them.
We got back home to Logan at about 6:00 and unloaded all our stuff. We are still in the midst of washing all of the laundry and bedding - it's all smelling smokey after this trip. The poor washing machine is getting its workout with the pillows, sleeping bags, and bedding it's washing, not to mention the clothes, clothes, clothes that 6 people go through in 4 days.
While Stanton and I unpacked and cleaned, the kids enjoyed themselves outside. They were happy to be home!
I am as in love with Yellowstone as ever. I'm sure grateful Teddy Roosevelt had the vision for such places to be preserved. They are a treasure and I feel really grateful they are so close by. One of these years, we are going to backpack through the Park, Stanton and I. I think it would be another amazing way to experience this place I love so much.
Again, thank you, Mom and Dad, for coming along. We enjoyed your company so much. And the kids are missing you! They liked that grandparent time a lot!
Another great year in Yellowstone.
Brigham's Kindergarten Assessment
Brigham has the same wonderful teacher the girls had for Kindergarten, Mrs. Ashcroft. How we love her and appreciate her still being excited after her 3rd Allen child in 3 years. She is a gem and we feel so lucky that Brigham gets to be in her class.
We had his assessment appointment the day after his birthday, Monday morning. He surprised me by doing really, really well! He's smart in a different way from the girls, so it was a huge relief to see that some of the things we've been trying to teach him have sunk in.
I was also relieved to learn that he will not be the very youngest in his class...there are 3 other children with birthdays after his. I don't know why, exactly, but this really does give me comfort. He's such a little guy and I worry about him in Kindergarten. I know it's the right thing for us to send him, though. I know it for sure, so I am grateful for any of those little reassurances that come in whatever way they do.
Brigham's official first day should have been Thursday, but since we were on our Yellowstone trip, he will start this coming Tuesday. Such a big guy...I can hardly believe we're here already with him!
We had his assessment appointment the day after his birthday, Monday morning. He surprised me by doing really, really well! He's smart in a different way from the girls, so it was a huge relief to see that some of the things we've been trying to teach him have sunk in.
I was also relieved to learn that he will not be the very youngest in his class...there are 3 other children with birthdays after his. I don't know why, exactly, but this really does give me comfort. He's such a little guy and I worry about him in Kindergarten. I know it's the right thing for us to send him, though. I know it for sure, so I am grateful for any of those little reassurances that come in whatever way they do.
Brigham's official first day should have been Thursday, but since we were on our Yellowstone trip, he will start this coming Tuesday. Such a big guy...I can hardly believe we're here already with him!
Lemonade For Sale!
Chloe has made fast friends with a new little girl in our neighborhood named Alice. I am always so grateful when my children naturally gravitate towards friends I would hand pick for them if I had that power!
They played after school the other day and ended up with a lemonade stand in front of our house. I opened one of those cookie mixes where you just add water and an egg or something and made them some cookies to give away with their lemonade. They worked on their sign (although I'm the dummy who lettered it and didn't leave enough room for the last few letters -- this is why I could never have made it as a cheerleader in high school!) while I got the cookies and lemonade ready.
Once they were outside, business was a little slow, so Chloe asked me if I'd call a few people. I figure she's getting old enough now that she has to take a few lumps of her own, so I said no and told them they'd have to figure out a way to advertise themselves. Figure it out, they did! I found out later that they went door to door telling people about their stand! Haha! I was pretty proud of their bravery and as mortified as I ought to have been at their boldness. No harm done, though, and they ended up selling out of their gallon of lemonade before they could fill all their orders. Each of them ended up with a couple extra dollars and a big grin on their faces.
They played after school the other day and ended up with a lemonade stand in front of our house. I opened one of those cookie mixes where you just add water and an egg or something and made them some cookies to give away with their lemonade. They worked on their sign (although I'm the dummy who lettered it and didn't leave enough room for the last few letters -- this is why I could never have made it as a cheerleader in high school!) while I got the cookies and lemonade ready.
Once they were outside, business was a little slow, so Chloe asked me if I'd call a few people. I figure she's getting old enough now that she has to take a few lumps of her own, so I said no and told them they'd have to figure out a way to advertise themselves. Figure it out, they did! I found out later that they went door to door telling people about their stand! Haha! I was pretty proud of their bravery and as mortified as I ought to have been at their boldness. No harm done, though, and they ended up selling out of their gallon of lemonade before they could fill all their orders. Each of them ended up with a couple extra dollars and a big grin on their faces.
Happy 5th, Dear Brigham!!
Sunday morning, I was woken up bright and early by a little 5 year old man reminding me it was HIS BIRTHDAY!!!! I'm sure glad he reminded me because it really had slipped my mind, what with preparing for our Yellowstone trip, first days of school, etc, etc, etc. Luckily, I had shopped online for all his presents, so I was at least prepared on that front. :)
We have 1:00 church, so Brigham got to choose his birthday breakfast (French Toast? Maybe?) and I got to work on his cake for that evening. He requested an Angry Birds cake because he is a little addict to that particular iPhone game. It was fun to create such a fun cake. The older 3 kids all chose really fun, unique cakes this year -- it was fun to bring them to life!
Brigham asked if he could stay home from church for his birthday....he is not our biggest fan of church services, that's for sure. :) He does like his primary teachers a lot, though, so that definitely helps. He didn't get that particular birthday wish...We had a quick lunch and then spent the next 3 hours at church.
After church, he requested spaghetti for his birthday dinner. Thank heavens for that home canned spaghetti sauce we're still working our way through from 3 years ago (or was it two?...anyway, I'm sure grateful for it). I happened to have half a loaf of garlic bread in the freezer, too, so we heated that up and had a great little birthday dinner. After dinner, I had to finish up his cake. I had made it before church and now it was time to decorate! I used an entire bag of powdered sugar to make the buttercream frosting and can I just say that it was the best frosting I have EVER made. Holy cow, it was delicious. Kinda made my head spin with delirious goodness...especially when on top of the white cake I made...it had this slightly lemony aftertaste that was a result of the freshly squeezed lemons I used to make sour milk for the batter. I know this is about Brigham's birthday, but for a girl who doesn't really love cake...this was knock your socks off good. Still dreaming about it a week later....
Aaaannnnyyyywwwwaaaaayyyyyy.....on to the celebration. I convinced my mom and dad not to make a special trip down since we would be seeing them just a couple of days later for our Yellowstone trip, so Dave & Judy were the grandparents in attendance. We had fun with presents, cake & ice cream, then got the kids to bed and visited with Dave & Judy for a little while longer.
The Angry Birds cake. It was done in haste and is very far from perfect, but I am no perfectionist (duh!), so it was good enough for me. And Brigham loved it, so I can't help but be happy. Isn't he a cute little guy?!
Opening his presents. We added significantly to our Cars collection (for the second birthday in a month). Brigham got a few new character cars, a Mack truck that doubles as a carrying case for the cars, and some new clothes (from Dave and Judy, but I picked them out so was ready to take the heat if he wasn't thrilled about clothes for his birthday - he really was excited about them, though -- phew!) My parents gave him the same bear chair and sleeping bag they gave Cannon earlier this month. He loved them all.
Brigham is our little miracle boy and we are so thankful he is a member of our family. He is so naturally sweet and good-natured. He has definitely been spreading his wings a bit on the defiance and provoking others front, but he is, overall, about the sweetest little guy you could ever ask for. He loves superheroes, building forts, robots, Cars, laughing, playing with his sisters and brother, and the color black. He's learning a lot, is excited for Kindergarten, and fills our hearts with so much joy we are nearly ready to burst. How we love him!
Happy birthday, Dear Brigham!
We have 1:00 church, so Brigham got to choose his birthday breakfast (French Toast? Maybe?) and I got to work on his cake for that evening. He requested an Angry Birds cake because he is a little addict to that particular iPhone game. It was fun to create such a fun cake. The older 3 kids all chose really fun, unique cakes this year -- it was fun to bring them to life!
Brigham asked if he could stay home from church for his birthday....he is not our biggest fan of church services, that's for sure. :) He does like his primary teachers a lot, though, so that definitely helps. He didn't get that particular birthday wish...We had a quick lunch and then spent the next 3 hours at church.
After church, he requested spaghetti for his birthday dinner. Thank heavens for that home canned spaghetti sauce we're still working our way through from 3 years ago (or was it two?...anyway, I'm sure grateful for it). I happened to have half a loaf of garlic bread in the freezer, too, so we heated that up and had a great little birthday dinner. After dinner, I had to finish up his cake. I had made it before church and now it was time to decorate! I used an entire bag of powdered sugar to make the buttercream frosting and can I just say that it was the best frosting I have EVER made. Holy cow, it was delicious. Kinda made my head spin with delirious goodness...especially when on top of the white cake I made...it had this slightly lemony aftertaste that was a result of the freshly squeezed lemons I used to make sour milk for the batter. I know this is about Brigham's birthday, but for a girl who doesn't really love cake...this was knock your socks off good. Still dreaming about it a week later....
Aaaannnnyyyywwwwaaaaayyyyyy.....on to the celebration. I convinced my mom and dad not to make a special trip down since we would be seeing them just a couple of days later for our Yellowstone trip, so Dave & Judy were the grandparents in attendance. We had fun with presents, cake & ice cream, then got the kids to bed and visited with Dave & Judy for a little while longer.
Brigham is our little miracle boy and we are so thankful he is a member of our family. He is so naturally sweet and good-natured. He has definitely been spreading his wings a bit on the defiance and provoking others front, but he is, overall, about the sweetest little guy you could ever ask for. He loves superheroes, building forts, robots, Cars, laughing, playing with his sisters and brother, and the color black. He's learning a lot, is excited for Kindergarten, and fills our hearts with so much joy we are nearly ready to burst. How we love him!
Happy birthday, Dear Brigham!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)