Happy 13th, Lucy!

A new phase of parenting started today . . . and we'll have teenagers for the next 18 years.

Top Ten Post . . . Or Wherein I Admit I Have Failed

I made, like, two New Year's resolutions this year.  And then I promptly broke both of them.  One was to do Top Ten (or Top Five, if needed) posts every month of the year, and the other was . . . I don't even remember.  I obviously wasn't committed from the start because I didn't even write them down. 

Fortunately, I am well past the point in my life when I get down about such things.  One of my favorite Marjorie Pay Hinckley stories came from a letter she wrote to her daughter (I think?).  She said, "I've made a goal to read one chapter out of each of the standard works every day.  I'm four days in and three days behind.  Oh well.  Better to have tried and failed than never to have tried."  Wise, wise woman.  So I don't feel the slightest bit bad that my resolutions didn't stick.  Except that we love to go back and read our Top Tens because they help tell our family story.  So it's time to get back on the saddle and try again.

Note: this Top Ten comes from months of random events.  ENJOY!  (I know we will when we come back and read it again in a year or so.)

10) Adam: What day is it?  I could order Pokemon today.
Lucy: Mmm-hmmmm.
A: I hope the mail people aren't Catholic.
L: Ummm, why?
A:  Because then my Pokemon can't come on Sunday!

9) Overheard dinner conversation:
L: If you were an ice cream topping, what would you be?  I would be cherries.
K: Hmmm.  Hot fudge.
I: Caramel.
A: I like sprinkles!
E: Chocolate.
M: I think you're all nuts!

8) M: Slinkies off your noses during prayer!
(Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd need to say...)

7) Adam: I can do it easilier.  (Trying to teach the basics of the English language to a 5 year old is confusing for both of us.  How do you explain our grammar?  It just doesn't make sense.)

6) Lucy (after watching a video of the Prophets and Apostles bearing their testimonies of Jesus Christ):  I just feel so sorry for anyone who doesn't know about Jesus.

5) What is up with the love/hate relationship of siblings?  I KNOW that's how it is.  I grew up with 8 siblings.  I really do get it.  And still, the change from loving, hugging, laughing brothers to yelling and punching each other in the face and screaming in under 2 seconds seems a little excessive.  They'll like each other when they get older, right?  Right, brothers??

4) When one is making baking powder biscuits for the first time in awhile, one should make sure that they are actually using baking powder instead of . . . say . . . baking soda.  Because otherwise one will take a bite and spit it out when one realizes just how disgusting baking soda biscuits are.  For the record.  (And it might take one an hour or so to realize just WHY the biscuits were so awful, and then it will just come to one as a bolt from the blue.  For the record.)

3) After a little coaching, I let Isaac call his Primary teacher to say thank you for the gift she brought him and left on the porch.  And this is how it went down:
I: Hi!  This message is for Sister Buhler.  This is Isaac.   Thank you for the gifts you brought me.  They are really fun.  Bye! . . . . . . . MOM!  HOW DO YOU END A MESSAGE!?!?!?
M: Just hang up the phone, Isaac.
I: Ohhhhhhhhhh.  Hahahahahahahaha--click.

I'll bet she got a kick out of that one.

2) Our carpool friend came hopping up to the car one afternoon and I asked him what happened?  Twisted ankle?  Nope.  Stubbed toe?  Nope.  Sore leg?  Nope again.  He decided he wanted to hop on one foot until his birthday the next day.  You know.  Just cause.

1) A: If Lucy died would Isaac, Kye, and I get her money?  We could split it up!
A: You'll be consequenced that...
And...
M: OK.  Do you know what you do when your alarm goes off?
A: Yeah.  I go 'cawcacaw' and everyone else in the house wakes up.

Mmmm, hmmmm.  Something like that.

That's all folks.  See you next month.  Maybe.

Amazing Summer Vacation Part Last

After our time at the Coast, we headed up to tour the Tillamook Cheese Factory, ate a very windy lunch at Rockaway Beach and headed inland to spend the night at the Dahl's house in Portland.  After a lovely time, in which all of our children discovered they had much in common with their 2nd and 3rd Dahl cousins, we drove to Multnomah Falls before heading on to Twin Falls to stay with the Barlows.  Shockingly, I got no pictures at either place.  This is not indicative of how we feel about those cousins--we think they are awesome and we love them!  After a night in Twin and a fun picnic lunch at the Shoshone Falls the next day, we headed home.  It was good, GOOD to be home.

Beach selfie of me and Zach:

 Lighthouse overlook:

Pretty mucht the only family photo we managed to get on the trip:

 Picnicing at Beverly Beach, where my Fesler family camped on our West Coast trip over 20 years ago: 

 Grandma, Isaac, Adam and Lucy at the Tillamook Cheese Factory:

 One of the only pictures of Isaac I got on the trip.  He is not loved less.  He is merely in constant motion:

 Gma Tina and Lucy at Rockaway Beach:

 

 Flyaway hair:

Okay, so we got TWO family photos on the trip:

It was an awesome trip.  Except that Zach was more than a little appalled at the amount of peanut butter and jelly and spaghetti we ate.  Oops--bit of a fail there.  But at least I didn't have to chase Eli around any restaurants:)



Amazing Summer Vacation Part I've Lost Count

After our drive up the coast, I picked up Zach in Portland and we settled in for a few days in Lincoln City.  It was windy and cold, but still beautiful!  I could have sat on the beach all day, wrapped in a blanket, watching the kids play.  But Zach had the brilliant idea to pay our kids if they got entirely wet.  So within a few minutes, the kids were wet and frozen.  So we had to leave.  All part of Zach's plan, I'm sure . . . :) 

Eli digging:

 Taking the Dad challenge:

 Frozen Adam:

 Lucy passed on getting wet and just played in the sand:

 In almost every town we stopped in, they had the awesome wooden play structures and the kids were thrilled.  Isaac looking around:

 The fun "try to bounce your sibling off the fabric bridge" game:

 Eli loves parks:

 Mom loved soaking up the sunshine and watching the kids play:



Amazing Summer Vacation Part 3

On our way up the Coast, we took a little detour to Fern Canyon.  I would give a little advice to anyone who would like to go to Fern Canyon:

• Don't worry if the road to the trailhead is so miniscule you are afraid you will plummet off the edge should you meet a car going the other way.  They have pull offs for that.  Likewise, don't worry about splashing through small rivers across the road, and bumps the size of Texas.  It is actually the right road.  You'll get there eventually.
• When taking 5 children hiking, remember the carry pack for the 2 year old (whoops).  So that if you meet the Elk mamas who are feeling VERY protective of their elk babies, you can book it outta there.  (Didn't happen--we were just warned it might.)
• Try to go hiking in Fern Canyon AFTER all of the small bridges over rivulets of water have been placed by the prison crew in bright orange, especially if you have a curious 5 year old who is dying to know (at the top of his voice) WHY those guys are wearing orange and are being supervised by a dude with a gun.  Superfun.
• Watch out for slugs.  Just saying.

Despite it all, Fern Canyon was awesome.  I'd love to see it in July, when the ferns are full grown.  We kept it short because Eli was either walking on his own or being carried. 

Gma and the kids: 

  Isaac, Adam, Lucy, Eli, and Kye:

 Fern Canyon:

 Lucy and Kye:

 Random squishy slug:

 Sitting on Paul Bunyon's foot:

 Making it to the ocean.  Cold but beautiful:

 

We drove up the coast to Newport, Oregon and it was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever enjoyed.  I'd do it again tomorrow if I could.  Seeing the sunset just past the lighthouse on the point in Yachats was pretty much amazing.  

Amazing Summer Vacation Part 2

One of the most amazing things about our trip through Northern California was the fact that no one else was really there.  We went during the first week in June and saw very few people at the touristy spots.  When we rolled into Founder's Grove in the Avenue of the Giants, there were maybe 2 other cars in the parking lot.  Let me tell you, seeing the Redwoods and Sequoias is amazing enough.  Seeing them when you are the only ones there and feel completely dwarfed and insignificant is pretty awesome.

 One of our favorite things was the drive-thru tree.  It was the kids' first look at the trees, and they were awe-struck:

 Mom and Schmee enjoying the beauty:

 Big Tree, Little Man:

 Isaac and Adam at Founder's Grove in the Avenue of the Giants:

 Founder's Tree:

These babies can still grow when burned out by fire:

 Kye, feeling small:

 Lucy and Eli at the roots of a tree that fell:

 Lucy and Eli:

 After our drive through the Avenue of the Giants, we stayed overnight in Fortuna.  Eli finally started feeling better and was thrilled to get pizza for dinner.  The other kids loved LOVED the teeny tiny hotel pool.  Ah, good times.