The Pumpkin Patch

So we didn't make it up to our favorite pumpkin patch in Junction this year.  So we went to our local one.  It's really nice - but I think it's for younger kids, really.  We've outgrown it!  But the kids still had fun and we (Ben and I) were super happy that the pumpkins were half-off.

 They all loved Sterling!

 What a fun and big tire swing!

 It sure is beautiful up there.

 The kids all fell in love with the cows.  Funny.

Something's wrong with this picture . . . :)

'Tis the season - I love fall!

STUCO

So STUCO stands for the Student Council at my boys' middle school.  I encouraged Jonas to join in the beginning of the year - and then encouraged Miles to as well!  I should have encouraged Miles in his 6th-grade year as well, but I didn't so oh well!

So STUCO meets each Monday right after school.  They discuss . . . things.  Like upcoming activities, fundraiser ideas, sporting events, etc.

Miles is the STUCO co-president - his partner is a girl named Camryn.  They didn't have to get voted in really.  A while ago the students voted in the president.  Then it changed to STUCO members voting.  But this year no one really wanted it, I guess - but Miles and Camryn decided they would do it as co-presidents.  Funny.

Both boys seem to enjoy it.  They get to sell concessions at our home sporting events.  The boys totally like that - they get to make nachos, sell stuff, get $1 of free food for each hour they help, etc.  :)

This past Friday the school had its activity/dance night.  The boys stayed after school to help get set up and then came home at 8pm.  They loved it.  Miles was "helping" out with the cake-walk and "being crazy," as he told me.  Jonas got to be the DJ.  He was super excited about it - but then also told me that kids would come and "cuss" at him because he wasn't playing their songs.  Ha.  But they were both excited to tell us all about it.

Here is one picture the school posted in its facebook page:

The theme of the night was "red carpet."  Only because STUCO has more girls than boys in it and that is what they voted for - per report from my boys.  :)

A side-note of STUCO.  So Miles was going to a merit-badge rally a week or so ago and needed 2 more badges to get the next rank.  As we were reviewing the required badges that he was recommended to work on, I thought there was no way he'd be able to pass it off on that one Saturday because there were service hours to do, meetings to attend, etc.  Turns out that his service on STUCO and his STUCO meetings qualified and he was able to pass them off.  So cool.

2017-18 School Pictures

I have 2 sets of twins this year . . . 

 Lucy.  1st grade.  Mrs. Dodd.  Northside Elementary.

 Emmy.  4th grade.  Mr. Scott.  Northside Elementary.

 Jonas.  6th grade.  Centennial Middle School.

Miles.  8th grade.  Centennial Middle School.

Random Happenings, Plus a Sneak-Peek at Halloween . . .

As in years past, the girls did a cheer-camp for 5 days and then got to perform at the high school's football game's half-time.  They loved it all - practices and their 10-second performance!  :)

No, Ben didn't change professions by becoming an astronaut.  This is him in the "space-suit" as they call it in surgery.  He's at the hospital here working on a total knee-replacement.  I think Ben was sewing up the patient at this point?

 The boys had a Court of Honor this past week.  Here is Jonas conducting the flag ceremony.
 

 Some of the scouts.  Including weird-Miles.  :)

 Here is Miles pinning me.  I think he got his Star rank and is pretty close to his Life . . .?  I really know nothing about it and don't even know how he got this far - except thanks to his scout leader and scout camps and merit badge rallies (where he gets a lot of the un-fun required badges done).

 

  And here is Jonas pinning me . . . I think he earned his Tenderfoot and is pretty close to earning 2nd class.  Or something like that.

 Here's an early sneek-peak at Jonas' costume!  We had a ward party last night and so had to get it ready for then.  Ben was the master-maker of this costume!  He did it all, with a little help from Jonas.

 I think it turned out so awesome; Jonas loves it, too!  He got lots of positive reactions last night.  :)

 Ben had to run to the second-hand store to see if he could find a cape for Jonas' costume (which he did, luckily).  Ben also came back with this wig.  I put it on and decided I would dress up as the 1985 version of Dixie Galbraith.  Pretty close, huh?!  :)

Lucy was an awesome sport and went as a BYU cheerleader!  Her Poppy (troll) costume wasn't here yet - which we thought would happen and so we had decided on this outfit for back-up.  Totally cute.

The ward party included 2 wards and the branch and had a carnival and then the trunk-or-treat.  The kids all had fun running around with their friends and getting lots of candy.  Here is Lucy with her friends Jayden and Lila.

Goblin Valley 2017

So I just looked at my blog and realized this was our 5th year of adventuring to Goblin Valley.  I did it solo this year - well, solo in the adult-sense.  I took our kids, plus a friend DJ, and Brigham.  It was fun - except when it wasn't.  It's a little hard and lonely not having a friend/spouse for me!  Jonas drove me berserk at times and really ended it on a sour note for all of us.  :(  Miles was less-than helpful.  The girls were okay - except for the love-hate relationship they have going on.  Although, really, it's not that bad.  The love is there for like 90% of the time - then you get the, "I'm never playing with her again!"  And then 1 minute later they are playing together again happily . . . at least for another 9 minutes or so . . . :)

Anyways, the kids had a half-day on Thursday and so we headed out early and were able to get to Goblin Valley and set-up camp and play around.  Friday was spent hiking Bells and Little Wild Horse Canyons - a nice 8-mile loop hike.  We had a bit of water last year in Bells, but never have I seen it in Little Wild Horse.  Except for this year - we literally had water up to our waist.  And that slot-canyon-never-see-the-sun water is super cold!  But it added to our adventure and was a little fun.  :)  Brigham did awesome up Bell and then we struggled with him a bit after that.  He didn't like jumping off ledges, swimming in murky water, etc.  He definitely added stress!  But he's also so fun to have around.  We had an enjoyable evening and I think each one of us saw at least one shooting star - so cool.

Saturday morning we packed up and headed to the official Goblin Valley (State Park).  The kids had fun playing around the goblins and then I found a cool area for them to play and suggested they play "capture the flag."  That was great . . . until Jonas lost it (figuratively and literally) and I was done and ready to leave.  So we left and had a nice drive home listening to The Witch of Blackbird Pond (which we finished) and Harry Potter #1.

It's such a great area for kids - I just need to have an adult around for my sake next time.  :)

 The girls were excited about our camp spot and - after our tent was set up - went off to climb and explore.

 The boys were off and running, too - as soon as their tent was up.

 Finally eating some dinner!

 The girls ready for bed - we brought two tents, one for the girls and one for the boys.  It worked out great.

 Emmy took this lovely picture of me - ha.  I thought it was the only picture of me . . . but I managed to make it in one more.  :)

 The kids didn't waste too much time on Friday morning to climb to the top of the hill.  Brigham had fun going up and down and up and down.

 This is in the beginning of Bells Canyon.  Brigham loved it at this point.  :)

 The girls kept telling me how much they love this hike!

 Snack/water break on the rocks.  Super cool.

 Another break higher up on the rocks.  Even cooler.

 So this was the first big trouble-spot for Brigham.  He would not jump down anywhere!  We tried and tried and tried.  Finally I had to walk for like 15 minutes along the upper-ridge until I could find a more mellow spot to come down.  He's a silly dog - he could totally do it, but he's super scared of it.

 In the slot canyon!

 This was the first water-spot - it only came up shin-deep.  But it gave us a taste of what it was going to be like walking in waist-high water.  We weren't too thrilled.  :)

 There's the long stretch of water - which did go up to our waists at a few spots.

 Brigham did not like this!  He kept trying to come back, but then we'd just have to push him forward.  Poor guy.

 Go, Brigham, go!

 I carried Lucy on my back.  I thought I would go and drop my backpack off and then come back for her.  But I decided I didn't want to have to go through that water any more than once, so my pack went on my front and Lucy on my back.  At the deep point Lucy exclaimed, "Ahhh, my feet are touching!  Hold me higher mom!"  Poor baby to have her feet in the water.  :)

 DJ was pretty great - he even went back in the water to help Emmy towards the end. I'm pretty sure he'd never done anything like this before and so it was good for him.  He did take like a 2-hour nap when we got back from hiking that evening.  :)

 The girls do love chilling in holes.

 Miles is pretty cute . . . but I took this picture to show how dirty he was.  But you can't tell!  Oh well, it's a nice picture of Miles.

 We got back from our all-day hike and the girls immediately started playing their games - no, Lucy is not napping.  It's just part of the game.

 Saturday morning - Goblin Valley!  It's the best picture I got - and too bad that Lucy was in the shade.  Oh well, I've plenty others from years past!

Brigham enjoyed it - but had to be leashed in the state park.

The end.

Handies Peak - Our Family's First 14er

So we had quite the adventure this past weekend - finally making it to a 14er with our whole family!  We had tentative plans last year to hike Handies, but we decided too late in the season and the weather just wasn't good.  This year we had tentative plans for one weekend that would have had great weather, but Ben was finishing up his Ward Conference talk.  So we put it on hold for 2 weeks later.  Well 2 weeks later (and the whole back of the truck packed by me, food all ready, water bottles filled, etc., etc.) we canceled as horrible weather was forecast.  It was a good decision as it rained and snowed the entire weekend up there (near Lake City, CO).  I cried - I just needed to get in to the great outdoors and was soooo bummed to be stuck at home for another weekend doing nothing but chores (but good chores were accomplished - like Ben helping the boys deep-clean their room for many hours on Saturday!).

So we decided to try for 2 weeks later again.  And this time it worked!  Ben was done with cases early on Friday, I had packed the truck (again), we checked the kids out of school a bit early, and we were on our way to Lake City and beyond.

The drive was alright - the fall colors were beautiful in Lake City.  The 4-wheel drive road from the town to our trailhead was a little precarious in spots, but we made it!  We got to the trailhead at 5:30 and made camp.  It was freezing cold because of a tremendous wind!  I think the air-temp. was around 32, but with the wind it was so darn chilly.  And annoying.  Wind is the worst.  The wind even blew down our tent a couple of times!  We had to eat our dinner in the car as it was way too miserable to eat outside.

That night sleeping in the tent was about the worse tent-sleeping that Ben and I ever had - or didn't have.  We maybe got 2-3 hours MAX of sleep that night.  I'm not sure really why.  I mean it was cold, but we weren't freezing.  We just couldn't sleep.  Then Lucy decided to wake up every 1.5 hours and cry and whine and such - but she wouldn't/couldn't tell us what was wrong and refused (quite loudly and awfully) any help.  Finally by the 4th awakening of Lucy (maybe 2:30am?), we stuck her outside to chill out for about 5 minutes.  That didn't help.  I suggested to Ben that we just go hiking now (since everybody was awake) and watch an awesome sunrise on the peak.  He didn't go for it . . . So Ben took Lucy to the truck and she quickly and quietly fell asleep for the rest of the night - Ben stayed in the truck as well and got a little bit of sleep.  I just didn't sleep well and was happy when the kids got up by 6:15 - let the day begin!

The hike was great and the kids did really amazing considering their ages.  Jonas was our toughest challenge as he just complained and moaned and groaned for most of the time going up.  Lucy did pretty great - she had her moments, especially at the very end where she just wanted to give up, but really did amazing for a 7-year old.

The hike was 2.5 miles to the summit - and about 2,500 feet of elevation gain.  So it is a steep hike.  But it wasn't bad.  Nobody got altitude sickness at all - I was thrilled about that!  The wind wasn't bad at the top (but was horrible coming down for the first 15 or so minutes!).  We had the appropriate clothing (except, apparently, Jonas' shoes as his feet were frozen the moment we began hiking and were threatening to fall off at any moment).

It was so beautiful at the summit - the mountains were amazing and I didn't get a picture of them!  But I feel like the mountains we see from our cars are more like 2-D images.  When you get on top of a 14er, those mountains are like an endless pop-out book of peaks and more peaks.  It was incredible.

It was a fantastic outing and I was super proud of my family!

 Emmy, Lucy, and Jonas eating dinner in the truck and warming up for a bit on Friday night.

 This was Brigham's first time sleeping in the tent - usually he sleeps in the truck when we camp.  He was a little unsure of it.  He was really unsure of Lucy's crying throughout the night!  But he did okay.

 There's our campsite!  The stream was covered with ice on Saturday morning!

 The four kids finally ready to begin our hike!

 This was probably one of Brigham's best days ever!  He is an amazing hiker and I wish I had a quarter of his energy!  He just ran and ran and loved every minute of it!  As we started out, he ran up the hillside - quite high.  I could tell he was after something - then we saw three deer start prancing away from him.  :)  He's beyond awesome (and, yes, still my favorite child!).

 The handsome man of the family and hiking crew.

 Miles in his fox-hat.  Miles is such a great hiker - he never, ever complains and can hike fast and forever.  He really is impressive.

 There was lots of snow on the trail.  Going up, most of it was still pretty solidly frozen.  It made for some fun and excitement!  Lucy really enjoyed it.  :)

 Jonas hiking up a little hill of snow - just for fun, this was not the trail.  :)

 Emmy is a great hiker, too - pretty fast and tireless like Miles.  She can sometimes complains, but didn't on this hike.  Go Emmy!

 This was the most precarious part of the hike.  You can't tell, but the trail was along a very steep slope, along the snowfield.  One slip and you'd go tumbling down the rocky, snowy slope.  Miles just cruised along it.  Ben held on to Emmy's pack; I held on to Lucy's pack.  Jonas came along slowly at the end.  On the way back, Ben had decided to skip this section and so we cut off the trail (you know, at the sign where it read, "Stay on trail").  It was definitely a smart choice as the snow was getting warmed and melted - and, thus, more slippery.  I do like to obey trail etiquette, but I valued my kids' lives more than the plants we were stepping on at that point.

 Skittles on the trail are the best!

 Trekking up and up!  The snow at this point had melted and/or blown off.

 We three girls at the saddle - ready for the last and steep ascent to the very top!

 And Lucy made it - last, but not least, right?!  They all did so great.  That final ascent was tough!  Emmy made it first - she just kept going.  Miles was right on her tail (her coyote's tail, that is).  Ben and I were in the back with our two slow-pokes.  :)  We traded at one point and I finished the hike with Jonas.  And Ben and Lucy weren't too far behind.  We had to break quite often for about 30 seconds those last 5-10 minutes.  It was tough and the air was thin up there!

 But it was an awesome feeling of accomplishment, as you can see in Jonas!

 Emmy pretty much rocked it.  :)

 And there we were - the whole of us on top of Handies Peak. 14,058 feet in the air.

 Go Miles.  Like I said, it wasn't too windy nor too cold.

 A bunch of new 14er-hikers!  :)

 This is Sloan Lake.  We saw it on the way up, but didn't go over to it.  We were planning on stopping there for a break on our way down.  But then Ben made the choice to get off the trail and so we had to miss the lake.  So I snapped a picture of it from atop the mountain.

 The kids enjoyed sliding down on the snow - especially the boys.  But the girls had fun, too!

 Lucy keeping it real.

 Brigham enjoying some down-time.

A fun picture of the group at the end of our family's first fourteener.  So cool.

A video of the kids sliding down the snow:

I just thought this was cool: