Alaska, Day 1 (and into 2 . . .)

So I don't have tons of pictures for each day, but I thought it would be easier for me to break it down this way.  So here goes my Alaska/Uncle Derek's wedding posts!

Lucy and I flew out of the Montrose airport at 4:55.  So we left our house at 4:00 and still had plenty of time!  Love it.  (Sorry, sis.)  I love this picture:

 Oh Emmy's expression!  It was "acted" here, but was more true than not.  She went home and cried that afternoon . . . for me.  And she cried throughout the time we were gone, wanting to play with Lucy and the such.  What a sweet gal.

 Lucy on her first plane ride - looking out the window!

 I guess snacks are not really offered anymore, but if you are as cute as Lucy (or her mother), you get some pretzels.  Awesome.  Lucy did just dandy.  Once or twice she told me her stomach hurt and I thought maybe she was going to barf (frankly, I thought I might, too!).  But she didn't.  Nor did I.  It was a sort of small plane and sort of bumpy, too.  But it was short and so that was good.  We got off at the Denver airport (after waiting on the runway for over 20 minutes . . .) and met up with:

Pig!  Just kidding, we met up with cousin Ollie!  Yay!  And his mom - Erin!  Yay, yay!  The kids just played and then we boarded our plane . . . late, of course.  But we made up good time in the air.

We arrived in Anchorage and met my parents at the airport.  We got our luggage, shuttled to our rental car, drove to the military base where we were lodging that night (and had to "check in" and get ID badges and all sorts of ridiculous things at a ridiculous time . . .), and finally made it to bed by 2am Anchorage time (4am Western time, 6am for my sis and Ollie - waking up time!).  We all slept well, though, and didn't get up until like 8?

Oh, and Lucy and Ollie just slept on the plane.  They were great.  I got to hold and cuddle Lucy the hold time.  It was awesome.  Except my bum didn't like it.

Labor Day Weekend

Well this is going to be short and quick, but 1.  I hardly got any pictures at all!  and 2.  I leave soon on a plane to Alaska!  With Lucy!  Aaaack!

Anyways, we got an early start to our weekend and were able to head out Thursday evening.  We arrived around 11pm and had a pretty uneventful drive.  We listened to stories on tape and all was pretty pleasant.

First up on Friday morning:  swimming of course!  We had the pool all to ourselves and so that was fun.  Next we went to the Sheep Dog Competition at Soldier Hollow - right in Midway.  It wasn't everything we were hoping for (slightly unorganized, scheduled "performances" or "exhibits" that were totally unprofessional and kind of lame - the "raptor show" was horrible!, it was hot, etc.), but it was still an experience and it was something kind of fun to do.  :)  The splash dogs were pretty fun to watch:

After we ate our lunch, we were all ready to head out.  We decided to drive down to Provo to the BYU bookstore and get some hats for Jonas and Ben.  We did that and got hats, some pom-poms for the girls, and a shirt for Miles.  It was slightly chaotic as it was back-to-school weekend or something, but it was still fun to be on campus.

We drove back, went swimming again, had dinner.  My parents were pretty much busy with Swiss Day stuff (volunteering at booths), but made it home in the early evening.  The boys stayed up with us and we watched Night at the Museum.  Totally fun.

Saturday morning I did my 10K Swiss Days race.  It was awesome as I set a PR!  Wahoo.  I ran it in 54 minutes, which came out to be an 8:41 minute/mile.  Definitely faster than I normally run.  I felt really great.  I finished 35th overall and 10th in my female-age division.  So cool.  The rest of the family went to the Swiss Days breakfast.  Lots of food is what I heard!

 Some of the gang. . .

Post-race!

And Lucy just being . . . cute.

After my race (my family missed me running in!), we walked around the Swiss Days booths.  It was kind of hard with our kiddos - the girls couldn't care less about anything, Jonas just wanted to go back to one booth that was selling swords, and Miles wanted to look at it ALL.  There was a bouncy-house place that the kids had fun at, plus a climbing wall:

Ben and I even tried - it was fun!  A little hard and I didn't like the height!  But it was fun.  I'm not showing Ben's picture because it is mainly of his bum.  (My mom took  it - Mom!  :)

We then went and watched the parade - it was fun, with lots of candy for the kids, but it was also like an hour + long.  After buying a sword for Jonas, a finger puppet for Miles, and 2 tiaras for the girls, we left Swiss Days and headed home.  We then went swimming and had a good time.  We tried watching the BYU game and were able to watch some of it, but due to weather-problems and then not having air-time left, we didn't watch much.  Oh well, they lost!

We finished up the day with dinner and then the boys got to watch the second "Night of the Museum" with us.

Sunday was church.  We had a good dinner all together - finally.  :)  I even made waffle-cones - so fun.

Monday morning was swimming again - our last time.  Grandma and Grandpa came and watched.  We had fun!  Then we came home, Ben and I packed up while Grandma and Grandpa took the kids for a ride on the Polaris.  Then we drove home.

Good times, for sure!

Emmy is SIX

Another good birthday, I hope!  It was a little different for Emmy seeing as she was in school for most of her birthday, but I still think she had a fun and special day:

 She's 6 and Excited!  Yay Emmy!

 Here she is opening her first present of the day (they always can open up one gift in the morning).  Isn't she beautiful?

 I just love her expression here!  "Huh?"  I think is what she said.  She didn't quite know what she had opened - hair chalk!  Ha.  When I told Ben what I had gotten for her, I think he was all, "What?!  Why?!  What are you thinking?!"  Not in a mad way, just in a I-never-was-nor-ever-will-be-a-girl-and-thus-just-don't-get-it way.  :)  When I told Emmy what it was she was so super excited!

 I won't go in to all the messy details of the hair chalk (due to it's top totally crumbling away and getting e v e r y w h e r e), but it finally worked and she loved it.  Here she is in her birthday chair with her birthday cereal.  Cute.

Then she was off to school.  Rhonda, the school's fabulous secretary, gave Emmy a fancy pencil (Miles told Rhonda it was Emmy's birthday) and so that was a good start to her birthday at school.  :)

I checked her out for lunch and she was so excited to tell me about the octopus they were making in class - oh good, I was so glad she was having fun and was happy!  So we went to McDonald's and she got her Happy Meal.  She's the bestest sister and shared a lot of her food willingly with her sis. (Oh, Lucy did get her own burger - but Emmy shared her apples, fries, chocolate milk, and even gave her a chicken nugget.)  She is so impressive at times!

 This has got to be one of my favorite pictures of ALL TIMES.  I love it so much.  Pink hair and all!

 Oh the girls had fun playing at the play-place after lunch!  But then it was back to school . . . which Emmy wasn't super excited about.  But when I reminded her she had P.E. that day (she had excitedly! told me earlier), she didn't want to miss that and so quickly got her socks and shoes on.

We have made a little "goody bag" for her classmates - it had a long fruit roll-up thingy, a sparkly pencil, and an eraser in the shape of a hamburger, sandwich, hot dog, or french fries.  She got to hand it out at the end of the day and the kids all sang "Happy Birthday" to her.  She told me she smiled the whole time they sang to her.  :)

After school we had talked about going to the pottery place in town called Amazing Glaze (it was a brilliant idea of Ben's).  She was really excited about it at lunch when I told her, but after school she just didn't want to go.  I think she was just exhausted from the past couple of days at school.  So instead the kids watched a movie we checked out from the library: "Barbie in A Mermaid Tale."  I guess it was "really good" - I couldn't stand to watch it.  :)

We had dinner of rainbow pasta - spaghetti noodles cooked and then soaked for a little bit in dyed water.  I had the 6 basic colors of the rainbow and it worked out pretty awesomely.  We also ate pickled beets because the kids love them - including Emmy!

Then we opened gifts.  Oh Emmy just SHRIEKED with delight every time she opened at present!  It was so cute and sweet and funny and LOUD.  She's such a girl!

The kids played for a little bit and then we had our cake and ice cream:

I think the cake turned out pretty good.  A pretty cake for a pretty gal.  The flowers are jelly-beans - I had to make them yesterday and "glue" them together with royal frosting.  Emmy was super happy with the cake and so she made me feel good.  :)

Happy Birthday to you, Emmy!  We sure do love you and are so super happy to have you in our family.

Dear Birthday Girl Emmy,

So another year with you, Emmy-girl, has come and gone.  It was your last [school] year at home.  Sniff, sniff.  Truly, I'm sniffing right now - on the verge of crying.  I didn't cry today when I left you in your kindergarten class.  I had to hold it in, really, but I did and it wasn't super hard because you were so excited to finally start school!  But now that it has hit me (and also because you've told me a couple times today that school is "too long"), it really makes me sad.  I just read your last birthday letter - and that's what has got me crying.  There will be no more mid-week and mid-day dance performances by my two little girls . . .  So sad.

Okay, this is a birthday letter, I'll try and be more jovial!  Even though you've told me several times today that school is too long, I still think (mostly . . .) that signing you up for full-day kindergarten was the right choice.  There were so many factors (including you wanting it!) that made us decide it was the right choice for you.  I'll miss you dearly, but school is where you are to be right now in this phase of your life.  You will learn so much - and not just your ABCs (because, come on, you already know those . . .).

As I read you letter from last year, I realize, in some ways, how little things have actually changed.  You are still that tough, spirited, active little girl that gets more and more un-little as I write these birthday letters.  You are tough and can hold your own against the boys.  When we ride our bikes all the way to the skate-park, you are right there with us.  There is no holding you back.  You remain that perfect mix of girly-girl and tom-boy.  You are definitely sugar and spice and everything nice (at times), but you also have a little bit of slugs, and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails in ya, too.  I love it!

You continue to be a great little hiker!  You were even better this year - hiking all the way and back to Blue Lake - about 6 1/2 miles round-trip.  Your petite body is a strong one.  You continue to do gymnastics and have now started a new class with older girls.  You are pretty good at gymnastics, yet could be great if you stopped being so silly at class!

You continue to be the best-sister and best-friend to Lucy.  Yes, you both scream and yell and fight with each other, but you also are so good to each other.  Especially you.  You are one of the best big-sisters I've ever seen.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Lucy just adores you - yes, even when she's screaming at ya.  She just loves ya and wants to be just like you.  Remember how you just lost your two bottom teeth?  Well now Lucy goes around telling everyone that she has a loose tooth. . . she just wants to be like you, Emmy.

One thing that has slightly changed since last year - your tantrums.  If you think I'm going to say you've gotten better, you are wrong.  Whoa have your tantrums increased in frequency and in decibels, too.  It's incredible.  Your emotions are all over.  You can SCREAM and YELL forever, and then suddenly! you'll calm down and just want to cuddle up to me.  One minute you hate me, the next, I'm the "best mommy ever."  (You'll even tell your dad that I'm your favorite . . . gee, thanks.  But I'm not convinced . . . :)

Here is maybe one sign of you actually maturing:  yesterday (I think) you were throwing a huge screaming fit and were in your room.  I calmly and nicely tried talking to you.  But you were CrAzY and screaming and I really couldn't understand anything of what you were saying and so I left.  A few minutes you came downstairs  and told me that you took three big breaths and were able to calm down.  What!?  I've been telling/asking/begging you for years to just take big, deep breaths.  You've always refused.  Let's hope you'll use that breathing technique the next time - because, even though you'll now be 6, we all know that there will be a next time.  Sigh . . .

We did a home-school preschool group this year with you and three other girlfriends and it was so fun.  You were a pretty great group of girls and you absolutely loved going and loved being around your friends (I'm so sad that they all are in the same class at a different school . . .bummer!).  I liked watching you interact with your friends when we had preschool at our home.  You impressed me at times and I was happy to see that you were learning things about being a good friend.

Well I don't feel like I've said anything to really express this past year of life with you.  It was filled with many Ups and many Downs.  Living with you Emmy is like riding a rollercoaster with your eyes closed - you never know what's coming next.  But I'll ride this Emmy-coaster over and over and over and over because
I
Love
You.

Love,
your mom

Emmy's First Day of School!

She did it!  She went to school today - and it was a long day for her, I think.  But she liked it - the first thing she told me was, "We had lots of recesses!"  Oh good.  :)  But when I asked her what her favorite part of the day was, she said, "Lunch."  "Why?" I asked.  "Because I saw Jonas."  How cute is that?

We know one other girl in her class, Ava.  She had to tell me one girl's name and one boy's name from her class - the names:  Aiyana (no idea on spelling; but Jonas has an Aiyana in his class, too) and Oscar.  Awesome, she passed my first homework assignment.

I think it will be a big adjustment - especially since it is full day (she did tell me afterwards that it was "too long").  But I think she'll be okay with it and love it and all that good stuff.  She was starving when we got her - she finished the other half of her apple from lunch, ate a 1/2 banana, animal crackers, cherry tomatoes from our garden, some bites of smoked salmon (I had gotten from my brother and fiance quite a while ago - and Ben and I finally got around to eating most of it for lunch - yummy), and a handful of peanuts!  I think she's exhausted - and she had to go to her gymnastics class at 3:30!  I think she'll sleep great tonite.  :)

Here are some pictures of our very, very adorable kindergartner:

 Aw, she's so cute.  I love her thumbs-up that she always does.  :)

 Here she is sticking out her tongue through the toothless gap in her mouth.  :)

 The cute kindergartner with her cute backpack.

 Walking to school . . .

Mrs. (Ms.?) Arrecheya (Truthfully, I don't know how to say her name or spell it) and Emmy.

Here's to a great first-year for Emmy!

Hiking with Kids

By kids, I mean goats!  The bishop of our old ward has some goats (he's training them to be pack-goats for when he goes hunting).  Ben and he (Christopher) were talking at work (Chris is a podiatrist and does surgery at Ben's work) about their weekend plans and Ben mentioned how we wanted to go hiking.  Chris mentioned going hiking with his goats and so they planned for us to meet up Saturday morning and go hiking - with our kids and the goat kids.  It was pretty great and a neat/different experience for us  - hiking with goats.  They are really nice goats, thank goodness.  :)

We went over to their house and Chris went down to their stall, or whatever you call it, to bring the goats up and get them in his truck.  It was hilarious - Emmy started running back up the hill as soon as they came out.  Miles jumped up on a hay bale - then a goat followed him there and I heard Miles say, "Help!"  Not a frightened plea, just a nervous one.  Emmy did cry at one point as the goats got a little too close to her, but she did okay.

The hike was grand - except for the time we lost the boys for about 15 minutes.  Gag.  Our boys (plus Chris' son) had gone ahead and Ben and myself and our 2 girls plus Chris' girl Olivia (Chris was a ways behind us as he was doing some "training" with his goats) were next.  We came to a point that Ben and I realized was not the same trail we had come up.  So we started yelling for the boys - no reply.  I ran along the trail, yelling, no reply.  Anyways, long story, but Chris met up with Ben - and Chris' dog Rusty ran down the trail (the right one - we had gone down the wrong one) and the boys followed the dog back up and met up with us.  It was slightly nerve-wracking for me.

The goats stopped to eat pretty much all the time.  But would still get ahead of us.  Emmy liked hiking with them, then they got a little close and she didn't like hiking with them, then she liked hiking with them again and would pet them, and so and so forth.  The boys loved it - not only hiking with goats, but also hiking with a friend - Mason.  He is Chris' son and in the 5th grade.  They just had a great time together.  Emmy and Olivia (2nd grade) finally started talking and giggling with each other at our lunch break and so had a fun time hiking down.  I overheard this:  Olivia:  "I'm not even bored hiking down because I've been talking to you the whole time."  Emmy:  "Me, too!"  Cuteness.

We hiked up to Fish Lake - which turned out to be way longer than Ben and I had thought.  Which was fine, but we didn't exactly think we'd be gone for the entire day - which we were.  But it was good and neat and all that stuff.

Okay, now pictures.  Most of them were super blurry, but I'll still post some anyways:

 We all got attacked by some burr-things.  Luckily they didn't really go through clothing!  Emmy definitely got it the worst.  We also got attacked by stinging nettle, but the sting would go away quite quickly, I thought.

 A goat, Jonas, Mason, a goat, and Miles.  The goats' names were (I'm not sure which these two were) Froto, Meshach, Sam, and I-can't-remember.  Fritz?

 Olivia and Emmy and me on the trail.

 Our boys liked to hold the goats' collars.  Not that they needed to, but it was fun for them.

 Jonas loved it, as you can tell.  :)

 Little Lucy.  She had to be in this for the whole hike up and down.  She did get out for the 1+ hours we stopped for at the lake and had lunch and such.  She did pretty great, but missed her boo dearly.  (It was in the car.)

 The lake doesn't look it here, but it was rather beautiful.  Or maybe it was the awesome mountain behind it?  The boys loved "launching" big tree trunks and roots and such and then throwing rocks to sink them.  They also caught little frog-things.  But we told them, nope, they are not coming home with us. . . (the frogs, not our kids).

 Not a superb picture, but does show Lucy, Ben, Chris, and Miles.  And Rusty the coolest dog ever.  And three of the goats.  And Miles dragging a tree to launch in to the lake.

 Sam, Ben, and Lucy.

Awwww, Ben and Lucy giving Sam some lovin'.  :)

Fun times. . .

Backtracking . . .

The last few weeks of our summer break were pretty . . . summery.  It was almost a kid's ideal summer:  playing outside, up and down the streets, with neighbor kids.  Lily just lives a few doors over and so was here a lot.  They (the girls) would play outside a bunch, too, but they spent plenty of time inside.  The boys got real friendly with our good neighbors up the street - they live on our street, but up a block and on the other side.  That means crossing the street twice!  Josh and Sarah would come over and play lots with our kids.  Especially the boys.  Jonas and Sarah would scooter up and down and over and across and what not.  Josh and Miles would work on making batteries, creating their own geocache box, riding bikes, etc.  They were all good fits.  It was really fun for the kids to have that freedom in going over and playing at the neighbors' (though they never really played inside at their house since their mother works and their father works from home - he's an artist).  But it was totally fine and the kids did a lot of sidewalk playing.  Jonas even helped Josh and Sarah with their garage sale one day - a small garage sale that just the kids were involved with.  Josh gave him a split of his earnings (which was under $5 I'm pretty sure. . .. ).  Anyways, I wish I had pictures, but I just don't.

But I do have plenty of our bike ride to the skate park.  We did this ride maybe 4-5 times this summer?  It's a pretty big ride - it would take us about 25-minutes to get there.  There is some street-riding involved, but there is also a trail that we finally catch and it takes us right to the skate ride.  I love riding with the kids.  I love being active and so I'm happy when we do things like this.  The kids really have fun at the skate-park.  The play hard there and then we have another 25 minutes of riding back home.  Awesome.

 She's our fourth child, so, no, we don't buckle her in.

 The not-scary road-riding part.  We just ride on the street for a block or so here because of the bad sidewalk curb.

 So I convinced her to try and go up that little ramp thingy behind her in the picture.  She tried, caught some air, threw off her balance, and she crashed into the pole.  And then she screamed lots.  Some nice skater/biker kid came over to ask if everyone was okay.  :)  She was fine and did want to try again, but never did.  I was thankful for that!

 Wow, I must have been tired when I was adding my text.  Awesome spelling by me.  No idea what I was thinking.