Emmy's Day

Well it's hard to have a super great birthday when you have school all day and then cross-country practice. But I still think Emmy had a pretty good birthday! She had wanted me to check her and Lucy out for lunch, but I secretly talked to Lucy and she was fine with me taking Emmy and two of her friends. So I checked out the three girls for lunch at . . . none other than . . . Crash Burger. The girls are sweet and had a good break from school.

Emmy got back from cross-country practice a little after 5. We ate her dinner-choice of Beef Stroganoff (so good) and then she opened her gifts. She got a lot of room decor things, a couple dresses and other clothes, etc. She was super-happy with everything. The one thing she knew about and was excited for was the same thing I thought I had ordered but by Thursday when it hadn't come, I realized I hadn't. Surprise, you're not getting it today! She'll get it (a hammock swing chair like Lucy) sometime next week.

We worked on setting up some things in her room and then went to the girls' gym for some play time. (Emmy and I now work there a little bit - cleaning a few times a month [the even months only though]. As we're now "staff," I got a key and our family can use it if no one else is.) So Emmy choose that for her activity, rather than watching a movie. The kids had a blast. Ben tried some tricks - and was successful in doing back flips on the tramp. I hardly tried anything because I am old and weak - but did manage to do back handsprings on the tramp.

We came home and had birthday cake and then looked at the blog at the pictures and posts from the time period around when Emmy was born. Fun stuff.

Emmy with her friends, Reese and Holly, at Crash Burger.

A cute new rug and check out the adorable pillows behind her (that will eventually go on her hammock swing . . . which will replace the chair currently there).

She got a string of lights and some "cool and cute" prints to hang up on her wall. She LOVES it.

I painted this pegboard so she can hang up some photos - fun!

The girls in their new BYU leos. They were perfect and so cute on them!

Hang-time.

Fly-time.

Cake-time! Cookie dough cake - complete with an eggless cookie-dough layer. Emmy loved it and it went perfectly with a cup of milk. :) It tastes even better today (I think I'm realizing all cakes taste better a day old . . . )

Fun day with a fun 14-year old!

Dear Emmy on your 14th Birthday,

Happy birthday Emmy! You're now 14 - wowzers. You're definitely growing into a beautiful young woman. In fact, you are growing so much that you are now officially taller than me. What?! I mean, it's not a huge feat (certainly not a tall feat), but it's still pretty cool. At least I still have quite a few pounds on you, haha.

Your past year was full of craziness . . . dealing with a pandemic, having to attend school at our town's Pavillon, competing in gymnastics, hanging out with friends, etc., etc. School was a bit crazy - you started the year going in-person every other week. Then you got to go back full-time, only to have your school discover asbestos. But, in the end, you really enjoyed being at the Pavillon and had a good year at school with friends. I am not sure you learned much academically, but you had growth socially and emotionally and physically - so that's not too shabby for 2020-2021!

You tried volleyball out at school and really loved it. You were on the B-team, which was a bit of a bummer, but you excelled in that group and so it was a great place for you to learn the sport and to have fun.

Gymnastics competitions were more than you had ever experienced before - you had maybe half a dozen meets. I am not sure that having more meets helped you be less nervous . . . but that's just part of who you are. It's hard on me (the mom) having to deal with those wild emotions and nerves, but I do love (and hate) watching you compete. You are a beautiful gymnast! Your floor routine is amazing and you always scored so well and so high. Although you hate the beam, you always had the hardest element in your routine (a back handspring) of any other gymnast at the meets (well, in your level). You did well on all events and oftentimes ended up 1st (!!!), 2nd or 3rd all-around. You had the choice to go up a level, but we talked and thought it would be best to stay where you were. Which was great and gave you confidence, I think. Not that it helped much with your nerves, though. :) This coming year you'll be competing in the higher level (Platinum) and it might be quite a challenge, but it will be good for you, too!

You made some really great friends - especially Reese. You two are very, very similar and probably, at times, too similar. :) You had a lot of classes together, do gym together, did volleyball, etc. But she's great and I am so glad you have her as a friend. Over this summer you've gotten close to Holly and Millie again (old friends that go clear back to your preschool days) and you've had a lot of fun hanging out with them - including going on a girls-only backpacking trip.

You remain a competitive girl - that really showed up when you tried track (yep, you tried that too). I love that you have that fighting, winning spirit. But it's also hard because you actually do want to win (or be in the top few) and when you don't it's hard on you. You went to your first church dances - and loved them. But, we're always dealing with some kind of emotions with you, you would be quite bummed because "everyone" would think you're just a little girl. (Which you are, by the way.) But you are definitely growing up and those boys will notice you someday - I'm a little glad that most of them aren't quite yet, though. :)

You're a good girl and, though you've got loads to work on, you try to be and do good for the most part. I am excited to see you continue to grow and learn and love life. I am glad I get to be a part of it with you! I love you.

love, mom 

The Day Lucy Turned 11

 Whoops, I thought I had posted about Lucy's birthday. But, really, there wasn't much to post and not many pictures to share! But I think Lucy had a good day. She woke up, ate her cereal, saw some of the presents that I didn't wrap (like some pegboards I painted for her room), and then Emmy took her downtown to look for a gift from Emmy. They went to Fabula and City Market but didn't find anything really. So, after a lunch, I took and dropped the girls off at Target (per their request - the dropping off part). Emmy's friend Reese joined them - with Reese buying Lucy some fun smoothie from Starbuck's. That evening the boys were both at work and Ben was still off learning how to be a soldier. So the three of us girls went out to Hiro (2nd choice as Colorado Boy isn't opened now on Mondays, boo). We had a delicious dinner! When we got back we started Lucy's movie choice: the 7th Harry Potter movie, part 1. I hadn't seen it in years and so it was super fun. The boys came back, we ate a yummy cake (that was even yummier the next day), and finished the movie. Lucy got a lot of great presents - including clothes and things for her room (like a hammock swing chair and pegboards - so she doesn't need to tape up her random pictures all over her walls - etc.). She was excited about everything and had a happy 11th birthday. :)

Oh yeah, her big gift was a GABB phone. She loved it and loved texting! :)

We do love Hiro - so good.

Just a few of the new and cute clothes she got.

She choose a yummy cake instead of a necessarily "cute" or "theme" cake. It was a lemon raspberry cake, yum!

A fun day celebrating a fun girl!!

Dear Birthday Girl Lucy,

Happy 11th birthday Lucy! Even though you are getting older . . . birthdays are not becoming old to you. :) You love them and eagerly anticipate your special day. In some ways (even though it can get a bit annoying), I hope you never grow out of being so excited for your birthday - it is pretty sweet. 

So another year has come and gone. It was another good one for you - despite the havoc Covid caused. But, for you, it seemed to be a pretty minor player in your year. School, for the most part, was pretty normal for you. You went every day (except for maybe a total of 3-4 weeks, spread out over the year, that you and your class had to quarantine) and was only mandated to wear a mask for maybe a month or two. Which you still never wore your mask once you passed the "screening" station and your teacher never asked you to put it on. You were lucky to have Mr. Stammler. He was a great teacher and is now listed up there (with all your other teachers, ha) as a "favorite." You continued to excel in almost every way at school - academically and socially. School is definitely something you adore and I hope that continues as you enter middle school . . . 

Yep, you skipped 5th grade. Which is so weird, really. Let's hope that I was truly inspired by this and that this will be a blessing in your life! There were several factors leading up to this decision, including having experienced less-than-ideal (waaaaay less) 5th-grade years for every one of your siblings. Added to that, I was not excited about the 5th-grade teachers that would be there - however, both of them left and two other teachers are now there. Funny thing, though, I am almost less-thrilled about the two new ones and so I think it just makes it even better that you won't be there. Most of your friends from church (whom you hang-out with more than your school friends) are entering 6th grade this year. Some will be going to your middle school, others will be attending the other one in town. But now you will join at least some of them this year (including a couple of your besties) and all of them by high school. It felt like these factors combined made sense to have you skip 5th-grade. You are smart enough - yet not in an overly brilliant way. Smart enough to skip a grade, but it will be different for you this year not being at the "top of the class." Maybe it will be good for you and force you to work harder! I know you can do it and can do it well. I am excited that you and Emmy will be together at the middle school - how fun. Or not, probably depending on the day. :)

You had a great competition season at your new gym! You competed in the silver level and usually ended up with a 1st or 2nd place in the events as well as all-around. It was super-fun to watch you compete - your personality definitely shined in your floor routine. You were so good and so cute and just loved it. You've made good friends at gym and this year you will be moving up to the Gold level. It will definitely be more of a challenge and you might not place as high, but I hope you'll continue to work hard and success will come!

You continue to play the part well of being the baby of the family (I am sure I did, too, Lucy). You tend to whine and cry and tattle a bit lot more than your siblings. Hopefully, you'll outgrow this soon! Like today seeing as you're now 11! (Pretty, pretty please!) I sometimes (ahem, a lot of times) struggle with this with you - especially as it was never something you did much of when you were younger. Maybe now your siblings are just meaner, right? :) 

You have a lot of friends and continue to make friends easily. You seem to miss us parents less when we have to go away and, thus, you get extra time to play with friends at their homes, etc. I just realized now that you definitely play less with your "toys." You're growing up for sure. You love to brush your hair and make it all smooth and pretty. You sometimes wear mascara. You are picky when it comes to what you wear each day - sometimes changing your outfit multiple times before heading out for school. You have a wide-range of music styles - but right now Boston is probably your favorite band. You are almost done with the last Harry Potter book. Now what will you read?! You have the most sincerity and empathy of all of our kids. You love playing the piano, but cry when I ask you to practice. You and Emmy are the great Frenemies of all time.

I am excited for this next year of your life and know it will be full of fun and adventure with you! I love you lots Lucy!

love, mom

A Girls-Only Outdoor Adventure

The initial backpacking trip was postponed, remember, due to monsoon weather. So we planned to do another one August 11-14th. The boys, however, could not come because they had their YM High Adventure the same time. Due to that, I did not want to go backpack to Powderhorn lakes - it's just quite remote and sometimes no one else is there. Which Ben loves, but as the single adult going with a bunch of young girls, it didn't make me comfortable. So I decided to go to the Crested Butte area, knowing there would be other people around on the trails.

My sister totally helped me in getting a campsite at the Oh Be Joyful campground. My sister-in-law Brittany had mentioned wanting to check this out years ago and I actually tried to get a reservation last year but was not able to. Anyways, Erin helped one morning (because I was out of range) and secured us a campsite for 3 nights. One of Emmy's friends who was coming, Millie, really, really, really wanted to go backpacking. So I found a little overnight backpacking trip we could do in the middle of our car-camping. 

We left Wednesday late-afternoon and got up there by 7. It was a beautiful campsite, right next to the Slate River. We set up the tent and hammocks and even had a fire - started by Lucy and Lila. We all slept well that evening. We got up on Thursday and packed up all our gear for our backpacking trip. We actually drove down to Gunnison to pick up Millie, who couldn't come on Wednesday night. Also, we met up with one of my favorite friends - Sarah. She moved almost 3 months ago and I hadn't seen her since. She was bringing her son Aiden over to Gunnison for an orthodontic's appointment to get his braces off. We all met (Millie, Sarah, and us) in the parking lot and had fun chatting for a half-hour. 

Then we girls headed out and drove to the trailhead for our backpacking adventure. Copper Lake was our destination. We ate lunch at the trailhead and then started hiking. It was a really beautiful area. The wildflowers, though not at their peak, were still gorgeous. (I guess Crested Butte calls itself the "Wildflower capital of Colorado.") The hike in totaled about 6 miles - and that last mile was pretty challenging. But the girls did great. We had about 4-5 stream crossings, which also made for some great water-filtering breaks.

As soon as we got to the lake (yay!), the older girls found a campsite (you have to camp at a designated site). We all brought ourselves and packs up there and started to set-up camp. As we were working on getting set up, the winds began to go crazy! So we rushed to get it all set-up before it started raining (which looked and felt like a good possibility). Tents were blowing all over and we had to hold on to them for dear-life, ha. The older girls couldn't find their stakes and so threw their packs in their tent and then we all chilled and played BS in our tent while the wind went wild. I felt confident it would pass (I had checked the weather and there was only a slight chance of storms and only for a little bit). It sprinkled just a tiny bit, but finally passed. We spent the evening walking around part of the lake, playing cards (the older girls) and building fairy houses out of mushrooms (the younger girls).

We all played games in the older girls' tent that evening and then around 9 the three of us (myself, Lucy, and Lila) went to our tent. Lila was chatting about being warm, etc. Then Lucy started complaining of her head hurting, and her neck. Then her stomach. Uh-oh. A few minutes later (and amazingly Lila was completely asleep - although it had only been no more than 5 minutes when she was last talking!) Lucy was stating she was going to throw-up. I was scrambling to find a bag and found one and she promptly barfed into it. Oh dear. Lucy tends to get dramatic when she doesn't feel well - "I don't feel well, I don't fell well," she was shaking, crying, etc. I stayed calm, but was also really worried - what if she was going to be sick all night? How would she be able to hike out, carry her pack, etc. Lucy almost ends up hyperventilating every time she's sick and that night was no exception. She ended up barfing again about 10 minutes later. Now I had barf to deal with - I couldn't leave it in our tent, our bear-bags were already up and hanging . . . so I just walked it down the path a bit and put it underneath one of our packs. Fun stuff. I prayed and prayed that Lucy wouldn't barf anymore and would be able to sleep well that night. Apparently I forgot to pray that I would sleep well, too. :) Lucy finally fell asleep around 10:30, but for the next 4 hours would wake up about every hour and cry out something. I would say something like, "You're okay" and she would fall right back asleep - she was probably never fully awake. But it kept me awake for sure. I was probably still a bit worried she'd barfed again (so I kept my headlamp on so I could see the barf-bag quickly). Plus, I heard all the crazy night noises that you hear in the outdoors that never makes you comfortable sleeping! There were definitely times of huge stomping going on right outside of our tent - or at least it seemed so. So it was a bit of an unsettling night for me. But after those first hours, Lucy fell asleep and was fine for the rest of the night. She woke up completely great. (I think her barfing was maybe due to her headache that just got worse - plus a little bit of dehydration and over-exertion?)

Anyways, that wasn't a great night for me, but whatever. We got up the next morning grateful that none of us had been devoured by a bear. :) We ate breakfast and then packed up and headed back out. It was a nice, mostly down-hill hike. There weren't tons of people that hike all the way to the lake (we saw 2 other groups there at the lake), but there were definitely a small number on the trail - many of which commented on the awesomeness of the girls backpacking all the way into the lake. We stopped about a 1/2 miles from the trailhead at Judd Falls for a lunch break and then finished up our hike. It was great!

We drove back to our campsite and were there by 1:30, I think. Heather, Holly and Lila's mom, had come the day before with her two younger kids and had camped in our tent and was staying Friday night, too. So it was fun to finally have another adult around! The kids spent the afternoon and evening in the hammocks, playing and even swimming (in the deep spots) in the creek, playing card games, etc. They had fun. I attempted two dutch-oven meals - well dinner (Sprite chicken - it was pretty decent! But the potatoes and carrots could have cooked a bit longer) and dessert (peach cobbler - yummy). We had a fire, played Sushi Go, etc. Heather and her three youngest (including Lila) and myself and Lucy all slept in our huge tent. The three older girls (Emmy, Holly, and Millie) slept in their own tent and they sounded like they were having lots of fun together. :)

I got up about 7 the next morning and started waking up everybody around 8. We were going to hike the Oh Be Joyful trail that literally starts right out of our campsite. The younger kids didn't get too far and went back with Heather. I "made" the older girls hike with me for a while longer. :) It was so pretty! I really want to go back and do the whole trail! We probably hiked about 5 1/2 miles (round-trip) and I think it's about a 12-mile hike. I loved it and it felt so good hiking without a pack! We found and ate lots of delicious raspberries along the way. :)

We got back and basically got packed up and the kids played and swam some more. On our way home we stopped by Crested Butte (I need to go back and check it out more) and went to a super-cute mini-donut and ice-cream shop. Millie had been there before and talked about it and so we decided to treat all of us to some sweets. It was such a cute store and the donuts were adorable. Then we drove home, dropped off the girls and said goodbye, then unpacked and put away all of our stuff. It was exhausting. But totally worth it!

Wednesday:

Dinner break on our way to Crested Butte.

This was near our campsite. The smokey skies were definitely better, but the haze was still there. It got better and better each day though!

The Slate River right at our campsite.

Our campsite.

Hammock time!

Playing cards at night.

Emmy traversed this bridge with her hands - and earned $10 from Holly for doing it. :)

Thursday and Friday:

Finally at the lake - yipee!!

Taking shelter in our shelter during the windstorm. :)

I was proud of how well I did hanging our food! :) It was right next to a cliff so I felt it was a great spot. The rope (tied to a small rock) went exactly over the branch I wanted it to go. Yay.

Lucy's fairy house - complete with an entry way, couch, chair, kitchen, food, bed, etc. 

Lucy and Lila - such cute and strong backpackers!

Chilling (literally) in the river. :) 

Saturday:

These pictures are from the hike on the Oh Be Joyful trail. I didn't get too many, but it was super pretty.

Lucy took pictures of the cute little mini-donut place:

We got a pack of 16 mini-donuts - flavors like cotton candy, nerds, strawberry cheesecake, maple bacon, Reese's, etc.  A fun ending to a fun adventure!

P.S. I should list all the tender-mercies during this trip for records-sake:

1. Highway US50 was totally open and so we didn't have to worry about making it through one of the "open" slots.

2. I had read trail reports of Copper Lake from just the week before we went. There were comments relating to tons of bugs being at the lake, horrible flies/gnats on the hike out, etc. Bugs were not a problem AT ALL. Like, hardly any. I mean, I have a few bites, but I didn't even notice the bugs all that much. The flies inside my house are like 10 times worse.

3. I didn't die (nor the kids) driving up the 4WD road to the upper trailhead parking. I HATE 4WD-ing. The car in front of me was spinning its tires and it freaked me out. But our Surburban had no problem. On the way down this 4WD road (I was dreading having to drive it down the whole time hiking out, ha), which was hardly wide enough for one vehicle, not a single car came up it. I would not have been able to back up my car and so would have had no idea what to do if a car had come!

4. The weather was practically perfect.

5. No bears ate us.

6. Lucy stopped barfing and slept fairly well.

7. My bear-bag rope worked exactly, and on the first try, as I was hoping.

8. Hardly any bugs (that deserves being repeated).

9. No bears ate us (that also deserves being repeated).

10. Raspberries on the trail - I mean how cute is that?