First day of school!

Kendal woke earlier than usual this morning. She quickly got dressed so she could get a picture with daddy before he left for his first day back teaching. Then we only had four more hours till she left for school. Kendal was upbeat and excited all morning to go to school. (Thankfully her nerves that she's built up this past week didn't surface today.) I let the kids do there usual morning cartoons, we played then Kendal had to eat an early lunch to make the bus by 11:15. The bus was a bit late so Kendal danced and sang a song to hurry the bus along. Minus a couple minutes of I miss Kendal from Pete. He played and did fine without his sister while she was gone.

Middle picture is Kendal making a K for Kindergarten!

Peter and I were early for the drop off bus, but we had to wait twenty extra minutes for Kendal to come. (Not a nice thing to do to a waiting Mama on her kids first day of school : /

Kendal came bouncing off the bus happy to share her first day. She gets to have Carson (primary buddy) at her table, but doesn't know any other kids names yet. She gets to wear a name tag this week so everyone learns names. They did a show and tell; Kendal took play keys because they started with k. They read the kissing hand, did a worksheet with it, and made hand prints for home. She got to color a ladybug picture. Most of all her teacher gave them extra time at recess which was awesome in her book. She spent her whole recess swinging with another little girl. She said Kindergarten wasn't like she thought (no painting / crafts yet), and they had to walk in lines more than she thought, but other than that it was good. We'll chalk up Day one as a success and hope the rest of her year/week is just as great.
I made home made Oreo's with a peanut butter glaze to celebrate back to school. Casey has a full day with work, coaching football, and then parent night. So his dinner and cookies will have to wait till he gets home, gets his first day download from Kendal, and the kids head off to bed.

End of August

Tuesday of this week I went over to Vanessa's to borrow a machine to process apples for apple sauce. I ended up unloading my kids with Vanessa while I went grocery shopping (mini vacation!! Thanks Vanessa!!) After shopping I headed back and we had a play date with Vanessa and her kids. Kendal made the sad comment that now that she'll be in school in afternoons and her cousins will be going in mornings that she'll see them less. It's a bummer, but I assured her we'll try to get together throughout the school year.
Tuesday Afternoon I turned the kitchen into an applesauce factory. Once I got a rhythm going things ran pretty smoothly. I was grateful for Vanessa's machine, but I also used the blender because I don't mind peels in my sauce. Casey walked in from football practice to a crazy kitchen and was kind enough to take the kids out to Arctic Circle to eat and get some energy out. (Thank you Hon!!) I ended up with thirteen quarts and ten pints of sauce. I'll put up peaches sometime and we'll see if I do pears.

Thursday Morning I got a call that my Aunt Margaret had a heart attack Monday, a second call a bit later told me that she had passed away earlier that morning. Margaret was 91 years old. Aunt Margaret was dubbed Aunt Marta by David as a kid because he couldn't say Margaret. We were so close with Margaret and Arnold growing up. I remember them joining our extended family for so many of our family gatherings. Margaret was so fun to play games with; especially Pollyanna. I think she changed the rules every time we played the game (mostly for her benefit ; ). She could be found telling stories, avoiding the camera when it came out, or sneaking sweets out of the pantry or Grandpa's sweets drawer as she passed. I remember as time passed and her eyesight was getting worse she could recognize us by our voices. I'd say hello and she'd know it was me. When we lived in Challis we passed Blackfoot on our way to Logan so we stopped to visit a few times; age and life had taken there tole and Margaret wasn't her old self, but it was nice to visit. It's a comfort to know she's with loved ones on the other side and she no longer has to bear any of her physical burdens. She will be whole body and mind! We love you Aunt Marta; till we meet again!

Thursday afternoon I took the kids to the park. They spent most of their time trying to climb back up the big slide and sliding down in a heap together. After that we made our way over and watched the end of Casey's football practice. The kids got a glimpse of what Daddy does as a coach and enjoyed seeing it all. Their favorite parts were Daddy saying "Whistle whistle whistle." to stop a play instead of actually blowing a whistle; and when he was talking with the group of players how they moved around the field with him like a bunch of Minions. When practice was over we all headed over the the Elementary school for back to school night. We found out Kendal with have afternoon Kindergarten with Mrs. Stastny. We've heard lots of people say how much they loved her as a teacher; and Casey happens to be teaching her son this year in his classes. Kendal only knows one or two kids in her class from primary. While they're not her best buds, she at least knows them and that's a start. We walked around with Kendal and got her used to where her class was, the office, the bathroom, and where the kindergartners play at recess. As Kindergarten has drawn closer Kendal is letting her nerves build up. She's excited as ever, but she keeps adding she's nervous as well. We've reassured her being nervous is ok, but just know all of her classmates are new and in the same situation, she will make friends, and have loads of fun. Casey will give her a father's blessing later today and We'll send her off in the morning full of positive thoughts.
Friday night we had Brett, Vanessa, and their kids over for dinner. Brett and Casey went over to the football game and the kids, Vanessa, and I stayed to play.
Saturday we drove down to Indian Hot springs and joined Rhett, Aria, and their girls to play at the pool. It's Janae's birthday today so they celebrated yesterday with a few friends. The girls were in heaven playing together, jumping off the diving board, going down the slides, and finding tubes to float on. Peter had to be coaxed into it all, but after a while we even had him relaxing and floating (with a life jacket) on his own next to Casey in the pool. 

After the pool we headed to Burley and spent time at Rhett and Aria's house. We've missed having these guys around since our simple college / early marriage days. I'm so glad we get them closer and our kids get to grow up as friends. We also joined them for a fiesta at their parents house / pond for dinner. (Aria's parents have a large property with a little lake that they rent out for reunions, parties, etc. You can swim, canoe, zip-line, paddle boat, or play on the playground. It's quite the place.) Peter was too into playing to eat much and he was over the moon when they pulled out a little train to take rides on. Kendal loved the bouncy house and playing on everything with Jenae.

Ice cream, maple bars, apples, corn, dutch oven (YUM!)

All that delicious food means two things; summer's ending, and the fair is on!
Monday we wanted an outing so we went to the new park past the hospital. The kids enjoyed themselves and it was early enough the park wasn't swarming with kids. Both Kendal and Peter loved the track swings and climbing on the rocks. At one point Kendal declared she was the queen of the rock. It was a windy day so we ended up pulling our kites out of the trunk and flying them for a bit till the kids wanted lunch. We left and went to Culver's to redeem their free kids meals and ice cream that they earned from the Library's summer reading program.

Wednesday Afternoon we headed to the Cassia County Fair in Burley. We checked out the historical museum next to the fair grounds first. Peter loved the train car and wagon parked outside and Kendal enjoyed the school room and dresses she saw in the buildings. At the fair we stopped at the tractors first. Peter and Kendal wanted to find the biggest one and enjoyed climbing up a few of them. Next we made our way over to the animal area. The jr competition for lambs was going on so we sat down for a bit and watched the kids parade / drag their lambs around the ring. After the competition was over we headed to see the rest of the lambs and cows. The grand champion lamb ended up belonging to the son of Casey's former football coach. He talked with us for a bit and let the kids pet the lamb. Peter was terrified of the lamb but we got him to pet the lambs back after a bit. When we finished seeing the animals we headed over to see the 4H displays in the buildings. We spotted the kids' second cousins beets and found a high school picture of Casey's grandpa Darrington in a Declo high display. We ended our fair trip by visiting the Declo stake booth to see Casey's parents and enjoy the best maple bars around! Kenny and Cheryl had to work hard all afternoon / evening to shell out maple bars and help with the grill to serve hungry fair goers. We were lucky the line was small when we went so we got to chat for a minute before they needed to get back to work.

 After the fair we headed home and went to the park in Kimberly for a ward dinner. They had a rocket launch for the kids to make paper rockets to shoot off. Kendal and Peter loved shooting their rockets over and over again. They also got their faces painted before we left.

Thursday we went and picked apples at Northview orchard. We now have three boxes of delicious apples waiting for me turn them into yummy apple sauce. (I bought my own water bath caner this year so we'll see how my caning adventures go doing things solo.)
Friday evening we headed out to Raft River to put up some corn with Casey's parents. We went strait to the field to pick corn and filled the back of the pickup truck with corn. (Normally we do nearly two truck loads but with less help this year we did less corn.) After dinner we headed out to the field and spent near three hours husking the corn. Kendal was a non stop chatterbox as we husked corn. (When she has an audience to listen and watch she takes full advantage of the opportunity.) Peter helped, then played, then helped. Saturday morning we started fairly early blanching, cutting, and bagging the corn. I was cooking the corn outside on a camp stove. Casey cooled down the corn, and transferred loads inside. Casey's Mom had the kids inside cutting corn with her and watching a cartoon for a while then when the corn was all cooked we were all inside cutting and bagging corn. We ended around two in the afternoon and did a little under two hundred bags of corn. Thankfully the flies were not a problem this year thanks to the wind outside and minimal comings and goings into the house. (I killed an obscene amount  of flies last year and I think it was less than a dozen this year!!!! {Yes I have issues} )

The above is what happens when your kids soaks his shirt "helping" clean corn from bins, 

then has to entertain himself while you cut and bag corn. 

After an afternoon rest while the kids played we headed into town and Cheryl treated us to some dutch oven dinner and a night at the Rodeo (Thanks Mama D, it was a great evening!!) The kids had never been to a rodeo so it was all new to them. Kendal wanted to know about everything and liked the parts where the girls got to ride / compete, and the clown acts. Peter liked the tractor at the beginning and the little cows.

Casey had CPR / First aid training on Wednesday and he was back at school Friday. He will be prepping / attending meetings this whole next week before school starts on the 31st. He also starts football tomorrow. It's going to be an adjustment for the kids. They've had Daddy most every day this summer and now they won't see him till dinner and on game nights from a distance in the stands. They adore him and lately Peter wants Daddy over anyone else. Good luck with your new school year Casey!
We have back to school night this next week. We'll find out Kendal's teacher and if she is in fact in the afternoon class. Kendal is excited to start school. Her only worries are making friends and if it will be fun. On both trips to parks this past week we've watched Kendal introduce herself ("I'm Kendal, I am five and a half. How old are you?") and that's all it takes for her to be off on an adventure with a new buddy. We smile at her worry over friends and just reassured her she'll meet kids at back to school night and during the first week of school find friends to play with in class.

Dirkies

We hit the 100's this week so we decided to go to Dirkies lake. We headed out around ten in the morning; the lake was pretty much deserted and a handful of hikers were heading home. Because the beach area was shaded we opted to start at the play ground so the kids didn't get wet and cold first.

After a bit we headed down to the water. There were only a couple of other families as we started out which made it very nice. Kendal was loving the water and was willing to go out with Casey in the deeper parts with her floatie. Peter our beach bum played in the sand with occasional bouts in the water.

After a bit we had a picnic lunch that we packed. It was a nice bit of time to warm up and take a break. We went back to the water played for a bit and built a big water channel in the sand with the kids.

We tried to go fly kites that night but we only managed a few minutes of flight. Casey took the kids to see the high school football practice while I attempted another flight, and reeled in / untangled lines for the kites. Casey took Peter to a practice earlier in the week. He loved drinking from the water bottles that were strewn all over the field.
Friday morning we had errands in town, we decided to start them off with a bit of tennis at the CSI courts. Kendal is very interested in playing and enjoys it, however it's hard for her to understand how much practice and work it takes to be able to hit the ball to someone and make contact with the ball every time. Peter ran around happily for a bit, hit a few balls then he wanted a drink and would not give up on the idea till we gave in and left.
Friday night the kids dressed up and we turned on Pandora Disney songs for them to dance around to. They were quite the site in their costumes and fluffy slippers going around the living room. I joined them for a bit too (till it turned into a surround Mommy and dance practically on top of her event).

We started off the week with Kendal being under the weather and are ending it with Peter being sick. Thankfully the kids don't get sick very often but it's no fun when they do. Thanks to Kendal's reflux as an infant throwing up comes very easy when she's sick and she becomes very clingy and wants loves all day. Peter just sits in a lethargic state, looks so sad, and has only wanted his Daddy this weekend.
Casey has football stuff, and CPR / first aid training this next week then he's officially back at work next Friday. I finally made Kendal a count down chart for when she starts school in a couple of weeks, but she'll still ask daily how close it is.. Kendal is so ready for school, (and we're ready for her to be there too) I just know she's going to love it!
I'm not doing preschool for Peter this year.  Hopefully we can continue the preschool age reading time the library has and work on his abc's, numbers, etc. this next year at home.

Darrington campout

Our Darrington family summer trip took us to Heglar canyon this year. We headed up Friday afternoon and joined Nicole, Jordan, and their kids at the campsite. Not long after we got set up it started to pour down on us. We huddled together under a 12 x 12 canopy for shelter. Luckily our fire for didn't die out and we managed to heat up dinner while getting good and wet. Everyone else drifted in around dinner time and thankfully the rain let up shortly after. We tried our best to thaw out and get dry by the fire before bed. It also rained during the night (and Peter didn't have the best nights sleep).

Saturday morning after breakfast we went for a walk with the kids. Sarah made it the farthest with Kendal, Bryker, and David. Vanessa put together an awesome Jr Ranger booklet / activities for the kids to do. They had fun filing it out and doing the activities. Vanessa then swore them in as Jr Rangers and gave them cute badges she made for the trip. Nicole put together a scavenger hunt for the kids. They went on a hunt around camp for different items and fit a treat when they finished.

Before lunch Vanessa, Nicole, Sarah, and I took the four wheelers out for a ride in the canyon. When we returned we took the kids on mini rides around the candid and down the road a bit.

 After lunch we played games. Jordan brought a washers game we all tried our hand at (tossing giant washers at a board with a small hole against another team). The kids enjoyed playing around camp. We took a ride over to Sublet reservoir. Terry brought a couple of inflatable kayaks to take out. The kids each got a ride. The guys ended up getting fairly wet so I dubbed them the soggy bottom boys.

Back at camp we did a relay race and played more of the washers game before dinner. Luckily Saturday didn't bring more than a few light skirts of rain so it was a good day. We put the kids to bed. Did some star gazing, and Casey and his siblings reminisced over some childhood memories.

Sunday morning we cleaned up camp and said our goodbyes. We rocketed home and cleaned up in time to head to church so Casey and I could teach our lessons.
I'm so glad we find the time every year to have some quality time with our wonderful family. It's always the greatest time with loads of fun and memories to cherish!

Bear Lake fun

Casey had a tech conference Tuesday and Wednesday this week. He also had football coaches meetings both nights. The kids and I did our usual (played). Wednesday night we headed to Logan to start our weekend trip.
Thursday morning my parents and Katherine joined us to go over to Bear lake. We searched for our campsite, set up, and then ate lunch. After lunch we headed up to Minnatonka cave. We were apart of an over sized group with some slow movers so the normally hour and a half tour took two hours. Luckily the kids enjoyed themselves (despite it being 40 degrees the whole time) and we had a good time. Anytime the guide said are there any questions Kendal shot her hand up to ask a question.

 After our cave adventure we headed back to our campsite. Casey went fly fishing for a bit while we relaxed and hung out. We had a hot dog roast and said goodnight to my parents a bit later (they went back to Logan to their comfy bed). We made up fairy tales and sang songs till it was time to go to bed. It was a very cold night, but we managed.

Kendal commandeered my camera and took a plethora of pictures. Here is a few she captured!

The next morning we cleaned up camp and meet up with my parents. They had brought up the four wheelers so we headed to the sinks for a ride with the kids. Kendal LOVED the four wheeler ride. She took turns riding with Casey and my Dad; they let her take control of the throttle at times and she was loving it. Peter enjoyed himself and was happy to look all around as we rode along. He even feel asleep in my dad's arms as we made our way back to the cars. At the end we made our way up a hill to see a great view of the lake.

After our ride we went up to a lookout at the peak and ate lunch. We left the four wheelers there and headed down to enjoy Bear lake for the afternoon. The kids loved playing in the sand and water. We even got my parents to dig their heels into the sand and enjoy themselves. On our way out we stopped and got milkshakes and fries.

After shakes we went home and cleaned up. After dinner Katherine and my mom took the kids down the street to see a little play their neighborhood kids put on.
Saturday morning we meet up with David, Anica, and Elliot for breakfast at Golden Corral. We are our full and spent time back at my parents. A bit before lunch we headed out to the pool that is at David and Anica's condo complex. We played around, and had a pizza lunch. David and Casey for in a water war. The kids helped them trying to apart each other across the pool and hot tub. (Sorry forgot pics at the pool.)

 (Loved seeing this little guy!)

Kendal wanted more water time back at my parents house so that turned on the sprinklers and she enjoyed them for a bit. The kids played the afternoon away at my parents house. Casey went to see the Avengers movie. We had dinner and headed home shortly after.
It was a great weekend, and a wonderful mini vacation. Thank you, THANK YOU mom, Dad, and Katherine. We're so happy you joined us for the fun!!