Beaver Pond

 

Ahhh, fall.  The days are getting shorter, there's a crisp note in the air, and the mountains are putting on their autumnal finery.  We took advantage of the weather on Saturday to enjoy a hike with Nonny & Poppa and Kellie, Joe, and Yvey.  

The hike starts with a steep half-mile climb through a forest of quakies. . .

 

Eventually the trail levels out and opens into a meadow. . .

 

. . .Cross the meadow, go through a little grove of quakies, and voila:

  

 Chucking rocks into the pond.

The secret to keeping Anna happy on these treks:  Lollipops.

 Ben, on the hunt for "mo" rocks to throw into the water.

 Kellie went for a short sprint while the rest of us hung out at the pond eating Gobstoppers.

I snagged this candid shot and then when I reviewed it on the camera I exclaimed, "Oh darn, Kellie, you're in Joe's shadow." She said she's used to that.  

After the kids had their fill of rock-chucking--and after tending to Kellie's bee-stung hand (ouch!)  we headed back down the trail.

 

We stopped for another look at the bones we found just off the trail:  a vertebra and big ol' femur from some unfortunate ungulate.

 Ben, waiting to ambush Mommy along the trail.  His new favorite word:  "Boo!"

 Yvey, riding in style on Joe's back.

 Back at the trailhead.

 

Welcome, fall--we're glad you're here!

End-of-Summer Adventures

Another JBF sale, another haul.  Amy's "weird little yard sale" is growing by leaps and bounds.  I'm forever indebted to her for taking on this beast of a business opportunity--thanks to the growth incurred since she took over, I can now outfit my kids almost entirely in JBF "finds".

 Yvey came over to hang out with us one afternoon and got in on the painting action.

Jared hiked Lone Peak with Jocke, Sarah, and Christian.  So proud of him for remembering to sunscreen his face and wear a hat.  (About halfway down, he realized he should've sunscreened his legs too.  Ouch!)

The highlight of August, however, was a visit from the Breppersons, en route to their new home in San Diego.  It was so fun to have all of the cousins together--the girls were thrilled to spend time with Brooklyn, and Ben was. . .well, his usual phlegmatic self. 

 The girls

 The boys

Three of the "quads". . .

 . . .and there's the fourth!

Braden & Hailey (Good grief, could they be any cuter?)

 Yvey and Nonny

Anna & Poppa

 Brogan, future male model--he posed like this all on his own.

 The cousins, oldest to youngest

 The big girls

The whole crew with Nonny & Poppa

First Day of School

Cecret Lake

As my siblings can attest, our dad seemed to derive great pleasure from dragging his five recalcitrant children up, over, around, and down every mountainside in the valley.  It must be genetic;  now that I have kids of my own I find myself eager to do the very same thing.  And so we headed up to Cecret Lake this week. 

   Anna poses at the trailhead

 

Ben was a little wary of the Kelty carrier--usually he just rides in Jared's arms.

There's usually a little stream that crosses the trail right here, with bluebells clustered all around it--it was too dry for either this year.

Devil's Castle

Poppa and Ben take a break before tackling the switchback

 

 At the top!

 

Joe and Yvey

Can you see the chipmunk?  This little guy was BOLD. . .

. . .and this one too.  He nearly climbed into my backpack looking for food.

Nonny and Anna looking for salamanders in the lake

Moose!

Elizabeth and Nonny, who were leading the pack, had already gotten to the trailhead before the moose showed up.  When they heard about the moose, they zipped back up the trail to see them.

Getting to watch moose graze in a field of wildflowers as the alpenglow hits the mountains in the background. . .what a perfect way to finish a hike.

July Festivities

 

Ah, July.  The hottest, most unforgiving month of the year, and it just so happens to be chock-full of celebrations. . .most of which center around outdoor activities.  First up, 4th of July.  We started the day working on the new playhouse--no way was Jared going to waste a day off of work!

That evening, we went to my parents' house for a barbecue.  Elizabeth decided to share her patriotic flair with the border collie statue on Nonny's front porch:

After our barbecue, we walked over to the high school to watch the city fireworks. This was the first year we attempted to take the kids to a "real" fireworks display;  usually we call it a night around 9:00 and just watch the city displays from the freeway as we drive home

. 

A few weeks later, Jared and I celebrated our 10th anniversary with a real live date.  Actual date nights have become a real rarity around here, but we had such a great time that night that I think we're committed to being better about having them more often.  

Later that week we celebrated "Handcart Days" at the park:  cotton candy, sno-cones, and a spin on a few of the deathtraps carnival rides that are set up every year for the occasion.

The folks who run the rides always set up an ancient tape deck at the base of the Ferris wheel, where they blast Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album.  I do love Simon & Garfunkel, but I must say it makes a puzzling backdrop to the frenetic activity and noise of a summer carnival. 

 

Anna, waiting for the parade in style.

Ben was hot and tired, but nothing a sucker couldn't cure.

Jared spent the 24th of July in Florida on a business trip, and I took the kids to Grandma & Grandpa Olson's house for a barbecue.  The cousins had a great time playing together, as usual.  When it got dark, we got to enjoy the amateur firework shows put on by Uncle Jay and the neighbors.  I had my hands full wrangling all three kiddos, so I didn't even bother to bring my camera. . .

. . .I also didn't take any pictures of the girls at their sleepover with Nonny and Poppa, although I hear it was a HUGE success.  A trip to a real movie theater, matching pajamas, sleeping over with cousin Hailey, and tiny boxes of cereal for breakfast:  what more could they ask for? 

And wow, just like that, July is over!  The girls are looking forward to the start of school, but they've got a long way to look:  the school board approved a calendar change that has the school year beginning after Labor Day this year.  No matter.  That just gives me an extra week to prowl the school supply aisles. . .