Blacksmith Fork Canyon

On Saturday,  July 2nd (4th of July weekend) we headed up to Blacksmith Fork Canyon.   This is a few miles South of Logan canyon, just East of Hyrum.   We had originally planned on going camping but ended up just doing a day trip, which was still nice.  We have never been there before, so this was an exploring trip for us.  We learned that it is better to take a truck up the canyon than a mini van.  There is a dirt road up to the camp sites and trailhead that is drivable in a mini van, but pretty rough.   It is very pretty and looks like a nice place to go back to sometime and go camping!  

We parked at the trailhead and embarked on our journey up the mountain to the waterfall at the top.    I thought "1 1/2 miles- that will be a cinch!"  (I have been training for a half-marathon and running 4-6 miles a few times a weeks so this seemed like a breeze.)    Well, this was a little harder than I expected.  For one thing, it was all uphill.  And, I still think it would have been pretty easy with just Aaron and I, but with 4 little kids this was a different story.  

For one thing,  Aaron had on a heavy backpack with Jared in it (Jared is the perfect size for this :)  and I was with Heidi at the end (the caboose).  She walked no more than 1 mile an hour and I was there to coach her along.  She did awesome considering her size and I was so proud of her.   I joked with Aaron that half the time I was literally walking with one foot just in front of the other (baby steps) up the trail.  It was enough to make me crazy!    She was being very stubborn and refused to let me hold her hand so she fell a few times and still wouldn't change her mind.  Finally, we reached the spot where the waterfall was.  It was really pretty, and bigger than it has been in previous years (I am told) because of the high run off this year.  We sat at the base of the fall and ate lunch.  Then, we hiked back down.  The kids were all real troopers as we had to cross the river 3 times and since the water is so high this year, it was pretty tricky getting over it.   Erika and Kyle did great- They had so much energy and made it up no sweat!

Sitting at the top of the waterfall with the kids.  I was a little nervous about this one,
 but Aaron convinced me it would be okay.  

Along the trail, the kids found a "throne seat" made out of rocks.  We sat on it and pretended to be royalty.  

    

After our hike,  we stopped at a spot by the river and let the kids swim.  We were all exhausted and hot so this felt really nice.  Aaron played with Erika and Kyle by having them float down a little piece and he caught them when they reached him.  They had a lot of fun.  

On the way home, we all stopped for slurpees.  I don't think a slurpee has ever tasted so good.   Okay, I lied- they always taste good to me.    (I think I could eat one every day and not be sick of them :) Yum!  

That night after the kids were bathed and in their pajamas,  we lit some fireworks in our yard.   They had a lot of fun with that.   Children bring so much excitement to the occasion- it wouldn't be nearly as fun without them.  We love watching them get excited.  On Monday, the fourth, we went and saw CARS 2 the movie in 3D in the theatres.  The kids LOVED IT!   Then, after some shopping, we went to see the fireworks at the park in Brigham City.

Michel Reunion at the Cabin

Jeremy- you're so silly!!

Kyle and uncle Jeremy going for a ride.

We had our second annual "Ollie Michel" reunion at the cabin this last weekend and it was a lot of fun!   It was a very different year this time because we were small in numbers, and those who weren't there were definitely missed.   It will be nice to all be together again at next year's reunion.    We still had a great time, though!!   Thursday, June 23rd was our first night.  We got up to the cabin pretty late so all we really did that night was eat dinner and then put the kids to bed, then relaxed and talked for a little bit.

Nate and Kyle searching the mountain for deer

The next morning, we had a nice breakfast and leisurely morning.    The men worked on a project organizing the garage.  We packed a lunch and headed off on a boat ride and "hike".  (I put this in quotation marks because it was more of a walk up a path, maybe a quarter mile.  But it was just fine.)  We drove the boat across the lake and found a nice spot to dock, then after eating our lunch we walked a little.    There was a little stream running into the lake and we couldn't believe what we saw!   At least 50 fish or so were stuck in a little pool in the stream.   We weren't quite sure why they were there, but we think they were spawning.    They were LARGE trout!!   (I forgot to bring my camera on the hike and I was so bummed I didn't get any pictures of this- but it is true.)   Jeremy and Aaron and Nate were able to walk through the stream and catch a whole bunch of fish with their BARE HANDS and just throw them onto the bank!!   How fun!!   We took 4 or 5 back with us.   When they picked them up, a bunch of little orange eggs came out, so they must have been spawning.

Heidi couldn't resist stuffing the whole s'more in her mouth.  

That evening was spent fishing or catching crawdads, going on motorcycle rides and just relaxing.   John came up for a few hours with Colton and it was nice to see them.  Jeremy fixed us dinner and then we roasted some s'mores by the campfire.   That night, the adults had fun playing games and watching a movie.

" I can't believe I am actually touching this thing!"  

"I am a pro crawdad- catcher."

The next morning,  after breakfast, some people went down the lake to see how many crawdads we had caught.   Kyle was so excited about the crawdads- we had at least 30.   He learned quickly and with no fear,  how to pick them up behind their arms and had a great time playing with them on the deck.  Erika was even brave enough to pick one up!   After lunch that day, we cleaned up and headed home.  Overall, it was a great time.   We are so grateful for a wonderful family and we love you guys!

Handsome and lovin' life in the walker.  

A Weekend to Remember

I had a few of my dreams come true this last weekend.   Aaron and I took off on a romantic getaway to Las Vegas.  We have been there twice before, the first time being our honeymoon.  We spent a week there for our honeymoon- we stayed in the Bellagio and it was so wonderful.   It is such a good memory for me.  We were like two hicks from the country entering a whole new world.  We had fun just exploring all the different hotels with all their elaborate detail and unique settings.  Yes, there is some bad in Las Vegas, but we have found that it is not too hard for us to just stay away from it.  You can still have a lot of fun in Vegas even if you don't gamble.  It is actually such a beautiful place with lots of things to explore.  

Standing in front of the Bellagio while the fountains were going off- So beautiful!!

The biggest dream that came true this weekend was going to see Celine Dion.   When she left Las Vegas the last time, I thought she was done for good and we had lost our chance.  She went on a world tour for a year and we actually had tickets for a show in Salt Lake but for some reason she ended up cancelling the show and we got our money back.   After that, for one of our anniversaries, Aaron did something very romantic.  He bought the DVD of her concert "A New Day" and brought me to the seminary where he had moved all of the desks in his classroom and we watched it on the big screen.  

Later, we were so excited to find out she was going back to Las Vegas and we bought tickets (clear back in October.)  

The show was SO AMAZING!!   It was so good, I almost couldn't believe it was happening.  I have never seen a singer perform with so much passion and emotion.  Aaron and I brought some bioculars (which was really nice) and were able to watch her face a lot.   You could tell she really loves what she does.  And, no one can do it like her!!   This was such a dream come true for me.   I told Aaron, "If I died tonight, I would die a very happy woman."  

One of my other dreams came true as we were driving down the street and I saw the sign for "Benihana".  I said, "I know where we're going to dinner!"  I went there for the Prom back in high school and have wanted to go back ever since.   This was the perfect opportunity.   We had a great time watching our chef "Yong" cook our meal while doing tricks for us.  

Isn't it pretty?  (I'm talking about the course)  Yes, he's handsome too, but he's mine   :)

Aaron enjoyed a nice round of golf at Badlands golf course.  It was so beautiful and peaceful there.  He did well- got a 76 on a pretty difficult course!   He said I was his good luck charm.  I was his cheerleader, while I enjoyed a book on the golf cart.  :)

After golf, we went to the "Ethel M. Chocolate" factory for a tour.   It took awhile to get there from the strip and after all that, I have to admit I was a little disappointed.  The "tour" turned out to be just walking down a hallway with a glass window on one side where they make the chocolate.  The day looked like it was about over and the workers were packaging the chocolates at the end.   The other side of the hall had pictures and narrative about the history of chocolate making.   At the end of the hall was their chocolate shop, which was of course their objective in getting us there.  It was interesting, but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone going to Vegas in the future.  It wasn't worth the trip.

Outside the factory they had a really unique catcus garden which was actually really pretty.  

One thing we have learned about Las Vegas is that there is SO MUCH to see and do- shows and nice buffets, fancy hotels, and smaller attractions, some free and some not.  But, even the free ones have to be worth the effort because it usually takes some time to walk or drive to see them.  We walked around on the strip for awhile and it was good.  We went on some 4-D rides in the Excalibur hotel.  Every hotel has something interesting to see.  But, staying at the Bellagio was so great!  It is just so classy.  We were celebrating our anniversary (6 mo exactly from December, and we don't really travel the week before Christmas).   One night the hotel had left a fancy box of chocolates on our bed with a note saying "Happy Anniversary".   We also really enjoyed relaxing at the pool, which was so beautiful!!!

I especially want to thank Aaron's parents for watching the kids while we were away.  It was a sacrifice on their part and we really appreciate it.  We couldn't have done it without them!

Overall, it was such a wonderful vacation-  a TRUE VACATION, not a "work-ation", which is what we call them now when you are hauling around 4 kids.  They are fun too, but just not the same.  I love my husband so much.   I can't imagine spending life without my best friend.

Downata Hot Springs

Jared and daddy warming up by the campfire after a chilly night. 

For our first camping trip this summer,  we decided to make it a little easier and not take the tent trailer.  On June 3rd, we discovered a wonderful little place called "Downata Hot Springs" up in Downey, Idaho.  We got to stay in a tee-pee for one night!   That was a blast!   The kids were especially excited about sleeping in a teepee. 

Our teepee was a little different than this one because it had a door on it. 

All the teepees have electricity too, which was nice. 

Erika and Kyle had a fun time pretending to be indians and climbing in the trees.  I love their imaginations! 

"Me running bear, You little chief.  Me go hunt wild buffalo."

We were really impressed by the nice pool.  The water is really warm because of the hot springs.  

We went swimming Friday night and again Saturday. 

Erika and Kyle couldn't get enough of the waterslides.  They have two waterslides there, only one of which they were big enough (or brave enough) to go on- the dragon slide.  I mustered some courage and managed to go on the "black hole" slide twice- yeah for me!!  (It goes straight down and then underground).  Notice in the pictures how Erika is plugging her nose and preparing for the plunge while Kyle just sits there grinning :)

Wow- the sun sure did come out today!  Jared loved the water because it felt just like the bathtub and he LOVES the bath!

Another fun thing was the little splash park they had there.  All the kids had fun playing in it.  I spent a lot of time with Heidi and Jared splashing in it.  (Sad we didn't get a picture)  Heidi called it "the showers". 

It was a great weekend- and a winner destination.   We'll be sure go to there again! 

Kids in My Closet

I don't know if anyone knows this, but we keep a few kids chained up in the closet.  It is a sad confession, but yes, this is where they eat and sleep.  We let them out occasionally to go to the bathroom. 

Okay, really-  the other day I walked into my room and heard some giggling coming from the direction of the closet.  Then, I saw this post-it note stuck on the door:

When I opened up the door, this is what I found:

I don't know what happened between the note and Kyle being in there, but it didn't seem to be a problem.  I found three children nestled snug as a bug in our closet.  "Close the door, mom" they said, "We're trying to sleep!"  and so I left them there to giggle together. 

Memorial in Boise

We spent Memorial Weekend up in Boise with Aaron's parents and it was a lot of fun!

The weather was unpredictably stormy off and on, which wasn't what we had hoped for, but we were still able to do just everything we had hoped to do.  

The first thing we did on Saturday was go to the zoo, which is always a favorite for the kids.  The animals were out in the open for the most part because it wasn't too hot.  

Not to mention some other animals were roaming about the zoo (the Parkinson ones).   Our kids were SO EXCITED to be there and that made it even more fun.  

After lunch at the park, we headed off to the Discovery Center, which is a really neat museum full of science stations for kids.  This is like the ultimate science project exhibit.  The kids had a lot of fun there as well.   I love the potential for learning that is there, too.  

Some other fun things that we enjoyed that I don't have pictures of were going swimming in the pool (I went with the kids 3 different times) and individual time with grandma and grandpa.  Erika and Kyle each got to stay with grandma and grandpa at their house for one night all by themselves and go out to breakfast the next morning.  They thought that was pretty neat.    Aaron also enjoyed a great round of golf with his dad.  We always love to visit grandma and grandpa and are so grateful for the efforts they make to spend time with us and the kids!

Kyle's Preschool Graduation

Kyle with his teacher Mrs. Francom

On May 26th Kyle had his preschool graduation.  (Yes, this was his second time).  We put Kyle in preschool for two years, mostly because we felt like he needed it.  Looking back, we really think it has benefited him a lot.  He has absolutely LOVED school, which makes us so happy.  In Kyle's first year of preschool, it just seemed like he wasn't quite getting things.  I also just don't think he really cared as much.  This year has been a whole different story!  He has just taken off and been so motivated to learn.  

This year in preschool he has learned all of his alphabet and letters, also writing.  He has also learned to read at least 25 sight words and is doing simple math, beginning sounds, and rhyming.  This may not sound like much for some kids, but I am very pleased with his progress this past year and look forward to his excitement for learning in kindergarten.   After the program he kept telling everyone, "Now I can go to kindergarten!!"  

Kyle's preschool graduation was just a little program where the kids sang and did their parts.  

We were so proud of how well he did!