life in general

13 things about my trip to las vegas

1.  While Scott worked for a few hours each morning he set me up in an empty corner office where I was able to blog, attend to facebook and google reader, browse pinterest to my heart's delight, and enjoy my Wee Brie (isn't that the cutest?) and crackers.  What a thoughtful guy . . . he picked up some snacks for me before my arrival.  The free time and quiet was wonderful.

2.  Lunch at the Cheesecake Factory to meet the homeowners.  We learned a little more about the area from these long-time Las Vegas residents (all positive).

 

3.  I got to see the house for the first time ever!  A little nervous because we've invested so much time in this process already, but it was great.  The space is great, just needs some cosmetic TLC (we are making a prioritized list of projects).  The location is wonderful.  The schools are top-rated.  It's in the ward we wanted.  An easy commute for Scott.  Altogether it's a pretty amazing package.

4.  Late aftenoon view from Scott's office.

5.  We decided to take advantage of the dining options in Vegas and celebrate our 13th anniversary a few days early.  Dinner reservations at Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant in the Bellagio.  

6.  Big smiles when the hostess led us to our booth.  Our view . . . 

A front row seat to the fountains at the Bellagio.  We had no idea that we were in for this!  What a great surprise!  

7.  I tried sushi for the first time ever.  We ordered Cucumber Salad, a California roll, a Popping Spicy Crab roll, and tuna.  You know what?  I liked it all!  

8.  drumroll please . . . I ate the entire meal with chopsticks!!  This was also a first for me - no fingers, no asking the waiter for a fork.  From plate to my belly, allll chopsticks.  I was so proud of myself!  As was Scott.

9.  Oh, and those lovely fountains.  Almost everytime they went off, we got up from our seats and stepped out on the veranda to watch.  Absolutely mesmerizing!

We kept looking at each other, in awe of what a fantastic dining experience this was turning out to be.  Great food, great view.

10. Ordering a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3 in New York City has always been on my bucket list.  When we happened upon a Serendipity 3 outside Caesar's Palace I was thrilled!  And on our anniversary date, what luck!  What . . . . serendipity.  :)

And oh my.  The frrrozen hot chocolate did not disappoint.

I ordered the original.  Scott ordered Orrreo.

11. Flying home together was a special treat.  I'm so used to dropping off and picking up at the airport . . . it was so nice to come home together.  And when I dozed off on the plane and maybe snored just a little, I didn't have to be embarrassed that the passenger next to me had witnessed this.  ;)

12. We landed in Portland, sat down for dinner at a Thai restaurant, changed our clothes in the bathroom, and headed to the temple for a really wonderful, peaceful, meaningful evening.  It was the perfect way to end the week.

13.  Seeing my husband in action at work & all he has to manage, knowing his excitement over my arrival, the way he prepared for my visit (cleaning, stocking up on my favorites), the way he spoiled me, never having to open my own door (ever), feeling so connected, knowing he understands and supports my desires/needs . . . . I've determined that I am one amazingly blessed woman.  

In my book, 13 is a lucky number.

p.s.  special thanks to my mom for holding down the fort and loving the kids while I was away.

to Bend and back

Can I just say, hooray for spontaneous vacations!

We seem to be getting really good at this in 2011.

First there was Memorial Day weekend in Lincoln City

 . . . then an over-nighter in Portland during which we acted like tourists

 . . . and then we rounded out the year with 2 nights in Bend for some skiing on Mt. Bachelor.

Each of these trips have been last minute adventures (planned just 24-48 hours in advance).

Each one has allowed us to explore new parts & places of Oregon.

And each one has been initiated, suggested, and booked by Scott.  Even he was impressed by himself.  Typically, he would prefer to stay home while I want to go out and explore.  I told him that his training was now complete. 

Scott and the boys hit the slopes, we checked Anna in for a full-day lesson (her first), and I set up home base in the lodge.  I tried skiing once, it just wasn't for me.  Since then, Scott has taken the boys skiing by himself.  But 3 skiers is a bit much for one adult to handle, so I've been recruited for lodge duty.  

Even so, I ended up spending a large part of my time outside watching Anna and waiting to catch a glimpse of the boys coming down the ski run.  I had one hot chocolate and only made it through 1 chapter of my book.  But that's okay.  This trip wasn't about me.  It was an excuse to get away, give everyone a chance to ski (this will probably be their only chance this winter), and spend some quality time together.

And now for a few photos . . . . (and a video - scroll down)

I decided to travel light and only used my iphone for photos & video on this trip

We took the truck to better deal with any snowy driving conditions we might encounter.  This also meant that the kids had to sit very close to each other for the 4 hour drive.  I was worried about our sanity at the end of the trip but the kids surprised me and they did wonderfully.  No complaining whatsoever.  In Payton's words, "when we're playing our DS's for a long time I don't really care about anything else."

Conner was in such a zen place that he was able to lend a shoulder to his sleeping sister.  Usually, this would be cause for much grumbling.

We made Conner's day when we let him order the crab legs for dinner.

Thursday morning, our first glimpses of Mt. Bachelor.

Anna, getting all geared up.

The boys heading out for their first run of the day.

This is how I ski . . .

A few random shots

And back at the hotel after a long day, this girl was wiped out.

When I picked her up from ski school she was smiling, showing off her "jumps".  As we walked back to the lodge the exhaustion hit and she collapsed to the ground, moaning, complaining about how tired she was.  During the drive down the mountain she said her head hurt.  Back at the hotel she said she was sick.  And 15 minutes later she threw up.  After a good 30-45 minutes of deep sleep while the boys went swimming she woke up and she was ready to go, no worse for wear!

Here is the video I promised

As you can tell the kids had a great day.  It was a great little trip!  We stayed at a hotel on the Deschutes river with a big breakfast buffet every morning.  We rented a Redbox movie each night and popped popcorn in our hotel room.  The kids got to see and play in the snow!  We survived the trip there and back.  We choose an alternate route for the way home (to avoid a massive snow storm on Mt. Hood) and saw even more new parts of Oregon.

Hooray for spontaneous vacations!

weekend in the life // keep portland weird

At the last minute, as in Friday at 2 o'clock, we decided to do something fun and different this weekend . . . . be tourists in our town!  We booked a hotel, made a list of things that were very "Portland" (many of which we had never done before -- even though we have lived in the area for 11 years), woke up saturday morning, packed, and were on our way.

Here are our adventures . . . . week in the life style.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

83 degrees

8:25 am -- packing

8:45am - drying Anna's hair

10:13am - checking out the hotel room.  I've never actually seen an episode of Portlandia (a show that pokes fun at Portland), but here's a pretty funny clip about birds.

10:24 am - ready to explore the city

11:21 am -- awesome 4-person, continuously flowing, drinking fountain.  You can find these all around downtown.

11:41 am - Portland Saturday Market

12:06 pm - lunch by the fountain.  Pizza for Anna.  Chicago hot dogs for the boys.

12:20 pm - we sat and listened to the Supa Dupa Marimba Bros. play for a while.  Very cool music.

12:50 pm - the boys picked out some arrow head gear from the Spoon Man Creations booth.

1:44 pm - found some food carts for the grown-up's lunch.  I had Korean BBQ and Scott had Thai food.

2:28 pm - checking the transit maps . . . about to hop on the MAX

3:18 pm -- riding Portland's aerial tram.  Love that the lady in the other car is taking my picture, and I'm taking hers.  :)

3:25 pm -- cute boy.  And now we're on the Portland Streetcar.  Other than the buses, I think we covered just about every public transportation available to us.

3:46 pm -- fountain at PSU.  Our kids love, love, love fountains.

3:51 pm - waiting for the MAX

4:10 pm - get in line for VooDoo Doughnuts.  We have never partaken of the VooDoo, but it's a Portland favorite.  "The magic is in the hole."

4:17 pm - This sign is directly across the street from VooDoo doughnuts.  This is the mission statement for many Portlanders, and they do a pretty good job at it.

4:34 pm - While waiting in line we suddenly hear a chorus of "arrrghh!" and giant pirate flag leading a group of 30-40 people decked out in elaborate pirate garb.  Earlier in the day we saw them filling a bar.  We're guessing, that they were walking towards the waterfront for Brewfest this weekend.  Quite a scurvy bunch.

4:40 pm -- Our first glimpses at the famous VooDoo doughnuts.  We selected a one dozen assortment including the maple bar with bacon, fruit loops doughnut, captain crunch donut, and their famous Portland creme doughnut.  Altogether, a 35 minute wait.

5:09 pm -- had the experience of being sandwiched like sardines on the MAX.  Conner said, "this is a death trap."  Photo was taken after the majority of people exited at the last stop in the fare-less square.

5:45 pm - ahhh, adjoining rooms.

5:52 pm - my treasure from the Saturday Market.  I have the perfect spot for it.

7:00 pm - hotel swimming

About an hour later I got horribly sick (massive headache, nauseous, & other stuff) -- I'm guessing from something that I ate today.  Scott took the kids out for pizza and frozen yogurt.  I hunkered down in the hotel room.  Thankfully, I was feeling okay by the next morning.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

80-something degrees

9:16 am -- breakfast.  Just 2 bites of my glazed doughnut . . . trying to be kind to my stomach.

9:44 am - the morning routine

10:04 am -- this photo reminds me of a comment Scott made on Saturday, "I thought we ordered normal children."

10:47 am - checking out of the hotel

12:20 pm -- driving across the I-205 bridge following church.  Great view of Mt. Hood.

2:00 pm - lunch picnic in Washington Park

2:32 pm - meandering around the Rose Gardens

2:48 pm - Loved overhearing this conversation.  Scott to the boys:  "Sometimes you just do things to humor the ladies."

4:57 pm -- Home.  Watching Shark Week, napping, reading blogs on my ipad.

6:48 pm -- Yes, the bedroom is finished and it is heavenly.  (Before and after blog post coming soon.)

7:25 pm -- Dinner.  Waffles with raspberries & whipped cream & nutella.  Very tasty combination.

8:17 pm -- goodnight kisses.

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And that, my friends, is a week in the life of little ol' me.

summer fun #5: be in a parade

I love parades.

Not sure what it is about it, but I love a parade.  Waving to people you don't know, clapping and cheering for patriotic displays, seeing all the fanfare and festivity . . . it's all good fun.

So when my dad suggested that we put together a family/business float in my home town's 4th of July Parade I was thrilled.  What a great idea!

So here's a piece of history . . . . Back in 1983, at the tender age of 3 1/2, my parents entered me in a little pageant that our town held during it's 4th of July celebration.  This is way back before the days of Toddler & Tiaras and pageant moms.  It was just something for fun.  The kids walked across the stage, answered a few questions like "what is your favorite color" (and in my case I sang I Am A Child of God), and then we sat on the stage while the rest of the contestants did the same thing.  There were no sequined dresses, no rehearsal, no dance numbers, no make-up, no hairspray (well, maybe some hairspray - it was the early 80's).

End of the story . . . I won.  Little Miss Gustine.  I got a trophy and a crown. And I got to ride on a float in the parade.

(Don't I look thrilled?  I think I was annoyed with having to keep my legs still and straight so no one would see up my dress.)

Then in 1986, my brother Sam was also in the pageant and also won Little Mr. Gustine and also rode on the float.  (Sorry, I don't have any photos of him in my possession)

So the theme for our float was obvious . . . . Former Little Miss and Little Mr. Gustine and their children.  Not our children (we don't want people thinking any more crazy things about the Mormons).  But our respective children.

All the float pictures came from Heidi . . . she was the photographer for the day and she did a great job.  Thanks Heidi!

It was holy hot that day.  104 degrees.  During the float assembly that morning we had the great idea to put the umbrella on the float.  The parade route is all of 5 blocks, but thank goodness for 5 blocks of shade!

And here we come . . . . 

Don't we look so patriotic!  My mom made the red, white, and blue pendant banners ahead of time.  And we helped with the tissue flowers.  Sam had a banner made at kinko's.  Just add some cute kids and you've got yourselves a first place float.  (Yes . . . we won 1st place in our division!)

 Conner and Payton walked along either side of the float and threw candy to the kids.  Scott and Mason also walked behind to supervise and refill their buckets.

We pulled the trailer back to my parents' house and cheered for what a great ride it had been (and for the A/C relief).  Really, it was such a fun experience to put a patriotic float together, ride down main street in our hometown, dad driving the semi, and grandkids waving and throwing candy.

It was fun to see a few familiar faces and classmates along the parade route.  Some semi-familiar faces walked out of the crowd to take our picture.  My dad's former banker actually hopped up on the semi steps to say hi while we were at a stop.  My mom walked along the parade route and almost like a spy reported back to us all the nice comments and moments of recognition ("hey, that's Shannon/Sam.") she overheard.

I think the whole experience left us with a little high that day.  Doing something with the community, doing something patriotic, and most importantly doing something as a family.

Dad, this was a fabulous idea.  Thanks.  Next time . . . water jets and confetti guns.  :)

serious fun on don pedro lake

All I have to do is think about this day and I'm instantly reminded of the seriously fun time that we had on the lake.  Just like that Friday song . . . "fun, fun, fun, fun."  And hey!  We were even there on a Friday.  :)

Good friends of our family, Sandi & Steve, graciously hosted our brood on their houseboat for a day.  I've never been on a houseboat before, but wow, they are nice!  A living area, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, a slide!, a full length upstairs balcony/porch/platform for chillin', a front porch for BBQ-in' . . . . Then throw in a ski boat and jet-ski and we're talking ultimate fun.

We spent the whole day alternating between tubing, wake-boarding, jetski-in', sliding, swimming off the back of the houseboat, and eating.  

Here are the kids loading up for the first run of the day.  The water in the lake was so warm . . . jumping in, swimming, or falling off the tube was no big deal because you didn't have to deal with an icy shock.

Ohhh, I think we're having fun now!

I was back on the houseboat when Scott, Payton, and Conner caught some big air.  (Thanks Heidi for sharing pictures with me).

Oops, we lost Conner.

Later, when I was tubing with Anna and Carlee I also lost Anna over the back of the tube.  She was a good sport about it.  When Steve turned us around to pick her up she said, "That was awesome!"

Everyone on the boat was having fun . . . 

Everyone got a turn on the jet-ski . . . 

And then it was time for wake-boarding.  I tell ya, Sam and Heidi are the super pros at this one.  Scott was just happy to get up.  And me . . . I've never done it before.  I've been anti-water-skiing since I was a kid and dad would take us out on our boat, The Nutbuster (he is in the walnut business).  Tubing works just fine for me.  But today, Heidi was working on me something fierce!  Dropping hints right and left in her sweet little way.  So at the very end of the day I gave in, and figured what the heck.  At least I can say that I tried.

Here's my first attempt . . . all smiles & fear

And my 6th attempt looks pretty similar . . . . although a bit more grunt than smile.

In the end, my wimpy arms just couldn't hold onto the rope long enough to get my body up.  But, I tried!  Thanks Heidi for the encouragement -- I think I would have regretted not giving it a shot.

Conner also tried the wake-boarding.  Watch this little video to see how it went.

We were pretty proud of this little kid.  All 61 pounds of him.  :)

Remember that slide I mentioned?  Plenty of fun was had with that.

At the end of the day I took some photos of the kids playing and swimming on the back of the boat.  The sunlight was just gorgeous.

When it came time to go back home Scott and I looked at each other and agreed that this had been a seriously fun day.

 (photo by Conner)

 A BIG thank you to Sandi & Steve for being such great hosts and letting us invade your houseboat right before the 4th of July weekend.  It was absolutely wonderful!

summer fun #2: go to california

okay, back to the summer road trip . . . 

Here's a few random details from the California leg with posts covering some of the bigger events coming later.

All dressed up for church on Sunday . . . 

And just our family . . . 

My dad currently serves as a counselor in the branch presidency of a Spanish Branch in their area.  (A branch is a church unit that is smaller than a ward).  He learned the language in Argentina while serving his mission and he still uses it nearly everyday as most of his employees are Hispanic.  My mom helps out in the branch as well, so we all decided to attend.  Usually the missionaries will translate the talks & lessons into English through listening headsets for visitors  But there was some confusion this Sunday as they were meeting in a different building due to construction, a different time, etc.  So the whole family got to enjoy an hour of Sunday School, all in Spanish.  

The best part of the day happened as we were sitting in the room before the meeting began.  A hispanic gentleman introduced himself and shook hands with the family.  As he went down the line Conner stood up and said, "Buenos Dias!"  We all got a little giggle out of that.  I love that he was just trying to be friendly!

Of course we did a whole lot of swimming.  After watching Mason's tricks all week, on our last day & totally unannounced, Conner attempted his first ever flip off the diving board . . . and nailed it!  It was awesome.  (Mason was home to help my parents with some upkeep around the property.  It was great that we were able to play with him too.)

Payton finally got really comfortable in the water and was swimming and jumping all over the pool.

and Anna was just cute.

 

Of course all this swimming and the comfortable temperature of the pool was made possible by the hot hot summer days.  We sat in the low 100's everyday, except for one day when it dipped down to 98 and I have to say it almost felt kind of cool.

The timing of our trip was very intentional.  We wanted to get out of Oregon as soon as school was out, and go to a place where summer existed in the month of June.  (Now look at us, in mid-July, still hovering around 70 and still getting rain.  I tell ya, )

While we're enjoying the sun and heat, the frogs are trying to escape it.  I caught this one in the hallway outside my bedroom.  We think it hitch-hiked on a damp pool towel.

This frog was not so lucky.

We also enjoyed spending time with Sam & Heidi and their kids.  At the lake, on the 4th of July, and for dinner at the house.  Their kids are so cute.  I love watching Carlee and Anna together.  Preston is all boy, tough but with a soft side.  And Audrey . . . I could just eat her up.  Conner also really likes her and when it was time to say good-bye he was so sad.  "Awwww, but I haven't finished her kung fu training!"  We decided that he could make some kung fu training DVDs and send them to her.

We enjoyed a few outings during this trip, but mostly we just hung around the house, swam, relaxed, and soaked in the love from grammer and papa.

more california posts to come:  on the lake, 4th of July, cousins, a date

one day we went shooting

there was a BBgun

a .22

a .223 (mini-14)  I don't know what these names mean, I just type what I'm told

and some gigantic orange ear plugs

we used rock chucks, squirrels, coyotes, and raccoons as target practice

some were not pleased with their aim

but kept at it

eventually they all went home with a target they were proud of

 

the end.

quiet

Scott and I escaped to Sun Valley, Idaho for a one night stay while Grammer and Papa kept the kids.  It was perfect.  Relaxing for sure.  At the end we decided the theme for this getaway was . . . quiet.

quiet hotel . . . We checked in and the staff was super attentive.  Taking us up to our room, showing us around.  She informed us that we were the only ones on our side of the hallway so we had the entire balcony to ourselves.  Nice!  Before leaving she said, "Make sure you let us know what time you want breakfast."  How about 8:30?  "Okay, I'll let Sandy know."

We lounged in our room watching tv, napping, enjoying the view and the absolute quiet that surrounded us.  Ahhhh.

Later we left for dinner and were greeted by smiling faces at the front desk and they waved us on our way.  On our return, again their ultra-attentiveness was peaked and they asked where we dined and how the meal was.  (Ketchum Grill -- excellent.  I had shrimp cakes, duck, and rhubarb crisp with vanilla bean ice cream.)  On our way up to the room I told Scott, "I think we're the only ones staying here tonight."  There had been other people on the grounds for a party and dining at the inn's restaurant.  But the way the staff was super clued into our every movement made me feel like we were their top (and only) priority that evening.

quiet breakfast . . . . Morning came and we came down to the breakfast cafe room.  It was empty -- no guests, no staff.  But every table was set with silverware and white cloth napkins.  The serving counter held trays of hot biscuits, bacon, scrambled eggs with herbs, banana bread, fruit salad, homemade granola, juices and milk.  It was delicious.  We sat there alone, no one to bother us and we soaked up the quiet stillness, giggling every once in a while at the odd scene we were a part of.  We grabbed our things from our room and when we returned to the main floor the doors to the breakfast cafe were closed and it was dark inside.

And we instantly realized . . . they made that breakfast just. for. us.

And our walk into the parking lot confirmed my earlier suspicions.  Ours was the only car in the lot.  We had just spent an evening in a 26-room inn all by ourselves.

quiet shopping . . . we were there on day 1 of the summer season for this resort town, so it was still pretty empty.  We walked up and down the streets looking into shops, trying to keep our jaws off the floor at the outrageous prices for everything, and stocked up on some Rocky Mountain chocolate.

quiet gondola ride . . . Once the doors closed on the gondola it was like the outside world went on mute and it was just us, and a beautiful view as we rode up the mountain.

quiet mountain top . . . just check out this view.

and a quiet outdoor lunch at 7700 feet.  The Roundhouse restaurant and grill is located mid-way up Bald Mountain.  Quite the view and quite the elevation to take in a great summer lunch.

Scott took matters into his own hands and brought his own diet Pepsi up the mountain -- everywhere we went they served only Coke and he does not do Coke.  He was now a happy camper.

quiet drive . . . an hour and 40 minutes each way, we leisurely drove without time constraints, I learned a bit more about Idaho geology (who knew they had fields of volcanic rock in Idaho), we tried to imagine the possible delivery or carry-out methods for a 52 inch pizza that was advertised on a marquee in Shoshone (still stumped on that one), admired the dozens of private jets at the Ketchum airport (wonder if any celebrities were in town), and just because we felt like it we pulled in at the Trading Post for a look around at wall to wall Native American merchandise and ended up buying souvenirs for the kids.  Rain stick, piece of quartz, and a rabbit's foot.

So that was our quiet, relaxing, fill our bellies full of delicious food getaway.  Thanks Scott for planning everything.  Love ya.  

And now I need to get to the business of eating the ginormous bag of fresh kettle corn he just walked in with.  He knows the way to my heart.

feeling left out

Did you know that Scott was very much into the ladies in high school?  Dated lots.  It's part of his history.  I'll get back to that point in a moment.

Near his home is the "Niagara of the West", Shoshone Falls, located on the Snake River.  But most of the time there is no water running over the falls or just very little.  The water is diverted for irrigation use and Idaho has had many drought years so there isn't much water to begin with.  In all of our many visits we have never actually gone to see Shoshone Falls.  Because there hasn't been anything to see.

But when we came for this trip we heard that the water was falling and it was spectacular.  Day 1 we hopped in the car to see for ourselves.

You be the judge.

look, a double rainbow!

So back to my original point . . . as we're driving down the canyon to the park Scott tells the kids that in high school he used to take girls here to kiss them.  (That may sound bad, but remember he was an Idaho Mormon boy, a good boy.  But I did have to smack him for sharing that kind of info with your kids.)  So I turn to him, after the smack, "but you've never taken me here!  I feel left out."  A little playful pouting.

So on the viewing deck we had to make things right

and one more,

summer fun #1: go to idaho

Our road trip began in Idaho.  Scott's hometown.  It's always nice to go to my in-laws home and spend some time relaxing and allowing Scott to get his fill of golf.  Well, maybe not his fill.  But four rounds of 18-holes without totally neglecting your family on vacation isn't too shabby.

Here are a few around-the-house highlights, and just some pictures that I thought were too cute not to share.

Washing the cars.  The kids know the routine.

Anna was very helpful and often asked to set the dinner table.  Probably just so she could ensure her spot next to Grammer.

In the morning we would ride bikes or go to a park.  But once the heat of the afternoon set in you're likely to find a scene like this. 

Some kind of quiet activity indoors because my kids would otherwise melt in the heat.

There's Conner on the ipad.  Somehow he conned convinced Grammer Valerie to download Dungeon Defenders on her ipad.  A combination of incessant asking and a cute/awkward face.

Anna with Grammer's vintage lacing cards.

And Payton on the iTouch.  Probably playing the penguin game.

We took our park trips while Scott & Dennis were playing golf.  We'd all hop in Valerie's car while she drove from park to park, asking the kids to take a good look through the windows, and let her know which one they wanted to stop at.  It was usually Candy Cane Park.  (This name came about in Scott's childhood because the playground equipment was painted with red and white stripes -- like a candy cane.)

It isn't red and white anymore.  But the name still holds.

I didn't want to move out of my chair in the shade so when Anna asked for a push on the swings I told Conner he should push her 20 times.  Valerie added the reward of 10 minutes on the ipad.  He got a big grin on his face and straightaway got to the business of pushing his sister.  After a while I noticed that he had long passed the required 20 pushes, and he was still happily (at least without complaint) pushing Anna.  I wonder if he's expecting to get 10 minutes for every 20 pushes?  Sure enough.  I asked him and he was on 73, licking his chops as [he thought] the ipad minutes racked up.

A kill-deer made a little nest in the empty lot behind the Browns' home.  Everyday Valerie would escort one of the kids slowly towards the nest to check on the eggs' progress, and to watch Maisy's show.  Maisy is the mother bird's name.

As you approached the nest Maisy would hop up, run off to the side, squawk, spread her wings out, and start limping and stumbling.  It was all an act to make herself appear injured -- a distraction so any predators would stay away from her babies.  It was quite a sight to see!  

As the week went on, and our visits continued, she abandoned that tactic and started charging us head on.

Don't the eggs look like little rocks?  Great camouflage job Maisy.

The birds hatched 3 days after we left.

Other happenings in Idaho . . . 

We ate at Maxie's pizza twice.  Scott had a major hankering for his favorite pizza.

We watched a cool lightning storm from the back porch.

We intended to go to the temple and brought our bags with us.  But wouldn't you know it?  The temple was closed that week for cleaning.  Darn.

Two trips to Kiwi Loco were in order.  Self-serve yogurt is my absolute favorite.

Scott's social streak randomly and bizarrely appeared when one night he got the sudden urge to create a facebook group page for the singing/dancing (Glee-esque) group he was a part of in highschool.  It was all kinds of fun to watch him welcome new members and reminisce.

Valerie has two really old raggedy ann and andy dolls from her childhood.  They usually sit on a shelf in the upstairs guest bedroom.  The last time we visited Payton stayed in that bedroom one night.  In the morning he said, "those dolls are freaking me out" with a freaked out look in his eyes.  So for this visit she removed the dolls from the room.  But he still wouldn't sleep there.  We joked how funny it would be to place one of the dolls on the bedside table where he was sleeping in the basement.  Can you imagine his reaction when he woke up?  

more idaho posts to come:  golfing, shooting, quiet, and the falls 

back from the coast

we are definitely getting our fill of beach play this month.  Although, in these parts we refer to it as "the coast."  It's a little more rugged, colder, and you're more likely to spend your time kite flying and beach-combing, rather than sun bathing and swimming.

For this trip I brought along my little cameras to capture the scenery and all the little moments.

Here's a peek into our weekend . . . 

{taken using an Instax mini 7S}

We discovered the tidepools . . . . 

and lots of sea life tucked away in the nooks and crannies . . . 

We took in the view from our balcony . . . 

From our hotel balcony we watched the tides rise and fall around these rocks each day.  One evening we even watched a small SUV sink into the sand as the tides rose.  Some good samaritans (with a big beefy truck) stepped in and pulled them out.  There were a lot of hugs shared.

We also saw kites flying, a morning yoga class near the waves, love notes written in the sand, stormy rain clouds roll in, the lights of ships at night, and the sun set on the horizon.

we saw a seal pup . . .

and Anna decided that she wants to have one as a pet. 

the kids played hard at an amazing park . . . 

 

we saw a lighthouse . . . 

and we climbed all the stairs to the top.  Scott asked the kids to guess how many stairs there would be.  Their guesses . . . 25, 40, 44.  It appears we need to work on the skill of estimation.  There were over 100 stairs to the top.  And back down again . . . Anna got a little fearful of heights, but made it down just fine.  (Small world, as we exited the lighthouse we ran into the Smith family from our ward.)

oh and more tidepools . . . 

we roasted marshmallows by the fire . . . 

 

love that the hotel had these gas-powered fire pits for use.  No smoky smelling clothes!

Here's what happens when you try to make a s'more with those giant campfire marshmallows

and we had a great overall time . . . 

We're home and ready for the last 3 weeks of school!

beach house: play!

obviously, when you go to a beach house you . . . 

play on the beach!

The house we stayed in was right on the beach, and we found that renting mid-week is the way to go.  You could look left all the way down the beach, and look right all the way down the beach and see not one single person.  We had the place entirely to ourselves.  Score!

I love this picture of our set-up on the beach.  Kites, giant inflatable balls, shovels, boogie boards . . . we got it all.

{photo by Heidi}

We were blessed with great weather during our stay (just one slightly colder/windier day).  So we definitely took advantage of the beach and got as much play out of it as we could.

happy fun ball

The last time we all got together at a beach house was Christmas 1999, our first Christmas as a married couple.  My parents brought along a huge (we're talking 48") inflatable soccer ball that was named "happy fun ball."  The name was taken from this classic SNL commercial. (Do not taunt happy fun ball.)  We had lots of fun with it, Denver almost broke his neck attempting a head bunt, and it eventually got a hole in it.  

We knew that this weekend was the perfect opportunity to bring happy fun ball back.

This year's version came from Costco -- basically an inflatable hamster wheel.  The kids had fun rolling each other on the back deck.

The older kids had fun with it too.

And then my dad and brother did what they are best at . . . completely ignore printed warnings like "do not use as a flotation device" and do exactly that.  A few of my brothers tried it out first, and when it was deemed "marginally safe"  (j/k) they put Conner inside.

Actually Conner jumped at the chance to have a turn and l.o.v.e.d. it.  Loved it.  He thought that this was the awesomest thing ever.

dig a hole

When we go to the beach the item at the top of our "to bring" list is always a shovel.  Because we like to dig holes.  Big holes.  On day 2 the kids (with help from Denver, Mason, etc.) dug a "hot tub".

On day 3 my brothers got serious about their hole digging and completed not one, but two massive holes connected by a trench.  (Sorry, no pictures. I was working the video camera that day.)

We were saddened later that evening when we saw a group of kids take over the hole and litter it with a giant tree branch, garbage, t-shirts, and a tire.  My mind was perplexed -- Where did the tire come from? (it certainly had not been on the beach all week.)  So then, who in the world brings a tire to the beach?  Anyways, our awesome hole was turned in homeless-looking shanty-ville.

night-time on the beach

The setting sun did not stop us from squeezing a little more enjoyment out of the beach.  One night we went down with a huge case of sparklers and let the kids go crazy.  That was a lot of fun.  Afterwards, Papa gave all the kids flashlights and we went on a night hike down the beach looking for creatures and shells and oddities in the sand.

Another night we made a campfire and roasted marshmallows. lovely face, Anna.

And here's a few more of our crew

Top:  Carlee, Kent, Becca, Nicholas, Conner

Bottom:  Payton, Mason, Preston, Anna

I love the golden light from the sunset.  Wouldn't it be great if we could have that all the time?

Well, I think I've reached my limit for today.  More later . . . 

beach house / family reunion / mission homecoming

So before I get into the beach activities . . . . . 

The real reason for this trip and family reunion of sorts was to welcome my brother Mason home after serving for 2 years in the Montana Billings Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And . . . he is the last missionary on both sides of our family -- 8 for 8.  A pretty big milestone.

Mom had this great idea of getting all the boys together for a group photo -- strap on their missionary nametags, still looking very much like missionaries

Don't they all look so handsome?

Left to right:  Sam (Bolivia), Kent (Portugal), Denver (Brazil), Mason (Montana)

I'm so thankful for these 4 boys men (and for Scott and his 3 brothers) who have set an example for my boys and continued a tradition of missionary service in the family.

Mason is looking and doing great.  He gave a wonderful talk in church and shared some of his mission experiences with us at the beach house.  

The kids had a great time getting re-acquainted with Uncle Mason again

Conner's always looking for someone to battle with him.  On this particular afternoon he went from uncle to uncle trying to pick a fight.  He got trounced a few times.

 

The kids still slip up from time to time in their prayers, blessing "uncle mason on his mission".  But we'll get that one figured out soon.  Welcome home Mason!  We're glad to have you back!

back from the beach

We are back from a wonderful, sunny, tasty, fun-filled, family vacation to the beach.  All of my brothers and all of their families and my parents.  17 people in a great beach front home in California.  

I have lots to show and tell but for now I just wanted to share a few glimpses into our 4 days and 3 nights on the beach.

(oh, and can I give myself a little pat on the back.  I was determined to shoot only in Manual during this trip.  And I did!  I've been practicing for a while (still a learning process) and was pretty happy with the results.)

happily grateful: people i love

My happiness derives from knowing the people I love are happy.

Holly Ketchel

Do these look like happy faces to you?

We just got back from a quick little getaway to a hotel & mega-indoor-water park.  The trip was a sort of family party for Conner's upcoming 10th birthday.  The kids had a great time.  We had a great time.  We drove up after church, checked into our room and played some board games, then got up bright and early this morning to hit the waterpark.  There were 6 different waterslides (including one that we could all go down together on one raft), a waterplay area for the little kids, a bigger water fort (with a giant bucket that dumped water every few minutes - see pictures above), a pool for walking across the lily-pads and basketball, and a wave pool.

 (click to see slightly larger)

What made this even more special was the fact that we spent all day in our swimsuits, enjoying the water slides, while this was going on outside.

Before we even left, the kids were asking when we can come again.  

My favorite quote of the trip . . . it's our first time down the Canyon River Run, with all 5 of us in a big circular raft, Scott is leaning back as far as he can to add some extra speed fun to the ride, Payton's got the look of fear in his eyes, Anna spends the first few moments totally frozen and then says, "This is wonderful!!!" 

My favorite moment of the trip . . . when Conner and I emerged from the Howlin' Tornado and Scott, Payton, & Anna were standing there cheering.