On an Afternoon in Fall...

The other day the kids came home from school bound and determined to play in the leaves.  You know, make a big pile - jump in it - throw leaves in the air.  There was only one small problem with their plan.

As Isaac and Henry looked around the yard, they decided that we were lacking in the fallen leaves department, and realized that they would have to look elsewhere for the needed leaves.  "Great, " I thought.  "Go play in someone else's leaves."  Little did I realize what the kids had in mind.

A little while later, I looked out the window and saw my kids walking back and forth carrying shovels full of leaves.  Instead of playing in the neighbor's leaves like I had assumed, they were scooping up leaves from our neighbors yard and carrying them into our yard.

For nearly an hour this continued, until finally they had created a suitable, jump-able pile of leaves.

It was a beautiful afternoon - probably one of the last sunny warm days until spring.  It was a day for my kids to soak in the warmth of the sun and jump in the leaves and enjoy the fleeting fall weather.  And, it was a day for me to watch my kids work and play together - even if the end result was an unexpected yard full of leaves.

One Evening in September....

I am always so sad about summer ending that I forget how much I love fall.  Every September, I am reminded that this time of year is nothing short of perfection.  Warm, sunny days - cool, crisp nights and leaves changing colors before my eyes, pretty much equals Heaven.

So often we are so busy this time of year that we don't get to take full advantage of this season - but on Tuesday we found ourselves with a free night and took the chance to go on a family hike and enjoy this amazing weather.

We just went up Neff's Canyon (only ten minutes from our house) where we enjoyed the warm autumn sunshine, leaves just starting to change, and incredible views of the city below.

(I was especially impressed with Henry's courage to leave our home wearing 

a BYU t-shirt just four days after the disastrous BYU/Utah game.)

After a fun little hike, we reached a great spot where we could stop and eat dinner and the kids took turns swinging on  a huge rope swing.  

The kids had a blast - but as usual, it was all fun and games until this:

Turned into this:

Yes, two broken wrists later, the hike was over and it was time to come home.  Isaac has been a trooper - no complaining, no crying and he even insisted on having his piano lesson two days later.  

Even with an injury, I still came away from the hike feeling like this time of year is pretty darn close to heaven here in Utah and we're lucky we get to enjoy it.

Bring on Summer!

School ended last Friday and as far as I can tell, no one around here was too sad to see it end.

Andrew and I walked over to school for the closing flag ceremony and took pictures of our kids as they said good-bye to their teachers.  All three of my kids had great school years but not one of them seemed too sad to be done.

Isaac and his friend struggle to hold back the tears as they leave school on Friday.

Abby and her darling teacher say one last good-bye.

Henry is excited to be a first grader next year.

As for me, I am thrilled to be done making sack lunches for awhile and have enjoyed slow mornings the past few days.  So far, I haven't missed nightly homework or the early morning routine.  I have loved a slower bed time, a later dinner time, and a more laid back schedule.

It's only been a few days but the kids have already acclimated to summer.  They have gone swimming, had a lemonade stand, tried their hand at golf,  ridden their bikes around the neighborhood, jumped on the trampoline,  stayed up late reading, slept-in in the morning, and milked every minute of this glorious time of year.

These are the good days and we are loving every minute of them.

An Ordinary Miracle

Once Christmas is over, there is one day that I look forward to every winter.   Yesterday, that day finally arrived and it brought joy and hope and the promise of good things to come.

What was this long awaited event, you ask?  Well, yesterday was the day I walked outside and noticed that our tulip bulbs are starting to peek up through the cold ground.  Even though it happens every winter, I am thrilled at the sight every year.  It is one of the miracles of spring that I look forward to at this time each year.

That means that in just a few more weeks (okay maybe a couple of months,) our tulips will go from looking like this:

to looking like this:

Or, knowing the weather in Utah, they may actually look like this:

But either way, I can't wait.  

So, even though, the weather forecasters are calling for heavy snow all weekend, there is sunshine in my soul today.

Family Ski Day

A few weeks ago, we got the kids out of school a little early on a short day, and headed up to Solitude for a family ski day - and by "family," I mean The Whole Family.  Lucy was in on the action and we even met my dad up there.  What a great day.

Over the past several years, I haven't been much of skier.  Something about having five kids in eight years kind of slowed me down in the skiing department.  However, over the past two winters, since Lucy was born, I have re-discovered skiing and I especially love skiing with my kids.  (It's pretty helpful that we're all on about the same level.)

Abby and Grandpa ready to ski down the hill.

Abby and Isaac are great little skiers.  They have so much fun flying down the hill at breakneck speeds and then finding little passages through the trees.  This year Henry has gotten really good at skiing.  He makes awesome turns and can get down any of the green or  blue hills all on his own.  Peter has a great sense of balance and is a good little skier - we just need him to figure out how to SLOW DOWN!  (Seriously, the kid scares me.)

Peter left to his own devices - and loving every minute of it.

Lucy was amazing on the slopes.  She spent the whole day in a backpack riding on Andrew's back.  It took us a few runs before we realized that she was much happier wearing goggles -  ones that covered her entire face.  I think they must have helped her face stay warm and it didn't hurt that they kept her binky securely in place.

It was such a fun day.  I love the exhilaration of racing my kids down the mountain - and I love that we have time on the chair lift to sit and talk without interruption.  Skiing definitely makes winter more bearable and  I am really enjoying these days while my kids are young and will ski with me. It won't be long before they are way better skiers than I am and they just leave me in their dust - I mean snow.

It Snowed, It Snowed, It Snowed Last Night....

Last night, after baths and teeth and jammies and scriptures, I had just finished tucking all my babies in bed, when I looked outside.  Only a short while before, it had been raining and sleeting and hailing, but now, huge snowflakes fell from the sky.  Our yard and our street had been transformed to a Winter Wonderland.

This was too spectacular to keep to myself.  "Abby, Isaac, Henry, Peter!" I called. "Come see this."

Four little pairs of feet came scampering from their cozy bedrooms to see what the fuss was about.  We looked out our big front window, mesmerized by the giant flakes blanketing the ground.  It didn't take long before our little group moved to the front porch.  The kids reached out their hands catching the snowflakes and then opened their mouths to taste them on the tips of their tongues.

"Let's go for a walk!" Abby suggested.

I hesitated for a moment.  The kids were all in their pajamas and had already been tucked in once.  Was it really worth the hassle to go through that again?

YES!  Most definitely, YES!

"Get your coat and boots," I said.  Faster than I've ever seen them move,  my four kids were dressed and ready to face the elements.  My little troop and I headed out the door into the snowy night.

There were no cars, no people, no noise -  just us, the snow-covered trees and lawns, and the flakes that continued to fall.

We walked along totally enchanted by all the cozy houses that line our street.  My kids squealed as they ran down the hill outside our house.  They twirled and danced in the snow.  They  caught the flakes on their mittened hands and watched them melt away.  They shook the branches that hung low, covered with snow - creating a blizzard all around them.  They made snowballs and laughed as they threw them at each other.

It was a perfect, peaceful, magical night.  When we got home to our own cozy house, after traipsing up and down our street, the kids made snow angels and built little snowmen until I said it was time to go in.  Reluctantly, my cold and wet babies came back inside and took off all their soggy clothes.

Then with smiles on their faces, they climbed back into their cozy beds and watched the snowflakes fall outside their windows until they fell asleep.

I am not a huge fan of winter, but there are few things in life that are more perfect or glorious or thrilling than the first big snowfall of the year.  And last night we went out and celebrated the grandness of it all.

"Firsts"

We had our first snow of the season this week.

I couldn't decide which emotion was stronger:  the giddy feeling I had while watching the flakes fall, or the nauseous feeling I had as I realized that this is the beginning of winter.  This fall has been spectacular and I am not ready to let it go just yet no matter how exciting the first snow storm is.

Fortunately, it didn't snow too much.  In fact, there was just enough snow on the ground that Isaac was able to build the first snowman of the season.

I love this little snowman.  He stands less than a foot tall.  I love his squat little body and the crooked expression on his face.  I love the two sticks outlining a vest and the handsome buttons on his belly.  I love that when Minnie saw it, she went nuts barking at the intruder in our yard.  Mostly, I love that it was made by this boy, who is full of enthusiasm and creative ideas:

I can't say enough about Isaac and his goodness and cheerfulness and his exuberance.   He makes everything in our family more fun.  No wonder we all love this darling boy.

We Made it a Date

A couple of months ago, on a beautiful summer evening, we were over at my parents house when unexpectedly, my Aunt Robyn and Uncle Steve stopped by, driving some cute little scooters.   As Andrew and I oohed and ahhed over their scooters, my aunt insisted that we borrow them sometime and take them out for a spin.   Andrew and I pictured ourselves, driving up the canyon on a beautiful summer day, feeling the sun on our face as the wind cooled us down.  It would make a perfect date for the two of us.

Well, despite this generous offer, it took until today before we finally made it happen.  Luckily, it was a beautiful day.  The first day of October - and nearly ninety degrees - the perfect day for a scooter ride. 

 Ready to ride. 

Initially, I was a little nervous about my scooter skills.

You see, when I was 13-years old, my friend, Laurel, and I took her scooter out for a ride - illegally, obviously.  I knew my parents would ground me for months if they knew I was doing it, but even with the thought of that threat, I begged Laurel to let me have a turn driving the scooter.  I started out great, but as I made my first turn onto a street, I realized that I was making the turn too wide.  Before I knew it, I had crashed into the curb and both Laurel and I were thrown from the scooter.  

I landed hard on my shoulder and then slid across the sidewalk on my stomach.  When I stood up, the first thing I felt was relief that I was alive, then I felt a pain radiating from my shoulder area, and then I felt fear. What would my parents do if they found out I had driven the scooter and then crashed?   I knew this could be the end of my teenage social career.

I learned a couple of valuable lessons that day:

1. I am not a coordinated scooter driver.

2. It is impossible to conceal a broken collar bone from your parents for more than 45 minutes. 

3. The fear of punishment is not so scary when medical attention is required.

4.  Making a 7th grade girl wear a collarbone brace that pushes her shoulders back and her blossoming chest out, is worse punishment than anything a parent could do.

In any case, ever since that fateful day - oh so many years ago - I have been somewhat leery of scooters.  I was a little nervous today when we went to pick up the scooters.  It took several trips around the neighborhood before I felt comfortable enough to venture on to real streets - and even then, I kept wanting to buckle a seatbelt that wasn't there.  It definitely took a minute for me to relax.

Andrew and I decided to drive up Millcreek Canyon and once we got into the canyon, I calmed down and loved every second of our drive.  It was such a gorgeous day.  The sky was the deepest blue and the leaves were brilliant shades of red and yellow and orange.  Even though it was October, instead of the middle of summer - like we had pictured - we still got to feel the warm sun on our faces and the breeze cooling us down as we drove.  It was nothing short of spectacular.

Is there anything more beautiful than aspen trees in the sunlight?

It was an amazing afternoon.  We came home relaxed and rejuvenated, and I feel like I may have conquered the demons still haunting the 13-year old girl inside me.  

After today, I am once again a lover of scooters.  Thanks Steve and Robbie.

Labor Day Hike

Labor Day was a beautiful, crisp, fall-like day.  As soon as I woke up and stepped outside, I knew it was the perfect day for a hike in the mountains.  My mom, dad and sister agreed, so we all met up at Silver Lake and hiked to Twin Lakes.

Abby, Emily, Henry and Oma on the path to Twin Lakes.

Henry came prepared - his backpack is filled with stuffed animals. 

Isaac stops to pick up rocks and enjoy the fall weather.

My dad was gracious enough to carry Lucy the whole way - which was good since I had a hard enough time getting myself to the top without having to carry her measly 18 pounds.  Thanks Dad.

The hike was a little steep and half-way to the lake, Peter "petered" out.  (Pun intended.)  Emily was nice enough to take him down the hill and hang out with him at the bottom while the rest of us finished the hike.

The three mighty hikers.

It was a beautiful day.  We packed a lunch and spent the day enjoying our family, the warm sunshine, the cool mountain breezes, the leaves just starting to change color, and this amazing area we live in.

It was such a fun day that it almost made it okay that summer is over and fall is here.

End of Summer

Last Saturday, our official last day of summer, Andrew asked the kids what they wanted to do to commemorate the day.  It was a hot, blustery day.  Swimming would have been nice; or a hike in the mountains - but the kids all agreed on what they wanted to do:  WHEELER FARM!

What?  Seriously?

Apparently, nothing says "end of summer" like milking a cow, petting a chicken or playing on some tractors.  I wasn't totally thrilled with their idea, but I was a good sport and went along with the plan.  

Abby, Isaac, Henry and Peter all took turns milking the cow.  Lucy just sat in the back pack crying with fear at the sight of such a huge animal.

I kept wondering if there was something wrong with this chicken.

I mean, it just sat there and let a bunch of kids pet it.  Isn't that a little weird?

The kids had a great time climbing all over an old Box Elder tree that's at the farm.  Some tried to see how high they could climb while others just looked for the perfect spot where they could relax for a minute and enjoy a beautiful summer afternoon.

My brown-eyed girl.

Peter would NOT look at me so I could take his picture.   

After I took this shot, he said, "Ha ha, you didn't get it."

On the contrary, Peter.  I think I did.

As we walked around, there was a part of me that wished we could live on a farm.  Man, those kids loved all the animals, the space to run around and especially the tractors.  It was hard to tear them away!

When we were done with the farm it was time to go home and enjoy our final ice cream cone of the summer.  As we ate, we made a list of all the big and small things we did this summer.  The list was long, but it still made me feel like summer had gone by way too quickly.  And, it felt like there were a few important things left off the list.  I guess we'll get them next year.



After the ice cream cones, we commenced our "2nd Annual End-of-Summer Water Fight."

The water fights always start out so well.  We call it a water fight, but in actuality, I am the only one with the hose and I just squirt down the kids while they run through the yard screaming.  It's brilliant, really.

Henry had more fun than his face shows.

This year, it started out the same - I had the hose and the kids were getting wet.  Well, it was all fun and games until somehow, the kids wrestled the hose from me and and ended up drenching me.  Then, once we were all soaked, freezing and weak from laughing so hard, I knew it was time to call it a night.... and sadly, it was time to call it a summer.

Luckily, it was a great one.