Camping: why do we do this again?

We went camping.  It was fun...for the most part.  I want to list the pros and cons here to remind me why I do it, and maybe why I don't want to do it again.

Pros -
Weather: It's so much cooler on top of the mountain.  It's nice to be able to be outside in the middle of the day.
Freedom: Because of the cooler weather, the kids are free to roam around the campsite making forts, fording streams, and exploring all kinds of natural growing things.

 Hiking: I love to hike.  I love to force my kids to hike.  It's good for them. 

Kaylee was done.  We still had to go back down.

Beauty:  There is just something about the mountains that is just achingly beautiful.  I could sit and watch the aspens quake and listen to the water in the stream all day long.
Food: We eat good camping.  There's nothing quite like a fire roasted hot dog followed by s'mores. I put some effort into my meals, because if I have to suffer, at least I won't be hungry doing it.
Screen-free:  no video games, no ipads, no TV.  Lots of time to play games and explore
Family: Camping means being with family.  We loved the time to be with cousins.  

Cons -
Weather: it's much cooler on top of the mountain. Night time is not so pleasant in a tent.
Sleeping accommodations: We never bring enough blankets.  Our air mattress never stays blown up.  No one sleeps well.
Stuff:  you have to bring a lot of crap camping.  And you always forget something.  We were packed tight and still didn't bring everything we needed because we camped with my brother who was fully stocked.
Bathrooms:  Two words - pit toilets
Dirt: It's everywhere! 

I don't know what my final verdict is.  This tripped happened to be particularly bad because we had colds, which caused ear aches and restlessness at night. Camping is a whole lot of work and very little sleep.  But looking back at the pictures I love to see the beauty surrounding my dirty filthy kids.  If it was up to Chad - never again.  Left up to me...maybe.  As long as someone else comes with us.

Memorial Day Fun!

Three day weekends are nice, because you can get all the normal things done (cleaning, cleaning, more cleaning) on Saturday, and still have another Saturday (observed) to have fun. Normally, we are kind of boring, if you haven't been able to tell based on the frequency of posts. But, we did actually do something fund this last Memorial Day.

We found ourselves doing a local attraction that we just hadn't gotten around to seeing. This cave is not a cool as Kartchner Caverns, but is it fun to see none the less.

The best part was when we were all looking at the Cave Bacon, as it is called. We were all checking it out with the flashlight and JW called out "Bacon!" really loud. Always amazing what he gets out of the conversations.

End of (School) Year

G-man and Kiwi survived their end of year activities at their schools. It was hard for them to keep getting their work done, especially as the weather was just beautiful and outside was way more fun than inside.

As part of G-man's GATE (gifted and talented education) classes, he learned the Recorder. They did a belt system, and he got to Gold on the last day, one short of Rainbow. He did an excellent job learning his instrument. For their final performance of the year, they did a concert for their class. They stood up and did a song for each belt, and you sat down if you didn't get that belt. He got all the way to the penultimate song.

As part of Kiwi's extra-curricular activities, she did a Drama Club. They had a year end performance of an adaptation of Charlotte's Web. Basically, they would all sit in the front, and stand up for the scene they were involved in. The acoustics were not so great, so I can't say that I heard what was going on. But, they had cute little outfits and hats.

And finally, Kiwi got herself an award at the awards ceremony. She got Best Overall for her class. Not surprising, since she got to the halfway mark in the school year at the top of here class in grades. Surprising, since she tanked here homework at the end and got less than stellar marks for the last quarter. I can tell she is just like me. :)

Blue and Gold Banquet

Chad spent a good chunk of time across the country back in April/May.  This coincided with a few major events requiring a little help from family.  Thankfully my mom and dad were able to come down to help me handle the crazy in my life that first week. The first think on the list we the father/son cake bake for the blue and gold banquet.  I think they did a wonderful job. 

Grandpa Rulon's and G-man's pinewood derby cake

He looks so handsome in this picture.  He was very proud of his cake. 

We did some stick pulling.  Don't you love Kiwi's socks?

  This event was followed by a carnival (which I made cupcakes for), then Mr S's birthday (garbage truck cake).  We did a lot of baking that week.  That was just the first week Chad was gone.  A week later he left for another ten days. It was pretty stressful but we made it through.  Hopefully we don't have to do it again too soon.

Mr. Garbage Man Turns Four

 At four, Our little S is growing so fast!  He still is obsessed with garbage trucks.  He said to me the night before his birthday that he would still like garbage trucks when he was four.  But when he was five he wouldn't like them anymore.  But when he is six he will like them again.  So in anticipation of a loss of interest in garbage trucks, I decided to attempt a garbage truck cake just in case I never got the chance again.  It was cute at home, but didn't survive the car ride to the park.  Oh well, he loved it and that's what really counts. 

This is his friend he has been sharing a birthday party with since he turned one.  I think in the near future they may be irritated about it, but for now, it makes sense to celebrate with our good friends the Olivers.  Unfortunately the party coincided with a day of record breaking heat and ended with a toddler getting 2nd/3rd degree burns on her feet after walking on some rubberized cushioning underneath the slides.  So make sure your kids always wear their shoes at the park and put them back on immediately when they exit the bouncy house at birthday parties.

Just a few more pictures of my cute boy.  He's so smart and his daddy's son through and through.  He's pretty particular about the way he likes things to be.  He's super smart and is starting to read and write.  He's left handed!  I can't believe I got one :) I've really been enjoying my time with him lately.  I'm going to miss our afternoons together when he starts preschool in the fall.

New Equipment

We have finally bit the bullet: we pulled the trigger on a swing, and justified it as a b-day present for Kiwi. But, I didn't want some little tiny thing that only the under-fives could use. No, I finally found the perfect one at the perfect price. And wow, having it delivered, it was astounding how heavy it was. And after a full day of working on it, which of course implied a few missteps, we got it up.

Now, after of month, the kids are loving it. G-man even has had issues doing his homework, as he would rather play on the swing. And, he finally has figured out how to swing. Kiwi has long since figured that out, but she has always loved swinging. Mr S and JW are also great at swinging, and JW does a wonderful job of holding tight to not fall off.

The Funeral

We braved the 12 hour trip to my Grandma's funeral.  It's a long, grueling drive, especially with four kids.  But do you know what makes a 12 hours trip even worse?  Sick kids!  We had pukers starting about 6 hours in and it continued all weekend.  After 12 hours of driving, only Kiwi and I were able to attend the funeral.  So that really sucked.  But I want to remember two things that made the trip totally awesome. 

My family:  Almost my entire family was able to stay in my cousin's home.  My BIL had to stay home to work.  We missed having him. The house was huge, so every family had their own room.  My family was so gracious and kind about the stomach flu we brought with us.  I was ready to head back home.  No one wants the stomach flu right? I am so glad they wanted us to stay.  We had fun talking, playing games, and letting the cousins play.  It was wonderful!

The Snow: It snowed the day after the funeral.  That's something my kids don't see often. Maybe once a year, if we get our act together to drive up the mountain. We hadn't done that this year. There was a little hill in back we slid down. Then me, my sister, and brothers had a snowball fight!  Boys against girls, just the siblings.  My favorite memory of the trip.  I discovered I'm not a team player.  I tended to run away as Ruth got pummeled with snow.  Sorry Ruth.  I guess I deserve a few snowballs in the face.  So much fun.

Because we were sick, we didn't get to see much of my cousins or aunt/uncles. But I am so grateful for the time with my family to be reminded how much fun we can have together. 

Pictures of the Snow:

Sledding with uncles, aunts, and cousins

Grandma and Grandpa's grave

The temple in the snow