Hades

We decided to escape the sweltering heat and thick wildfire smoke in the valley by heading to a place called Hades.  It's a canyon 2 hours east of Salt Lake in the Uinta mountains, along the North Fork of the Duchesne River.  We went with our friends Brandon and Melissa and their little girl Ivy.  Other than one sleepless night we had a great time.

We brought the fishing poles along but got skunked again.  We might have to go back to Sportsman's Warehouse for another lesson!

The daddys with their girls!  It was nice to be camped along the river.  It was hot on Saturday but we stayed cool playing in the water.  We had story time and snacks in the shade and I couldn't resist giving the kids a lesson on macroinvertebrates (the bugs that live under the rocks in the stream) and the benefits of beaver in a watershed!

 

Need I even mention that smores were on the menu?!

Note for next camping trip: Do not give Iris 5 marshmallows at dusk and expect her to sleep well that night.

It's in his genes to love fire poking.

Ivy brought along her Hello Kitty hula hoop.  Iris gave it her best shot, which really just meant she set it on the ground and jumped over it repeatedly while giggling!

 Doesn't everyone know pancakes taste better if you're wearing a masquerade mask?!

I love this one! 

The view from our site.

It was a nice weekend escape.  I got a little cranky as we dropped down from the mountains and the temperature rose and I thought about unpacking a car full of stuff, but as I type this the kids are napping, the second load of laundry is in the dryer and Jeff is playing with the kittens and watching HGTV.  Life is good!

And speaking of kittens...they finally have names.  Addie is the grey one and Bindi is the brown.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Jeff!  You are an amazing Dad.  You are patient and kind and funny.  I wish our morning fishing expedition would have been more exciting, but I like how we just laugh together about the realities of parenting.  And now your hat is clean :)

A little session of airplane.

Some chill time with Dad.

I'm not sure if this one ever made the blog so here it is!

Another good dad moment hanging at Chucky Cheese with the kids.

Double Trouble

We went to the Farmer's Market Saturday for some produce and came home with two cats!  I knew we were in trouble when I saw Jeff headed for the Humane Society booth.  It is so hard to see animals like that, probably wondering what they did to deserve being stuck in a cage.  They had two little sister kittens about three months old and so cute.  Miles was playing with them and they were energetic and so into it.  Jeff and I went back and forth discussing the pros and cons, wondering if the time was right or not.  We were sad at the thought of them being split up so then we discussed taking both.  We did it.  We brought them both home.  They spent some time hiding under the couch.  I'm sure the house was overwhelming, but they got curious and started to explore.  By that night they were chasing mice on strings and running after the jingle balls we bought for the kids to play with.  Miles and Iris are really excited about them.  They want to stay up late playing and it was hard to get them out the door this morning because they were having a cat party.  We are still deciding on names.  I asked Miles for suggestions and he came up with Arson and Rose Garden.  I'm not sure it's wise to ask a 5 year old for help with pet naming!

Aren't they cute?  They look so sweet and innocent.  However, the brown one isn't.  She pooped and peed on our bed within the first day of being here.  I was having serious buyers remorse, wondering if she hates me already or if she was trying to let me know who the alpha female of the house is.  Fortunately, she seems to have gotten over her need to destroy our bed and is using the litter box!

This one has already decided she likes to ride on Jeff's shoulder! 

Weekend odds and ends

Some weekend odds and ends...

If you look closely you can see the band-aids on his legs. He had his 5 year check up and part of that is getting the kindergarten immunizations.  He was apprehensive on the drive in and my words did nothing to calm him, but as soon as the nurse came in he was all tough guy.  In fact, when he hopped on the table for shot time he told her that he'd be OK because ninjas feel no pain!  Seriously, sometimes the stuff that comes out of his mouth is awesome!  As you can see above, my little ninja survived and will be ready for class in the fall.

Jeff trimmed the scrub oaks in the backyard and that left lots of dry wood to burn, so he broke out the copper fire pot.  I was excited because not only did the yard get cleaned up, but I got smores!  It was a fun way to spend Saturday evening.

You dare try to steal my treat?

Dad, good thing you got the backyard hose working!

Thanks Aunt Virginia for our peach tree.  Jeff and his 2 assistants planted it today.  Here's Iris giving it some water.  Miles wanted the alligator stones near it so that nobody would dare come and steal any of our peaches!

It's a tough job...

My job requires a fair amount of travel, especially during the summer field season.  I had to go south to Escalante for 3 days this week for meetings and a tour of some of the projects that have been completed in the hopes of improving the water quality.  I feel bad leaving the kids and having Jeff roll solo with them, but he can rock it and I had a great week.  It stays so light here in the summer so I had the opportunity to get out and hike at the end of each day...all by myself...a distance greater than 1 mile...no child on my back...no frequent stops to give kids snacks.  I can not tell a lie.  It was a nice change.  I definitely missed my little posse, but we can all head back there together some time. 

This is Escalante Natural Bridge.  It's 133 feet high and spans over 100 feet.  I am so thankful that my job takes me to such beautiful places. 

There are many Native American ruins in that area.  They are always fascinating to me.  I like to sit near them and spend some time thinking about the people who lived there so long ago (the Anasazi, over 1,000 years ago, give or take a few).  It's crazy to imagine what that life would have been like.

I got home last night to poor Iris vomiting all over the kitchen.  She has been off and on all week and woke in a bad way today, so this morning we are headed to the doctor just to make sure all is OK.  Miles is also tagging along for his kindergarten shots.  I did a little prep talk hoping it would help.  It didn't.  He freaked.  So I left it that the doctor would tell him what needs to be done so he can stay healthy.  This morning is my payback for the relaxing week :)

Little Red Riding Hood, take two

I rode in the Little Red Riding Hood bike ride again this year on Saturday.  It's a beautiful women's only ride in northern Utah, with the proceeds supporting women's specific cancer research.  Last year I did 36 miles and wished I'd done more, so this year my goal was 50 miles.  I did it!  Slow and steady, but I did it in 3:57.  It is such an amazing day and so cool to be surrounded by thousands of women all working toward their own individual goals, not just in the ride, but in their everyday lives.  Many have cancer or have survived cancer or have lost loved ones to it, so it's pretty emotional.  It's also very motivating, and a reminder to be thankful I am alive and well and strong and my life is so full of goodness.  I'm thinking 80 miles next year!

Graduation

I never thought I'd be one of those moms who gets all excited over little events like the pre-school graduation, but I think I am one!  Miles had his graduation from pre-kindergarten last week.  The kids did a little program and he had a part.  He wore a giant letter A that he'd decorated and he got to say, "A is for adding, like 1+2=3".  I was so proud!  His teacher said a few words about each kid and I held my breath wondering what she would have to say about him.  She said he has an amazing imagination and a story for everything.  I took it as a compliment!  She also noted how he managed to bring a dinosaur for almost every show and tell day.  I can't believe he will be starting kindergarten this fall.

School pictures

The kids get their pictures taken at school every spring and fall.  They are taken by an old man who uses terrible backdrops and has a squeaky plastic chicken that usually frightens the kids instead of making them smile, but they are still pretty cute.  He doesn't offer them digitally, so I resorted to taking a picture of his pictures to share.  I love the one with both kids. 

Gone fishin'

Miles got a taste for fishing last year with Grandpa Don at the trout farm and ever since he's been talking about his wish for a pole and tackle box of his own, so that's what he got for his birthday last week.  He was so excited to use it.  Jeff and I actually purchased our very first Utah fishing licenses and bought an adult pole to share.  Sportsman's Warehouse is a little intimidating for the non hunter/fisher, but we got it figured out.  We went to one of the stocked urban ponds to try our luck, as did 300 other lawn chair dwelling people.  There's a reason most of the folks were over 50 years old, or at the very least over 10.  Fishing takes a lot of patience.  We didn't manage to catch anything, but he begged to go back again the next day for another try, so we did.  Stay tuned to see if this becomes a regular thing for us!

Mom and Dad's visit

It's time to play catch up on my blog.  I've been busy, but wanted to make sure I captured a few recent happenings. 
Mom and Dad came to town for visit.  I was so excited to spend time with them and relax and show them the new house.  I'm guessing the new digs were much improved for them over having to sleep on the murphy bed in the middle of the living room and wake every single morning at 6AM when Miles does. 
We saw movies and went to Ruth's Diner for biscuits and shopped and really just chilled together.  Jeff and I disappeared for 2 nights to our timeshare up in Midway.  When you have kids, rare are the days that you get to completely check out, so that was a huge treat.
Dad was on a mission to complete at least 100 projects that we have on our to-do list, and I think he came close to accomplishing that!  The outside lights got scrubbed, the closet door got painted, fixed and rehung.  Our disaster of a yard got some serious love for the first time all season. The cabinets got repaired, the squeaky doors got WD-40'd, the mirror got hung, the weed wacker got repaired, the garage is now organized with pegboard and hooks and things are where they belong.  The hose in the backyard is now functional.  The list is long and I'm sure I've left off a bunch of stuff. So thanks Dad!  It was all much appreciated since we don't have the motivation or a lot of extra time to cross that stuff off the list.
I was terrible about taking pictures.  I always put it off, then don't really want pictures on the last day...the sad day, when it's hard for me to keep the tears away.  However, I did manage to snap a few random ones.

Miles and Mom planting seeds in his new planter.  The side is clear so we can see all the action.  The radishes are the clear winners over the carrots and onions!

My Mom loves popcorn, so therefore the kids become popcorn junkies when she is in town.  They look forward to heading downstairs after bath time, getting to watch one show with her (usually Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and man, does Grandma have the moves!) and sharing a big bowl of popcorn.

This one just makes me laugh.  Miles got a Nerf gun for his birthday and it is insane...like break the windows insane!  We all took turns with it and Dad showed off his sharp shooter skills :)

Of course, when it's time for them to pack their suitcases I'm a mess.  It used to be the worst at the airport, but now it's hard at home too, watching them say goodbye to the kids and knowing it will be a while before we all get to be together again.  Time to get the calendar out and plan the next visit.  Love you guys so much.  Thanks for a great visit and for all your help.  Miss you in a crazy way.