Hiking

On Friday, since the kids were out of school for UEA, we thought it would be fun to hike to Waterfall Canyon. We weren't sure how far Lemur and Mister would be able to make it, and it would have been easier/shorter if we had known where we were going. There were a couple of confusing signs, and we ended up on the "scenic" trail. (In this case "scenic" translates to "much longer, with a nice view". Although, the regular route is just as pretty--we took it on the way back down. How can it not be when you're in the mountains overlooking the city?)

Anyway, we hiked the long way in. By the time we got close--to a little bridge where we took the picture that is now the title photo--I was thinking the little ones would be ready to head back down. But, the big ones were excited and wanted to go on. So, onward and upward. Or "tallyhoe", as they kept saying. Though it was "teddyhoe" until I corrected them. Upward is the best description, though, as it was nearly straight up and very rocky. I was impressed with Lemur's climbing abilities. (Ben had taken Mister on ahead.)

Finally, we made it to the top. I was exhausted. And out of water. The trickling stream mocked my thirst. So, with thoughts of speaking in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday in the back of my mind, I tried my hardest to give myself giardia by drinking the water that was flowing over the rocks. It was very thirst-quenching. And despite drinking a whole water-bottle of it, I didn't get sick. (Yet.)


Going back down over those steep rocks was a bit scary. At that point, I had Mister with me, and he kept saying over and over "I wish there was a short-cut to our car" and "I'm never hiking again, this mountain is scary". I was quite nervous going down, too, but we made it. And the non-scenic route was much, much shorter! Now we know for next time.

New suit

Bug in his new suit. (Buddy got his first suit last winter, and since then, Bug has been saying he wants a suit, too. Yesterday we finally got him one. He looks sharp, doesn't he?)
Mister can't resist getting in on a photo whenever he sees the camera. He looks not-so-sharp with his shirt tails hanging out. Still handsome, though. (Me? Biased?)

One more

I was going to wait to put this one together, but I went ahead and did it anyway. It took all of about 2 minutes of it being on the floor for the cat to claim a spot on it. I was trying to figure out my stripes--I had them going the wrong way on the last row so I had to unpick that whole row. Anyway, you get the idea, even though it's not complete in this picture.

Tagged

I was tagged by my SIL. I'm to post the 4th picture from my 4th album. My computer recently crashed and I don't have very many pictures on it. Anyway, I've already posted that picture (it was of my snow-covered birch trees), so here's a random one that got downloaded from my camera. One of Missy's good friends got ahold of my camera and (evidently) took a self-portrait.

I'm tagging:

Lisa

Kristin

Christina

Hollie

Airplanes

We've lived here for 4 years now, and I still look up whenever I hear airplanes passing. Most often it's an F-14, or A-10, or something like that. (I don't know if those are the correct letters and/or numbers. All I know for sure is they're really, very fast and I can't tell one from another--especially when they're roaring by so fast that by the time you hear them they're already just a dot in the sky.) This plane though flies over less often, and it's usually very low and very slow--that's why I managed to get a picture of it. I love hearing the sound of freedom--though it took some getting used to when we first moved here. Living here is almost like having my own private air show in my back yard.

Coaching

Last year I coached Missy's volleyball team. (It's okay to laugh here.) We actually won a game or two, and the girls had fun. This year, I was pleased to NOT be asked to coach. They have a real coach this time--she played in high school (or college, or both ?) so she is much better at helping the girls know what to do. On Monday they won their game and everyone played so well. Today, the coach was out of town, so I agreed to fill in for her. The girls came SO close to winning--both teams had each won a set and we came close in the third, 12 to 15. It was a disappointment. On Saturday they have a clinic, then one more game before the tournament. Missy really loves playing, and she's improving; and she says she wants to play in Jr. High next year. I can't help but be relieved that her season is nearly over. (One less thing we have to run to.)

Buddy's football season ended (whew!), and they lost their tournament game last night. He had lots of fun, though, and they won several games.

Bug's soccer continues until the end of October, though I don't know what they're going to do by then because it's already starting to get dark by the end of their games...not to mention freezing cold. His team is pretty good, too, although Bug needs to keep his mind in the game more, be a little more aggressive, and a bit faster. He can really run fast when he tries.

Lemur and Mister

Tonight at Bug's soccer game, Lemur and Mister were playing on the swings. Lemur could get himself going, but Mister was having a harder time. Lemur lent him a hand...well, as much as a 3-year-old can.