Lindsey Falls

Tonight I got a sitter for the girls and Jonathan and I went to explore a short hike up one of the Cottonwood Canyons, Lindsey Falls.  I honestly had no idea we would be hiking, so I wore flip flops.  So did he, but his are a little more high end!  He snapped a bunch of me laboring up after him.

Once the flip flops got wet, they were as good as useless, so I took them off and went barefoot. 

Making our mark in the rocks. 

 

The falls are beautiful, and the water is FREEZING!  I guess that's what you get in early summer! 

We were able to watch the sun set up high on the mountain.  It was a gorgeous night spent in the outdoors. 

Fish

We had an Activity Days activity this morning.  Mac and Leiden really enjoy this.  Mimi has passing interest, but would a million times rather go hang out with Lydia than stay here for a lesson, regardless of the activity!  

We taught the girls about faith, and the activity was teaching them how to cut a single piece of paper to make a hole large enough for them to step through.  They thought it was a pretty cool trick!

Then this afternoon more shenanigans at the pool! 

A bunch of videos for your viewing pleasure!

Dentist

Dentist appointments today!  All three of them being seen is a trick, but we made it work.  Both Mac and Leiden got orthodontic referrals, which is scary.  Mac has some cavities, but they're going to hold off filling them until they see what the orthodontist says about spacing in her mouth.

Leiden has two wiggly teeth that aren't really getting more wiggly, but the permanent teeth are coming in right on top of them.  The dentist offered to pull them, but she declined.  I wonder if we will regret that choice later! 

All told, the girls' teeth look healthy!

Tonight we met up with Meghan and the kids and went to the drive in.  This is such a fun summer activity.  We watched Inside Out, which is a great film.  I think there's just so much that appeals to the girls about the drive in.  Jammies, out late, treats, and friends.
There's not much better than that! 

Thomas

 This picture is just the best.  There are hundreds of little lines on this bit of wall at my parents' house, from tiny little Mad and I, all the way up as we grew.  Cousins, spouses, our own children, all growing up on this wall.  Little Thomas got his turn today, as we marked his height and wrote his name.  I need to remember to take a picture of the wall, next time for sure.  Keep growing, little one!  

I love Thomas.  Literally like he was my own.  I hope I have more opportunities someday to add to the number of people that call me mom, but if not, I am already so blessed, and this little guy is part of that with my own children.

Sickies

I forgot to say anything earlier, but Miss Mac has had a bad cough.  It's not a normal cough, but I let it run for a while.  Then it just kept nagging her and nagging me that something wasn't right.  She has had pneumonia, so is prone to the infection, so I figured I'd better get her in to have her lungs listened to.  Her normal pediatrician wasn't in the office, so his partner was able to get her in and be seen a couple days ago.  He diagnosed her with what is called 'bronchial pneumonia'.  It's my understanding that it's not quite full blown pneumonia, but worse than bronchitis.  If left untreated, it would develop into full pneumonia.  For heaven sake.  So he prescribed a z-pack.  Well, Mimi started coughing today, so I called, and he preventatively prescribed her one, too.  It is so convenient when doctors will do that!  Hopefully both girls will be on the mend, soon!

Swimming!

It's pool time!  The girls have been so excited to be able to go swimming again on a regular basis.  We headed to the pool and not only hopped in, but got season passes for the summer!  These girls are going to be SWIMMING!

My phone has a really good case that can go underwater, and although I cringed each time they did it, they did manage to get some pretty cool pics!

Let the summer pool fun begin!

For your viewing pleasure, a bunch of videos the girls took today.

Goggles and S'mores

Jonathan and I made it safely back from Glacier yesterday.  It was really a phenomenal trip, one that I never would have taken by myself.  I stopped by Mom and Dad's to wish my dad Happy Father's Day, then got the girls!

Now we are back and it's back to real life!  Tonight we made a fire and Mimi got her goggles to try and keep the smoke out.  I think she was on to something!

We also had Thomas today, which is always a delight!

Glacier Day 2

Today was an amazing day.  We were exhausted after yesterday's hike, so we slept in and then headed out to hike to Iceberg Lake.  A bit of an easier hike, gaining 1275 feet over almost 5 miles, then back.  It was a GORGEOUS hike, with perfect hiking weather.  Overcast, and cool.  On the way up we saw Bill Nye!  He was literally wearing lederhosen, which was hilarious. Then a couple hours later, THIS!  A lovely lake mostly covered in ice nestled in this cirque.  The water was barely peeping out from under the ice.  Jonathan dove into the lake again, but this time another guy had the same idea, so they kind of did it together.  I wasn't sure I felt up to jumping in this one, so I just took video of the madness!

The clouds were SO low today as we drove to the hike.  The wind was blowing them right up the sides of the mountains and across the roads.  It was absolutely stunning.

On the way back down the mountain after the hike, it started raining, and we got soaked.  I had thought to pack ponchos, which we broke out and traipsed down the trail.  We went to dinner and in our exhaustion we ate and went back to the cabins to bed!

Glacier National Park Day1

We took TONS of pictures, too many to post here.  But this place was AMAZING.  We got in pretty late last night, but got up early to head out.  GORGEOUS views.  It's early enough in the year that there is still a lot of snow, and it's still pretty dang cold.  The main road that runs through the park, the Going to the Sun Road, literally just opened today.  We drove through it, and headed to a pass we wanted to hike.  The road may be open, but the pass trail was still covered with snow, and FREEZING.  I did not bring enough clothes, and was unprepared for literal winter weather.  Luckily that's the highest point in the park, and it was pretty early in the morning, so we found another trail that looked promising.  Even just driving the road was breathtaking.  Snow, and bright green growth, and mist, and an overcast sky.  It was surreal.

We hiked up to Cracker Lake, a freezing little lake up in the mountains.  It was a LONG hike, 12.6 miles round trip, and neither of us had good backpacks for long hikes.  We are learning a lot about what is needful for a hiking lifestyle!  We finally got there after hours, and it was absolutely beautiful.  Bright turquoise, and still.

Jonathan and I had decided long before we actually went on this hike that we wanted to swim in a glacial lake, and this one seemed likely.  We packed up our swimming suits and went for it!  It was SO COLD.  The ambient temperature wasn't very warm, either, so I didn't want my hair wet for the hike down, but I did finally get the courage to wade in and sit in it.  Jonathan threw himself in the water twice!  Amazingly invigorating once you can catch your breath, and it helped with our hike swollen feet!

It was actually really fun.

This is my video footage.

The hike itself was also beautiful.  Water everywhere, and the rocks there in Glacier are all this turquoise greenish color and a dark pinkish red.

The trek back down wasn't bad.  When we finally got to the bottom, we were starving, so headed for pizza and then done with the day. 

As we drove the through road again, we hit sunset, and the mountains gave another show.

I am exhausted, but today was such a fun departure from what I normally do.  I am thrilled to be here.

Headed to Glacier

I am headed off to an adventure!  I am so excited.  The girls were headed to Brad's for a long weekend, and the guy I've been dating for a few weeks and I decided we would go do something fun while they are gone.  We are headed up to Glacier National Park!  It's a long drive, 10 hours, so we rented a car and are making the trek tonight so we can hike tomorrow and Saturday.

Primary Activity

The stake held a primary activity today.  They did a good job with their presentations, but the most fun was had at the relay races outside.  It was kind of a pioneer/heritage sort of theme.  In this game, the kids were filling up a large bucket with water using a small bowl.

They also learned about keeping a journal and how they can be a part of their own family history by recording their own lives.  I felt this was timely, because I've recently been feeling very prompted to write my own.  I take all these pictures and document a lot of things about the girls, but I have little about me before this blog.  I need to get working on it a little more diligently.

Thomas

Leiden was snuggling with Thomas, and she snapped this picture on my bed.  SWEET little people.

This little guy just cracks me up.  He is so full of personality.

He is like his Aunt Sade, because he likes to have his hair brushed!  As ususal, the girls have a great time when he is around.  Things are a little different now, too, because the girls aren't in school.  They get to spend the whole day with Thomas!

Sunday Funday

After church today Alecia and I headed over to Meghan's house to chat.  She is moving the end of this month and I think I'm going to die.  Her house is pretty much packed up...her mattress is in the living room and in the background of this picture.  We talked and ate ice cream and somehow managed to keep it from the kids.  I will sure miss Meghan when she leaves.

Tonight was dinner up at Uncle Mike's house.  He let the girls ride in his little recreational vehicle.  We headed out to his fire pit by the barn to roast marshmallows.

It was a gorgeous early summer evening.

We had a great time eating s'mores and relaxing by the fire.  Joan was there.  It's my understanding that she and Mike have been spending a lot of time together, so it will be fun to see what happens there.

Donut Falls

Today I spent the day with a guy I've been seeing, and we decided to head to Donut Falls, which I've never hiked before.  It turned out to be this glorious rainy, wet, cloudy day, but we persevered.  It's a really cool place.  We found our way to the top, after going off trail a bit, and ended up on top of the donut hole.  The waterfall is right behind me in this shot.

In this one, we had scaled wet muddy terrain to perch right next to the raging water.  I am hugging a tree just out of the frame pretty tightly!

It was a SUPER fun day!

Sprinkler Fun

Today we went up to Grandmere's house to eat lunch with Thomas and play in the water outside!  He LOVED it!

He was enthralled with the sprinkler, and thought it was amazing.  Look at that smile!  It was hilarious.  He just stood there as the water hit him, again and again.

Grandmere had to carry him out of it when he started shivering.  He didn't seem to mind the shivering, though!  Today he also ventured out on the grass, which he hasn't ever done.  Here or at my house, at least.

We sure love this little guy.  He has all of us wrapped around his little finger.

Pool Season Opener

And it's pool time!  This was our first visit to the pool, and we are planning on being here a LOT this summer.  Mac and Leiden are doing great in the water, and so is Mimi!  I'm pretty surprised at how well she is doing.  Lessons this summer should advance her even more.

For Sale

The girls LOVE selling kool-aid.  They made their sign and set up shop.  Complete with umbrellas and comfy seats to wait it out in.  I should have gotten a close up of the sales poster.  They had a few sales and made a few dollars.  They will probably want to do it again before the summer is over!