High Adventure

Why do they call it "high adventure?"  Is it because it's more exciting than your regular ol' scout campout?  Or is it because it's more dangerous?  Maybe it's both.  Either way, I must admit I was a bit nervous sending my husband and son out on the whitewater rapids for the teachers quorum's high adventure activity.

A great adventure it was.  Exciting, but not all that dangerous.

Their three-hour guided rafting trip down Wenatchee river included a steak dinner.  All reports say it was delicious but the flimsy plastic forks didn't hold up against the strength of the scouts' meat-cutting.  Look at all those broken forks:

Back at the campsite, they tried their strength at breaking a very large branch for firewood--none were successful.

So they did some "sword" fighting instead.

They went on a hike that was probably too easy to qualify as high adventure:

Left to right: Mason, Caleb, Bro. McGuire, Corbin, Ben, Adam, Landon

They made spaghetti for dinner the second night and Brother Curtis brought cobbler and ice cream for dessert.  

Part of their trip included a meal at a restaurant in Leavenworth.  Where's the high adventure in that?

They had a fabulous time and I was glad to have both Jon and Caleb home safe and sound.

Fourth of July Holiday

Our Fourth of July had all the essentials: food, fireworks, family and fun.

After breakfast in Yakima with my family, we headed to the Tri-Cities.  Some friends of the Childers family invited us over for some swimming and a BBQ.  The kids had a blast in the pool.

Aren't little goggle eyes the cutest?  I loved watching Henry and Sadie dive.

My nephew Daniel is cuddly, sweet and adorable.

What's a party for America without sparklers?

Christopher put on a great display of fireworks.  It reminded me of my childhood when my parents ran a fireworks booth every Fourth of July.  I never did like those Piccolo Petes with that high pitched whistle.

Look at Owen cheering the explosion:

The Childers' friends shared their tradition of glow sticks and ring pops.  Fun!

That night the kids decided they wanted to sleep outside.  It was so much fun that they wanted to do it again the next night.  Only someone forgot to turn off the automatic sprinkler system the second night...

There was lots of great cousin time.  Basketball, Wii, secret meetings in the tree fort and Nerf gun wars.  Boy stuff, you know.

After saying good-bye to Lucy and her boys on Saturday, we went to the river for some fishing and kayaking. The fish were on to us, lots of them jumping but none of them biting.

Then we headed back to Yakima where my parents treated us to a night out at the theater.  After church and a yummy steak dinner, it was finally time to get on the road.  Alyssa crashed almost as soon as she buckled her seatbelt.  Proof that we played hard.

 

Happy Birthday, America!

Summer--Week One

Ain't summer grand?  Ain't it fun to use the word ain't--because it's against the "rules."  But summer's all about having less rules, right?  Once Caleb was doing some minor calculations in his head for one reason or another when he abruptly stopped himself and said, "Wait!  I'm doing math!  I don't do math in the summer.  My brain needs a break."

Summer means patio picnics with your sister and your dolls.

They served up some apples dipped in peanut butter, chocolate and nuts.  I thought that was pretty creative.

Then they had a sleepover.  Because why would you sleep in your comfy bed when you can sleep on your floor?

And a sleepover needs decorations, apparently.  So some ribbons strewn from corner to corner do the trick.

Natty and I enjoyed an Activity Day mother/daughter outing to the temple.  Fun!

Lys and Nat spend hours in the gym but they find time to have fun with teammates, too.  I volunteered to take the girls to Wild Waves but when everyone else in the Seattle area had the same idea, we ended up at the lake instead.  No crowd, beautiful surroundings and pretty much perfect.

Back Row: Clare, Gracie, Emma, Ali, Tenley and Kayla  Front Row: Hailey, Maison, Karlei and Alyssa

Summer also means an influx in Instagram posts--mostly selfies.  Like at least 12 a day.  Because what else is there to do with all that extra time?  Watch Kick Buttowski, maybe?

Don't get me wrong, we still do chores.  The kids do still have some expectations.  The girls work really hard at gym and Caleb runs three days a week with cross country.  We're not total bums.  But I used to be one of those moms that had my kids do "school" in the summer.  Not anymore.  Enjoy the break, kids.  I'm going to enjoy it too.

It's summer!