Roller Coaster Days of Summer

So, an explanation of the title.  It seems as if our summer has had it's share of good moments followed by small unfortunate events.  Somewhat a roller coaster of feelings or memories.

Summer this year has been different.  Caleb signed up for a summer gym class in order be able to take a certain class next year.  He has been doing great!

 Up side, he has enjoyed getting to know new people and it has been good for him to get out and be active each day.  I hope it will help with his getting ready for Trek in August.  Down side, he nearly broke his pinky finger playing basketball at gym one morning!  Basketball is not friendly to his fingers.  Another up side, today and tomorrow they get to play soccer!!!  He loved it!  Got to play keeper and field.  He was also chosen as captain for his team, because he knows what he is doing.  Love this kid!

  

Haley had her dance recital.  She was beautiful.  I was so proud watching her up there.  She knew the short dance and even surprised me with doing a beautiful move on her free dance.  So happy.  That was the up side.  Down side, I found out she is not about pomp and circumstance.  She did not want her picture to be taken after the recital.  She was very shy about congratulations and wanted to take her costume off as soon as we were in the truck.  She loved class, loved being up on stage, but did not want anything to do with being recognized.  Funny girl.

 SCOFIELD!!!!  Oh is this a definite up side to the summer!!!!  Love this place.  So beautiful, the glistening water, playing at the lake and relaxing together.  Reading and no iPod, perfect!  That, and the lake is SO FULL!  Like up to the road awesome!  First weekend there, this is what it looked like, the dock was under water there was so much water in the lake!  We loved it.  Haley also loves her new pink kayak from Grandpa Terry!  Rob was concerned about the dock, but Pa did not want to pull it up......

 Next weekend up there, well mother nature had a big wind storm and tipped our dock on it's side.

 Definite BUMMER down side!  Our poor, poor dock!!!  Like it looks dead just sitting there.  No chance to jump off it, fish off it....we actually need the water to go down so that we can rescue the poor thing!  So terrible sad! :(

 Peter went to Boy Scout Camp for 3 days.  Up side, he went.  He was patient and did what he needed to do.

 I love this picture of Peter.  He got bored at times, but he did his duty.  He is an excellent kid!

 RODEO!  We love going to the rodeo and cheering loud!

 Back at the lake.  Haley is pretty darn good on that pink kayak!

 Parker's family was at the cabin too.  Always a plus when they get cold at the lake, they all go hop into Parker's hot tub!  Plus, William and Haley were invited on several boat rides and they got to go tubing and William even got up on the EZ Ski.  They were excited!

I did my motherly duty and took the kids to the outdoor pool.  They loved it, for the most part.  Swam, jumped off the diving board.... it was a great happy time.  Until we got in the truck and noticed that Peter had developed a rash on his shoulder area!  What from, we do not know.  Chlorine?  Who knows.  But he was uncomfortable all that day and is still getting over it!  Down side!

Again, trying to do my motherly duty and help my kids have fun (away from tech).  This time we went up to Silver Lake.  Followed an extremely SLOW driver most of the way up the canyon, but we made it!  The lake was beautiful!

After the lake Haley wanted to go climb this particular rock.  We did it last year and they all loved it! Caleb decided to be Mr. Awesome and scale the rock on his own.  Haley, William and I went around on the trial.  There was a group of girls ahead of us, but we did not really think much of it.  UNTIL, they stopped, turned around and asked us if we were looking for something.  Nope, just on a happy hike to the top.  OHHHH, well their "leader" said we could not go up there because there was a girls camp up there and we were not "allowed."  WHAT????!!!!  I was stunned!  There were a lot of things I thought of telling them, after the fact.  But all I did say was, "that is rude."  I know, I am a tough guy.  But seriously, whose mountain is it?  Anyway, Caleb got the same rude behavior as he got to the top of the mountain when they told him to go down because they were having camp!  Sheesh!!!  I tried teaching my kids about being kind and just enjoying what we had already seen, and the fact that girls are NOT better than boys (by a long shot) but it was really hard not to be spiteful!  Down side. :(

Trying to make ourselves feel happier after those snooty girls camp people. :(

Heavenly Father and Nature pulled through.  Not 5 minutes away from the snooty girls, we saw this amazing moose!!!  Like so close to the road, but far enough away that we were the only excited people that actually stopped to watch!  So awesome!!!!  

Finally, good friends are awesome to have.  William is currently swimming with his friends from school!  And William gets to go to scout camp tomorrow and Saturday.  Hope he comes home with only happy memories and moments, no injuries or sadness.  

Summer is off and running and we are trying to have a good time. 

Update: I suppose I spoke too soon...

William returned home from swimming and we headed to a new park.  Fun, happy, water and playing.  Then it seems that William's chin collided with Haley's head - HARD!  Now William looks like this and it is not too pretty.  Crazy

Keeping up the awesome

Tis that time, the end of school and the beginning of summer - YES!

 Haley worked her little Kindergarten self up to earning the Golden Husky.  She is one smart girl.

 Both of the boys also earned the Golden Husky, with some encouragement from outside sources (mom).

 With the end of the year comes Bro-Sis Day.  Kept it very simple, because Caleb had a hike for YMs and Peter was supposed to have soccer.  But this is one cute moment of them together, happy and peaceful.

The "Fridge of Fame", each of their accomplishments put on paper and presented to them in school.  Great kids and very smart.  They worked hard all year to pass things off and stay on top of their work, they deserve a terrific summer!

Last day of San Francisco

When we went to watch whales Peter saw this aquarium and suggested that we go.  So, while Rob went to do some things that he wanted (and thought the rest would be bored) we went to the aquarium.

 They had 2 cool tunnels that you could walk through.  We saw sharks, tiny fish, manta rays, boring colored big fish and one little fish that was really having problems swimming than BAM! - another fish came up and took a bite out of him, right in front of us.  The kids were all pretty grossed out.

 Caleb made a new friend, the blue tongued skink.  Caleb loved that lizard.  Not kidding, while everyone was at the touch pools, for a good 15 or so minutes, Caleb sat in that exact spot and watched the skink.  And the skink seemed to like Caleb too, it would just walk toward Caleb and they made eye contact for a while.  Such a cool kid.

 While Caleb was making friends, Haley made friends with the sting rays at the touch pools.  She would not leave.  She loved how soft they were.

 William's favorite animal gave William lots of smiles, the otters were out and playing in the water.

 Our last's days weather was actually hot and sunny.  And this was the lunch where Peter was genuinely smiling and happy to eat out with us.  Normally he wanted to go back to the apartment and eat.  Picky kid.  But this day he was so hungry and while the rest of us ate crap for our bodies, he wanted me to buy him fruit from the very overpriced fruit stand.  I said yes and he was happy.  Another lesson learned, they just do not serve enough yummy clam chowder in those bread bowls.  Especially when Caleb realizes that he too likes clam chowder.

 One last stop to see the goofy sea lions on Pier 39.

 Haley was excited to try the carousel.

 While 3 kids plus mom went back to the apartment, William and Rob went and saw a beautiful building, the Palace of Fine Arts.  Rob said it was one of the most beautiful places in San Francisco.  William loved the turtles and swans there.

While Rob and William had the camera at the Palace, the rest of us got out of the apartment for one more souvenir shopping trip.  While we were at Pier 39 they had the bungee jump cords.  Peter never asks for anything, but while we were there (with only my terrible phone camera on hand), Peter wanted to do the bungee jump.  Of course I said yes!  And he had a blast!  He did so many back flips and a few front flips.  He was all smiles and excitement, he loved his souvenir.  However, upon coming back to Utah his tummy muscles were feeling the burn and his added exercise was being felt. At first we thought it was a tummy ache, then I realized, hey you were doing a lot of flips with those abs...... Such a sweet, complex, yet simple kid Peter is.

One last picture in front of the view that greeted us each day before we left a really great family vacation.  It was super fun.  Sometimes crazy, sometimes really tiring, but each day brought fun and good memories.