Sound The Trumpets

Shout it High!! Shout it Low!!
Reilly Johnson made Honor Roll!!

It is FINALLY the last day of school. We are officially on summer vacation. Not that it feels like summer...50 degrees and rain...but we will take it. Summer might have to be a state of mind until the weather gets it's act together.

Good riddance Middle School. You seriously sucked. Those were a rough two years for our Reilly. 7th grade in particular was sheer hell...8th grade much better. I am thrilled that Reilly is ending her middle school career on such a high note and I am hoping....desperately hoping... that high school will be a smoother transition. Wow. Reilly is officially a high schooler now!! Craziness.

Kameron and Ailey both wrapped up 4th and 1st grades on high notes as well. They are good students and all their hard work and dedication has paid off. So Yay!! No more pencils...no more books...no more teachers dirty looks (or should I say parents dirty looks...when demanding that homework get done!!)

To celebrate the this great and momentous last day of school; Tyler and I took the kids out for lunch to our favorite neighborhood diner.

Grilled Cheese, French Fries and Oreo Milk Shakes make the crappy weather more bearable.

Brynnie is thrilled to have her brother and sisters home to play with again. Woohoo!!

Where is Reilly?... In the car.... Why you ask?

She was being pissy and got some alone time...but we sat close by so we could blow her kisses out the window. She did EVENTUALLY return to her sweet self. Whew.

Now onto a SUMMER OF FUN!!

The Fun Just Keeps on Coming


Last weekend we went to Silverwood (our local amusement park) to celebrate my birthday and because we got super cheap discount tickets through Reilly's middle school. We had an absolute blast!! Oh it took me back to Stake Lagoon Days and the fun I used to have...once I got over my fear of rides. My sister Kelley volunteered to babysit Bryn that day so that we could all ride the rides and not be dragging a stroller around. Thanks so much Kelley!! Reilly had an especially good time because all of her friends were there due to the middle-school-cheap-ticket day and so she was able to go off with her friends and do her own thing; texting us regularly and running into us on occasion. That gave me and Tyler a full day to have some alone time with Kameron and Ailey. The four of us had a ball together!!


Silverwood is great!! There are enough scary rides to keep adults and teenagers happy and lots of mid-level rides and great kiddie rides too. The butterfly kiddie ride was my favorite (yes, adults could ride some of the kiddie rides!!) Ailey and I loved it and rode on it MANY times. FYI- they give you a much better/higher/scarier ride if adults are on it!! It was like a mini-Tidal Wave Ride (my Lagoon favorite.)


It was super clean, shady areas, cheap food and just an all-around good time. I had packed a big picnic so we could tail gate in the parking lot (no food is allowed in the park) but we didn't ever want it. We were busy eating funnel cakes, cotton candy, soda, popcorn, and Dippin' Dots etc. We snacked all day and probably only spent around $25 for food...all day. The weather was perfect. Not too hot with a light breeze.

Kam and A on the carousel which they felt was a dud compared to the one at River Front Park.

Ailey just barely missed the height requirement so she missed out on going on some of the scarier rides. She really surprised me. I thought she would be more of a ninny but no she was game for anything.

Kam and me

Ailey

Tyler and Kam on the log ride. The kids loved this ride and managed to escape being drenched by people with quarters...until the last ride.

Blasted by teenagers!!

The lines were short and we felt like Kameron and Ailey could safely wait together on a bench while Tyler and I rode some rides together. That was great!!

We rode the train. It seemed much better than the last time I rode it which was 25 years ago. It brought back lots of memories of our Ellersick Family Reunion and our matching t-shirts.

Driving the Antique Cars...Ailey as the driver was scary!! Kameron especially loved cruisin' in these old cars. I didn't get a picture because he was speeding ahead of us.

We finally met up with Reilly at the end of the day. She is our total dare devil!! She has absolutely no fear of any ride. She had spent all day on the scary rides. The last hour we were there she and Tyler hung out together. They ran from scary ride to scary ride and had a great time. They are two peas in a pod!!

It was a fantastic day. We can't wait to go again this summer...AND...I had a cute new pair of Converse shoes to wear...a birthday gift from the kids. I love them!!

Check out my beautiful birthday cake made by Tyler!! It was DELICIOUS!!

We have two more days until the kids get out of school for the summer. We are SO READY for more summer fun. :)

4th Grade Is Coming to a Close

Fourth Grade is winding down and I have to say it's been grand. 4th grade boys rock. They are hilarious. I get such a kick out of Kameron and his buddies. They are still innocent and child-like...although on the cusp of preteen-hood. It is a great age!!

In 4th Grade they are taught Human Growth and Development. Kam has been regaling us for the past week and a half with hilarious recounting of their class discussions.

For example:

Kameron: They made us watch a movie called "Just Around the Corner."

Me: Oh really...and what is just around the corner?

Kameron: Puberty. For me...I think it's still a few blocks away...but for Gibby it's knocking on his door. (Gibby already has armpit hair and has been proudly showing it off to all his buddies.)

Kameron also had his 4th grade music program last week. They got to sing and unfortunately play the recorder. Their music teacher had them learn recorder "karate". As they would practice and get better they would move up to several different levels or "belts" until they earned their "black belt". With each belt they received they got a little colored tassel to tie to the end of their recorder.

Let's just say the recorder isn't a particular strength of our Kameron. During the program there were several songs where the "black belts" only got to play and Kam and all his buddies were on the step of shame. Kameron did try to show his support by whistling.

He has reached the age where he is too cool for many things such as kissing him good-bye as he gets out of the car at school each day. If I drop him off at the top of the hill I am allowed to kiss him...in the carpool lane...no way. Apparently getting your picture taken during the music program is also on the no-no list. Right in the middle of performing, if Kam saw that I was attempting to take pictures, he would make not-so-subtle hand slicing across the throat motions!! He and his buddies were also too cool to pose for group shots for me unlike these girls.

Ailey and her BFFS

Remember this picture? Ailey and her BFFs are all of their little sisters!! Trouble x 4!!

My few attempts. One of the songs the kids got to play and sing was "Hot Cross Buns". I loved all the snickers every time they had to sing "buns". Hilarious.

For your viewing pleasure:

I WAS allowed to take all the pictures I wanted...at home.

A gift for you. A little treat for the ears. Enjoy!!

39 and Doing Fine

Last weekend I turned 39. Hooray. This has caused some serious contemplation on my part. It all begin in February when Tyler turned 40. Hopefully I am having my mid-life crisis a year early along with Tyler and by the time I actually do turn 40 I can just relax, enjoy it, and have a great time.

This time in our lives has caused quite a bit of discussion. Are we where we want to be? (Location, Physically, Spiritually, Financially) Are we doing what we want to be doing? (Career-wise, Parenting-Wise, Goal-Wise) Are we living the kind of life we want to live? Are we living the life we thought we were going to live? If not, are we okay with that? If not, how can we redirect ourselves.

There is something completely sobering about realizing that you have a high school age child...that summers with everyone at home truly are finite and can be counted on one hand. There is an urgency to make every moment count before our first little chickie leaves the nest. There is a need to make sure that our relationship is based on something more than just our children. There is a need to feel like what we do matters and that we are having some sort of positive impact on someone or something. There is a need to want to do more, be more, serve more, provide more opportunities for our children...all while wanting to slow down, live in the moment, be present, free up our jammed packed schedule, have more down time, more family time, and more one on one time.

In contemplating many aspects of myself, my life, my marriage, my goals, and my choices; it has caused/forced me to really dig deep into who I am and what I want out of my life. Is there room for improvement in many areas...yes. Are there areas where I/we need to redirect ourselves...yes. Is life ever going to slow down and be less stressful...no...learn to enjoy the ride. But over all, I am so grateful for the peace and contentment I feel that comes from the fact that in most areas I do feel like I am 39 and doing fine.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Palouse Falls


On Memorial Day our family decided to go for a little day trip and do some hiking...this following a conversation we had last week wherein Tyler and I decided that our kids are pansies. Seriously. Or maybe their mother is one. Or both. When Tyler and I were kids both of us were always camping and hiking with our families. I have many memories of clinging to red rock in Southern Utah crying...Good times. But I also happened to live up Provo Canyon and used to hike around on a regular basis with my favorite haunt being...of course...Springdell Falls. My parents used to take us camping a lot as well and Tyler grew up hiking and camping all the time as a kid. Tyler and I even met while I was hiking and he was mountain biking.

So what happened? Why don't we take our kids hiking and camping very often? I think I may be the weak link. Something about lugging everything out into the wild...the double pleasure of cooking and setting up camp...while Daddy and kids are running wild...the joys of dirt and mosquitoes...not to mention... crying, whining, crusty kids who constantly have to go to the bathroom multiple times a night just doesn't do it for me. Hiking, a once enjoyable past-time, has since become "how many kids can Tyler and I lug on our backs up a mountain" or how many kids can we listen to whine that they are "tired" and it has lost its allure.

Once upon a time Tyler and I used to hike all over the mountains of Utah. Oh those were the days!! Back when Tyler was not fond of swimming in cold water it seemed like nearly every hike we use to take would lead us directly to a pristine mountain lake that was untouchable due to it being a watershed. Not that it ever stopped me. Scandalous I know!! One time Tyler was really afraid that he was going to have to dip more than his toes into some frigid glacial water because I had already stripped down to my bra and panties and was about to take a flying leap when Tyler, trying to dissuade me, famously yelled "Don't do it!! Your heart will stop!!" Oh how hard I laugh now when I see Tyler cutting a hole in the ice on the lake to dip himself in or shoving (literally) people aside so he can be the first one in the lake and have bragging rights for the year. How far he has come!!

But back to our non-hiking children...so after our discussion and conclusion...we decided that a hike was in order. Tyler has already planned several more hikes...and I have conceded to a few camping trips. :(

On this particular day we headed to Palouse Falls. This beautiful water fall is about 189 feet in height and out in the middle of the desert in southeastern Washington...on the Palouse River before it merges with the Snake River. It truly was a magnificent sight!! This time of year is the best time to see the falls with the high flow of water. It was gorgeous!!




After checking it out from the observation areas we decided to hike down for a closer look. I had read that the area has a large rattlesnake population...after I googled "dangers of Palouse Falls" (that's what mothers do right?!) Well no sooner did we start on the trail when an enormous snake slithered out of the grass and across the trail right in front of us. Lucky for us it was not a Rattle snake but the biggest Garter snake I have ever seen and I have seen A LOT of them growing up in Utah. Since none of us are particularly scared of snakes...at least not Garter snakes...it got the hike started on an exciting note.

This was Ailey's first real hike and she was a bit apprehensive. She does not like heights and was clinging to me like a little monkey. But she did fantastic and was so proud of herself.

The trail

Ailey with a little smile on her face...it was fleeting.

Oh yes she did!! Hmmm...never a good idea to wear Converse while hiking. But did she listen to me? Nope. Did she fall? Oh yeah. Did I laugh? Yep. Hard.

Tyler with Bryn on his back and Kameron left us in the dust!!

Ailey did it!! She made it to the bottom.

The climb back up was MUCH easier than the hike down.

Back up to the top...safe and sound!!

Picnic Time

Happy Trails to you!!

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