tenting it - WTF?

After enduring a LOOONNNNGGGG wet and cold spring, summer has finally arrived in Utah.  We love to get out into our beautiful wilderness and camp as many weekends before hunting season arrives as we can fit in.

We have been in a small group Bible study with five other couples for nearly five years now.  Cleverly, our comedians gave our group the name, "With The Father," or, "WTF" for short.  Ha ha.

Most of the group joined us about an hour south of our home town for a weekend of camping fun.  And some scenery...  sheesh!

Day one, we explored Bridal Veil Falls.  Or some of us explored the falls and some of us stayed with the little ones and watched the men them explore.

I didn't need to be convinced to hang out with this guy.

We looked up and watched these guys get smaller and smaller.  Can you find four of my men in this picture?

I'm exaggerating.  We had plenty of fun at the bottom.

And bottom.

Squirt and his buddy Bean.  These two have so much fun together:

Back at camp, we enjoyed the fire, the food, and the fun of Father's Day.

 

We split up meal responsibilities between the families, and luckily, the Andersons volunteered for breakfast. 

The Andersons are Texan.  'Nuf said, y'all.  YUM.

Yes, they are all ours!

Day two: we drove up another canyon to visit the Mt. Timpanogos Caves.  The hike was about 1.5 miles each way and a gain of about 1100 feet of elevation.  Sounds tough, but it was paved the entire way.  The kids had no problem at all.

Once at the top, we had a ranger-guided tour through the caves.  Boys plus caves equals fun.  They loved it and even obeyed the "no touch" rule extremely well.

 

 

 

 

This is the stuff I want to spend our free time doing.  These types of places are right at our fingertips out here and even when it is a little further out, the travel time has always proven worthwhile.

Weekends like these make me see clearly why God gave me boys.

tips from a cheapskate

Dear Garage Sellers,

I'm writing to give you some helpful tips to make your garage sale a profitable success.

People like me who shop garage sales are cheap.  They are looking for a deal, or a steal, you could say.  The reason they get out of their warm beds early on Saturday mornings is because of the deals to be found.

Charging five dollars for a Hardy Boys book is just guaranteeing that I will laugh at you the buyer will put the book back.  It matters not that you paid over ten dollars for the book.  You are selling it at a garage sale, and buyers expect to pay under a dollar for a book.

Make deals!  If I'm holding an armful of stuff someone is interested in several items of clothing and you've marked them as two dollars a piece, cut a deal.  Motivate the buyer by throwing one in for free or coming down to a dollar or a dollar fifty.  If you stick to your price, I will only buy my very favorite pieces the buyer will most likely only buy what she cannot walk away without.

If you have less than 20 items to sell, and eight of them are miniature Christmas ornaments, don't bother advertising for or even holding a garage sale.  You'll most likely spend your morning getting a lot of drive by's.

If your goal is to get rid of your stuff, then get rid of it.  If you think your stuff is worth more than anyone else's junk retail prices, then maybe you should just open a store.

Good luck.  I'll see you next Saturday.
A Local Cheapskate

no particular topic

I have been so scheduled this school year that I'm very much enjoying the randomness of summer.

Have I mentioned that summer has arrived in Park City???  Have you heard my "Amen!" from the mountaintops?

I have many "facebook-esque" updates, not one being worthy of an entire post - so here they are.

• We bought our community pool membership for the summer.  I've realized another great benefit to not having any itty babies - naps are optional!  I can see that we are going to be poolside nearly every day this summer.

• Except when we're beachside, which is just one month from tomorrow!!!  I cannot wait to be with my siblings and my nieces and meet my new nephew.
  
• Isn't he adorable?  He's smiling because my brother just told him that he gets to meet me next month!!!
  
• Speaking of vacation, my sister and I are trying to lose a few lbs before we plant our butts in the sand.  We've both had success with this before.  It isn't easy or a magic potion.  It is about making food choices that keep your blood sugar relatively constant throughout the day.  That plus the 30 Day Shred - I'm one focused girl right now.
  
• It is hard to quit my sugar addiction.  I miss sugar.  Oh, and white bread and chocolate chip cookies.  I'll stop there.
  
• I've also given up my nightly occasional glasses of wine.  I (jokingly) told my beloved that when we are at the beach I'm going to drink like a sailor.  He said that he is all for it.  I have no idea why ;-)
  
• My big boys have been staying up too late and getting up at their regular time.  Pretty much a formula for grumpycrabbybickeringandfighting.  My solution has been to give them a 1 mg tablet of Melatonin with dinner.  Asleep by eight o'clock.  Thankyouverymuch.
  
• My in laws were here visiting and thank the Lord for them because my boys got to get all things their mom doesn't do adventurous and messy and anything to do with gardening out of their systems.  I love my mother in-law because she exposes my children to things that I have absolutely no creativity energy gift for.  She comes out to visit with a well thought out plan of the memories she wants to make with the boys and I get a rest they all have a hoot.  Today was a sad day when we all had to say goodbye.
  
  
  
• I watched my boys tried to ride an old baby tub down our stream (which is ice cold snow melt) in their underwear.  Video to come.
  
• I've realized (again) that there aren't any television shows worth watching in the summer.  I am on a mission to read three books.  Book reviews to come.
  
• My baby Squirt is turning THREE this month.  He has been telling anyone who will listen, "My bir-day is Elmo bir-day!"  Aunt Louie is coming from Atlanta for the big day and that is the only reason I can't wait.  When I ask him who will be my baby if he is a big boy now, he says, "I don't know." in the cutest voice you have ever heard.  Little does he know that he'll always be my baby.
  

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

wordless wednesday

smiles and tears

Kindergarten, here we come!  Here we come!
Kindergarten, here we come!  Here we come!
Good-bye preschool, it's been fun!
Kindergarten, here we come!  Here we come!

Despite having one day of preschool left for the year, Rufus has officially graduated and will be heading to Kindergarten this fall.  Friday morning I attended my very first preschool graduation, and my little blondie was the star of the show for me.

This boy has thrived in preschool (as you will see from his smiles and singing).  His teachers Ms. Pati and Ms. Linda have such big hearts and really do love all of their students.

Being a cooperative preschool, Kenyon and I served one co-op day per month, so we got to know the routine and the kids and really appreciate the program as a whole. 

Being the co-op kid is a special privilege that the kids always look forward to.  I mean, really, who wouldn't look forward to being the line leader, choosing the wiggle songs, and serving snack?

The graduation ceremony was a little sampling of some of the songs the class routinely sang, as well as a touching speech from Ms. Linda.  Each graduate had an opportunity to sing a solo, and selfish as I am, I didn't record the entire class - just my boy.

After the ceremony, there was cake for all and after Rufus finished his cake and disposed of his trash, I overheard him say, "I need to go talk to Ms. Pati and Ms. Linda."  And he walked off in their direction.

He didn't realize that I was following him about five paces behind.  My curiosity was killing me.

He then proceeded to go up to each of his dear teachers individually and tell them his heartfelt sentiment of how much he was going to miss seeing them each week - followed by a big hug.

And, my heart melted into a puddle on the sidewalk.  I was sure to tell Pati and Linda that I didn't even tell him to suggest that he say that.

The video is purely for Aunt Louie all the relatives who adore Rufus and wish they could share in special days like this one. 

Forgive the shaky amateur video.  I was supervising three other boys as well as trying to take still photos and video and wave at my boy all at once.

Blog via phone

So, I have this new fancy dancy android phone. It's no iphone, but I love it so far. I have a little blogging app and have yet to try it out, so here we go!

Hanging out at Sportman's Warehouse to appease my Beloved this morning. We have Squirt with us and only Squirt. Strange, right? My in-laws are visiting and have taken the three big boys for a fun adventure that has something to do with lunch and a botanical garden.

We chose a minor league baseball game in the warm sunshine to fill the time. Somehow getting there took us right past the hunting gear store. Never a quick stop where testosterone is concerned. I have written this entire post while waiting at customer service while a special order is placed by my man for the specific camo shirt that will make all the difference come autumn.

I was enlightened to find out that string bikinis are produced in mossy oak camo pattern. My man was also enlightened to find out he could keep dreaming anout ever seeing me in one.

the new chapter

My own life experience has taught me grand lessons about how I should respond to others when news is shared with me.

For example:

Someone says, "I'm pregnant!"

You DON'T say:  "Was it planned?" or "Again?" or "Do you know how that happens?" or "Boy, you'll really have your hands full!" or "Are you done after this one?"

You say, "Congratulations!  That is wonderful news and I am so happy for you and your family."

FYI, I'm not pregnant.  But hopefully, you can see my point.

We have been sharing some news that has been provoking some equally inappropriate responses though.

We have decided that this is the year that our children are going to give classroom learning a try.  We have been home schooling for the entirety of our parenting experience and fully believe that home schooling is a wonderful choice for education.

The Hunter is finishing third grade this week.  I've said before that it has been a tough year.  He is changing in several ways, but we saw that he was not thriving from learning at home.  We know that school options have benefits and drawbacks on both sides and we watched the weights shift on the scale.

He has reached a point that we feel he would really benefit from learning from someone other than Mom me, as well as facing the social pressure and consequences that will force him to work harder and press forward.

Additionally, I have always been quite open about the fact that I really felt that we would eventually get to this point.  I don't have anything fundamentally against the public school setting and at the right time, I think it will work well for our family.

Last month, we read this book and it has really pumped me up for the positive experience that public school can be as a whole.  The authors have eight children and have had a great public school experience.

They clearly say it is not without challenges or trials, but are very encouraging about how to navigate those challenges with faith and integrity.

One of the authors' key points is that it is crucial to be involved in your children's school.  I identified completely with that point because our sweet Rufus has attended a little co-op preschool for the last two years (and will be wearing his little graduation cap this Friday BOO!!).

I have spent this year as a part of the parent board that keeps the co-op running and I have loved it!  It has not been without hardship and sacrifice, but the time getting to know other parents and working hard to better this school that I have fallen in love with has all been well worth it.

It was so worth it that I signed up for another year on the board when my baby Squirt will start preschool this fall.

I have had a taste of what it feels like to be involved and make a difference in a school, as well as to have a presence there.  My son knows that I know what is happening at school, and therefore, with him.  Plus, I have watched Rufus thrive.

So, can you tell I'm excited about this decision?  Can you tell that we haven't made it easily or without thought and lots of prayer?

I have had an interesting experience collecting memorable responses from  people who obviously haven't learned the, "Congratulations!  That's great news and I'm so happy for you and your family," lesson.

"Do you just have too many kids?" or "Did you get overwhelmed?" or "Well, I'll pray for you." weren't really the responses I was looking for.  After hearing some of these, I almost kissed the friends (not coincidentally, my closest friends and family) who responded with excitement for ME and MY family and OUR decision.

And as of Wednesday, I'm going to start thoroughly enjoying our summer vacation.  Because come September, I'm diving in!