Ptarmigan Ridge

Ptarmigan Ridge is one of my very favorite hikes because the views are incredible, start to finish.

You hike around a bowl of valleys and mountain peaks, and you can see exactly where the trail will take you. 

At the beginning of the day, the clouds were pooled down there where Baker Lake usually lays. 

It looked like a lake of clouds. 

We watched that lake of clouds slowly fill in the valley as we hiked along. 

We could see them moving, flowing, filling up the bowl.

By the end of the day, they flowed up the other side of the bowl, covering the trail. 

By the end of this post you will see we are walking in clouds. 

Koda is currently annoying me. She cries and wines any time the kids go outside without her. eye roll.

So looking at this picture makes me so annoyed. Get out of here dog. 

I've just let her in and out of the backyard like 50 times. She whines to come in, whines to go out.

But she is actually really fun to hike with. She explores around and lays her belly in the cold snow. 

But she's annoying right now. 

We sat at the foot of Baker and ate a snack. 

Roxanne went over that rise to go to the bathroom.

While she was running back to us, Koda tripped her and they both fell and slid down the slippery slope of rocks and got all banged up. ugg Koda is annoying sometimes. 

Look how bright green the moss is.

Here comes the river of clouds. 

Jessica is feeding a marmot. 

And then we entered the clouds. 

It was so neat to watch how fast the air was moving, and to look out at the vast pit of nothing. 

They are waving, like the tree. 

 

First Day of School

The last day of summer they spent a zillion hours at the water slides until the lifeguards sent them walking home, 

a surprise showing of the ice cream truck (so perfect!),

then we shut it down at BP for old time's sake. 

As the sun set on summer, I felt good about how we left it all out there on the field. We didn't waste one minute of summer.

That night our family had a lesson on how to introduce ourselves to new people, how to be a "stone catcher", and then Jim gave them all a blessing. 

In the morning,

Jim left to catch a flight to Vegas for captain school about 20 minutes before the kids left to catch the bus. 

8th Grade

She got all the teachers she wanted, none of the ones she didn't want.

Doing cross country.

3rd Grade

Mrs. Arps (but she got married, so her name is Mrs. Harris now!)

Mr. Minkler and Mr. Higgins: the 6th grade dream team!

We are so lucky.

Usually I drive them to school on the first day. I fight all the clogged roads and search for a parking spot so that I can walk them in to their fresh classrooms.

This year, we aren't allowed to walk them in, so I sent them on the bus. I am not mad about it. 

Sweat pants are what the kids wear these days. 

Very comfortable. 

I let the boys buy one of these obnoxious shirts with obnoxious characters on them. They are their favorite shirts.

I cannot tell you how very warm it is in my heart to watch these kids go to real school all day every day.

It's not even the empty house that I love so much. 

It's the feeling of normal and the feeling of growing. 

I expected them to have a harder time transitioning to the rigors of full day, but they come home so stoked on school. 

I don't know how to write it without it sounding cliche and obvious, 

but I am so thankful for school. It is the best. It fills all the gaps. It challenges them in so many ways - socially, physically, mentally, emotionally. 

You've probably seen the thing that floats around the internet by Jen Hatmaker about "please do not make the kids do any extra social things after the first week of school. they are exhausted and need proper rest and down time" and all that. 

For some reason, every year when I read it, I tear up. It tugs my heart. It makes me realize how hard this is for them and their little bodies - managing all the elements that are hard and stretching. 

But the hard things are SO good for them. You are doing good things when you are exhausted at the end of the day. 

Last night (it was the end of the first day of school) I gave Andrew a hair cut. I should have known better than to do such a thing. It was too much for his body/mind to handle. He screamed and cried and ran away from me in horror. I yelled and dragged his skinny little arm back to the stool so I could finish. 

It was bad timing. 

We finished the haircut (and I think I did a great job), but he cried and yelled at me 

"IT'S GAME OVER! Now I'm nervous to go to school!" etc.

It broke my heart. 

But in the morning, he didn't even mention his hair and it was not a thing.

But please, Kelli, next year don't demand anything extra - not even a hair cut - of the children in the first week. 

PS I will post an after haircut picture soon. It is the most satisfying haircut ever. The chlorine has destroyed their hair. Evan is next, but I'm going to give it a few days. 

 

Summertime Wrap Up

Well, I'm sitting in an empty house right now. 

The kids are off at school for a full entire day, and Jim flew to Vegas for Captain Upgrade school.

I cleaned the bathroom, cleaned sheets, cleaned the play room. My brain is in wait mode to hear from all my schoolers. I'm sure today feels eternally long to them.

Every first day of school I sit on my thumbs not sure what to do with myself. 

I was literally just now staring out at the back yard, drumming my fingers on the kitchen table. 

I wonder if I sound like I'm complaining? I am certainly not. It is so nice and lovely, and I hope it lasts. 

It is as it should be, this brain splitting is my usual feeling on the first day of school.

I haven't experienced it in a long time. 

I'm going to put summer to bed by solidifying these late August activities in this here post. 

July was spent at Elyse's house for swim lessons. Andrew is...learning. But he's still not a swimmer. The last lesson was a swim party with all the siblings. 

Avery got the vaccine. I sure wish the vaccine was the panacea we all thought it would be. 

Ok so one day we hiked back to Fragrance Lake, and on the way to our spot we passed a lady with about 7 dogs. So of course we stopped to pet them all. I went right up to her puppy golden retriever and said "I'm taking this one home with me". 

She grunted a laugh, subtley, and then I realized it was Hilary Swank trying not to attract attention to herself. 

There's nothing more silly than a celebrity sighting, but it was so exciting. haha. We all acted cool and just talked dogs and stuff. Lindsay on the side mentioned, "hey I watched Million Dollar Baby the other day." But besides that, we didn't even talk about her award winning performances or anything.

 

We talked about wether or not giant dogs (like the Great White Pyrenees in her pack) are apartment dogs. Lisa said they were, and Hilary said "no they're not. our 160+ acres isn't enough for that dog". haha

When we continued on down the trail, we all swooned to each other, and Roxanne was like: what are you talking about? 

haha She didn't even realize that was Hilary Swank. She looks like a normal person, so yeah.

Jim flew Hilary on Allegiant one time. I think she was born and raised in Bham. 

Lindsay took this creepy paparazzi picture from across the lake. 

The kids made lots of money off gross kool-aid one day. 

Girls Camp! 

Avery had so much fun. 

I can't believe she missed a year of camp because of dumb covid. 

I don't remember a ton from my girls camp days, but one thing I vividly remember is how tired I was when I got home:

I sat on the floor in my living room, surrounded by gear and dirty stuff and all the fun knick knacks you acquire... and I was deadly tired. I didn't know what to do with the mess around me.

I remember my mom came in and told me to go take a nap. 

It was the best gift ever. I was so relieved and thankful to be able to pass out.

So when Avery got home, I sent her right up to bed and she slept for at least three hours. 

Padden Tri 2021!

This year was at the end of the summer, and no spectators were allowed. 

I didn't totally train like I usually do, so I was a little nervous that I wouldn't finish in the 3 hour time frame. 

My swim was the slowest ever. I think since I usually wear a wetsuit, it helps me glide quickly through the water like a fish. 

My bike ride was my fastest ever! I felt so good. I have no idea why. 

When I started to feel like I might hit a wall, I focused on breathing through my nose. It helped me push on. 

The run is. so. hard.

This year Roxanne and Lisa came and ran with me the last lap around Padden. 

I thought it would distract me so much that I wouldn't notice the pain, but I felt the pain and exhaustion very acutely. 

As soon as I crossed the finish line, I collapsed to the ground. It was just so hard!

BUT it was my third best time! I allllmost PR'd the thing. haha.

 

I demanded so much from my body that last week of summer, and it delivered in the most dutiful, blessed way.

 I am so thankful for my legs and health and lungs. 

Monday: last soccer game (I joined a coed league for the summer)

Wednesday: backpack into Lake Ann with a 27 pound pack 

Thursday: backpack out of Lake Ann

Saturday: triathlon

Tuesday: run up and down a steep mountain, 8 miles.

That evening of the tri, Andrew was SO nice to me. He pampered me in his weird Andrew way.

He was massaging my feet and it felt so good - but then out of nowhere he jumped up and said he had a surprise for me.

I heard him downstairs telling Jim about wanting to surprise me with a chili dog.

So Jim helped him prepare a delicious plate of chili dog, just for me. To eat in bed. 

I ate the whole plate full. 

Joe booked a helicopter mountain bike adventure for he and Jim, but the day of the weather was no good, so it got canceled. They spent the day in Whistler instead. 

They are the cutest. 

PS you have to jump through flaming, flying hoops to get into Canada. 

Whistler hands.

Usually Lisa and me and all the kids spend a few days in Whistler with them while they ride. 

But not this summer, boooo. 

The ward carnival was this weekend. 

It was the first ward party since covid, and even though it was so fun, 

it's just tooooo much work. 

We tried catching catapult water balloons. I think the joke is on us - they popped every time we "caught" them. 

And even though there was dancing, only me and my awesome friends danced. Thank you my friends, for dancing with me like no one is watching. Because truly:  no one is watching. Everyone else in the ward is way too cool to dance. 

I am too cool to do the pie eating contest. haha 

That is beyond my comfort level. 

This is us on a Sunday evening, 

playing in our old forest that is now an apocalyptic wasteland. 

We took a selfie together. Doesn't he seem like he's posing for a selfie? 

Monday was Christopher's birthday party. 

Not pictured here are the HOURS AND HOURS spent at the waterslides this summer. 

Guys...the waterslides took up 80% of our summer. The kids' hair is destroyed by chlorine. 

I am currently talking them into getting hair cuts. 

A lot of days I would drop them off and go do my own thing. 

They run around and slide with their buddies: Blacks, Dicksons, Larsens. 

Yesterday they had a goal to be there from OPEN to CLOSE (10 - 6). I dropped them off (with lunch money!) then went to Bellingham with Jim.

While we were in Bham, the waterslides closed because practically our kids were the only ones there and it was pouring rain and the lifeguards were freezing. The kids had to walk home. 

The lifeguard lady said "do you have a way to call your parents or a way to get home? we are closing in 30 minutes", and the kids assured her "we live down the street. we can walk home." 

haha

I don't even know if I'm the best parent or the worst, but I am pretty sure I am the best.