Rearview Mirror

Usually when I look in my rearview mirror it is to observe who is fighting with whom and who was the cause of it.  But on a rare occasion I look and see the most beautiful things.  A kid holding hands with another, a child making another laugh to hysterics or pure contentment just being in one another's presence but like I said this is so very rare.  Today I had another glimpse into the love my children have for one another.  As Emma started to fall asleep her head was bopping all over the place and Rylie felt sympathy for her and took her little head and put it on her shoulder.  As I took another glance I then saw Rylie gently kiss her forehead and yes I did the dangerous and took a quick pic, how could I not capture such love.?!

Lava Hot Springs

 After having a conversation with my sister Michelle I could tell it was time for her to have a vacation.  We didn't have many options at this point in the summer so on a whim we booked ourselves a campsite at Lava Hot Springs.  Lava Hot Springs was a vacay would we take in the summer from time to time when she and I were kids.  She would jump off the infamous 33 foot platform and every year I would watch her do so from below.  I feel I have a big appetite for adventure but when it involves heights I seem to become a little chicken.  We were both anxious to see how our kids would respond to the challenge and boy were we surprised!  Lava has 3 platforms, I believe they are around 10, 20, and 30 feet.  When we arrived there, the boys jumped immediately off the first, made their way to the second and without any hesitation threw themselves off the 3rd.  They are officially nuts!!!  My Dad having to be the cool Grandpa decided he needed to as well.  He received a swimming ovation from the crowd as he was probably the oldest dude to jump that day.  My sister Michelle quickly followed suit and as a result they both ended up breaking their tailbones.  Yay for them, I however, the biggest chicken walked away without even a sunburn!  Sometimes it pays to be a chicken.  Madi managed the second and Sav stuck by her mom with making it off the first platform.  There is no shame in a 10 feet drop.  It was a short two day camping trip but we all had a blast and the kids bonded around the campfire.  A childhood memory we are glad we made.

Yellowstone and Island Park

Our big family vacation this year was Yellowstone.  Harvey hadn't ever been and neither had the kids so it was a natural choice to go.  It was so much fun.

We headed off in the morning to Island Park, which was a 4.5 hour drive away, not bad considering our normal vacations are usually cross country drives!  Here we are all snug and tight in the good old mini-van.

We couldn't check into our cabin until 3:00 so we stopped off at Mesa Falls along the way.  It was a pretty awesome waterfall and the wooden walkway to get there was too.  They also had a telescope for the kids to look through which had an osprey and his nest in view.  This little osprey set the challenge for the remaining trip to find these birds and their nests

We rented a cabin in Island Park which sat right across from a river.  The cabin itself was so fun.  We made all our meals there and enjoyed the evenings after a long day of sightseeing chilling at the cabin, playing games, relaxing in the hot tub or watching movies.

Our first evening there we sat and looked out at the river that was across the way from the cabin.  It was beautiful.  The highlight was watching Madi get the crap scared out of her by a mysterious black snake!  EWWW!

The next two days we spent in Yellowstone.  We met up with our dearest English friends the Church's while we were there.  I can't tell you how much I love this family.  I didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw them again.  Our children instantly connected just like old times...after meeting up with them we made our own journey throughout the park.  We were on the constant lookout for wildlife.  We came up with a new family word "Phantanimals"-definition animals that only Carson could see.  And we had some pretty amazing breathtaking views as we journeyed our way through the park.

Day 4 we stayed and explored Island Park.  We started the day off with a nice float down the river.  It was a perfectly easy float for Emma and Rylie.  We rented a raft and we took off for a nice 2 hour float where we spotted moose, and river otter.  We then made our way to the reservoir where we spent the rest of the day paddle boarding and jumping on the water tramp.  We had to call it quits when the rain started pounding.  What an awesome day, honestly and truly we had some amazing family time that was priceless.

Day 5 we checked out of the cabin and headed to Jackson Hole and the Teton village.  We took the big tram up to the top of the Tetons and stood in awe of the view from the top!  We then met up with the Church family once again as we enjoyed a truly authetic chuckwagon meal with a cowboy show to entertain us.  It was quite the experience for our British friends!  

Day 6 we were homeward bound.  With an awesome vacation behind us.  I loved the memories we made and I am already planning the next one.  And this my friends is what a 6 day vacation looks like to a preteen:

And this is what it looks like to a 9 year old boy who just bonded with his teenage sister:

Good times were had by even Madison, I promise!:)

Little Runners

I know this is after the marathon but I wanted to capture a moment that led up to it.  I enjoyed running with my kids so much.  My little Emma always struggled with the runs but looking down at this little head made up for all the struggles.  She was motivated and driven and it made my heart happy.

Rylie is a natural at running.  She is known for her crying and whining but never not even once did this girl whine or cry while running.  In fact the picture below encapsulates her attitude during our runs.  She was her best self...I hope to have a future running partner in the making.

Carson was completely chill during all our runs.  Which is why I was shocked at how well he did in the actual race.  He would at times hold Rylie's hand or put his arm around her but I knew he wasn't ever giving it his all, which, hello, is totally fine if little sis is getting some love.  He turned out to be an amazing runner and athlete.  I can't wait to see where a little bit of growth and a whole lot more motivation gets him.

The Kid's Marathon

After 6 weeks of running/hiking we finally met our goal of the 25 miles...we finished off the final 1.2 at the Kid's marathon in Springville, UT.  I loved the idea of this race, not only did the kids make a goal (or mommy made it for them), work hard to achieve and then accomplish it but they were kept active throughout the summer in doing so.  I could never just tell my kids "Okay kids let's go for a run" without hearing the groans and moans and the whines that would inevitably proceed.  However, with the marathon as a goal I would state "Okay kids let's get our miles in" they would understand the purpose and out the door we would go.  It kept them active and busy and in the end I was floored by their improvement.  Carson kept up with the "Fastest kid at school" and finished strong, Rylie kept up with big sister Madi and to my delight passed her a couple of times and as she passed her she would shout "See ya later sucka!"  It is my motto as a pass people in my marathons, the apple does not fall far from this tree.  And even Emma ran a great race.  Savannah was her running partner and it was the perfect match for she performs well for big sister especially as Sav encouraged her throughout the race.  In the end I was so proud of my kids.  We all left with pride in our hearts over their accomplishment and gratitude that we all have strong enough bodies to do it.  We will definitely be doing this again for since the marathon has ended very little activity has occurred over here.  Like I said, the apple does not fall far from the tree.  If I don't have a goal the couch becomes to familiar with my behind!:)

Funny Face

If you ever want a good laugh just give Emma your phone.