Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

School started on Thursday so we had 3 days this week to pack in as much as we could before our summer freedom was o-v-e-r.  We went back to the Redneck Waterslide on Tuesday for a few hours (I even got in on the action this time, but sorry, there are no pictures to prove it), and then on Wednesday we went to my friend Carrie's parent's farm about an hour away from our home.

I feel like I should clarify before I post these next pictures.  You may be tempted to think that they are photos of MY garden, but they aren't.  They are photos of Iva and Niel's garden.  They really look quite similar though. . .

What's up, Doc?

You can see Korinne picking green beans.

Sweet corn

Britton found a ripe strawberry

We picked all of this yummy fresh food and then cooked it up for an AMAZING lunch. So good.  Iva and Neil were very gracious and let us eat as much as we could eat. They even went above and beyond and had ponies and 4-wheelers out for the kids to ride. 

The girls couldn't get enough of the horses.

It was a nice goodbye to summer as we know it. The weather was perfect.  The day was perfect.  Just a few hours after these pictures were taken we were back in the school for Back to School night.  There were some boundary changes this last year so with 200 less students in the school it was nice to walk through less crowded halls. Britton's teacher mentioned that they only had 22 students in his class. I'm really happy with both Britton and Jenna's teachers this year.  I think it will be a great year.

Do you need another picture of me, Mom?

Ok, Mom, are you done yet?

Korinne doesn't start preschool for another week.  I had her on the waiting list for the Child Development Lab preschool up at the University, but when I called this summer to check on her status they told me in a very nice way that there was absolutely no way that she was getting in--she was too far down on the list. (People put there kids on this preschool waiting list when they are born.  Korinne was 2 when we moved here and I got her on the list--you can do the math) Well, Tuesday morning at about 8:03 a.m. the phone rang.  It was the University.  Korinne was in if we were still interested.  By this time we had made arrangements for her at an in-home preschool and she was supposed to go to an open house for that preschool within an hour of receiving the call.  We talked about it for a few minutes and even though I hated the thought of bailing on a preschool teacher in the 11th hour we called the University back and accepted the open spot.  So instead of going to preschool 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hrs, Korinne will now be going 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hrs-- and it is still cheaper than the other preschool!  (Using students and going to a research facility has it advantages!)  Korinne is excited to be with her friends (she has 2 close friends in the same class) and I'm excited because the carpooling situation is ideal and I will only have to drive 1 way twice a week. Yippy skippy!

I was feeling good about how everything had worked out for a few hours until it hit me--in just a few moments that Tuesday morning MY entire school year changed.  I realized that Korinne will be gone just as much this year as she will be when she is in Kindergarten next year. Whoa! I think I just lost a whole year! I'm not sure how I feel about that.  Time moves at lightning speed sometimes.

Goodbye summer, hello fall.

New Family Pics

A Redneck Birthday

Britton is now 9 years old.

He was so excited for his birthday he had a hard time sleeping the night before and was up at 6:30 a.m. on his big day. We made him wait until about 2 p.m. before he could open his present.  It was almost more than he could bear-- waiting is not his thing.  He went into full "woodpecker" mode meaning that he started asking about his present every 12.8 seconds until no one could stand it any longer. 

The girls went to a mini-dance camp for a few hours at the local high school so we took advantage of the time and took Britton to the Golden Corral for lunch as per his request. I don't know that it is my favorite, but Britton thinks it is the best thing EVER and was in heaven.   Unfortunately turning 9 puts him in a more expensive price bracket but the lady decided to give us the cheaper price because he didn't officially turn 9 until 5:33 p.m. local time.  Phew.

The crowing event for the day was the Redneck Waterslide which was a ward party and fell on Britton's birthday.   There is a family in the valley that set up a "redneck waterslide" on their property for their own personal family reunion and it was such a hit they kept it and now allow other groups to use it for a small fee.  It isn't widely known, but to those who do know about it it is a lot of fun.  It is located off of a dirt road and is surrounded by corn fields.

Here is the beginning of the waterslide on top of a hill.

Here is the end of the waterslide which gives you plenty of room to stop before hitting the cornfield.

You need that much room to stop because you get going really fast.  Here is Adam and Jenna riding down it together.

They had a smaller one off to the side that went down a less steep hill and wasn't as long for the smaller kids.

Everyone was wet and muddy and having a great time.  Throw in some food and a outdoor family movie at dusk and you have the makings of a great party.  The kids loved every minute of it and it made for a fun birthday for Britton.  A party that I didn't have to plan--perfect!

 

I'm not exactly sure what pose Korinne was striking in this picture.

This is the last year I will have all my kids in the single digits!

New Territory

In the last 10 years we have been to Lagoon exactly three times.  One of those times we didn't actually pay to get a ride pass we just watched a show and went on the carousel and tilt-a-whirl because they were free. (That was the day we were the poster children for cheap Mormons everywhere)  Our kids have grown up a lot and Britton and Jenna not only qualify for the big rides, they actually want to ride them.  This is all new territory for us, but it is territory that I like. Yesterday we went to Lagoon with 2 partners in crime--my parents.  The kids loved having them along and were in heaven when Grandma and Grandpa got them an ice cream treat.

My parents took Korinne on a lot of the smaller rides while Adam and I took Britton and Jenna on some of the bigger rides.  Korinne got progressively braver by the end of the day.

"I think I'm happy to be here but I'm not sure.  I do like the color pink, though."

"Oh yeah, baby! Watch me go!"

This ride reminded me of the fact that I'm NOT a fan of heights.  I didn't let my kids see how nervous I was sitting at the top of the wheel while they loaded people on and off.  I enjoy a good roller coaster, but I think I'll retire from all Farris wheels.

Lagoon has changed a lot since I was in high school so I kept finding new rides I had never seen before. 

There were a few things, however, that I wish I hadn't seen at Lagoon, namely the MANY outfits that just shouldn't be worn by people who can't pull them off. Wow. People have a talent for making themselves appear much less attractive than they probably are. I think there is a standing contest to see who can get as many piercings and tattoos as possible.  Everyone is trying to outdo everyone else and I think they all look silly together.  There were a few hairstyles that made me think, "Wow. They did that on purpose. Why?" I'll never, never know. Most of it was entertaining, a little of it was disgusting and some of it just left me perplexed.  Korinne's expression in this picture says it all.

Last night was a late night for us and this morning was dark and rainy so the kids slept in longer than they ever have before.  Jenna is usually the one who can sleep in the longest, but she was up by 8:30 to get ready for gymnastics.  Britton slept until 10:15 and Korinne slept until 10:30!  I even checked on them a few times to make sure they were still breathing because it was so out of character for them.

So what did we do today to top the Lagoon extravaganza yesterday?? We went to the Dentist, of course! Ok, so maybe it wasn't as exciting for the kids, but I did a happy dance when I found out that none of them had any cavities. 

Ahh, it's been a great day.

School starts a week from today.  It looks like "summer's beginning to give up her fight." Name that song--anyone?

Small World

My neighbor's Grandpa died a few weeks ago.  She went to the funeral with her husband and 4 children and talked to some close family friends after the funeral.  One of them asked her where she was currently living. When she told him the general area he said, "Oh, my niece lives there.  Do you know. . . (which had her saying to herself "like I'm really going to know this person" but then he finished with) . . .Hilary [insert my last name here]??"  To her wonder and amazement she did know me and we lived only a few houses away from each other. What I didn't know was that my grandparents and an uncle were the close family friends who were at the funeral and who have been closely associated with the family for over 50 years.  In fact, my Mom and my neighbor Emily's Mom were best friends growing up. And I'm not talking about casual acquaintances, I'm talking 'her Mom was a bridesmaid at my Mom's wedding' kind of friends.  They lost track of each other over the years after moving around the country and raising their families and now each of them had a daughter that moved into the same neighborhood and lived only a few doors down from each other.  It's a small world, indeed.

Last weekend Emily's Mom, Janet, was visiting and after a church meeting Emily's husband Scott found me and said, "Um, Emily's mom is here and she wants to meet you." I went back to where she was and when she saw me her mouth dropped, "You are a carbon copy of Kristen! I can't believe how much you look like her!"   It is true, of all of my siblings I am the one that most resembles my Mom.  In fact when I was in high school and was working at a grocery store in the Salt Lake area I had gone into the break room for employees and another employee came back and said, "Hilary, there is a lady out there who wants me to ask you where your parents are from." What?!  I responded with "Um, a small town in Idaho called Blackfoot" From behind the door I heard a lady say, "I knew it! I knew it! I saw her and I knew she HAD to be Kristen and Steve's daughter (whom she had gone to high school with 25 years earlier).  I kid you not. First of all, who does that? Secondly, she wasn't even remotely close to the location where she knew my parents so for her to pick that up after 25 years is a little weird. Moral of the story--I look just like Kristen's daughter. 

I digress.

After talking with Janet for awhile she asked me to ask my parents if they could come up to their family reunion that was to be held locally the following Saturday to reconnect with her and her husband and her brother and sister-in-law who are also my parents really good friends from back in the day.

I delivered and they had a great reunion.

While my parents were in town we went to check out our county fair.

This was the only picture I took of the whole fair.  Oops.  We had scones and corn on the cob and frozen lemonade and saw what we could see. 

It was a good day.

Jumping/ swimming through hoops

Last Friday was Korinne's last day of swimming.  They invite parents to observe on the 1st day of class and the last day of class so as to not distract the kids during all other lessons.  I went the last day to take a few pictures and "observe", what I didn't know is that they put on a little water show for the parents so the kids could show their parents all of the things they learned.  It was hilarious!  They started out by introducing each of the 4 swimmers in the class. After their introduction they jumped into the pool.  Here is a video of Korinne swimming through the hoop.  She was so excited about her goggles, now we just need to help her put them on right side up so they actually work.

Korinne loves the water and she loves to go under the water.  She was going under the water so often on her own that I was glad there was another adult in the pool who's only job was to be the lifeguard and make sure the kids are ok while the teacher is working one on one with the other kids.  In the end Korinne really started to learn to swim.  She had a huge smile on her face the entire time in the pool.

You know how kids sometimes use words incorrectly when they are learning correct grammer?  Usually if you repeat the same sentence back to them with the correct grammer they pick up on it after awhile and start using the word correctly. Well, we are going on our second year of Korinne using "her" exclusively when "she" is clearly the word that should be used.  I keep waiting for it to click, but it just hasn't.

"Mom, her said that I could go to her house and play."
"Oh, you mean she (emphasis added) said that you could go and play?"
"Yeah, her said it was Ok."

"She" never says or does anything, "her" always does.  It is still pretty cute, but I'm surprised at how long it has gone on.

"Her is coming over right now!"
"She is coming?"
"Yes, her is coming! Yea!"

Korinne has 2 girls her same age in the cul-de-sac and they spend a lot of time playing together. Hmm, I wonder if they use the word "she" correctly?

NOT a Gardener

In my comings and goings around the neighborhood I've been admiring everyone's gardens.  Case in point, here is my friend Desi's awesome garden. I drive past it all of the time.

For the first time since 2001 we attempted to grow our own garden.  With great hopes we planted green beans, snow peas, tomatoes, peppers, squash, carrots, zucchini, and cilantro. Yes, cilantro (love it--can't get enough of it).  A good chunk of the summer is behind us and there is nothing quite like walking out and seeing this beautiful sight:

My Dad saw our garden on Friday and was laughing so hard the tears were starting to fall.  He was literally speechless. Our "garden" (I had to put it in quotation marks because I'm not sure it even qualifies as a garden) is um. . .it's um. . . .well, let's just say it's lacking.  But it hasn't been a complete failure because we have grown enough green beans for at least half of us to eat them for dinner.

We haven't decided how to distribute the loot yet, but I'm sure we'll think of something by dinnertime.  The other day we were able to eat a few snow peas so that was pretty fun. There is one pepper on our pathetic little pepper plant.  It is officially the smallest pepper I have ever seen.  My thumb covers half of it.

Here is a picture of our one tomato. 

I have big plans for our tomato.  When you only have one it's easy to come up with ideas.

Ok, so our garden is pretty pathetic.  Do we still get points for trying??  This is where I have to start making a list of things that  I CAN do so I will feel better about my lack of gardening skills.

Go ahead, laugh. It will make you feel better. 

Happy Gardening!

Phase 9.5

My Sunday afternoon was spent putting the finishing touches on the Primary sacrament meeting program for next month. Getting it finished is like sinking into a nice warm bubble bath--it just feels good.  It was getting late so I went in search of the kids.  I heard voices in our unfinished basement which lead me to find another infamous "fort".  It is a good thing that it is summer because every blanket we own was involved in its construction.

You can see the awesome sunset through the windows

I saw the fort, but I didn't see any kids so I called out, "Are you guys in there?"  I was kind of surprised when Adam's voice responded with, "Yeah, we're here."

Playing Phase 10 in the fort.

Adam, just one of the kids. Don't know what I would do without him. My favorite feature about Phase 10 is that you can all end on the same phase and everyone is happy.  No winners, no losers and no crying about anything being unfair.

Now, if I can only get them to clean up their fort. . . .

Fish

This last week was the week of swimming lessons. I tried something new this year and got my kids into lessons given at the backyard pool of a family not far from our house.  They structure things a little differently and the older kids have lessons for an hour a day for a week, and the preschool kids, like Korinne, have 1/2 hour lessons for 2 weeks.  Since only one class can be taught at a time I had to go back and forth 5 times a day to get all of my kids to swimming lessons every day last week.  It is a good thing it was only 1/2 mile away because that is a lot of driving back and forth!

I've never been able to take a swimming class picture before.

Jenna is a fish.  They let her borrow goggles during her lessons and now she is converted.  She loves to drop rings to the bottom and then go after them.

Britton loved being able to jump off the diving board and go down the slide they have at the pool.

You can see him already going into a twist before he left the board.

I must admit that it is nice to have 2 of my 3 children proficient in the water.  I might actually take them swimming more often now that I can spent more time reading a book and less time in the water.

Korinne still has another week to go, but is already demanding that I get her some goggles. 

"Mom, I need goggles, Mom.

Mom, I really need goggles. 

I sure love goggles. 

Um, I think I need some goggles." 

Ok, I've got it. You think you need goggles.  I haven't made any promises which is why she keeps bringing it up. I guess this is what I get for taking them for lessons at a small privately owned pool.  We never had this problem at the city aquatic center.

Adam has been promising the kids a campout.  "Campout" meaning that they set the tent up in the back yard and sleep in it.  About 3 years ago I discovered that we owned a tent.  Yup, married for 7 years before I knew we had a tent in our possession.  Well, Friday night I actually got to SEE the tent.  It's actually pretty nice. Who knew?  Anyway, Adam and I had just gotten home from the temple when he decided to deliver on his camping promise so he set up the entire thing up in his suit.

Nothing says camping like a good suit and tie.

Everything went well until around 5 a.m. when Adam woke up to the sound of the sprinklers turning on. Rookie mistake.  The kids slept through it for the most part, but Adam got a little wet trying to fix the situation.  I heard all about the experience second hand, of course, because I was sleeping comfortably in my own bed when it happened. Hey, I roughed it for 18 mo. on my mission, I think I'm good for awhile. :-)

On a side note Korinne still sleeps on the floor.  She has been sleeping on the floor for almost 3 years now. Every night she takes a pillow and blanket off of her comfortable bed and puts it on the floor by her night light and falls asleep. Most nights her night light isn't even on.  I never have been able to understand why she does it, but it doesn't look like she will be changing anytime soon.  We often wonder why we spent the money on a bed in the first place.  Kind of makes for an expensive decoration.