Hike to Our Lake

We decided that we wanted to try a hike on the July 4th weekend.  We looked in our guide book and it had one that wasn't too far and it was 2.5 miles - one way.  We thought that would be kind of a stretch but we could probably do it.  We packed a lunch and set off.  When we got there the sign said 3.5 miles to the lake.  We decided to give it a try.  Alan and Conner walked the whole way.  Micah got carried about 3/4 of the way and Brooklyn got a free ride in the back pack.

Up the trail we go

We found this cool stump that Alan said looked like a chair:

Alan and Conner on the "chair":

Reed carried Micah and Brooklyn for a lot of the hike:

Alan and Conner scouting out the best way to cross the stream.  The lake is at the top of the waterfall in the background:

We made it!  Everyone got pretty tired and the last 1/2 mile was tough but we did it!

It was gorgeous up there:

We enjoyed our picnic lunch:

The boys had fun throwing rocks in the water.  They also found a little crayfish and spent a lot of time trying to trap it under some rocks in the water:

The view from the top of the waterfall:

On the way back down again:

Brooklyn was so good during the hike:

Our little hikers.  Micah hiked more than half the way down:

When we got up to the lake we realized that we were missing a part of our baby backpack.  We were disappointed and decided that we would try to find it on the way down but we didn't have much hope.  I said a little prayer that we would be able to find it - knowing that it wasn't a big deal, that our back pack would still work without it but it would be nice to have.  As we hiked down I kept looking for it but I didn't see it anywhere.  We were just saying that we must have passed it when we looked ahead and saw it hanging from a low branch across the trail.  Some nice person must have found it and hung it were we would see it.  It was nice to feel that Heavenly Father cares about what we care about, even if it is something small.  The hike was a great experience - that is the first time that we made it all the way to the destination when the hike was a long one (for our little family anyway).

Independence Day

We started the day with the local parade.  They always hand out free flags:

We collapsed Brooklyn's stroller so that people behind us could see but she didn't mind - it still made a great seat.

This Lewis and Clark float was so LOUD - they were firing blanks with the muskets and it was almost deafening:

My kids loved this little jet.  The guy drove it all over and the boys were impressed.  Who wouldn't want a mini jet that you could drive down the sidewalk?

My kids favorites were the tractors...

and the cool cars:



They also really liked the candy.  Brooklyn had fun sneaking pieces when her brothers weren't looking:

That afternoon/early evening we lit off our little package of fireworks.  This was Brooklyn's first 4th of July!

Every member of our family got a little tank and we set them up in a circle for a tank war:

Attack!  Everyone cheering on their tank:

Some of us thought the fireworks were too loud:

Some of us were a little afraid of the fireworks so we erected firework proof barriers to hide behind:

We tried to coordinate it so that everyone would be awake for the city fireworks but Brooklyn just couldn't do it.  She was grouchy by 9 pm so I stayed home and put her to bed while Reed took the boys to the river to watch the fireworks.  The sun setting over the river, with some ducks or geese out on the water:

Biking

In June we bought a new double bike trailer/stroller and we bought a new bike for Reed since our last ones were stolen.  We have loved getting out and riding the riverside trail.  Here are some pictures of the Missouri river that Reed and Alan took when they went on a long bike ride together. 

Alan standing next to a Lewis and Clark statue:

Looks like the bike trailer works well - both kids fell asleep:

Swim lessons

 We did swim lessons in June as soon as school was out.  It love that the pool is so close to our house.  I also really liked how our session was only half full so the class sizes were small.  Conner's class only had 4 kids and they had 2 teachers.  I was a little frustrated that Alan didn't make more progress in his lesson.  The teacher spent a TON of time teaching the kids to dive.  Diving is great but it doesn't help you to swim, or be self sufficient in the water.  Here is Alan's class getting ready to dive (Alan was the only boy in his class):

This was Conner's first year taking lessons.  I was amazed at how much more confident he became in the water.  He went from being afraid to put his face in the water to swimming 6 feet by himself and rolling over to his back to float. 

Boat safety day.  Conner is the blonde boy with the goggles to the right of the teacher's head:

 The teachers pretend that a storm comes and they tip the canoe.  Then they help the kids to swim underneath the canoe and come up in the air pocket underneath.  I got the picture just as they tipped the canoe.  Conner is in the center going into the water:

 Micah and Brooklyn had to sit with me on the side and watch.  They did okay most of the time.  Brooklyn really liked to crawl onto the deck and sit in the puddles.  Micah really liked to wander around.  One time he wandered off and I couldn't find him.  I looked all over.  I was about to ask a lifeguard to check the boys locker room when I heard a faint scratching sound coming from the family change room.  Apparently Micah had closed himself in there and couldn't get back out.  In one of his wandering trips he found this child size manikin and was completely fascinated.  He walked over and sat next to it and then would get up and walk in front of it and bend down and stare hard at it.  I think he was trying to figure out if it was real. 

 On the last day of lessons they always let the kids go to the outdoor water park but it was freezing cold so they set up their big inflatable dragon at the regular pool and just let the kids have fun.  I arranged to have a friend watch Micah and Brooklyn so that I could actually go swimming with Alan and Conner.  I'm glad I did, it was a lot of fun.  When we first got there we were putting our clothes and shoes into the backpack and suddenly Conner walked to the edge of the pool and just jumped in - yikes.  But he popped back up and swam a few feet before he started to sink and that gave me time to jump in behind him.  I was impressed by his swimming skills but we had to have the "you have to wait for me" talk. 

Alan in the blue and yellow swim suit hugging the dragon's neck and Conner standing beside him:

 Both of the boys in the water close to the dragon's neck.  Conner was wearing his "butter cube" floaty thing, so that I could take a picture and not worry about him drowning.

There and back again

In June we made a quick trip to go to my brother's wedding reception in Canada.  While we were there we took some big family pictures because who knows when we will all be together again?  We took the pictures down in Indian Battle Park and then we took the kids to play on the playground.  They have changed a lot of things since I was a kid.   

They have added these rocks in the shape of a coiled rattle snake.  The kids could spin the "tail" and it rattled:

Alan and Conner standing on the snake's head:

Conner is my nature lover.  We found lots of caterpillar's down there and he loved it.  He collected several and let them crawl on his arms:

It took some convincing for him to put all the caterpillars back on leaves so that he could play at the park:

Uncle Drew swinging Micah:

Grandpa swinging Brooklyn:

Climbing a rock structure:

It was a quick trip.  It was fun to stay up late and play games together.  The reception turned out wonderfully - great food, cute decorations, and wonderful people to celebrate with.  On the way home we stopped at a visitor center let the kids get out and climb the hoodoos (local rock formations)

Reed trying to help Conner get down.  Conner looks kind of nervous:

Conner got stuck and I had to take a picture before I helped him down: