Heck of a Hike

Our Spring Break came and went without anything too eventful taking place.  We enjoyed no schedules, sleeping in, and hanging out.  We couldn't let Spring Break end without doing something fun, so Friday Kay took the day off work and we all went hiking.  We took a hiking trail by the goose necks that lead down to the San Juan River.  Scout leaders take scouts on it all the time, and that is how Kay learned about the trail. 

 

 

 If they take scouts on it, how hard could it be... right?

 

That was my line of thinking until about half way down the trail when my knees and ankles were killing me and I couldn't stop thinking about the return trip.  Unlike me, the kids were great.  They were ahead of Kay and I the whole time. 

 



 

An hour and a half after we'd started we finally made it too the bottom.  To my pleasant surprise, it was actually pretty down by the river.  Sam brought a friend with us, and all the kids had a lot of fun by the river.

 

 

The sand was great for playing in.

 

 The water was fun to wade in.

 

 

                      

 

 And they had a blast finding all the "sinking sand" spots.

 

 

Kay had other motives for this particular hike.  Gold panning is a hobby of his, and this area is an old time gold panning spot.  The trail was built decades ago by the miners themselves.

 

 

He's also a bit of a rock hound.

 

 It was peaceful and relaxing by the river.

 

 

 After a bit of time we faced the inevitable and started our hike back to the top. 

 

 

This family picture marked the half way point.

 

 

Kay and Jill stopping to catch their breath.

 



 

I love Kay's official "gold panning" hat.

 

Another rest stop.  Notice Kay resting on the rock... it really was that tiring.

 

Two hours later we reached the top.

 

 This is the pile of rocks marking the trail.  I'd never been so happy to see a pile of rocks in all my life.

 

Cuteness

Miki and Jill practically lived outside after the last snowstorm.  They made snow creations of several kinds, but their baby snowman was a favorite.  I just had to share.

 

 

Back in February Miki got her glasses.  It's taken me this long to convince her to let me take her picture in them.  She's still a tad unsure about it all.

 

 

She picked this pair because 1st, they are pink.

 

 

2nd, they have flowers on the sides.

 

 And 3rd, they are pink.  If it's pink, you can't go wrong.

 

Welcome Spring

From this...

 

 

 

 

... to this in a matter of hours.

 

I can still say welcome spring, because this is spring.  One day we really think spring might be just around the corner, and mother nature comes back to remind us who's in charge.

 



 

On the bright side it was a beautiful snow storm.  Spring storms usually are with their big fluffy flakes.  Today was no exception.  The flakes were huge!  In the past I had kids still at home to go out and play in these types of storms.  Now the dogs have to do.  We call Max our backwards dalmatian when he's covered in snow.

 

 

Because it was a Friday the kids were home by early afternoon.  It'd been snowing for about 5 1/2 hours and we thought we ought to  get a measurement before it started to melt.  After all, with fingers crossed, this could be our last major storm of the season.

 



 

Miki's measurement came in at 5 1/2 inches, but the storm wasn't clearing yet.

 

 

We are definitely ready for Spring to really be here, but for now we'll enjoy the snow.

 

Cake

There's something I've noticed.  As my kids get older it gets harder and harder to get pictures of them.  They get so busy with the things they're involved in, and I do get pictures of that.  I'm talking about the day to day of life of just them.  Sam is gone a lot.  When she is home she just wants to "chill".  Chill and cook.

 

 

And eat.  She's recently discovered the convenience of keeping a big bowl of cake batter in the fridge and having microwaved cake whenever she wants it.

 

She assures me she won't live on cake when she goes to college.  She'll eat noodles too.  For now she's just happy to have her cake.

 



Parable of the Kite

March winds are here, and they are so welcomed!  I'm looking forward to bluer skies and warmer temperatures.

 

 

 Miki and Jill love flying kites, so they're loving all of this wind.  After they were done flying their kites, and Jill was in the house she was excitedly telling me how well her kite was flying.  I agreed and told her it could go even higher if she'd let some of the string out.  She was confident as she told me "I know.  But my kite's in training.  I can only let a little out until it's used to it.  Then I'll let more out."  I quickly seized my mommy moment and told her she's absolutely right.  And that's how it is with her.  As she's growing up we let out a little string at a time until she's "used to it" and we give her more.  Eventually she'll be flying high in the sky far away from us, but we will always be hanging onto the string, and if she falls or needs help we'll always be there for her.

 

 

She seemed to like the visual I gave her.  As I thought more about it, raising kids and flying kites are very similar.  Kids don't come with an instruction book, and every child is different.  Sometimes I've unknowingly given one of my children more string than I should have and they started to fall.  Just like with a kite, I tightened the string and gently pulled them back in a bit.  Eventually they were steady again, and after time they were ready for more string to be let out.  With each of these learning experiences they learn to fly higher.  Even if there are a few rips and broken tails along the way, with proper repairs they will be up and flying again.

 

There you have it.  The parable of the kite.  Without my girls teaching me, I never would've connected that one.

 

Pink Cheetahs at it again

Jillian played in her last volleyball tournament for this year.  Our gathering spot was 1 1/2 hours away, and we had to be there by 8:15 a.m.  Waking up early on a Saturday morning was not what she wanted to be doing, but we all went and had fun anyway.

 

 

The Cheetah's were on fire, with only one loss.

 

 

By the end of the day this is how we all felt... YAWN... we needed a nap!
(Jill getting ready to serve)

 

Jill and Tess

 

After a season of hard practice and dedication all of their hard work paid off.  The team left the tournament with a first place win.