Still enjoying Summer

While Ethan and Dad were away at Scout Camp, Ellie and I had a night out at the theater where we enjoyed the story of Beauty and the Beast.  We ended up running in to her little friend and so they went together to meet a couple of the main characters.

Our summer has been busy with lots of fun and lots of random . . . 

 . . . . like sitting in random chairs and having mom take a picture 

hitting some trails

Sharing our brother's pet hermit crabs at Fun in the Sun

I was surprised that Ellie stood up there by herself and told the group about the crabs.

climbing mountains and conquering fears

Saddle Rock above our house

This climb was high very steep and super scary for me.   I believe when we finally made it to the top of the rock I hugged the flag pole.

beautiful valley view from Saddle Rock, well worth it.  However, going back down was the worst part.  I was pretty sure we were going to have to call for a helicopter to get me.  :-p

building bird houses

Family afternoon hike up Right Hand Fork.

After this picture we realized we were posed right by a huge snake, which was already dead but still gave me a fright.

This is how Ellie feels about going on a hike. 

She always complains when we go, but always ends up enjoying herself.

We saw a ton of beaver dams along the trail

Our turn around point was just after the Willow Creek trail head

Ellie is going through another phase of being scare of EVERYTHING, especially sleeping alone.

So . . . . . an air mattress has become an almost permanent feature in our bedroom.  Occasionally she gets Ethan to sleep in the living room with her.  (Ugh, this too shall pass, right!?!)

This particular night was a family sleep over night in mom and dad's room. :-/

I was finally able to talk Ellie back into taking swimming lessons.  We have avoided wasting our money the last couple years as she refused to go and it became more of a problem then a fun thing for her to learn.  Anyhow, after our trip to SeaWorld she decided that she will be a dolphin trainer.  Well dolphin trainers have to know how to swim (I'd assume) and so she realized that she needed to learn to swim.  

Yes, we probably could have forced her to take lessons, but since this time it was her choice it went so much smoother.

And ended up being a GREAT SUCCESS!!  She now dunks herself fully into the water and after the session of swimming lessons ended she figured out how to swim around kicking and paddling under water all on her own.  I guess it just needed to be on her terms with a little motivation of being a dolphin trainer.  

We have also been enjoying some pool time throughout the summer

Ethan has been having soccer practice all summer.  Some nights he really doesn't want to go, but we force it.  (horrible parents)

One evening I picked him up and decided to treat ourselves to a yummy milkshake and watch the sunset.  Some day watching the sunset with his mom will not be fun or cool so I'm taking advantage while I can.  (of course it probably isn't fun or cool now, but he at least enjoyed the milkshake and can some day say "remember when you got me a milkshake and made me watch the sunset with you")

Blacksmith Fork Canyon run - Moose Sighting!!

We also saw this dead little skunk.  We thought is was just a baby because it was so small and had little spots.  Well it turns out it is actually a rare type of skunk called a spotted skunk and it was full grown.  We joked about keeping it so Julie could stuff it since she seemed to be so fond of it.  Well one of her hubby's friends said she should have kept it for the hide.

No, it didn't stink.  Yes she petted it because she loves little baby animals. 

Scout Camp ----a WHOLE Week??

This kid 12 year old was so excited for his first week away at Scout Camp.  This mom was super nervous about sending her baby boy to a WEEK away at Scout Camp.  Mom rant ---- seriously, they go from 1 night campouts to a whole week.  Well he has a FANTASTIC time and this mom survived.

The morning the boys left there was a lot of excitement.  I was not alone in having anxiety of sending my boy away with 20+ boys and 2 leaders.

Ethan had a great time fishing and even had to prep and cook his fish on his own.

One night they had pizza and this picky kid said he was so hungry he still ate it even though it had sauce (because normally he does NOT eat pizza with sauce).

Ethan had a BLAST at scout camp.  He earned a bunch of merit badges, made lots of memories and in his words gained a "new relationship with nature".  We missed this guy but were so happy for him to have this experience.

On the 2nd to the last night dad was able to go join in on the fun, sleepless nights.  He said his favorite was when he was stuck with all 20+ kids at the final ceremonies of camp and the boys were going nuts.

"96 Kix!" (haha) 20 years later . . . . . .

My 20 year high school reunion was this year.  

I graduated in a class of 40 (more than I thought) and we had a small turn out for the reunion.  It started with a family picnic in Boise where only 6 of us showed up (awkward).  Later there was a dinner downtown at Lock Stock and Barrel for the adults.  Several more people were able to show up for dinner which was great.   Only 16 out of 40 (plus spouses) showed up so dinner was much more lively and so much fun.  There was a lot of catching up and even more reminiscing.  I think having graduated with such a small group at such a small school it was almost like a family reunion.  We were all together since grade school (most since Kindergarten).

Besties!!

We are not so good at the selfies

girls of 96 --- haha

class of 96 who were able to come (-a few who left early) and many who weren't there that I was sad to miss seeing.

Jana, Amy, yours truly, Misty, Dennis R., Trina, Michael, Nathan, Mike, Les, Chez, Billie Jo, Amanda, Miren, Kyle (Barbara left early)

It was truly a great time.  I hear people talk about their high reunions being lame, no fun, etc. but I can honestly say I truly enjoyed this night.  I don't think I have laughed as hard as I did that night in a long time.  We all may be 20 years older and have gone different directions with our lives, but coming back together and sharing stories gave a little of that "feels like home" feeling.  With so much social media, it seems as if we are keeping in touch easily, but there is nothing like the face to face interaction that comes with getting together.

Of course a reunion was a good reason to make the 4 hour trip however as always we also enjoyed the rest of our time in Boise.

Fun in the Sun

We enjoyed an afternoon at Summerfest.  

Face Painting, cotton candy, kettlecorn, and live music.

During June Ellie attended Fun in the Sun 3 mornings a week.  It's a summer camp put on in our little town.  She loved attending.  Some of the activities included going miniature golfing, going to the movies, playing games, arts and crafts, zoo trip, water park and much more.  

While she was at Fun in the Sun Ethan and I had time to hang out (that's what 12 year olds call it) together.  Most mornings we would head to a tennis court and play tennis, our way.