Wetting the bed

John's so logical - a lot like his dad. Yesterday I was making his bed up after yet another night of bedwetting and I was talking to him about it. The conversation went something like this:

John, you really need to try and wake up and get yourself to the bathroom. Maybe we should try without pullups. Do you think other Kindergartners wear pullups?

Of course they do Mom.

Why's that?

Well if I wear pullups and I'm in Kindergarten then Kindergartners must wear pullups.

I just cracked up.

It's all in the name....

John's been having a hard time remembering people's names - he started Kindergarten on Monday and each night at supper resorts to telling stories about his new friends. But instead of telling us their names, he describes what they were wearing or what their hair looks like. You know, the boy who was sitting beside me and was wearing the black shirt. or The one with the spiky hair.

The same thing for some of the teachers. He couldn't remember the gym teacher's name (Mrs. Chase) so Lucy finally said, "John, it's Chase, like chase the ball." He seemed to make the connection.

But last night at supper he was talking about going to gym and the fact the teacher wasn't there, great narration but he got her name wrong. He called her "Mrs. Sweat."

How sweet.

Shoe Shopping

This is probably one of my most dreaded "back-to-school" shopping experiences. Where have the days gone when a friendly shoe salesman with a polyester tie and greased back hair would patiently measure your foot, take hold of the shoe of your dreams and then disappear into the backroom. A few minutes later he'd appear with three or four boxes, all a variety of sizes and proceed to slip the shoe on your foot and even tie it up. After instructing you to get up and walk around a bit ("How's that feel?") he'd gaze intently, making sure they fit properly. In the meantime, Mom would sit beside us and when we were satisfied with a shoe she'd gently press down on the toe, just to make sure.

Well those days are definitely gone. The airy shops filled with shoes and shoe sundries have mostly been replaced with carved out little corners in Kohl's or Target or Sears. The salesperson has been replaced with a colorful rubber mat that is worn from hundreds of kids placing their grimy little feet over the foot on the mat to see what size they are. There's isn't such a thing as an organized back room, instead there are shelves upon shelves of shoes that are scattered haphazardly. You want that New Balance shoe, well it might be underneath the display model but more likely it's three or four shoe spots down, hiding out in the back. It's an "every person for themself" type of mentality - the aisles filled with glossy-eyed parents pushing strollers and tugging along one, two or more kids.

Last night it was enough to give me a headache - even though Mom was with to help. We left Kohl's without any luck and all I wanted to do was go home and have a drink. But she perservered and said, "Imagine how this would be without help!" Good point Mom. So to Sears we went. It's never busy in their shoe department and in one little corner, there's actually two benches almost side by side. She took John and I was in charge of Sophie and Lucy. After 30 minutes of trying on shoes and the last minute "toe check" by Mom we managed - everyone was happy but I don't think anyone was as happy as me. Afterall, I shouldn't need to go through this for at least another two months. I hope.

A New Adventure - Quilting with Anna & Caprice

A few weeks ago Anna came over with a few brochures and an uncontainable excitement - her proposition was that each Tuesday the two of us travel to a small town about a half hour away and quilt all day. I was game - there's something about quilting that has always fascinated me even though I'm not much of a sewer. (Or should I say seamstress?) We talked to another friend, Caprice, and she might join us on our weekly excursions.

I've already learned a lot - for example, the pattern we'll be doing is called Flying Geese, there's something called a sash that frames each block and I think I now know what it means to cut on the diagonal. Although I haven't purchased any quilting books, there's a children's book by Gail Gibbons called The Quilting Bee (see book excerpt above) that might be right up my alley for learning more about the history of quilting.

We went fabric shopping yesterday and after looking through at least 15 reams (again, is that the right word?!?!) I went with the first fabric I'd picked out and three totally different ones. Anna, on the other hand, had her fabric picked out within 10 minutes and it looks beautiful. My fabric is on the right side of the picture, Anna's on the left.

I must say it was pretty relaxing - I left home with a headache and arrived back headache free. Maybe this is a new kind of therapy... who knew!

Treehouse Lazy

One afternoon last week I took a blanket and placed it on the treehouse floor and settled in to look at the sky and the clouds and the variety of spiderwebs adorning the walls and roof. Soon, I was joined by Sophie, then Lucy and finally John - the cuddles and murmurings lasted long into the lazy afternoon. The sun, the warm kids, the soft blanket - how wonderful.

Unique Gift Store

Check out this website - I love the pendants and bracelets made from old typewriter keys and the baby blankets inscribed with poetry.

Paper or Plastic?

In my desire to help the environment, I've decided to use canvas bags for all my shopping needs. That way there are a few less bags heading to the landfill. My trouble has been that I have an assortment of 6 bags that are in the car but whenever I go into a store I forget them. And once I'm in Leevers with three kids, I'm highly unlikely to drag the entourage back out to the car and retrieve them.

But I'm proud to say that the other night I finally remembered! Unfortunately, the check-out experience did not start out well. The conversation went like this...

Me: I've got these bags to use, where would be the easiest place to put them so we can bag the groceries?
Clerk: [sigh] You can bag them yourself, otherwise you need to wait until I ring every thing up and then I'll start bagging them.
Me: OK, I can bag, let me empty the cart first. (As I empty, I notice a box of cereal has been opened, so I tell her I don't want it. Another big sigh as she takes it from me.) Um, can someone get me another one, or should I run get it?
Clerk: Go get it, this is going to take awhile. (As I turn to leave I see another clerk has come to help her start bagging. This clerk smiles and says, "You have your own bags -what should I put in them first? The vegetables?" I nod and say that would be great and run off to the cereal aisle.)

By the time I get back the original clerk has done a complete 360 - no more attitude, no more sighs and both clerks are smiling. The second clerk says, "More and more people are bringing in their own bags, I think it's a wonderful idea." The first clerk comments that she always asks for paper instead of plastic because she reuses them for all sorts of things. We all helped finish bagging and at the end the first clerk gave me a smile and said, "Have a great night!"

So, what happened in the few minutes I ran to get the new box of cereal? Obviously something did, the change in the clerk's attitude was vastly improved when I came back. I'm not sure what was said, but it was done in a way that didn't make the clerk mad, but let her see that it was, in fact, important to be respectful of the choices people make. I applaud the woman who stepped in to bag groceries and the way she handled the situation... if only all bosses and co-workers could do the same.

Life Changes

For the past year I've been trying to focus on what really makes us happy - us as in me, Dave, Sophie, Lucy and John. For too many years we sent out Christmas letters describing all the changes in our lives and truly thought it was normal - doesn't everybody get a Ph.D., experience a devastating flood, have a baby, change jobs, buy a lake cabin, and travel around the world in a single year? Or do they?

As our family went from two to five we didn't slow down until finally, last year, Dave and I had a long talk and figured out that things had to, needed to, change. One phrase I'll never forget from that conversation was, "If you're not happy in your job, you need to make some changes that will make you happy." When he told me that, it was freeing - I was happy when I was teaching and when I advised students knowing they knew I actually cared about them and their decisions, but I wasn't happy with the politics of the institution, the grading of papers, the students who didn't take their work seriously yet always expected an "A" in the course. I wasn't happy trying to balance the needs of three children eight and under as well as my husband with the needs of boatloads of undergraduate and graduate students and, finally, my own needs. I think Dave was a little surprised with my decision to quit, but he's been fully supportive and, as he's seen our lives become less stressful, appreciative.

I know this isn't a decision that everyone can afford - either mentally or monetarily - and I, after years of feeling torn between stay-at-home moms and working moms, would never judge another on his/her decision. We all do the best we can - and that is what counts. But please do take some time today and think about what you can do in your life to ensure you're happy - because as my brother-in-law says, "If Mama ain't happy, nobody's happy."

Hockey Camp

Last summer our neighbor gave John two hockey bags full of gear his college-aged sons had outgrown; since then John has been determined to be a hockey player. It doesn't matter what the outside temperature is - whether it's 95 degrees or barely above zero - you can always find him all geared up practicing his game. He looks good - and has studied players enough to know how they should look... the socks, the shin pads, the breezers, the jersey, and the stick. In the summer he even pulls his socks down over his shoes and pretends they are his skates. He's definitely got the look down, the talent, well... not so much.

He's been going to "hockey camp" every day this week from 12-1:15 and loving it. As soon as we drop the girls off at art camp (at 9:30) he asks if it's time for hockey camp and I patiently (more often than impatiently, I'm proud to say) tell him that it'll be in a a few hours, right after lunch.

Wednesday was the first time I took him to camp and it was pretty neat to see him geared up and actually skating on the ice. He looked pretty funny though - everything he wore was way too big and after two down-and-backs his breezers slid down way past his butt. One of the coaches smiled, skated up to John, knelt on the ice and tightened them back up. Today, with some on-the-phone coaching from Dave, tried to get the breezers tighter and thought I did a pretty good job, but I was wrong. They were falling down before the skate around was over and his jersey kept falling out so it looked like he was wearing a red dress. It's a good thing Dave will be with us tomorrow - maybe John will stand a fighting chance against the battle with the breezers.

The neat thing is that John is all smiles about hockey - he's a trooper and doesn't give up, even with other fiveyear and six-year-olds skating circles around him. Each day he tells us that he's going to skate even harder than the day before... and I tell you what, he's one sweaty little boy when he gets off the ice. He's got determination and confidence, and that's all that counts.

So I think we're in this hockey thing for the long haul - Dave best be getting over to Play It Again Sports and getting John some equipment that actually fits. He can save this gear for when he's 14, maybe by then it'll fit him.

Being the Oldest - is it the best?

Lately I've been struggling with what I'm seeing as favoritism - even though I'm trying to be rationale about it. Perhaps it comes from being the third of four children and never getting to "do" something first, but I've found that I'm worrying about this with our children. It seems that the oldest child always gets everything first. I'm not worried about normal experiences, but the big ones in life: like getting to go to Papa's cabin. Sophie first went three years ago - all by herself with Dave. She got to go because she was 1) over five years old (Papa's rule) and 2) could read chapter books (Dave's rule). So for two years she went and and experienced cabin life all by herself with Dave and Papa. Lucy got to go this year because she met all the requirements - but she didn't get to be all by herself and have the same experience as Sophie. It's not that I think her experience would be the same, I know it wouldn't be. But she'd have the feeling of being the only child with Papa and Dave. I wondered about this before the trip but during the trip I saw that it was fine - she was excited and happy to be there and have Sophie show her around the island.

I've been having the same thoughts during the past few days - this time about the Harry Potter phenomena. My rule is that the kids can start reading the books, if interested, the summer before third grade. My reasoning is by that time they are proficient readers and mature enough to handle the plot and theme. I know a lot of parents who read the books aloud to their children, but I'm not comfortable with doing that just yet. So, already, I've been telling myself that next summer when Lucy starts reading the books I should go back and start them over again so we can talk about them the same way Sophie and I did. And then, when it's John's turn, do the same. That's fine, I'll enjoy doing it, but what about the release party and all they hype that went with it?

I seriously considered not taking Sophie because I knew that Lucy and John wouldn't ever be able to experience the same thing - that there won't ever be any more release parties for a new Harry Potter book. But then again, why deprive Sophie of the release party? You know what I chose in the end (see previous entry), and I'm glad I did. There was so much fun and joy on that night - it was wonderful to sit back and watch how excited she and Grace were about the Harry Potter books - it's a memory I won't ever forget. But will Lucy and John be able to enjoy this same type of hype, this love for a character and his adventures? Should I save all the newspaper clippings, the Internet articles, the memorabilia and try to recreate it for them when they're older? I know that would be rather silly and I try to tell myself that something like this will come along for them as they're older. But then again, I'm not so sure we'll ever have another J.K. Rowling in our lifetimes.

But maybe I need to console myself with the thought that each of us goes through life generating our own love and excitement - for Sophie it just happens to be reading. For Lucy it might be something else, and John something entirely different from both of them. So maybe I should quit worrying about this - we all do the best we can and the best Dave and I can do is nurture the kids and their interests. Maybe Lucy won't even want to read Harry Potter but will turn to historical fiction or a hobby entirely different from reading - maybe gardening. John the same thing - at this point all we see and hear from him are pirates and hockey. There we go - I guess it is just best to take each day at a time and not worry about the future because each of us will make our way. In the meantime, I watch Lucy and John and see how happy they are with what they have - the knowledge that sooner or later they'll get to read the Harry Potter books and watch the movies and, for now, they've got some great Harry Potter glasses.

Magical Midnight

Yes - you guessed it - Sophie and I attended a release party for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Out of the three parties in town we chose the one at Barnes and Noble for two reasons:

1) Marie, the organizer, is a wonderful person and always such a big help to me when I order books for the RRVWP and 2) it started at 9 pm vs. 10 pm and I thought maybe we'd be home in bed by 10 or so. I was wrong by 2 1/2 hours.

Early on Friday Sophie's friend Grace came over and they made plans for the big event - Sophie decided that she even though she'd like to dress as Hermoine, she looked more like Professor McGonegal and Grace decided to spray her blonde hair red and be Ron. They raided the Halloween costume box, came up with wands and there we were. At one point Sophie was even digging through the drawers in our bedroom looking for something for me to wear but I put a stop to that rather quickly.

We arrived at the party at 9:10 and it was already full of muggles - there were some wizards scattered around and one dementer, but mostly muggles. Yvette, Grace's mom, joined us shortly after and we chased after the girls as they went from year to year completing the activities and shouting out answers to the trivia questions that periodically sounded from the PA system. Around Year 5, we ran into Juliette and Oliver and from then on Juliette, Grace and Sophie were a team, trying to find the Snitch and following around Snape to see what he was up to. In the meantime, Yvette, Laurie, and I drank our butterbeers and chatted in the Great Hall.

Since we already had a book coming in the mail early Saturday morning (Thanks Jodi the mail carrier!) I thought we would get out of there before midnight, but Sophie convinced me otherwise because she thought maybe Harry Potter himself would show up and pass out the books. That didn't happen and by 12:30, we were in the car, yawning and reliving the favorite parts of the night.

Now it's Monday and neither one of us is done with the book - we're taking turns reading it. Sophie reads two chapters and then gives it to me so I can read two chapters, etc... But as she is such an early riser, she gets a huge headstart on me in the mornings and is only pages away from finishing; me, I'm only on chapter 15. But I'll get there - maybe even by tonight.

Back Trouble

Ahhhh, basements and house projects - they've finally succeeded in trashing my back. Friday morning, forty-five minutes after waking I realized I was in serious trouble as I couldn't move without crying out in pain. It was the morning after I finished pulling up the basement carpet and tried to scrape carpet glue off the floor, it was the day after Dave left me alone with the kids while he traveled to Estonia and it was four days before my workshop for the Red River Valley Writing Project, Authors as Mentors, was to start. We survived the day - I took Advil and tylenol and wrapped packs of ice around my back. We went to Bernadette's and as the kids played in the pool, I sat in the jacuzzi tub with hot, hot water and jets blowing on my back.

We survived Saturday too - starting with a giant get well card from the kids and with more Advil and ice packs. By afternoon I switched to my leftover pain pills from my foot surgery. Michelle picked up some groceries for me. Still lots of pain - but we survived. I figured it had to be better by Sunday morning.

By Sunday morning when I still wasn't any better I called my mother-in-law to see if she could watch the kids. She said yes, that she'd be there as soon as she could. I hung up the phone and burst into tears. My babysitter for the week cancelled because of an unexpected death in her family. Bev took the kids, I got some muscle relaxants from my doctor, and Kim took all my stuff and said she'd do the first day of the workshop - not to worry. I slept and slept.

Monday I got out of bed in 10 minutes versus the 30 minutes from Sunday and the 45+ from Saturday. Carmyn and Pam brought me pizza and filled me in on the morning workshop. Theresa took the kids for the entire day and I rested. Nicole came through for babysitting - I'm set for the rest of the week.

Now it's Tuesday and I'm a little better; I didn't even time how long it took me to get out of bed into a standing position but know it was less than ten minutes. I taught the workshop this morning (even on the muscle relaxants) and came home and slept while the kids watched Scooby Doo. Dave is back in the states - and should be home in a couple hours. I plan on resting, resting, resting. Thank goodness for family and friends - thank you everyone.

DeSmet, South Dakota - 9 hours of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Our first stop on the Laura Ingalls Wilder tour was to DeSmet - home to Laura and her family in the books On the Shores of Silver Lake and The Long Winter. After lunch at the local DQ, the kids changed into their outfits and we started our guided tour with The Surveyor's House. It was actually owned by the railrooad but the Ingalls family stayed in it each winter, in exchange for keeping careful watch over the railroad tools.

When Laura first saw this house she thought it was the largest house she ever saw - it just goes to show how much we take for granted nowadays. The part they lived in was probably a two-story version of our kitchen and breakfast nook area - on the main floor it included a room that held the stove, a rocking chair, and a table and chairs. Off that room was a pantry the size of a small rectangular walk-in closet, the attic stairway, and Ma and Pa's bedroom they shared with Carrie. The upstairs was one big room the same size as the main floor; that's where Mary and Laura slept. At times Ma rented out sleeping space for men at $0.25 a night (meals were an extra $0.25) and up to 20 men sometimes slept in the main living area. I can't imagine the noise and smell in the house on those nights.

From the Surveyor's House, we walked a few steps to a replica of a one-room school house and then to the real school house which is still being restored after serving as a private home for many years. The kids enjoyed being the teacher and looking for clues about the past on the partially restored chalkboard.

They were so good on the tour - listening so very carfefully to the leader as she told about the house and life on the prairie. In retrospect, we should have got into the car and drove the few blocks to the later home of Charles, Caroline, Mary, Grace and Carrie - they were in such a listening and "taking it all in" mode. Instead, we had them run over to the Discover Laura Center. They loved everything in this place - from the old fashioned stove and food center, to the quill pens and slates, to the old fashioned sewing machine and to the braille station where they made their names out of a braille guide, glue and split peas. Everything was completely hands-on and they were excited. The curator of the museum also came and had them make butter out of cream and a whole lot of shaking. They had a great snack of saltines and hand-shook butter.

The next stop was the Ingalls home I previously mentioned - as the kids were so used to touching everything, this was a little harder. They were, by now, out of listening mode and into exploration. Needless, to say, we didn't stay too long here.

By this time, it was 5 pm and the pageant (play) didn't start until 9 - so we decided to drive around a bit. We ended up at a place we didn't even know about - the Homestead - and stayed there until it closed at 9 pm. This was a huge hit - total exploration and discovery for the kids. They experienced everything from pumping well water, carrying it up the hill, washing clothes, making rope and corn cob dolls (like Laura's Susan), and riding in a covered wagon to a school house for a short lesson. I think they could have stayed there even longer, except they closed at 9.

It'd been a long day so we decided to skip the pageant (after explaining to Evie and Sophie that we already had tickets for Saturday's pageant and there was no way we'd change our minds or miss it) and headed back to the DQ for some supper and ice cream. What a wonderful, but exhausting, day... the next stop on Saturday, Walnut Grove.

Cousins

There's something so very wonderful about seeing our kids playing with their cousins - Sophie, Lucy and John get positively giddy whenever they know we're going to be with cousins. This goes for them all - from Ashleigh, Amy and Katie who are in college down to Gracie and Nate who are three and one. The neat thing is there are so many cousins (24) and the kids have memories of each in their own way - some have stayed with us for a week at a time and there are the "going to bed" and "waking up" with one another memories while others we just plain see more often because of proximity.

Whenever we visit relatives with kids, it's absolutely guaranteed we won't see our children until toward the end of the stay. They give the proper hugs and kisses to aunts and uncles but then immediately grab the hand of one of the cousins and take off outdoors or to the playrooms. As a general rule, there's no fighting and usually, yes just usually, they don't get into trouble. There was that one episode with a disposable camera - when Dave picked up the pictures from developing he was mortified to discover the kids in suggestive poses, and thankful they didn't ask any questions. But, as I said, there usually isn't any trouble.

So, here we are in Brookings, Sourth Dakota - Laura Ingalls Wilder land - with Roxy, Evie, Jesse and Betsy. Roxy made prairie dresses, complete with aprons and bonnets for the girls and I made some knickers (by cutting off Goodwill pants and putting elastic in them) and got shirts, suspenders and straw hats for the boys. We're pretty excited for our four day adventure with Roxy and our cousins. In fact, Sophie summed it all up right before we left Grand Forks to meet up with Roxy and the kids. It'd been hectic getting to the car and there was some bickering. Once we were in the car Sophie said, "Don't worry Mom, we never fight when we're with Evie, Jesse and Betsy." The best thing is - she's right.

Procrastination, continued (or How Not to Sew...)

This picture illustrates all the sewing projects I, with the help of the kids on the quilt, have finished since yesterday at 8 am. Because the rest of the house is so trashed you'll notice there aren't any pictures of any rooms in the house. In fact to find clean space on the floor on which to lay out the sewing projects so I could take a picture, I had to move from the dining room to the living room. But, the good news is I got much more comfortable with my sewing machine. Here's a summary of the various sewing "happenings" at our house in the last 24 hours.

Project 1: Baby Doll Quilt (or you can call it a pillow if you'd prefer)
Lucy picked out the fabric from 10-year old leftover pieces and Sophie and Lucy created the design on the floor. I then used the mat and cutter to cut the 30 5" squares and then taught Sophie and Lucy to sew the individual pieces together. When we got a row down, they started on the next, etc... Then I sewed the rows together to form the "face" of the quilt. Lucy picked out the back fabric and we cut it out, along with the batting. I then put the "right sides" of the front and back together and sewed all four sides, leaving a small opening in which to draw it through. My thought was we could then handsew the opening.

Unfortunately, I sewed the batting to the "face" of the quilt, so that when it got pulled through there was a nice plaid backing and batting for the fact of the quilt. Oops - I called it quits for a few hours and then got out the seam ripper and went to town on tearing out all four sides of the quilt.

Fortunately I didn't give up like I usually do at this point; I even laughed out loud. OK, you're right - first I let go with a string of expletives (all quietly muttered) and then laughed. This morning I finished up the quilt - this time I gave up on the idea of sewing the batting in. Rather, I sewed all around the quilt, left a small opening and then stuffed the batting in. Then I taught Lucy how to hand sew the opening shut - but we didn't get very far before I decided we'd use the sewing machine to finish the job. Finally, I used embroidery thread and pulled it through to hold the batting in place. Voila! A quilt, or pillow, for baby dolls and the girls have a hunger for sewing.

Project 2,3,4: Bags for Sophie, Lucy and John
While I was drinking my coffee this morning, Sophie (all by herself) made a small purse for Lucy (pic on left) and I thought - "Hey, she's on to something." So I then took a turn at it. This time, I carefully thought it through and did lots of somewhat-straight line sewing to make some handy-dandy bags. After John saw Sophie and Lucy's he wanted one so I made one for him - unfortunately, he thinks it looks a rather lot like a purse and was a little disappointed. We'll see if he chooses to take it to our SD car trip with him.

You know I'm unmotivated when...

1. a Lucky Charm "anchor" has sat in the little spot between the fridge and the wall since the last week in May
2. coffe ground leftovers mark the front of the garbage can door and have been there since sometime in May
3. weeds have become the new type of flower in our garden
4. the desk looks as though the mischievious "paper fairy" arrived in the night and threw the papers all around
5. you just expect to step on some playmobil knight or pirate when you say good-night to John
6. the 9 roll toilet paper pack has sat in front of the bathroom sink instead of inside the cupboard for the past few days
7. the kids' bathroom sinks are a strange mixture of orange (grapefruit scented handsoap) and blue (toothpaste)

BUT... instead of taking care of this messy house today Lucy, Sophie and I started sewing a quilt for the baby dolls. If you know me, sewing in itself is highly uncharacteristic but to actually attempt a project instead of a simple button...well, I definitely must be procrastinating... and I am. There's always tomorrow for cleaning, right?!

Hanging out at Big Owl Road

Today was full of total relaxation – the plan was to complete a short hike at Alberta Falls, attend a nature seminar put on by a Rocky Mountain National Park ranger, and turn in the kids' Jr. Ranger books. Instead, we stayed at the mountain cabin until 3 pm at which time we drove into Estes Park and Sophie and I shopped for her birthday present – a pair of hiking boots for this wonder hiker.

Dave and I pretty much had a “read around” all over the cabin – taking turns sitting in scenic, comfortable chairs and reading while the kids played in the pond most of the day. They made up a game called “Going to Market” where John sat on the pond bridge “fishing” while Sophie took buckets from John and filleted the fish, and Lucy then sold the fish to make-believe customers. Another time when I looked up from my perch from the porch they were scrubbing down the bench, cleaning off the moss.

We’re pretty darn lucky – even though they fight at times and get snappy with one another, overall they do an excellent job of playing together. There wasn’t a single tear or tattle in 7 hours of all-out playing – and this companionship lasted far into the night, through a restaurant dinner with Don and Eunice and through Lego playtime back at the Wilbur’s. While we were enjoying a drink in the living room, the kids were making a Lego town in the basement and Eunice said, “Kids? Do you even have kids?” We took that as a real compliment. Unfortunately, we stayed 10 minutes too late and there was an “angry eyes” look from Sophie and tears from John. All in all though – I don’t think you could ask for three better travelers under the age of 10.

Ouzel Falls – the big hike

We were well prepared for this hike – all 5.4 miles of it. The kids were forewarned of its length and climb (1,000 feet), Dave and I each carried a backpack filled with 4 bottles of water, a first aid kit, oranges and muffins, and I had extra batteries for the camera. It was beautiful – absolutely worth every step. Although the temperature was in the mid 80’s we were, for the most part, cool enough thanks to the rapids and shady overgrowth. The first third of the hike was pretty level – with lots of wildflowers and some nice views of rapids.
The next part, up to the Calypso Cascades was more of a climb but the view of the cascades at the top was so worth it. We stopped there and camped out on a big rock in the shade and ate our oranges and smushed up muffins – and Dave got a chance to stretch his neck and back (see him in the corner of the picture?!). While there we also decided if we should continue on – we could turn back and have completed a 3.6 mile hike or we could go the next .9 mile and get to the falls. John, understandably, was ready to turn back, Lucy wasn’t too sure but when Dave told her he’d carry her Jr. Ranger book and sweatshirt, she was up for the challenge. It was decided – and we set off.

This last third, overall, wasn’t as pretty as the previous scenery – for it passed through a burned area full of gray logs and patches of plant regrowth. It was also pretty windy and much more of a climb – but once again we weren’t disappointed once we reached the falls. The cool air rushing past cooled us off and as we drank water in the shade we watched the water cascading down a rock precipice. Before too long we headed back down – this time Sophie, Lucy and I led – hopping down the path like jackrabbits. Total time: 2 hours up, one hour, twenty minutes down. Well done kids, well done!

"I thought we were going on a hike!"

…so said John as we started a 3.4 mile trail hike (The Pool) in Estes Park. Apparently he is used to Grama and Papa’s house in Sedona where a hike means rock climbing. His disappointment in the dirt trail didn’t last too long; within a few minutes he was looking for flowers and pointing out every time we spotted the stream and little waterfalls along the way. It was the perfect hike for us to start out with – not too strenuous but long enough for the kids to get a feel for the climbing and the unevenness of the path.

John and I turned back before Dave and the girls (I say they only hiked ½ mile more than us, but Dave wholeheartedly disagrees with me – could this be that competition thing we were just discussing last weekend with friends?!?! But I digress…) and stopped along the way back to take off our socks and shoes and dip our feet into the stream. From other hikers we learned the water temperature is a cool 25 degrees but it felt wonderful on our hot little feet. We stayed on “our” rock for about 10 minutes, alternately splashing our faces, sunning ourselves and dipping our feet. As we put on our shoes and continued on, John said, “This is the best hike ever.” I think it definitely rates right up there John – definitely right up there.

(Sidenote: My foot is tired and sore, but less sore than it would have been pre-surgery – definitely worth it! Now tomorrow after we do a 5 mile hike, I might be singing a different tune; let’s hope not.)

Boat Running on Big Owl Road

One fascinating thing about life here on Big Owl Road is the little mountain stream that travels from the mountain to the front of the cabin, underneath it and continues on down. The kids spent most of the morning running the boats from the pond all the way down to a dam of sorts – where two logs have been strategically placed to stop them from traveling all the way downstream. As Dave, Don and I enjoyed our conversation and coffee on the back patio the kids ran back and forth, using their sticks to prod the boats along when they got stuck. I think they could have done this all day long, but alas, the hiking trails called. They’re in bed now, and I’m sure thinking up new ways to get their boats down the run faster than they did this morning – oh, the power and beauty of kids and nature.