The Descent of Summer

Okay, so I'm way late on this blog entry...I simply, truly, REALLY cannot believe that it is almost September. ARGHHHH! I know that I'm echoing the sentiments of Moms everywhere as I wonder "where does time go?"

So, as school approaches like a sledge hammer (my kiddos first day is September 6th) and summer slips from our grasp, I guess I'll journey back a little and figure out what we've been doing as the summer has slip-slided away...

Although the move and crawling out from underneath boxes has hovered over most of our undertakings this summer, we did manage to squeeze a few fun and "normal" summer escapades in. The boys did soccer and swim lessons, and Rosalie did swim lessons as well. The girl is a fish and passed three swim levels in one class (it was just her and another girl in the class so the instructor had the time)! She is now just one level behind Wyatt, my super-pro swimmer. Noah did really well in his lesson as well and can't wait for next year. Rodas wasn't quite ready for lessons this year--she LOVES the water, but wasn't ready to let go of Mom's hand quite yet. She's headed to Preschool in a few weeks, which I know she will embrace and love and will help her to let Mommy go a little easier. My only regret is that I'm not handing her off to the BEST preschool teachers in the world (Miss Racquel and Miss Gwen!), but I am hopeful that her Hayden Elementary teachers will be the next best thing. She goes to Primary at Church okay, but grumbles going in (although she's always smile's coming out). Her dance classes, which she loves, also help her learn to trust that mommies do come back.

One thing we have enjoyed tremendously this summer is living five minutes from Elkhead reservoir. Many mornings we have paddled our sea kayaks (yes, the WHOLE family in two Kayaks!) along it's shores and nearly had the whole reservoir to ourselves. I often take the kids and mutts to a quiet beach for the afternoon where they swim and play in the sand while I attempt to tire out the dogs with fetching and swimming. It is wondrous and I LOVE this little piece of heaven and can only hope that the secret doesn't catch on because I love having it all to ourselves! Colt recently organized a triathalon up at the reservoir for anyone on his fuels and fire crews that wanted to participate. He did a great job organizing it and, great father that he is, made sure his boys could participate too (his girls preferred playing in the sand). Wyatt beat ALL runners (and these are some fire-tough firefighters he ran against) and Noah ran the whole 2.2 miles (not easy miles either)--his first race ever! This blew me away (literally and figuratively) as this is the kid that I practically had to pry out of the backpack carrier when he was three and, when prodded to use his own two feet for hiking, would walk five feet and announce he was done!!! He's suddenly had this drive to run and bike with Dad and Wyatt, and he's actually starting to keep up!

It's also been fun living close--but not too close--to Steamboat Springs. It's a fun, little tourist town and we've enjoyed a balloon festival and some yummy dinners there. The Howelson Hill alpine slide was a fun excursion for the whole family for my birthday! Yahoooooooooooooo! Colt's excited to do some downhill skiing, snowboarding and telemarking again this winter.

We have also enjoyed being closer to both sides of the family and have been able to spend time in both Vernal and Grand Lake. We went to Buffalo BBQ Days in Grand Lake and Wyatt, Mom and Dad ran the 5K there. Wyatt came in 40th out of 200+ runners and took first place in his age group (0-10 yrs.)...WOW! I finished 60th...and I'm simply proud that I finished! If you want a tough 5K, try one that is more uphill than down and is at 8000 ft. elevation! Whew! The kids enjoyed playing in the frigid waters of Grand Lake and helping Nana release the endless stream of ground squirrels she relocates away from her flower beds (warning to moose and ground squirrels: don't mess with NANA!). Just recently, the kids and I were treated to a wonderful weekend with Nana (my Mom) and my sister Debs in Denver where we visited the Denver Zoo (Tsegereda got to see her favorite animal, the flamingo) and Waterworld. We all had a blast, and it was a wonderful vacation for the kids, who deserved "a summer vacation."

We have also added a new member to our family...well, sort-of. Clementine/Bob, our new Bobcat tractor, was finally purchased after exhaustive research and watching of classifieds. We girls call her Clementine, the boys and Colt for some odd reason feel the name "Bob" better suits her. Hmmpphh. She is sooooo not a "Bob." She came with a mower for keeping our huge lawn trim, and a bucket to dig us out of the plentiful snow that we have been promised will come. I'm reminded of the wonderful childrens' book "Katy the Snowplow" that dug out her whole town one winter. We've been warned that Craig gets a lot of snow, and we have a lot of driveway to plow, so a Katy (NOT a Bob!) is what we need! Colt is like a kid in a candy store with her, the kids think she's the next best thing to a four-wheeler, and she's easy enough to drive that I can move the bucket up and down AND go forward AND mow at the same time! (0:

Over the summer we've continued to enjoy the blessings of our new home...and all the furry visitors that enjoy the land as well. Routinely we have a beautiful buck antelope, a family of bluebirds, and a doe with her twin fawns that drop by. Another single doe (Daisy) is also a frequent muncher of our alfalfa. [Note in the photo the bluebird at the bottom and the antelope buck at the top of the picture] The mowing of our fields--which resulted in 13 huge circular bales--didn't seem to deter them and, if anything, they can find the succulent alfalfa even better now that the waves of waist-high grass are gone. Some marmots have taken up residence in our far back pasture, and I had a hoot watching them cuss-out a bald eagle hanging out on one of our cottonwoods. They shut up and hit the dirt when the eagle decided to take flight and come in for a closer look (yes, they're fine, and still cussing out anything that even comes close to their pasture). I LOVE my wildlife. The kids are enjoying it as well, although Noah and Rodas could do without the plentiful mosquitos. Noah, after a night on the trampoline in Vernal, found out that 14 mosquito bites makes him look like he went a round or two with Mike Tyson!

The kids are excited and nervous about school--as any kid usually is this time of year. Colt and I really feel good about their school (Hayden Valley Elementary) and I am ecstatic that they will be getting music and PE every day, as well as weekly art classes! The school also has it's own chef who loves to introduce the kids to wonderful new and HEALTHY foods (finally!) so I'm really diggin' it! Check out next month's blog entry to see if it all is really too good to be true. (0; Most importantly, though, the school will have new friends for my lonesome four. They are still heartbroken over friends they left in Price. The older two have made a few friends through church, but, as I've told Noah, school will provide an opportunity for all of them to hopefully find that special someone who's turn it is now to be a part of this adventure in the tale of his life.

I am praying that they will be as blessed with wonderful teachers and friends here as they were in Price.