Just an ordinary Saturday.....

Here they are....just filling time playing dress up or house or whatever....

 These are the days I'm sure I'll forget but the pictures I most like including because it catches them in their true moments! Their just being silly days, their we don't have any thing to do days....

First Grader! No Way!

(Note to self, baby started preschool and I haven't written THAT post yet so I am admitting to being too focused on big girl at the moment...I'll explain - I will also post baby's first day and all her amazing cuteness)

Look at this BIG KID, where is my baby, my toddler, my preschooler, my adorable kinder, she is now a FIRST grader....

Top Ten List of being a 1st grader
 by big girl...

1.   I get to eat lunch from the cafeteria.
2.   I get to play recess on the field.
3.   I already know how to read - what comes next?
4.   I'm so much bigger then the kindergartners.
5.   My mommy is a teacher at my school.
6.   I get to check out books from the school library.
7.   I get to make new friends AND I have old friends too.
8.   The blacktop is MUCH bigger then the kinder playground.
9.   I wasn't sick for the first day!
10. Did I say I get to buy lunch???

She was nervous,,, we had some spunky punky behavior.  After "Meet the teacher" Ben and I thought, let's go out to dinner and make a special night.  She was all wound up and feisty - finally at bedtime biting her nails she says, "What happens if I get tired?".  It is a long day...twice as long.  We chatted - hopefully easing some fears...by morning she was all smiles and hairspray as we happily hopped in the car and made it to the end of the line of cars also wanting the perfect first day.

I sent her off with Mrs. H and she never looked back...all the way to 3:20pm and there I was waiting and she was ready to go!

Her thoughts after the day...
My teacher really likes dogs, books and dogs.
My teacher has a lot of books!
My teacher lets us use magnify glasses to read!
I sit next to Anthony.
The day flew by because I was having fun!
Yeah, I think I'll go back tomorrow.

And so our school year begins...

Oh vacation....I am happy to see you go and routine return...

What a week!  It was a lot of work to pack up and travel and then ...On Your Mark!  Get ready....Relax.  It was a dose of much need family "time out".  But who loses their camera on vacation??  Who then gets hacked by cybercriminals while in a dim WiFi area.  Who is ready for grocery lists and early bedtimes and a once a week dessert instead of an afternoon dessert AND a dinner dessert?  Can you see my hand waving?  ME!  I'm ready!  I LOVED this summer!  I hope it is one I remember forever.  I finally "get" why mom's love summer and then why we also have a smile on the first day of school.  We did it all this year - without really doing much.  No trips to Hawaii, no cruises, no Mexican all inclusive retreats...not even a visit to Indiana for grandma and grandpa.  We were serious about family time, just the 4 of us.  We enjoyed the lake both in Arizona and Idaho and that is all!  We seasoned our time at home with Natalie's reading incentive rewards and it was ALL great!

But I have to say....This morning was like an old sweater...I put the kids to bed, they woke up happy and on time, we had breakfast, got to school, came home had dinner and we're doing it all again, over and over and I missed this.  It feels good!

Wednesday sounds about right...

Wednesday is a specific day at the lake, in the mountains, where there really isn’t anything that needs doing or calls you away.  It is the middle, when you are finally ON vacation.   Your body has relaxed, you stop fighting the urge to plan and count the days.  In fact the last 96 hours isn’t really divided between nights and days but smaller increments of time.  Such as reading time, drink time, play time, nap time, hungry time, and wow! It’s already dinner time…then it kinda repeats itself as you loose the ability of separating between Monday and Tuesday. 

I only know it is Wednesday because I checked.  Today was the day Natalie went fishing for the time.  Today is the day when I felt the towels needed washing and today was the day that Allison, not Natalie, was recognized as a Karaoke star!

Ben had a chance to fish today and he thought Natalie was ready to go.  I have to say I agreed with him, she is so fun to spend one on one time with.  She is finally able to have a conversation, and notice the quiet things.  She was willing and excited to go so she was sunscreened up and sent on her way with a hat, a camera, and a sand pail (in case she had to “go”).  They came back 4 hours later with 4 fish to eat!  She had no complaints!  She was proud and happy.  Not hurt, not sunburned, not crying and not complaining!  She did use the pail and thanked me for packing the baby wipes.  She is now inspecting dinner, which is in the sink and Ben drove off to “catch” some rice at the local store.

Ally and I had an adventure all our own.  After both girls sang their heart out at Karaoke last night; Twinkle, Twinkle, Love Story, God Bless America, and B-I-N-G-O.  They would like to think they’re somewhat famous, even if it is around the 32 families here at Elkin’s this week.  But something happened while washing the towels….Here we were, Ally and I wasting time at the washer and dryer and in walks a girl about 6.  She too had her turn at the mic last night.  She sang something cute, something from an earlier era…well she immediately saw Ally and said, “Good job singing Twinkle, Twinkle last night!”  Well that just struck Ally silly.  She could not believe she had a fan.  She thought it was “crazy mommy” that the girl at the washers knew her song!  Natalie heard the news and of course asked if she remembered her Taylor Swift hit?  Nope sorry Nat, every once and a while your baby sister will outshine you…we all get the spotlight for a little while.

And so I spend another awesome afternoon with my feet propped up, clicking on my laptop knowing the blogging is getting done and the memories are being made and Temecula can wait, first grade and bills, and phone calls and responsibility will all be there when we get back.  Until then we have several more nap times, playtimes, eating times, and “wow! It is way past your bedtime” times to pass us by.  

Idaho Priest Lake...Year 3.

Traditional Family Photo

Big Girl greeting the lake...

When we arrived at our cabin this year our neighbors were already outside enjoying the evening…first we discovered we both attended SDSU and almost automatically came the question, “So how long have you been coming to Elkins?”  For us it is our 3^rd year…our neighbors in cabin #4, 15 years.  Their son happens to be 15 as well and we all realize silently that Ally too, has been an “Elkins” kid…and maybe if we’re lucky we too will sit around in 12 years meeting young families that also have been privileged enough to discover such a slice of heaven!

Our travel this year was different then last, we flew in the Pilatus – it was a joy to pack what I liked and seatbelt the kids in their PJ’s, leaving right from French Valley and arriving in Coeur’ D lane in a mere 3 and half hours…flight was great…a few forming thunder clouds and smooth sailing…Ally even showed off her comfort by dancing her Mickey Mouse Club House dance…this is something I usually enjoy while Ben’s at work and Natalie is already at school but this morning she rocked it at 28,000 feet!

We packed nicely into a rented jeep Cherokee and headed off to Sandpoint, Idaho.  Here we stopped for the second year in a row at Arby’s and then I filled whatever room was left with groceries…another leisurely hour drive and a premature moose sighting!...and we turned into Elkins’ worn dirt road.

There is a weird lead up to this “vacation”.  It’s not like we look forward to it like an exotic adventure or a tropical vacation filled with constant entertainment.  Idaho is more of a dose of family time.  Something we need, we know it will be good once we are there but the weeks then days leading up to it are more like preparation for an important event that is needed…no one “needs” Hawaii but a few short girls and one tired mom and dad may argue that Idaho isn’t so much a luxury as it is more an investment in our overall good.

The first glimpse of the lake, the trees, the haphazard cabins…they have become so familiar and yet a memory so easily forgotten when we leave.  It is like breathing in a familiar smell or seeing someone you have missed for a long time.  You don’t realize how much it’s missed until you return.

So here we are…first stop the swing set.  I hope after many years these repetitive swing set pictures will be favorites.  This year is Indy’s first, and we learn loads of families bring their fury friend…we sort of feel like newborn parents a little nervous and very unprepared.  We note how other canine lovers bring certain leads or gear to make the week at a sandy lake more tolerable.  Or maybe Indy will visit a pet retreat…after all he is a terrier and he is the only terrier we’ve seen here.  But he is water dog and for that he is enjoying himself as much as the rest of us.

Family meals and ice cream, board games and finished books…a trip in a category all it’s own. I sit on the porch, our first day accomplished and wonder what this year brings?

Ally Bally at 3 and a half...

 Look at you...the littlest princess in the family.  You truly are your own person and have your own likes and dislikes and your own personality...

 You are silly...always doing something then saying, "That funny daddy?"  You like to include "stinky underwear" in every joke...you copy your sister and think everyone should laugh at you!

 I love looking at these everyday pictures of you and remember how much fun you are at 3 and a half...you are a little special something that makes doing everything a second time worth doing right!

I love your little puppy smile and all your antics, you make being 3 look like so much fun!

Summer @ the pool

It still exists...yes, The PUBLIC POOL!  In fact we have a really cool one.  This summer the girls are big enough for big kid swim which means deep end, water slide and yes, big stick popsicles.  Today we met our friends Jillian and Brayden and spent our first 45 minutes in line waiting for families to leave because SURPRISE they are at capacity.Then I paid $18 to get us in...what happened to the .75$ I paid when I was a teenager???

The super cool part of the day was that Natalie passed the swim test...the famous "ask the lifeguard what I have to do to swim on the other side of the buoys" - Yes!  That part of the public pool is still around!

Here is Ally jumping and swimming under...the pool is only about 2 feet here and is perfect for her.

 The X on the band signifies she gets to swim in the deep end!  Those swim lessons sure have paid off!