Our innocent little Katelyn knelt to say her prayers last night. She loves to pray for sweet things, like the blooming flowers and her brother and sister. This time she knelt and thanked Heavenly Father that she could "whip it like a cowgirl."
Note: we think (hope) she was referring to her ability to whip a little elastic cord over her head.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Visit to Pocatello
Roller skating- we love Deleta skating. They are the cheapest, most family friendly form of entertainment and it's a blast from my past every time we go. It's a bonus that the kids like it, too. The last time we went Ridge wasn't yet born and everyone was freaking out about me roller skating when I was 7 months pregnant. This time they gave us a stroller to push Ridge around in. He was happy until he spotted the small section where they had a practice rink with a basketball hoop and a bunch of balls. After that he just cried for the balls. The girls had a blast and so did I, but we are yet to win the free drinks in the musical circles game.
Tauphus Park Zoo- All of the cousins got to go to the zoo together. Kyleigh and I got to pet the boa constrictor. We also caught the lions walking around and roaring and we watched the zookeepers feed the penguins.
Swimming at the public pool- I love the Pocatello pool and don't love the Pocatello pool. I think it is a good deal for the amenities but I have never been there when they didn't shut down the kids section for an hour or so. They also make you clear the water for 5 minutes on the hour every hour and babies have to have swim diapers AND plastic pants. Despite the drawbacks we all had a good time.
Drollinger family reunion- Our first day in Southeast Idaho happened to be the day of the Drollinger family reunion. We went to Heise and met up with my Dad just as he was coming off the golf course after the golf tournament. We got to see some of my cousins, including my cousin Jill and her kids. We had a big potluck lunch with everyone and had the family auction that funds the reunion. Russ and I participated in the horseshoe tournament. We lost to my Dad and Dan/Chad. We also took the kids swimming at the Heise pool. We bought a pass to go down the slide a few times. I remember loving the slide as a kid. I thought it would probably be one of those things that is really fun in a memory and lame in present day life. I was wrong, it was still fun as an adult.
Larsen Reunion- We had all of my Aunts and Uncles and families over for a backyard barbeque one night. I just love my Mom's sisters and their families. We even got to see Jeana and James, down from Utah. It takes Kyleigh and Eden (my cousins daughter who is 9 days apart from Kyleigh) about 5 minutes to become great friends again. My Uncle Mel fell in love with Ridge. He is pretty hard not to love, not that I'm partial or anything.
Inflatable Pool- The whale pool had gone the way of inflatable pools, so GG and Gpa got a new one. This one had a little inflatable slide into the pool. You would have thought GG and Gpa had a water park in their back yard. The kids played with it with and without water. Rusty, Gpa, and I all took turns sliding, too. I can't believe that little thing held up, but it did.
Counter Tops- We are always talking about the projects that Russ could do at my Mom and Dad's house, but because we live so far away and have so little time to visit they never get done. This time we chose a project we could do in a day or so and actually did it. We love working together on stuff like this and in one long day we replaced the old, white countertops with a new, dark, sleek look. We had enough materials left that next time we can do the same thing in the bathrooms.
Microderm abrasion- My Mom won a free microderm abrasion treatment from some drawing. She scheduled it when Darci and I were both home, so we did that one afternoon. The Mary Kay lady came to the house and did it there. She kept calling Rissie, Rizzie. When she left Darci said she was going to call Rissie Mizz McGrizzie from now on. It's an old joke, Rissie used to move away to the deck when she was mad at us and tell us her name was Mizz McGrizz.
Fishing- In the paper one morning there was something about a free fishing day. We looked it up and the fish and game in Idaho has a program called "take me fishing." They have a trailer that they move around to different lakes. You just drive to the lake, sign in, and they give you a pole for everyone in your group. The poles are baited and ready to go, and you don't need a license. We took our kids and Mom and Dad took Rissie's kids. It was very hot and we didn't catch anything, but it was fun anyway.
Alma's Birthday- The first time Dan met our family we were having a little 2nd birthday party for Kyleigh. We did the same thing for Alma this trip. She is such a little cutie. Of all the kids she loved the pool the most. She kept scooting her little self over to that pool every second she thought she could break away and make it.
Shauna's house- We got to see Shauna, her kids, and her new house. When we drove past the elk farm to get up the canyon to her house on 5 acres Rusty's face got greener and greener. Her house was beautiful and the kids had a great time. They ate ice cream and then caught a baby mouse and played with it for awhile. I know I get mother of the year award for letting my kids play with a mouse.
4th of July- We made our way to the Pocatello parade on the 4th. The weather was hot before and after, but during the parade we got soaked and the wind blew thousands of little leafs into our hair and they stuck to our wet skin. FUN! We set off fireworks at the house and also watched the fireworks that Pocatello shoots off. We lost Ridge's final binky sometime during the day and made an emergency stop at Walmart on the way home and bought 3 packages. We have almost lost all of those now, so we are about to pull the "plug."
Mt. Borah- Climbing Mt. Borah is something I have wanted to do since I was a teenager. Rusty and I decided we were going to do it this trip, even though it was early in the season. Dan wanted in on the fun,too. Then Dan and Russ started talking about needing to rent ice axes and cramp-ons and I started picturing death. I was so close to backing out the night before we left, after we had indeed rented the aforementioned equipment. We left Chubbuck at 4:30 in the morning and arrived at the Borah campsite at about 6:30. We ate a quick breakfast and headed up the mountain. I have heard of the grueling nature of the hike. I just kept thinking to myself, it's only 3.5 miles to the top, it can't be that bad. I was so wrong! The first portion was a steady climb that we took at a pretty fast pace. It was all lungs. Then we came around a bend and the grade increased to about a 45% grade. All legs. Then we came to chicken out ridge, where we put the cramp-ons and ice axes to use. Talk about feeling tough. After the snow there was some class four climbing. All mind. Don't think about the death drop just below your feet. After all that we came up over a peak and decided that we couldn't continue safely without ropes. After all that work it was very disappointing to turn back. However, after getting back to the car it was still a high. I don't think I have ever set out to do something, not reached my goal, and felt a high from the attempt anyway. We will be back to finish what we started. We have also started researching Mt. Rainier.
Other fun things we did during the trip were:
Played with Marley, Rissie's new puppy.
Went to the theatre and watched Cars 2.
Ate at Texas Roadhouse, Red Robin, and had shakes at Arctic Circle.
ROSS! Rusty's favorite.
This was just a portion of our vacation. We also went to Yellowstone with Rusty's family and back to Boise for Aliya's sealing. More pics and posts to come.
Tauphus Park Zoo- All of the cousins got to go to the zoo together. Kyleigh and I got to pet the boa constrictor. We also caught the lions walking around and roaring and we watched the zookeepers feed the penguins.
Swimming at the public pool- I love the Pocatello pool and don't love the Pocatello pool. I think it is a good deal for the amenities but I have never been there when they didn't shut down the kids section for an hour or so. They also make you clear the water for 5 minutes on the hour every hour and babies have to have swim diapers AND plastic pants. Despite the drawbacks we all had a good time.
Drollinger family reunion- Our first day in Southeast Idaho happened to be the day of the Drollinger family reunion. We went to Heise and met up with my Dad just as he was coming off the golf course after the golf tournament. We got to see some of my cousins, including my cousin Jill and her kids. We had a big potluck lunch with everyone and had the family auction that funds the reunion. Russ and I participated in the horseshoe tournament. We lost to my Dad and Dan/Chad. We also took the kids swimming at the Heise pool. We bought a pass to go down the slide a few times. I remember loving the slide as a kid. I thought it would probably be one of those things that is really fun in a memory and lame in present day life. I was wrong, it was still fun as an adult.
Larsen Reunion- We had all of my Aunts and Uncles and families over for a backyard barbeque one night. I just love my Mom's sisters and their families. We even got to see Jeana and James, down from Utah. It takes Kyleigh and Eden (my cousins daughter who is 9 days apart from Kyleigh) about 5 minutes to become great friends again. My Uncle Mel fell in love with Ridge. He is pretty hard not to love, not that I'm partial or anything.
Inflatable Pool- The whale pool had gone the way of inflatable pools, so GG and Gpa got a new one. This one had a little inflatable slide into the pool. You would have thought GG and Gpa had a water park in their back yard. The kids played with it with and without water. Rusty, Gpa, and I all took turns sliding, too. I can't believe that little thing held up, but it did.
Counter Tops- We are always talking about the projects that Russ could do at my Mom and Dad's house, but because we live so far away and have so little time to visit they never get done. This time we chose a project we could do in a day or so and actually did it. We love working together on stuff like this and in one long day we replaced the old, white countertops with a new, dark, sleek look. We had enough materials left that next time we can do the same thing in the bathrooms.
Microderm abrasion- My Mom won a free microderm abrasion treatment from some drawing. She scheduled it when Darci and I were both home, so we did that one afternoon. The Mary Kay lady came to the house and did it there. She kept calling Rissie, Rizzie. When she left Darci said she was going to call Rissie Mizz McGrizzie from now on. It's an old joke, Rissie used to move away to the deck when she was mad at us and tell us her name was Mizz McGrizz.
Fishing- In the paper one morning there was something about a free fishing day. We looked it up and the fish and game in Idaho has a program called "take me fishing." They have a trailer that they move around to different lakes. You just drive to the lake, sign in, and they give you a pole for everyone in your group. The poles are baited and ready to go, and you don't need a license. We took our kids and Mom and Dad took Rissie's kids. It was very hot and we didn't catch anything, but it was fun anyway.
Alma's Birthday- The first time Dan met our family we were having a little 2nd birthday party for Kyleigh. We did the same thing for Alma this trip. She is such a little cutie. Of all the kids she loved the pool the most. She kept scooting her little self over to that pool every second she thought she could break away and make it.
Shauna's house- We got to see Shauna, her kids, and her new house. When we drove past the elk farm to get up the canyon to her house on 5 acres Rusty's face got greener and greener. Her house was beautiful and the kids had a great time. They ate ice cream and then caught a baby mouse and played with it for awhile. I know I get mother of the year award for letting my kids play with a mouse.
4th of July- We made our way to the Pocatello parade on the 4th. The weather was hot before and after, but during the parade we got soaked and the wind blew thousands of little leafs into our hair and they stuck to our wet skin. FUN! We set off fireworks at the house and also watched the fireworks that Pocatello shoots off. We lost Ridge's final binky sometime during the day and made an emergency stop at Walmart on the way home and bought 3 packages. We have almost lost all of those now, so we are about to pull the "plug."
Mt. Borah- Climbing Mt. Borah is something I have wanted to do since I was a teenager. Rusty and I decided we were going to do it this trip, even though it was early in the season. Dan wanted in on the fun,too. Then Dan and Russ started talking about needing to rent ice axes and cramp-ons and I started picturing death. I was so close to backing out the night before we left, after we had indeed rented the aforementioned equipment. We left Chubbuck at 4:30 in the morning and arrived at the Borah campsite at about 6:30. We ate a quick breakfast and headed up the mountain. I have heard of the grueling nature of the hike. I just kept thinking to myself, it's only 3.5 miles to the top, it can't be that bad. I was so wrong! The first portion was a steady climb that we took at a pretty fast pace. It was all lungs. Then we came around a bend and the grade increased to about a 45% grade. All legs. Then we came to chicken out ridge, where we put the cramp-ons and ice axes to use. Talk about feeling tough. After the snow there was some class four climbing. All mind. Don't think about the death drop just below your feet. After all that we came up over a peak and decided that we couldn't continue safely without ropes. After all that work it was very disappointing to turn back. However, after getting back to the car it was still a high. I don't think I have ever set out to do something, not reached my goal, and felt a high from the attempt anyway. We will be back to finish what we started. We have also started researching Mt. Rainier.
Other fun things we did during the trip were:
Played with Marley, Rissie's new puppy.
Went to the theatre and watched Cars 2.
Ate at Texas Roadhouse, Red Robin, and had shakes at Arctic Circle.
ROSS! Rusty's favorite.
This was just a portion of our vacation. We also went to Yellowstone with Rusty's family and back to Boise for Aliya's sealing. More pics and posts to come.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tarry family comes to visit!
We finally got the Tarry family to come for a visit to our Island! We had Steve here at the same time for a big party. WoooHooo! We were so excited. Before they got here we had spent hours on an itinerary that was down to specifics. We knew it was going to take alot of planning to get 17 people to all the highlights of the island in 10 days. We had meals planned, runners leaving early to prepare the meals, time off of work planned in 1/2 day intervals to maximize time together, and a whole lot of things packed into 10 days. Here is a rundown of the things we accomplished in our quick 10 days...
Arrival - It wouldn't have been complete without a traditional lei greeting at the airport. Steve arrived 1 1/2 days later and was totally overwhelmed. We all ran at him screaming at the same time. I will only give you one guess who's idea that was. (ynneJ)
Ahukini landing - When you get off on the plane in Hawaii the first thing you want to do is see the sparkling blue water and the waves crashing against the rocks, right? Ahukini landing is just down the street from the airport and provides the perfect opportunity for instant ocean views.
Shopping - We made a pit stop at Costco for a stock pile of groceries. Thanks to the plan we knew exactly what we needed and didn't have to stay for too long. Other than that we did a pretty good job staying away from boring old grocery stores. We also made a trip to the sunshine market one day. We shopped at the Billabong outlet in Kapaa, and at spouting horn in Koloa.
Kipu falls - Kipu falls was a double visit location. They went once right after arrival. We told them to have their swimsuits in the top of their bags and be ready to jump in. Not only ready to jump into Kauai, but also into Kipu falls. Everyone loved the rope swing and the cliff jumping. Only one slight mishap here... Mike flew off the rope onto Rusty's head while he was enjoying a leisurely backfloat. It pushed him four feet underwater and he had a headache for a few days. Despite the mishap, they loved it so much they went back a second time the day they left.
North Shore tour - We tried to make it to Ke'e for snorkeling, but it was crazy busy. Even the overflow parking was jam packed. We ended up going straight to Hanalei and enjoying a lazy day on the beach. We brought the paddle boards and everyone got to try that. Lucas (the exchange student staying with Jenny and Don) entertained us with his ladies man act. He made $5 when he jumped off the pier after telling a few girls "this is the way we do it in Germany." We stopped at the taro field lookout, the lighthouse lookout and at Banana Joe's for a smoothie.
Dinner with Jeff and Antoinette - Jenny and Don's next door neighbors and friends happened to be on Island at the same time, with Jeff's parents. We had them all over for dinner with pasta, bread, and a chocolate fountain. We love spending time with Jeff and Antoinette.
Kayak day - We started our kayak day by picking up Steve. We made a trip to the Wailua falls lookout and the shops in Kapaa. We ate lunch in Kapaa and then picked up the boys at work. They already had all the kayaks we needed borrowed from friends and loaded in their trucks. We kayaked to the fern grotto and then on to the secret falls drop point. We hiked the two or so miles to secret falls and had snacks and a swim at the falls.
Brennekes- We took everyone out for their first bodyboarding experience. They loved it. It has been so long since I have been to Brennekes that I was surprised how much fun I had,too. Kyleigh rode a few waves and we even got Katelyn to jump on a board. Ben told his mom he would only leave if she promised we could go back there. We also had a Taylor Lautner look alike spotting, which made Brianna happy.
Scuba Diving- I didn't get to be their for this because I was at the stake self reliance fair representing our ward teaching a little bit about hydroponics (with what tiny bit of knowledge I have). Everybody got a chance to go down and there was a turtle and lobster sighting.
Secrets beach- I forgot how much fun this place was, too. It is on the Northshore, and a short hike down to a little freshwater waterfall running into the ocean. There are lava pools that you can swim in if the ocean is calm, which it was. A nice hike, swimming in lava pools, playing with hermit crabs, and standing under a waterfall while you watch the ocean crash against the rocks. Definitely a winning combination.
Golfing- Don got one round of golf in with Rusty at Kukuiolono.
Waimea Canyon- We took everyone up to the various lookouts and up to the Kalalau lookout in Waimea Canyon. We got a clear view of Kalalau as a reward at the end of the road. This was on Fathers day so we went back to Kokee and had a barbeque. Steve was our master chef.
Other- A few other things were...Several trips to Lapperts, lunch from the fish market at the boat harbor, dinner at Duke's, picnic lunch on the sheraton lawn, glass beach, and a trip to Auntie Lillikoi's for Jenny to stock up.
I'm not sure what we didn't do. The food was good, the activities were great, the company was the best. The only question I have is when are they coming back?
Arrival - It wouldn't have been complete without a traditional lei greeting at the airport. Steve arrived 1 1/2 days later and was totally overwhelmed. We all ran at him screaming at the same time. I will only give you one guess who's idea that was. (ynneJ)
Ahukini landing - When you get off on the plane in Hawaii the first thing you want to do is see the sparkling blue water and the waves crashing against the rocks, right? Ahukini landing is just down the street from the airport and provides the perfect opportunity for instant ocean views.
Shopping - We made a pit stop at Costco for a stock pile of groceries. Thanks to the plan we knew exactly what we needed and didn't have to stay for too long. Other than that we did a pretty good job staying away from boring old grocery stores. We also made a trip to the sunshine market one day. We shopped at the Billabong outlet in Kapaa, and at spouting horn in Koloa.
Kipu falls - Kipu falls was a double visit location. They went once right after arrival. We told them to have their swimsuits in the top of their bags and be ready to jump in. Not only ready to jump into Kauai, but also into Kipu falls. Everyone loved the rope swing and the cliff jumping. Only one slight mishap here... Mike flew off the rope onto Rusty's head while he was enjoying a leisurely backfloat. It pushed him four feet underwater and he had a headache for a few days. Despite the mishap, they loved it so much they went back a second time the day they left.
North Shore tour - We tried to make it to Ke'e for snorkeling, but it was crazy busy. Even the overflow parking was jam packed. We ended up going straight to Hanalei and enjoying a lazy day on the beach. We brought the paddle boards and everyone got to try that. Lucas (the exchange student staying with Jenny and Don) entertained us with his ladies man act. He made $5 when he jumped off the pier after telling a few girls "this is the way we do it in Germany." We stopped at the taro field lookout, the lighthouse lookout and at Banana Joe's for a smoothie.
Dinner with Jeff and Antoinette - Jenny and Don's next door neighbors and friends happened to be on Island at the same time, with Jeff's parents. We had them all over for dinner with pasta, bread, and a chocolate fountain. We love spending time with Jeff and Antoinette.
Kayak day - We started our kayak day by picking up Steve. We made a trip to the Wailua falls lookout and the shops in Kapaa. We ate lunch in Kapaa and then picked up the boys at work. They already had all the kayaks we needed borrowed from friends and loaded in their trucks. We kayaked to the fern grotto and then on to the secret falls drop point. We hiked the two or so miles to secret falls and had snacks and a swim at the falls.
Brennekes- We took everyone out for their first bodyboarding experience. They loved it. It has been so long since I have been to Brennekes that I was surprised how much fun I had,too. Kyleigh rode a few waves and we even got Katelyn to jump on a board. Ben told his mom he would only leave if she promised we could go back there. We also had a Taylor Lautner look alike spotting, which made Brianna happy.
Scuba Diving- I didn't get to be their for this because I was at the stake self reliance fair representing our ward teaching a little bit about hydroponics (with what tiny bit of knowledge I have). Everybody got a chance to go down and there was a turtle and lobster sighting.
Secrets beach- I forgot how much fun this place was, too. It is on the Northshore, and a short hike down to a little freshwater waterfall running into the ocean. There are lava pools that you can swim in if the ocean is calm, which it was. A nice hike, swimming in lava pools, playing with hermit crabs, and standing under a waterfall while you watch the ocean crash against the rocks. Definitely a winning combination.
Golfing- Don got one round of golf in with Rusty at Kukuiolono.
Waimea Canyon- We took everyone up to the various lookouts and up to the Kalalau lookout in Waimea Canyon. We got a clear view of Kalalau as a reward at the end of the road. This was on Fathers day so we went back to Kokee and had a barbeque. Steve was our master chef.
Other- A few other things were...Several trips to Lapperts, lunch from the fish market at the boat harbor, dinner at Duke's, picnic lunch on the sheraton lawn, glass beach, and a trip to Auntie Lillikoi's for Jenny to stock up.
I'm not sure what we didn't do. The food was good, the activities were great, the company was the best. The only question I have is when are they coming back?
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