Spend Summer Outside!

If the photos on your phone highlight your priorities, I guess it's not surprising that 99% of my pictures include one the kids (especially Walter) or the outdoors. 

Already this summer we've had some wonderful outdoor adventures beginning with my birthday campout! We were in South Dakota for my birthday last year, and I loved it so much I decided an outdoor birthday adventure is becoming an annual tradition. 

Last minute I was able to find the most idilic camping spot in Maple Canyon. It was quiet, wooded, and full of fun little hikes among some amazing rock formations. And it was less than an hour from home! I love exploring new places in our own "backyard." 

The wildflowers were incredible while we were there! My favorite birthday gift was the bouquet Orson and Lenora picked for me. 

 

This area attracts a lot of rock climbers, and it's not hard to see why. 

Walter seemed to love his first camping trip! He slept well and loved the fire. 

Some other fun summer adventures included: 

The Alpine Poppy Fields 

A Week on the Farm

We spent a week "farm-sitting" for our good friends. The kids loved caring for the animals, and we can all now milk goats! 

Forest School Fun

Picking Cherries! 

 A Hike to the Grotto 

Walter LOVES the sound of running water. When he's fussy, just the sound of us drawing a bath is soothing to him. So, no surprise he was mesmerized by the waterfall. 

Do you spot two girls in this picture?

More Forest School Fun 

The water levels finally decreased enough to head back to our normal location. The swimming hole is better than ever! The heavy run-off carried away a large log and opened up even more space for swimming (and some rock "water-slides"). 

Walter had no complaints about his first creek swim!

It's a good thing this cutie loves being outside just as much as the rest of us.

Girls Camp for Hazel and Eliza

The big girls got to enjoy a full week of tent camping for girls camp. They had a blast! 

Can't wait for even more great adventures this summer. 

Five Things For Friday: May 2023

- 1 - 

State and Regionals 

Eliza competed at State for gymnastics and had a great time. Walter and I got to watch and cheer her on. All the girls on her team were SO excited Walter was there supporting them! 

State is usually the last meet of the year for our gym, but this year Regionals was in Utah so they decided to attend. Eliza's state meet score was high enough to qualify her to attend Regionals. It ended up being a great meet. She hit her routines and earned her highest scores of the year. I know she was proud of her hard work coming together! 

This hasn't been an easy year for Eliza, but she's worked hard and stuck with it! She found out she'll be moving up to Gold next year (which is a big jump in skills from Sliver). She's nervous, but excited. Lenora also moved up and will be on the Bronze team next year. I hope Walter likes gymnastics meets because there are plenty in his future. 

- 2 - 

End of School

We finished up school the end of May. It was a bit of a slog to the finish line this year haha! After Walter was born, it's been understandably harder to find our grove with school again. But we kept at it, and I think we had a great year. 

Hazel's Key of Liberty class end the year with a Constitution Bowl. I was blown away but how well they knew the Constitution! Hazel did a great job. That girl has a memory that's incredible (and a work-ethic to put it to good use). She's worked so hard this year! 

We spent one of our last days of school on a super fun field trip. BYU Archaeologists are currently doing an active dig of a site near the Provo airport. The kids and I enjoyed an amazing tour of the site where they're excavating a ruin of the Fremont people. 

Since we went during school hours, we had the tour mostly to ourselves. The master's student giving the tour was thrilled with the kids curiosity and spent extra time answering all of their questions. She even let them preview a traveling exhibit she's putting together in the back room of the Museum of Peoples and Cultures. These are moments that make homeschooling worth it! We all learned so much from experts whose passion was contagious. We gained a deep appreciation for the Fremont people and archaeology, things just can't be taught in a classroom. 

- 3 - 

Spring Forest School! 

Spring Forest School can be summed up in three words - SO MUCH WATER!!! With record breaking snows this winter, there has been so much runoff. The picture above is Hobble Creek. The one we usually spend all summer wading. It turned in to a raging river. 

Because of all the water, our normal spring location was flooded so we relocated to a new location up Mapleton Canyon. The creek there was also running really high, but there was still a safe bridge to cross and areas away from the river to play. 

The highlight of the new area has been all the downed trees perfect for building forts. The kids built a whole town up there! 

While the kids were hard at work on the town, Walter was living his best life in the hammock. He approves of Forest School. 

Nothing beats Forest School in the Spring! After a winter of snow and sledding, it's always so nice to lose the jackets and enjoy the new life all around.

- 4 - 

Church News Article

Michael was featured in an article for the Church News highlighting Deaf members serving in leadership callings. We were nervous to give an interview, but the article turned out great! Read it here.

- 5 - 

Walter is the Best!  

In May Walter started to smile more, enjoyed his first time in a swing, turned 2 months old, and found his voice. We LOVE this little boy so much!