Kayaking Was A Hit!

I'm happy to report that Kendall LOVED her first kayaking experience!  Riley continues to enjoy it as much as he did at her age!  Here are some pictures of our fun time at Little Dell Reservoir in East Canyon (on the way to Park City).

We had a picnic lunch before we launched our kayaks.  The kids were enjoying a cream soda, but of course the bottle looked like a beer bottle and Kendall kept downing it like she was a natural at chugging.  Scary thought, huh?

They enjoyed hiking on some rocks nearby

My co-pilot

Having fun in the kayak with Momma

Little Dell Reservoir

Riley was so cute wanting to help everyone launch their boats and dock them.  Almost like having a valet service!

Kendall enjoyed playing on the kayaks

Kevin and Cara paddling in unison

Cara getting a workout while Kevin takes a break!  (just kidding, they were coming in to dock)

Daddy took both kids out in the double kayak.  They had a blast sitting together and teasing me while I was in my single.

Getting ready to crash into Mommy's kayak!

Beautiful views in every direction

Me and my kayaking buddy.  She's the same age that I started kayaking with Riley back in Pennsylvania.

We had a great afternoon with the family and Kevin and Cara.  We are so thankful for such great friends who we consider family.  Kendall is so taken with her Uncle Kevin.  She's just smitten!  It's so wonderful to watch both of them together.  It "makes my heart smile" as I often tell the kids when they do something sweet.  Hoping to take them kayaking again soon!

A Week of Firsts

This has been a week of firsts for our family.  On July 4th, I skied the 'Bird with Kevin.  That's right, you read it correctly.  I went skiing, in JULY!  What a great time we had.  As far as I've heard, it's only happened like 3 times ever here in Utah.  Last time was 2005.  It was so much fun.  I think every other ski nut in the area was there too...and a bunch of other nuts who just wanted to park in Timbuktu to hang out on the plaza, drink beer and listen to live music while the rest of us skied.  This was a "first" for me, but hopefully not a "last."

I love this picture of Kevin and I from Hidden Peak, which is the top of Snowbird (11,000 feet).

Too bad we didn't have a "blue bird" day, but we didn't care!

Yes, you are seeing correctly.  It was warm enough for this!  It was around 70 degrees at the base and about 55 at the summit, but once we headed down Mineral Basin, and got out of the wind that kicked up, it was nice!

See, the snow wasn't too bad!  I had some people comment on Facebook when I posted the pic of me in my bikini top that the snow looked awful.  But not so in all spots!  Considering we were skiing in July, it was great!

Had to snap this one as evidence that I really did go on July 4th!

We had another Chunko in our family who experienced a big first this week.  Kendall went to the dentist for the very first time today.  I was so proud of her.  It was the complete opposite of the chaos that Riley caused when I took him at this age.  Riley was so stubborn and refused to open his mouth!  Kendall was an angel.  I know, you're probably as shocked as I was!  She opened her mouth and let them clean her teeth without one single complaint!  I bet that if Riley had a t.v. to watch like Kendall did today, he may have been a more willing patient!

Doesn't she look tiny in that big chair?  

We also had a new babysitter come last night to watch the kids.  She's a student at the kids' school and both kids loved having her come to play with them.  I wasn't sure how they'd do since they've only had Kenna or Kevin/Cara watch them at night since we've moved to Utah.  Kendall kept asking when Paige was going to come to play and she didn't cry one single tear when we walked out the door!  Now THAT'S a first!

There may be a few more "firsts" in our family this week - got a big yard sale coming up on Saturday and we're hoping to get rid of a lot of our baby stuff.  Can I part with our crib, pack-n-play and car seats without tears?

We are also planning to go kayaking afterwards with Kevin and Cara and this would be Kendall's first kayaking experience as well.  Who knows what our week still holds!

Soon We'll Be Seeing Twins!

So in anticipation of our trip to Alaska to visit with my brother and his family, I created two matching outfits for Kendall and her cousin Alice.  Alice is 6 months older than Kendall and it will be awesome to see them interact together!  They've skyped with each other a few times and Kendall is quick to let Riley know that Alice is her friend, not his!  (She will concede that Alice is Riley's cousin though).

Please excuse the wild hair do.  She refused to let me comb her bed head after her nap today!  She did insist on the shoes and bag to go with her new outfit - at least they match, right?

Can't wait until we are seeing double!  The two of them will look so adorable together!  Just a couple more days until we start packing yet again!

Another Fantastic Book...

So I finally got around to reading The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.  What an incredible book!  I've had it hidden in my night stand forever and was in need of a book to read on our most recent trip so I grabbed it before we left.  Wow!  I seem to pick books that hit me where I'm at, at the right moment.  This book was exactly what I needed to read.  I think there are more pages with writings in the margins and underlined sentences than any of my college text books!

I wasn't really sure what I was getting into when I read this book.  I must admit that the first few chapters were difficult (especially being a parent) to get through, but I think for that exact reason, I could really relate to the story.

At the end of the book, it was suggested that readers share their thoughts on the book - tell others about it, recommend it, blog about it, etc.  Since I could really relate to almost every aspect of this book and enjoyed how it shared about a relationship with God that is different from most mainstream religious groups, I feel led to share my thoughts as well.

This story is basically about a man who's lost a child and is having a terribly difficult time dealing with the aftermath of it.  He returns to the shack where her murder took place by an invitation from God (aka Papa).  Most of the book deals with his discussions with God, Jesus and Sarayu (Holy Spirit).  The relationship that God seeks with us is one of action.  He desires us and longs for us to give up the rules and laws of this world and allow him to live in us.  He loves us as His children and forgives us like we do our own kids.  He can't choose one of us over another, just like I couldn't choose to save Riley over Kendall or vice versa.

Here are some of things that left an impression on me.  These are quotes from God (in any form of the Trinity) speaking to Mack from The Shack.

"...when all you can see is your pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me?"

"Relationships are never about power, and one way to avoid the will to hold power over another is to choose to limit oneself - to serve."

"Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved."

"Submission is not about authority and it is not about obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect."

"Lies are one of the easiest places for survivors to run.  They give you a sense of safety, a place where you have to depend only on yourself.  But it's a dark place, isn't it?"

"Lies are a little fortress; inside them you can feel safe and powerful.  Through your little fortress of lies you try to run your life and manipulate others.  But the fortress needs walls, so you build some.  These are the justifications for your lies.  You know, like you are doing this to protect someone you love, to keep them from feeling pain.  Whatever works, just so you feel okay about the lies."

"Most emotions are responses to perception - what you think is true about a given situation.  If your perception is false, then your emotional response to it will be false too.  So check your perceptions, and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms - what you believe.  Just because you believe something firmly doesn't make it true."

"Forgiveness is not about forgetting, Mack.  It is about letting go of another person's throat."

"Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their minds and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible.  When you forgive someone you certainly release him from judgement, but without true change, no real relationship can be established."

"Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive."

"...forgiveness does not excuse anything."

"So is it alright if I'm still angry?...It was wrong, and anger is the right response to something that is so wrong.  But don't let the anger and pain and loss you feel prevent you from forgiving him and removing your hands from around his neck."

"Son, you may have to declare your forgiveness a hundred times the first day and the second day, but the third day will be less and each day after until one day you will realize that you have forgiven completely."

Wow, huh?  These are just a few of the things that stuck with me.  The book makes you look at your own life and re-evaluate things.  What type of things are you struggling with?  How are you dealing with them?  Have you given them up completely to God so you can be released from their power over you?  

I have read some powerful books and this ranks among the top favorites.  I still have to say that Heaven Is For Real is my favorite read on this subject...Mitch Albom's books,  Have A Little Faith and The Five People You Meet In Heaven were also top favorites.  I also enjoyed 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper as well as Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture.  All are books that made me think about my life and the direction I was headed at the time that I read them.  If you haven't read any of the ones I listed above, I recommend all of them! 

Happy reading!

Walking Down Memory Lane...

For us a trip back to Lancaster is always a tough one.  Andy and I both grew up there and Riley spent the first three years of his life there too.  My own family has such deep roots in our hometown, so visiting is always bittersweet.  There are things and people that you miss, but things continue to change and it's not always like you remember it.

But seriously?  What's not to love about this landscape?

We tried to get in a lot of fun stuff with the munchkins while we were there.  Here's a glimpse of what we were able to get done in our short visit: 

Catching lightening bugs (aka fireflies) at dusk at Grammy's house - such fun and something they hadn't been able to do in Utah

Kendall had more fun playing with the leaf off of one of Grammy's plants because she hadn't mastered the skill of catching them!

A trip to Pappy Chooch's model train barn is always fun!

Train layouts in every direction!

Trains, trains, everywhere!

Pap showing Riley the older, first section of the train barn.  Pap even decided to donate the first two engines and one box car to Riley's future O gauge Lionel layout.  Andy and Riley have been discussing the possibility of building a layout in our basement since there is plenty of space.  Riley made his Momma proud by picking out two Pennsy engines.  They are GG1's which is Pap's favorite engine so we will think of him each time Riley runs his trains.

Even Kendall had fun checking everything out!

Swimming with our friends, the Millers - we try to do this with them if we are visiting in the summertime

Riley and Jill have been friends since they were born and still get along so well.

Kendall drinking yet one more glass of Turkey Hill "yemonade."

Is this the life on vacation or what?

The sillies don't take a vacation in our family!

We also got to spend time with my oldest, dearest and closest friend and her boys at Long's Park

These two have also been friends since they were born and just pick up where they left off.  

Crazy, just like their moms!

Myles was so sweet with Kendall.  He's such a good big brother!

Buddies!

Goofy kids

Jameson liked hanging with the big boys!

What would a trip to Lancaster be without stopping at Strasburg to see some real trains?

 Dad and the kids checking out the passenger coaches

What luck!  We got to watch them load up Thomas!  We waved goodbye to him as he headed out to visit other children all over the east coast.  Strasburg Railroad actually owns Thomas the Tank Engine.

Lots of leftover Thomas stuff still around from the week long Thomas celebration

I took the kids to one of our many favorite places for dinner - The Conestoga Wagon.  I promised them if they ate all of their dinner we'd stop at Pine View Dairy for ice cream as our dessert.  We use to take Riley to Pine View when he was just a little thing and our favorite part (aside from all the delicious flavors of homemade ice cream) was to go see the calves and cows.

Checking out the new calf stalls.  Kendall is just like her Momma and has no problem petting the cows and letting them lick her hands! 

Riley loves seeing the cows as much as they love seeing him!

And if you are going to hit up your favorite dinner and dessert spots, you shouldn't miss out on your favorite donut shop!  Can't pass up the chance to eat long johns from Achenbach's Bakery in New Holland!

Eating the extras the following morning!

We also got to visit with my aunt, uncles, and cousins while we were in town.  That was such a nice opportunity to catch up and see each other.  Jon and Laura were such gracious hosts!  Just wished that my parents, Matt, Mere, Alice, Lori, Jason and Madison were there too.

We saw some other friends as well while we were home.  We visited with my friends from CV who I miss dearly - but don't miss working nearly as much as I miss them!  Chris and Sherry Miller were kind enough to host the fun gathering.

Catching up with my CV teacher friends - miss you all so much!

We went to the Hoffman's for dinner and caught up with them and the Wilfongs which was delightful.  I love having friends who you can just pick from where you left off with.  (Facebook helps keep in touch too!)

Our former neighbors, the Farabaughs, from the "Loop" in Springdale were sweet enough to have us over for dinner while we were in town too.  We also got to see John and Linda which was a great surprise.  Sadly we were missing the Dansich family.  Jen was trying to come into town for the same week, but with her kids' schedules, it didn't work out.  They were missed none the less.

Our dear friends, Jeff Farabaugh and John Wingenfield

Andy's mom was gracious enough to make our favorite meal for us while we were there.  No one makes hamloaf as well as she does!  Andy's Aunt Shirley was able to stop by to visit with us for a little during dinner too.  What a great treat it was for her to see the kids and vice versa!

I also got to see some of my former students.  What a great experience it's been for me to be able to watch these girls develop into such strong, independent women.  Lindsay took some pics of the kids for me.  She's an amazing photographer (my kids aren't the most cooperative subjects!).  I also got to have a delicious breakfast at Jennies (love local diners for breakfast!) with Kristin.  It was awesome to catch up with her in person.  I'm so proud of each of these girls and so glad they still feel they can come to me for advice.

Andy  and his cousin Jeff were able to spend some time together during this trip as well.  These two grew up more like brothers than cousins.  They have always been close at heart even though they have often been separated by thousands of miles.  What a great relationship they have.  I could tell when Andy came home that the visit with Jeff was exactly what he needed!  People who know you, really get you, and keep you grounded are invaluable.

On our way out of town, we decided to visit Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD.  We were flying out of BWI which is just about 10 min. south of Inner Harbor.  Neither kid had ever been there before and both were sad to have to leave.

Riley thought the Constitution looked like a pirate ship!  He begged to go on EVERY boat!

Hanging out at the harbor - National Aquarium behind them.  Kids were bummed we didn't have time to go there too.  I think in the future, when we schedule our DC trip, we'll have to make extra time for a visit to Baltimore as well.

That anchor is bigger than them!

This is the type of image that makes my heart smile!

He really wanted to check out the submarine so I convinced Andy to take Riley for a tour.  The kid was in HEAVEN!

He was amazed by the three tiered bunks as well as the size of the bombs on board!

There's never enough time to visit everyone we want to see or do all that we want to do.  We were hoping to take the kids to the Turkey Hill Experience, visit with more of Andy's cousins, see other friends, visit other favorite eateries, visit Central Market, etc.  Too much to do and not enough time.  That seems to be the story of every trip to Lancaster!  I'm just very thankful we got to spend time with those that we did.