Summer 2012 Travelogue

So, our one trip to Utah this summer turned into three when Jeffrey's Aunt Judy passed away.  Everything got re-shuffled, and we were gone a lot more than we had expected.  Throw in our planned trips, and we were always gone.  But, we had lots of fun along the way.  Here are some of our favorite highlights.

We visited many spots around Boise for the first time.  We went to Eagle Island State Park and Lucky Peak to play on sandy beaches.  We visited Julia Davis Park and rode the paddle boats.  We went miniature golfing and out to the movies.  We spent Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market downtown.  

We celebrated the Fourth of July in the neighborhood:  the girls rode their bikes in the community "parade," we swam at the pool, and enjoyed a barbecue with the Smiths.

We made many trips to the creek, including with Grandma and Grandpa.  Mia participated in the Young Naturalists program and learned more about the ecology in our area.

We loved catching the Children's Dance Theater's performance at the Sandy Amphitheater   We have gone the last four years, and it is always quite magical.  My girls leave twirling and leaping their way to the car.  Oh, my heart yearns for them to get to dance there themselves, but alas...  we have to settle for our summer classes and performances when we are in Utah.

We also loved shopping at City Creek in downtown Salt Lake City.  

This summer, we decided it was time to do some more hiking and get the girls out exploring more of the natural wonders around us.  We took several hikes in the Boise foothills behind our community.  While in Utah, we hiked up and toured Timpanogos Cave and then spent a morning hiking at Goblin Valley. 

 

We also went on our first-ever camping trip.  Overnight.  In tents!  And, we had FUN.  Since neither Jeffrey nor I come from camping or outdoorsy families, there is a significant learning curve to be faced when it comes to camping.  But, like skiing, we determined that we could not live in Idaho and not camp.  We are easing our way into camping (after years of aquiring gear), and went for just one night up near Banks, Idaho.  We set up a couple of tents and a canopy for shade.  We cooked over the fire and on our camp stove.  We hiked around and explored.  We did art projects, read stories, and played cards.  It turned out pretty well.  Next year we may even go for two or three days.  I know, that is the big time, right?  It is out of our comfort zone, but I think it is a great opportunity for our kids.  

I figure, we do not have to be the world's best campers; it does not even have to be our favorite thing to do, but we can provide our children with a diverse variety of experiences.  This is a huge goal for me as a mother, to let my children explore a range of activities and visit a plethora of places, so that they can appreciate and enjoy many different types of experiences.  I want them to grow up and appreciate the beauties of nature, the diversity of culture, the wonder of museums, the intrigue of fine arts.  I want to take them to cultural events, amusement parks, historic sites, and religious points of interest.  I want to help them learn to love many landscapes and do many things.   And, camping is part of it all.  Maybe not the biggest part for our family.  Maybe not my favorite activity.  But, one of many things we can explore and try together.

We went to Lake Powell and spent a week on the houseboat with Jeffrey's family, as we do every summer.

Then, we went to Park City and spent time hiking, enjoying the mountains, and swimming in the pool.  We also went to This is the Place Park to have a pioneer experience.    

At the end of summer, just a week after returning from the Lake Powell / Park City trip, and just before school started, I took the girls to the Oregon Coast.  First, we spent two days visiting my dad's family in Vancouver, Washington.  I have felt strongly that I wanted my girls to meet and remember my last living grandparent, my Grammy, Clarice Macdonald.  I loved my grammy during my youth and remember crying when we would leave her home in California to return to Utah.  I had not seen her for nearly 7 years since my grampy's funeral, and I wondered if with her memory failing she would even remember me.  But, I was so glad that we went. It was a wonderful visit, full of many warm feelings and memories, and my girls just loved their "grammy."  

Then, we drove to Agate Beach on the Oregon Coast with my mom.  We had a relaxing few days just letting the girls play on the beach, visiting the light house and "cobble" beach, and going to the aquarium.  

Then, we drove to Bend and met up with the Smiths at the High Desert Museum, which was a fabulous hand-on experience.  

Finally, it was back to Boise for two days before school started, during which we managed to fit in a trip to the mall so Maggie could get her ears pierced.  

Whew!  It was a busy summer.  Not what I had planned, but full of many fun times and memories.  It was a good reminder that sometimes it is best to just let go and let life unfold, enjoying the experiences that come along the way.  

Just Keep Swimming...

Remember all those big plans I had for the summer?  How my family was going to have a schedule and "school" time each day, and do chores, and not spend all our time traversing the country, as we had when living in Virginia.  Well, that was a great idea.  but, that is about all it was.

We had a great first two weeks before we left town for the first time, and it all fell apart from there.  Too many trips and distractions.  Oh well.  Such is life.  We did have a great (if short) run of it and a fabulous hike where we worked on art projects with oil pastels.  And, then we managed to do one other thing regularly, if only one, this summer:  SWIM!

This year Mia participated in our community's swim team.  She had practice for an hour every morning and participated in several swim meets -- including one that was FREEZING.  She made amazing progress with her form and skill.  I was very proud of her sticking with something that was not always easy and working hard to improve.  She is becoming a good swimmer.  Her favorite strokes are the backstroke and the fly.

I also decided that this was the year for the other girls to take lessons.  Maggie has had a lot of fears, but has realized that all her friends know how to swim and has started to feel self-conscious about wearing her life jacket at the pool.  I have held off doing lessons with her the last few years as it has been a waste of money to pay for swimming lessons for a child who will NOT put her face in the water.  But, I felt strongly that swimming was an area where I was just going to have to really push her to face and overcome her fear.  She did three weeks of swimming lessons this summer: one in Utah and two during the mornings of the weeks we were home in Boise.  These two weeks of lessons were a BIG part of why our "mom school" was a bust.  But, in the end, I felt like the swimming was the better choice this year.

It took a whole week of lessons for Maggie to fully submerge her head under water.  A whole week!  Week two involved a teacher who REALLY pushed Maggie.  She sort of hated it.  I had to bribe her with a coveted toy to get her to stick with it, and I had to deal with some tears.  But, she made it through, almost able to swim.  Week three is when she decided she was going to revolt.  She was screaming mad at me for two full days just for signing her up for more lessons.  And, I was not sure bribery alone would cut it.  For the first time in my parenting I heard myself telling my daughter who was refusing to do something I wanted, "You are going to do it.  And, you will thank me later for making you!"  I could not believe my ears!  But, I knew it was true.  Maggie needed to be able to swim, both for her own safety and so that she could confidently participate in a host of other activities throughout her life.  As an inadequate swimmer myself, I knew that she would be better off learning to swim well at a young age than giving in to her fears.

The first two days were rough, but I am SO grateful to my fabulous friend Cathy Taylor who taught Maggie and Elsie Jane this third week.  They LOVED swimming with Cathy.  By the end of week three, Maggie was happily and willingly jumping off the diving board into twelve feet deep water and swimming the length of the pool.  It was such a transformation from week one that I was shocked.

Elsie Jane also did well in her two weeks and is VERY confident now and almost able to swim completely independently.

We also loved living a couple blocks from the community pools.  It was a great distraction in the late afternoons when everyone is a little stir crazy and needing something to do.  Several times a week, we would just load up and ride our bikes over or walk to the pool.  So much more convenient than having to load up in the car, and if we stayed for only a little while it wasn't a big deal either because it was free and easy to go.

Much of our summer ended up being focused on swimming, but I am so glad.  Now, we have to get back to the pool during the cooler months so the girls do not forget all they have learned and can just keep swimming...

Wish we Could Always be California Girls

After years on the East Coast, it was fun to be back west and head to California for our family vacation this spring.  The girls were the perfect ages for Disneyland!

Then, after four Disney days, we drove down to San Diego where we enjoyed the beach at Torrey Pines, Sea World, Coronado Island, Historic San Diego and the newly renovated Mormon Battaillion site.

                                         

Best part of the trip was definitely just being together.  Hardest part of the trip was being THAT closely together.  Everyone sleeping in one room for eight nights, driving in a compact car, and never having a moment apart can yield some testy moments.  But, all in all, it was a great trip.  We can't wait to go back soon...