Saturday, February 28, 2015

Capital Reef National Park

While we were in Utah for a week in February, Matt and I spent a night at a bed and breakfast just outside of Capital Reef National Monument.  We hiked, hot tubbed, and enjoyed 24 hours without our kids.  Our kids stayed with Matt's parents.  Thank You!!!


Goosenecks Overlook + Sunset Point

Our first hike (can you really call it a hike if it's less than 1/10th of a mile?) led to some pretty look-outs.  We immediately knew that we were going to enjoy our time in Capital Reef.  It's not as popular as some of the other Utah National Parks, but it should be.  It's gorgeous and in the winter, it's empty.
 


looking down at the goosenecks on Sulpher Creek


Hickman Bridge

Our second hike was to Hickman Bridge.  It's the most popular hike in the park.  It was gorgeous, but not my favorite. We didn't gain very much elevation on this hike.  I liked the hikes that gained elevation better.  At the end, we were rewarded with a 133 foot arch.



I like how you can see the arch's shadow in this picture.

Matt's in this one...running around trying to find a way on top of the arch.  It shows how big the arch is.

 

Capital Gorge + Pioneer Register + The Tanks

We almost called it a day because the sun was starting to set, but we decided to drive the scenic road and do one last hike.  We were rewarded with  more gorgeous scenery and solitude.  We hiked on a trail that was in a narrow wash bottom with sheer rock walls on either side.

 
The cool part of this trail is knowing the history of it.  The wash bottom used to be the through road from 1884 to 1962.  It seems crazy to me.  Once you enter the area, you are in it.  There aren't any pull outs or ways to climb out.  If a storm developed, you'd be in trouble because flash floods were common during storms.  I also think about running out of gas or having to stop to remove a big rock.  There is a pioneer register and petroglyphs on the walls.
 
from nps.com
 




It's crazy that this used to be the main through road... up until 1962.  That isn't that long ago!


We took a spur trail that climbed above the wash to a few "tanks"
(potholes in the rock that collect water).






 
The weather was calm and clear and perfect in the sun.  In the shade it got chilly (but still very comfortable when hiking).
 
We also stopped by the visitor's center and drove around the park between hikes.  The park is beautiful, full of history, and quiet in winter.  We loved learning about the pioneers that settled and farmed here.
 
When the sun went down, we picked up a pizza and went back to the Skyridge Inn Bed and Breakfast.  It was clean, comfortable, and quiet.  The breakfast was good.  The innkeepers were friendly.  Our room had gorgeous views and a private hot tub on our deck.
 
 from skyridgeinn.com (obviously a summer photo)
We were up early enough to watch the sunrise the next day.  I always think I'm going to sleep and sleep when I have a night away from the kids.  But I don't.  The following picture is a joke.  I see feet selfy pictures all over instagram and facebook so we took our own... watching the sunrise in the hot tub.
 

 

Grand Wash + Cassidy Arch

We did one more hike the second day and then returned to our kiddos.  It was my favorite.  We started in a wash bottom (which I really like), hiked up 670 feet, and then hiked along high cliffs to Cassidy Arch.  It was beautiful and perfectly quiet.  We didn't pass anyone or see another car until we were driving out of the park.

Finally reaching the sun. It felt so good. It was still very shady in the wash bottom and cold.

Cassidy Arch seen from a distance. Top right quadrant.




I'm not afraid of heights.  At least I didn't think I was.  But standing on that arch (Matt's standing on it in the above picture) and looking down 400 feet made my feet tingle. 


We had such a fun 24 or so hours.  I know my kids would have loved hiking and seeing Capital Reef, but it sure would have been a lot harder to have them around.  Hiking with Oliver strapped to your back, holding Clark's hand so he doesn't trip and fall off the cliff, and hollering to Willa to slow down and stay with the group really slows you down.  Thanks again Marcia and Wayne!

utah

During Matt's week off in February, we took Willa out of school and drove to Utah for a week.  It's a long drive, but it's nice to actually be able to do it in a day.  When we lived in Ohio and Memphis our closest family was more than a day's drive away.

We spent a night in SLC visiting Matt's Salt Lake siblings (Kristy, Stephen, Kazia, and Kelsey) on the way down.  We spent a night in Provo visiting Bryan and his family on the way back.  And the rest of the time we spent in Richfield with his parents.  We like Great Falls, but I hate that it's far from family.  It's so fun to spend time with family.  I really wish we lived closer to my family or Matt's.

We took the kids hiking one morning with Marcia, Stephen, and Millhouse along a creek in Monroe Canyon.  We took Clark and Willa on this same hike a few years ago.  It brought back memories.  Matt carried Clark in the same blue carrier that he carried Oliver in this time.


 





Here we are in Provo with Bryan and his family.  We have twin families.  We are quite the bunch going to dinner and ice cream with six little kids.  But the kids were good and we all had fun.  Willa and Clark loved seeing their cousins (and their aunts and uncles and grandparents!).  I guess Clark forgot he had boy cousins. He only has girls on my side.  He was thrilled and talked about it for a few days afterwards.


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Preschool and Kindergarten

I wrote this post back in October or so.  I'm not sure why I never posted it.  I guess I was going to add something and now I can't remember what that was.

CLARK - age 3


first day of school

Clark started school on September 4 at the Peak.  He attends two days a week for 4 hours.  Matt and I were worried about Clark starting school.  I knew he needed some sort of school, but I was worried how he would do.  He wasn't completely potty trained even though his school requires the students be potty trained (and even though we had been diligently working on it for 8 months!!!).  He hadn't attended any sort of class other than nursery at church.  And Matt was one of his nursery teachers in Albuquerque so I wasn't sure if he'd have separation issues. He has swim lessons at school and Clark completely relied on me to dress and undress him.  I was hoping preschool would be a success, but I also feared that he would be kicked out.  All of my fears were for nothing.  Clark is doing really well.  It has been easy to drop him off from day one.  He hasn't had any accidents (and most of his accidents at home have stopped. He still sleeps in a diaper.)  He has learned to take his clothes off for swim lessons and then put them back on.  He's making friends, learning other kids' names, and talking so much more.  Preschool has been so good for Clark - it is amazing to see how much he has matured in the past few months.

Oh, and a little about his school...
It's at the Peak Heath and Wellness Center in Great Falls which is basically a big fancy gym.  They do really cool things like swim lessons and kidsercise and kid Pilates. His teachers have master's degrees in early ed and reading and they are so sweet and smart and kind and creative.  Clark loves his teachers.  It's a very active program with academics hidden in hands-on activities.  I have yet to see a worksheet come home.  



second day of school
 
WILLA - age 5
 
Willa started kindergarten on September 4. I learn the lesson over and over again as a mom that I worry about the wrong things.  I need to stop worrying because whatever I think is going to happen doesn't.  I wasn't a bit worried about Willa starting school.  (It was Clark I was worried about.) Willa has always been friendly and adaptable and easy going.  I thought the transition of starting school full time would be a breeze.  Willa was excited the first day and went the first two weeks without hesitation or complaint.  She loved school.  The third full week of school took a little turn.  Willa started to protest and complain about going to school.  She came home happy and chatty, but every morning we had tears and she begged to stay home.  She had tears at school everyday the third week as well.  Tears because she left her backpack at home (even though I told her a million times to grab it before we left the house).  Tears from falling on the playground and cutting her knee.  Tears because she didn't get to say bye to me the way she wanted.  Tears because she was supposed to take the bus home but forgot and went to parent pick up.  One morning the tears were so bad she called me from the principal's office to say hello.  Some of those tears were for understandable reasons and others not so much.  But regardless, it made me sad that she was getting upset at school everyday.  I knew she'd get over it.  I knew she had just hit that third week exhaustion.  Willa napped every day up until the first day of school.  I knew she was missing me and the boys.  Willa attended preschool two mornings a week for 4 hours in Albuquerque.  So going five days a week, all day was a big change. 
 
Willa is doing better now.  I don't think she has had tears at school since that third week.  And she doesn't whine about school in the morning nearly as much.  She worked for rewards for awhile, but she doesn't need them anymore.  If she went to school cheerfully, then she earned a sticker. Seven stickers earned a prize.  She earned some mail order caterpillars that changed into butterflies.
 
I am thrilled with Willa's school as well.  She has the best teacher - Miss Martinich.  She is a new grad so I had some reservations, but she has turned out to be very talented.  I volunteer twice a week in her class and I am amazed at the control Willa's teacher has over the kids.  She uses so many little rhymes and songs to keep the kids on task and transition.  For example, Miss Martinich says, "Class, Class". And immediately the kids respond. "Yes, Yes."  Or she'll say "Macaroni Cheese" and the kids say "Everybody Freeze."  Her teacher has tons of little things like that.  She doesn't raise her voice and she is always down on the carpet helping the kids learn. 
 
Willa has already learned so much.  She hadn't started reading on her own when school started despite hours and hours and hours of time with me working on letters and sounds and reading.  I was starting to get a little worried.  But since starting school everything clicked and she can now sound out words, read short stories, sound out words in her head and write them down.  It is fun to see her read little books and see the pride in her eyes and smile. 

 
first day of school

fourth day of school
And I have to jot a few words down about the first day of school...
Willa and Clark started on the same day.  It was such a crazy hectic morning.  Willa's school starts at 8:25 and Clark's starts at 8:30.  Of course everything in the morning took way longer than I intended (punctuality and time management when getting ready to go somewhere are my biggest weaknesses).  When we arrived, we had to park a mile away and walk since all the street parking was full by the school.  I didn't have a stroller so I had to carry Oliver and drag Clark along.  There isn't really a parent parking lot, just a staff parking lot.  It was a crazy morning and I forgot to get emotional. I don't think I shed any tears.  I missed Clark and Willa and the day seemed long.  I was really excited to pick them up and see how school went.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

frozen Missouri

It's fun and beautiful living on the river.  It has frozen and thawed twice this winter.  Whenever I download our pictures onto my computer, I always find a bunch of the river.  Matt is the photographer of the family.  Here are a few from January when the river was frozen.


We all enjoy watching the deer cross the river.