The last, remaining days...

It's hard to believe, but our kids will be going back to school in just a week and a half, ending what seems like the shortest summer break ever!  With the remaining days, we've been trying to fit in some fun activities, including, of course...camping.  Chris took some much needed and deserved, days off from work, and we spent a few days at Bear Lake.  We spent the first night at a camping area on the way, then headed to the lake the next morning.  Day one at the beach, the kids were super excited to get into the water.  We spent several hours there, after we set up camp, before a thunder/windstorm passed through the area.  The wind made for some awesome waves, and Chris and the kids had a blast "floating" them, but once I saw a flash of lightening on the horizon, we quickly threw all our stuff into the truck and headed back to camp to wait it out.  After the storm passed, we went back to the beach area until dinner time, and then again the next day, spent most of our time enjoying the water and sun.  All the kids said this was one of the most fun camping trips of the summer, so I guess that makes it a success.  We would have stayed another night, but I needed to be home to be able to do my long run tomorrow morning ~ 13 miles.  The Pocatello 1/2 Marathon is right around the corner...

It's a date!

To celebrate our anniversary, Chris and I decided to have a "date" with the kids.  We started out at one of our favorite places to eat - Chili's!  After lunch, we went to the cheap theaters to see "Shrek 4", followed by ice cream at the Tastee Freeze.  We made one final stop at The Dollar Store, where the kids each picked an item, which then kept them occupied at home for the next couple of hours.  As Chris said at lunch, it seemed appropriate to share our anniversary celebration with them, since they are what give our marriage it's main purpose.  By that, I mean, as we are united in parenting and loving them, our marriage and partnership is nourished and strengthened.  We both feel grateful and blessed to have such a great family!

11 years and counting!

Happy anniversary!!

Boundary Creek Trail.

We took the kids on a hike of about 3 miles this afternoon. I was scoping out the area in preparation for a day hike I will be taking my Bear Cubs on this Friday for Scouts. My kids were not very happy about going. The only one who didn't complain the whole time was Nicolas, which is funny, since he is the youngest. The trail we chose is just a few miles from our house, up near the ski hill. We probably should have left the house a little earlier, since we didn't get going until after 12, and it was getting pretty warm out there in the sun. On our way to the trail head, a mule deer buck ran out in the road in front of us.

Cute, random kid-pics...

Zipper is certainly our boys' best friend. :)

The kids all had friends over on Friday to enjoy the sun on the hottest day of the year, so far!  (Record temp. of 101!)

Nick enjoying a freshly laid egg from his hen, Puffy.

More summer camping memories.

Chris only had two days off from work this week, but since they were weekdays we decided to take advantage of it and go camping for a night at a local campground. Weekdays are so much better because the campgrounds are generally less busy, and we can get some great spots that way. We went to a state park called Massacre Rocks, which we usually go to in the spring. It was super windy, which is pretty par for the course for the area, but it was sunny and the kids loved it. The paths in the campground are paved, so they can ride their bikes, there is a basketball court, lots of huge rocks to climb in, around or under, and hiking trails galore ~ all with a great view of the beautiful Snake River! This particular campground also has RV hookups, so we were able to plug in and after the campfire in the evening, we loaded up in the trailer for the night and turned on "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian".

Hansen~Higginson Reunion 2010

The fourth of July weekend was a busy one for our family.  It started on Thursday, when we made our way to Big Springs Campground near Bancroft, Idaho.  Chris had worked all day, but I had the trailer packed and ready go, so all we had to do was hook up and go.  We arrived, set up camp and started dinner.  About that time some of our extended family arrived to join us in the camping fun.  Chris' older sister, Veneta, along with her two boys, Rylan, 11 and Nathan, 6, and Chris' younger sister, Sarah, set up a tent next to our trailer and we had a blast camping together.  The occasion was a family reunion for members of Chris' mother's side of the family (Hansen) and their extended relatives.  Uncle Ron and Aunt Reta Hansen arranged the reunion and all the activities, which included mostly visiting and learning about the ancestry on that side of the family, and seeing the birthplace and homestead of their Grandpa Dean Hansen.

Day two, Friday: Chris had to leave camp and head home in the morning to get ready for work.  He worked all day then returned in the evening.  In the meantime, I was blessed to be able to hang out with my sisters-in-law.  Sarah and I worked out together in the morning, doing a few reps of calisthenics and a few Yoga stretches, which was so fun.  Then, while the cousins played and rode bikes in the campground, we had some "girl-chat" time!  Around noon, Veneta and Sarah left camp to go join the rest of the extended family for some of the reunion activities: visiting family plots in the cemeteries in Hatch and Bancroft.  I spent the afternoon with the kiddos, playing in the creek, going for walks, playing Uno, and just chilling!  When the rest of the adults returned, including Chris, we had a fun campfire, dinner and dutch oven cobbler.  We had a couple of deer pass through our campground a few times, which was delightful.  When we arrived at the campground, the camp host informed us that a 500 pound black bear had been frequenting the area recently, so the deer were welcome guests in comparison!

Day 3, Saturday: After we had a yummy breakfast of Pigs in a Blanket and scrambled eggs, we all freshened up and then loaded up in the car to drive down to Hatch, Idaho to visit the old Hatch School, Rachel Higginson Home, and the land where Chris' grandfather grew up.  It was so cold, especially for July, so at most of the stops the kids chose to stay in the car and play their DS's or watch a movie, while Chris and I took some photos and just soaked in the experience of being in the place where all these relatives had lived a humble and difficult life.  It was something to see and feel of the connection that everyone had while we were there.  After spending a few hours doing that, we took the kids and went back to the campground to feed them some dinner.  After dinner, we drove back down to Lava Hot Springs, where we met up at a church with the family again and looked at old photos, journals and video footage that had been collected.  It was especially meaningful for us to be able to see some of the old pictures of Chris' mother, Ellen, who passed away at the young age of 47.  Even the kids enjoyed getting to see and feel the spirit of this beautiful woman, their grandmother whom they've never met.

Day 4, Sunday: In the morning we enjoyed a last "camp" breakfast, including hot chocolate around the campfire.  Then we packed up camp and headed home.  A few minutes after we arrived at home, Chris dropped me and the kids off and went to take the trailer to the dumpstation in town and empty the tanks.  While he was away, we got a call from one of his closest cousins, Jeff.  He and his wife and cute little kids were passing by our house on their way from the reunion to Twin Falls, and decided to stop by and visit a little more, since we didn't get much chance to talk at the reunion.  It was great visiting with them, as it had been quite a while!  They are some good family. :)

Much to the kids' dismay, there were no fireworks on the agenda for our family this 4th of July, but they seemed content to have gotten to go camping and play with some of their cousins.

Of course, I have many, many photos from the weekend, so if you're interested in looking at all of them, I posted them in an album on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=72391&id=1215145985&l=5f0bcc676f