Back to School

Today the boys went back to school. I'm certain none of the boys, including Jonas, were too happy about that! Still, I think it will be a good year for everyone. Dallin started his junior year. He is a little worried about his class load, but he is a good student. I know he can do it. Daniel started junior high! I can't believe it! I think he is going to enjoy the ability to change classes and teachers. He seemed to enjoy his first day...part of that could be the candy bouquet I left in his locker. Whether they like it or not, school's back in session! Bring on 2017-2018!

Solar Eclipse 2017

I can't believe summer is OVER! I can't believe how much we packed into one summer!! Every year I get excited for summer to come when I can have the kids home, and we can enjoy family and fun for three months. And every year I get excited for the summer to end and school to start. This year was no different. Still, we decided to have one last hurrah before the kids started back to school. On Monday, August 21, a full solar eclipse was to be visible throughout several states in the US. One of the states was Idaho...and one of the places of full totality was Idaho Falls! Lucky for us, Stan and Kristi graciously invited us up for the event. Since it was the last weekend of summer, we decided to go up for the full weekend so the boys could play with their cousins. All the boys, including Jonas, had a blast! The older boys pulled all-nighters, had paintball wars, and played ultimate frisbee. Jonas simply loved all the attention he got from all his siblings and cousins. I loved the fact that there were so many people to look after him so I got a break! Jeff and I had fun with Stan and Kristi too. It was nice to just chat and catch up on life. Plus, we were able to attend the Idaho Falls temple together and go out to dinner one night. Finally, Monday rolled around and the big event was imminent! I have to be honest, I initially didn't think too much of the eclipse. I was grateful for the opportunity to see it, but I thought it would have been ok if I didn't. Boy was I wrong! I have never witnessed such a mystic event! Of course the eclipse took over 45 minutes to reach totality, but once totality hit it was surreal! I don't even think I could describe it. The majority of us sat on the back patio and would occasionally look at the sun (with our solar glasses) to see the progress of the eclipse while the boys (both old and young) played ultimate frisbee. Once time got close for totality, everyone stopped what they were doing and watched. The sky got dark. The temperatures dropped. It was almost like night in the middle of the day...then it happened! Totality! The moon completely covered the sun! The only things visible were a slight ring around the moon and some solar flares. For more than a minute, we experienced night. The stars came out. The horizon looked as if the sun had set. It was other-worldly. Jonas even got to witness the event. I know he won't remember it, but he talked about it the next day so I know he too felt how incredible the experience was. Then just as quickly as it came, the moon moved on and the eclipse started to wane. What a way to end the summer! I would say it was even worth fighting the hoards of traffic to go home (not my favorite part of the weekend though). Just as the moon eclipsed the sun, school has eclipsed the summer...only it won't be as short in duration as the solar eclipse. Still, it was an awesome Summer 2017!

You can just barely see the bright star to the right of the sun.

Summer is over!

Amber's 20th birthday!

Can you believe it?! Now we have two official adults in the family! This week Amber said good-bye to her teenage years and hello to adulthood (although I'm certain she has already had a good dose of what adulthood will be like). You can't turn 20 without something special so we partied hard this week! On Sunday (8/13), we invited family over for dinner and birthday dessert. As is tradition, Amber chose a pasta dish with breadsticks and Olive Garden style salad. And, as is tradition, she did not choose cake for dessert. Instead, she picked out three different kinds of ice cream. My kids are not cake kids, but as long as I can stick a candle in it we're good.

Wednesday (8/16), we said farewell to her careless teenage years with a fun-filled day at Lagoon! The older kids have been several times, but this was Jonas's first Lagoon (or any amusement park) experience. I'm not sure he was too fond of the rides at first, but his mean mommy kept making him try new rides. I even took him on a little roller coaster. He did NOT like that one, but I couldn't resist. His facial expression definitely indicated the dislike he verbalized over and over again as he screamed to "get down"! Jonas did love the carousel (which we rode several times) and the train ride. Jonas and I were on our own for most of the day, but the older kids met up with us for a few rides around lunch time. Laurin was lucky enough to join us after work too! The older kids shut the park down, but Jonas and I headed home around dinner time. It was a fun day! I love watching all the kids simply be kids and have fun. I think too often I expect them to grow up and demonstrate the responsibility and maturity of adults. It's days like these when I remember that it's ok to simply be a kid.

Don't let the smile fool you...he was screaming to get off after the ride started.

Jonas's first solo ride! Danny was a good big brother and went along for moral support.

Thursday (8/17) was Amber's actual birthday. We started the day off right with hashbrowns, eggs, sausage and cinnamon rolls (her choice again). The breakfast actually capped the birthday celebrations. I hope this next year of life is Amber's best yet! Happy birthday!