Epic Summer Roadtrip

Epic. The word doesn't begin to describe the trip my family pulled off this summer. Just weeks after Hannah got back from a service trip to the Dominican Republic, and a day after my family returned from Nauvoo, Cal and I hitched a ride with my parents up to our family's place in Waterton, Alberta.I know I've posted about Waterton before, so I'll just hit some of the highlights of the trip.

Cal was anxious to try out his new binoculars from Aunt Meredith & Uncle Scott & Carson, so he took them everywhere we went. He'd say, "Mommy! Need my 'noculars!"

They were actually quite useful, and several other family members used them as the trip progressed. Anytime someone would spot wildlife, someone would say, "Cal, can I use your 'noculars?"

 Uncle Frank came to stay with us for a few nights, and got us set up with boating and kayaking. Here is Markie on the small skiff at Emerald bay. Look at the excited passenger!

 Hannah preferred to kayak. She and mom attempted to brave the open lake to get to Bertha Bay, but the wind was blowing so hard it blew them backward even as they paddled.

 Cal loved the hammock so much, and even told me he needed to sleep outside in his "special bed" one night. I tried to explain why he couldn't, without using the word "bear bait."

 My mom and sister and I climbed Crypt Lake one day while we were there. It's an intense 10.7 miles along steep shale cliffs, and then there's a cool part where you crawl through a tunnel in the mountainside before emerging at the secret lake at the top. I wish these pictures showed the drop off a little better!

 We were pretty worn out around mile 8, or at least I was! When we finally came around the corner of the last bend before the bay, we looked up, and like a rescuing angel, we saw Frank driving out to get us in his boat! Perfect timing! We ran down to the dock where all the hikers who'd taken the Miss Waterton ferry were waiting for their pickup. As my uncle pulled up to dock, a lady said, "Your ride's here? Lucky!" We felt like hiking royalty or something. Home, James!

 Cal actually got Frank to climb up into the treehouse with him. Super cute!

We saw TONS of wildlife while we were there, including bald eagles, deer, foxes, coyotes, buffalo, TEN BEARS, and even a white wolf! Here's a shot of one of the bears:

 We had a picture at Red Rock. Cal was very entertained with climbing all over the rocks and into the creek. He used his binoculars as a microscope to inspect the rocks, too!

 And of course, there were multiple trips to the candy store AND the big scoop.

On the way back to Utah, we stopped in Yellowstone, which I thought was completely fascinating! My favorite part was the "paint pots" -- totally alien-looking!  Cal whined A LOT about the stinky geysers.

We got to see Old Faithful erupt twice. I don't know who named that thing, but it was not "like clockwork." The second wait got particularly long, but we made it right with a trip to the ice cream counter after the spout.

 In between spouts, we all went in to watch what we hoped would be a scientific/educational video about the park. Turns out, it was more of a cheesy thing, with an excited host name Ranger Brandon suggesting activities we could do with our family. It was pretty boring, until the wildlife warning they tagged on the end, where everyone including my 4-year-old was treated to the visual horror of a woman being mauled and trampled by an angry bison. Everyone in the theatre was shouting, "OOOOHHH!!! OoooOOOoooh!" Thanks, Yellowstone!

Then, we were off to the Bar J Wranglers Chuckwagon dinner and show in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was AWESOME. They serve up a big, yummy BBQ dinner and then entertain their audience with fantastic singing and jokes. We loved it! And Cal got to go on a wagon ride while we were waiting for dinner.

We explored the town a little, and even tried on a few things, before heading down to Bear Lake for the Richey family reunion.

And of course, Cal immediately found a candy shop. :)

Cal's Birthday

Someone very important had a birthday recently.  Our little guy turned four the day we left for our epic summer vacation to Utah, Canada, and everywhere in between.  Cal was pretty convinced that the plane ride was all part of his birthday celebration, and thanks to a kind flight steward who made a birthday announcement over the intercom and had all the passengers sing, it was part of the celebration!

Cal was so excited and surprised when he heard his name over the intercom, and when everyone started singing, he stood up and turned around on his chair to smile at everyone.  He held up four fingers excitedly and everyone laughed. 

The plane ride passed without a hitch thanks to Heather's dry erase workbook.  Look how focused he is: 

We flew Allegiant into Provo, which was a new experience for us, but it worked out perfectly.  Cal and I rented a car and finally made it to the Martins' home in Lehi, where we threw a family party for this little nugget:

 Balloons, pizza, presents, a birthday crown -- Cal was so excited about it all.  He has been requesting a car cake for the last 6 months, so I tried my hand at this crazy creation:

 A little droopy, but not bad! Here are the cousins posing with the car cake (complete with special #4 candle, which Cal insisted on keeping). I love that these two are such good friends.

 After dinner and cake, Cal got to open presents from the family. We scored a lot of educational toys to help with reading and writing this year. (Have I mentioned how excited we both are for Cal to start his preschool again this fall?)

 The next day, we rounded out our brief visit to the splash pad and gardens at Thanksgiving Point. It was a hot day! Perfect for a little water fun. We stopped by the huge koi pond to feed the fish.

 Then it was time to say goodbye. Cal and I were off to Canada with my parents. The boys were sad to leave each other:

 Thanks for a wonderful birthday party, Olsen family! Cal loved it! And the funnest part, was that he got to do it all over again at Grandma Linebarger's house the next night, too. Grandma had a cake ready with hot wheels cars on the top, and there were more present from the Richey family. Thanks to everyone for being so good to my little nugget.

Hangin' With Dad

Can you tell who loves his dad? :)

Swimming Lessons

When a friend mentioned her girls were in swimming lessons, I pounced on it and signed Cal up for the same class. It involved racing down to the community center last minute to register, but it was completely worth it. He had so much fun, and was excited to be in his friend Keira's class.

 His instructor was Natalie; all the teachers were from the high school. It was just perfect.

While I was mainly in search of a fun summer activity, I really do feel like Cal progressed. He got an official report card at the end of the two weeks, which was adorable and hilarious.  He's always loved being in the water, but now, if he has his floaties or life jacket on, he jumps off the side into the water (touching the bottom of the pool with his toes and everything!) and swims over to the stairs to repeat. I've got to get this kid swimming so I can stop having heart attacks when he does "brave" things.

 The bonus: when we come home, we head to our complex pool with our friends to show off our new swimming skills.

 I just have to include this next story. One day, down at our pool, a group of high school girls came to chat and sunbathe, and my little flirty boy went right over and invited himself to join them.  Of course, they just encouraged him by cooing and fussing over him, saying "He's sooooo cute!"

 And I mean, I pretty much agree. :)

Gymnastics

Starting in January, Cal and his friend started a gymnastics class. He was very excited to get to try something new and play with a friend, and I was looking for an outlet for some of his energy!

This was their first week. Don't they look excited?

Cal is very proud of his forward roll, his ability to walk like a bear, pointing and flexing his toes, and walking on the balance beam. Everywhere we go now, he balances on the curb and says, "Look, Mommy! I balance!"

This one's hard to see, but it's a video of Cal doing flipping his legs over the bars:

We finished up the class last week, and Cal got a blue ribbon which he is very proud of; it's currently on the fridge, and he shows it to all who enter our apartment, saying, "Dis from my nastics!"

We'll be back for more in the fall!

Stanford Continuing Studies Classes

This past year, a friend and I have been taking classes through Stanford University's continuing studies program. I have loved driving up to the beautiful campus in Palo Alto each week.

Fall semester, we took a course on the Arab Spring; it was interesting to realize how much I do not know about the Arab world. Our instructor was a reporter for the New York Times, and was in Egypt when the Mubarak regime fell. His first-hand account of his experience was harrowing and unbelievable. And to think, he was available to teach at Stanford! I felt very blessed to be receiving such an authentic instruction.

Winter semester, we took a class called Architecture and Archaeology of Ancient Rome. I absolutely loved  it. As a humanities major, Rome seemed more or less familiar to me, but I was amazed at the amount I learned from the professor. It was wonderful to narrow my focus and learn about the detailed chronology of one place. I feel like it really strengthened my humanities foundation, and I will never forget how engaging the professor was. He had us laughing at his colloquial explanations of history, and his fervent hand gestures as he was trying to explain things were very memorable. Loved this class.

We are currently enrolled in a class about the Catholic church after the Vatican II council of the 1960s. Each lecture is taught by a different visiting professor, priest, or nun, and handles topics such as the ordination of women, the involvement of the laypeople, the liturgy being changed to native languages, missionary work vs. tolerance, etc.  My friend and I have even had the opportunity to attend mass at Stanford and talk to the priests afterward. It's a very respectful, non-threatening conversation about what our religions have in common, plus some of the common challenges both our churches are facing in today's world.

I have loved being a part of the learning and discussions and discoveries going on at Stanford, and I have enjoyed the 25-minute commute with my friend. We have great discussions, and it has definitely strengthened my already wonderful friendship with her. I'm hoping that CSU classes remain a part of my life here for a long, long time.