The Hazard Chronicles

Sometimes I read through our blog and it strikes me how busy and active we are as a family. Seriously, we do a lot of stuff. We have been doing it so long though, that we don't even realize it any more. It is just normal. I like it that way.

At the same time, there is something to be said for this picture:

This is on an afternoon that Rachel was working and we were just hanging out at home and taking pictures of each other so that we could doctor them up to make ourselves look silly. After that we read our nightly story (we are working on "The BFG" right now) and then went to bed. Other times we build forts, or do yard work together, play with friends in the front yard, cook, or just each do our own thing. And it's nice.

I guess what I am saying is that I absolutely love our active lifestyle, but I am afraid that because there are so many "big" things to write about each week, there is rarely a chance to focus in on the little things that, when added together, are probably the most significant part of our family. So I just want to take a moment to realize that we have a lot of fun doing "nothing."

That said, let's move on to the "somethings!"

Ev, her teacher, and some of her best friends. She is the second one on the left.

During the week, Evelyn took a hike with her class down to Q'emiln park to see the waterfalls and do a bunch of nature activities. The class ended up going about 5 miles in 90 degree weather- not too unusual for Ev, but I can imagine it was not as easy for everyone else who was there. She must have a very brave teacher to take on a field trip like this.

All 4 kids are in this picture. Can you see them?

Or kids are ninjas! A few weeks ago we were at a "Family Fun Fair" in Coeur d'Alene and our family "won" a free month of karate lessons for the kids. I mean sure, it's a marketing gimmick and they want us to continue the lessons after the trial period ends. Well, with four kids who are interested, and classes taking place 2x/week, this might make for a pretty funny joke, but is nowhere in the realm of reality given all the stuff we have going on already. It's a fun thing to do though, and our kids are loving it. They even started calling me "sir" and are asking to do chores around the house (they had a lecture on "self discipline"). I'm a little weirded out, to be honest, but I can go with it for a while.

On Friday, I met Rachel at the discovery museum. One thing I have to say- Rachel is really good at spending time with each of our kids individually. She goes out of her way to do things they are interested in, and to talk to them during these moments about things that are important to them. Even Lindsey is getting old enough to recognize this. I try to do the same thing, but I find my time to be more limited and it's not always possible. I do think it is important though. Anyway, when I got there she went off to work and the kids and I had a good afternoon. That night, Rach and I went on a rock climbing date, topped off with a nice dinner at an Italian place. It was lovely.

Saturday was a super eventful day.

To start the day, Rachel went on her usual long weekend ride. Sixty miles this time, on a beautiful trail around nearby Liberty Lake. The rest of us made a big, heavy breakfast and then sat around the house playing computer games and watching TV.

After a while I got all the kids in the car and headed up to the Spokane Art Festival where Rachel met us on her bike. This was actually really, really neat. There were booths all over with artisans from around Idaho and Washington showing off their work. It is amazing to me the amount of talent and creativity that go into some of this stuff. The kids also got in on some of the action by making masks. Top it all off with a live big band and a Sinatra-esque singer, and it made for a really pleasant morning.

From there, I took Evelyn to downtown Coeur d'Alene where she met up with some friends from church to get Gooey's at the resort (supervised, of course). On the way there my car died, but we'll get to that later. While Ev was out with her friends, I found a nice little cafe and ordered lunch for myself. It was a beautiful day outside and I ate on the patio next to a 21-year-old kid busking for money with some beautiful fingerstyle jazz guitar. I read my book or watched the passerby while enjoying my food, and after giving the appropriate tips to my server and my entertainment I struck out onto Tubbs hill. There, I climbed up the mountain away from the crowds and just enjoyed the weather and sights and sounds of our town. Ahhhh...This place was made for me. It was idyllic.

So...the car.

On the way to Evelyn's thing, my check engine light went on, the temperature gauge spiked suddenly, and the engine started smoking and making grinding noises. Thankfully, I was able to safely pull into a parking lot and Rachel could get us in time to switch vehicles. While I was out enjoying the afternoon, the car was being towed to a mechanic where it was soon pronounced dead on arrival. Not worth fixing. Gone.

Alright. Well, on the way home, Ev and I went to a local dealership to check out our options. Later that same day, I ended up writing a check for the exact car I have been wanting for a long time. It's a Dodge Durango with a slight, hardly noticeable lift to give it a few more inches underneath. It is small enough to be "small," but big enough to seat our whole family. It has 4-wheel-drive and can get me where I want to go in the mountains, while at the same time maintaining its decorum during a nice night out on the town. The seats all fold down flat making a nice bed for hauling or sleeping, and it can tow anything that Rachel and I are likely to throw at it. I like it a lot.

At first I wasn't thrilled with the red color, but I got it anyway because it was a good deal. I have to say, the red is growing on me.

Sunday started bright and early for me with the Windermere Half Marathon. This was a beautiful run along the Spokane river on a mostly downhill course. I was hoping to actually place in this one, but was off on my target pace by just enough to miss the mark. I guess there's always next time. It was nice though, and Rachel and the kids all met me at the finish line. We went out to breakfast at a local cafe afterwords (where our kids were AWESOME and got several compliments from the people sitting around us), and then back to the art festival for about an hour.

I like the shirt for this one. That's the most important part, you know.

That night we rode our bikes to Super 1 (local grocery store) and got ice cream for Family Dessert night.

This week, of course, is the last week of school. No more homework. No more bus. No more parent teacher conferences or after school programs. No more day-long free babysitter. Bring on the Summer!

To celebrate, Addy and Jack had "field day" which Rachel and I got to participate in a little bit. It was a fun afternoon.

And now, we are busily packing for our vacation to Rexburg, where Grandma and Grandpa will take the kids for 3 days while Rachel and I try to get lost in the mountains.

What a life.

Have a good week!