A brief sketch of our week: Two separate backyard BBQ shindigs hosted at our house, a family bike ride on the Hiawatha trail, and a rock climbing trip with Addy, Jackson, and their friend Lizzy. Meanwhile, the kids are putting the final touches on their school year with field days, presentations, and parties. Rach and I went climbing for our mid-week date, and then had hors d'oeuvres on the patio of one of our favorite little restaurants. I went on some long bike rides and am playing in the band this weekend. Rachel started a new meet-up group and they had their first "event" earlier today. Lindsey is almost potty trained, and her "monster potty" is her new best friend. Summer is definitely here, and we're lovin' it.

Here's some pictures:

Climbing with my best friend

Exploring in the woods

Maren's pre-school. She in in the turquoise shirt, third from the left.

Lindsey's "monster potty"

The potty sometimes ends up places it shouldn't...like in the middle of our party. How charming.

The beginning of the ride. This is one of my favorite trails ever. It starts out with a tunnel that is a mile and a half long, and then just gets better from their. Do yourselves a favor and look up the Hiawatha Trail on Google- it's pretty spectacular.

One of the many bridges

Notice that she has only one shoe. The other one is 250 feet down at the bottom of the trestle. She's a little too proud of herself. Don't worry- I got it.

(When I am 100 years old, I will have a moter home and a pet snake. I will still be a worker. I hope that I am still alive." (sic)

Jack wrote this as a part of a school project a couple of months ago. He still keeps it hanging in his room. Motivation maybe? It’s clear that he has high expectations out of life.

Rachel had her birthday, so she’s older than me again. For a celebration, we went to Skate Plaza with the kids. Oh, yeah. We know how to party!

Here's Rach before we were married. She's even prettier now.

 

Here's a picture Rachel and Maren (by Maren). Personally, I think both of them look a little bit better in real life.

Over the weekend we invited a bunch of people over to our house and had backyard BBQ’s on Saturday AND Sunday. Hot dogs and hamburgers the first time- ribs the second. I love spring/summer.

The nice weather has also allowed us to get out a lot on our bikes. On Sunday we did a big ride with our church and ended up at a park where they served root beer floats. It seems like there were probably about a hundred people who showed up and it was a good time for everyone (except, maybe, for the poor people who wanted to pass the never-ending procession of slow-moving families taking up the trail).

Root beer floats for everyone!

Today, Rachel and I went and checked out a new trail called Fish Lake in Spokane. We enjoyed a nice conversation the whole time, and the ride was beautiful. Definitely a place we’ll have to come back to with the kids.

For family night tonight we had our first beach day of the year. From now until about October we’ll probably go at least once/week…and sometimes a whole lot more. The kids all swam and we had a nice picnic dinner and then went out for ice cream cones afterwards. Like I said, I love spring/summer.

Also, this weekend I had a study club with a bunch of other dentists in the area. I was responsible for a lot of stuff for this one and it took up more time than usual, but things went really well. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I love that my job is something that can continually challenge me as I get better and better at what I do. The surgery I did this time was fairly ambitious, but it had a great result and the patient is pretty happy about it. That is fulfilling to me.

On the last blog post I promised pictures of our living room. “Before” pictures were posted last week. Here are some “after” shots.

Still not totally sure what we'll do with this space. Kids want air hockey. I'm thinking foosball. Maybe we'll do both.

It is difficult to see the shelf, but the lettering says 'explore.'

A few other random things from our kids:

This is Evelyn sleeping in the bathtub. On a whim, she decided that May 12th is "weird day" and planned accordingly.

Three oldest kids in the quarterly Kroc Center magazine

Maren at her preschool

Have a good week!

Hazard Holiday

Dinner is complete, the whole family blissfully sitting around the table at the local Golden Corral (we're classy like that). Rachel and I are silently wondering at nature's miracle that our kids can somehow digest a 50/50 mixture of fats and sugars with no apparent side effects. All we see is smiles though, on faces that betray the brief indulgence into gluttony that was allowed for this meal.

"Today was a great day," someone says with a content sigh.

"Yeah. I can't believe it was just this morning that we were eating breakfast in a train."

"I know. That seems like forever ago."

"Do you remember when we saw the snake?"

"Yeah. It was at the top of that big hill we rode up."

"Well, I had to walk up it. But Evelyn didn't. She was AMAZING!"

"Yeah she was. I thought it was funny when her pedal broke though. She must have been riding really fast."

The table breaks up into high pitched giggles at the memory, before the conversation continues merrily onward.

The truth was that we had had a pretty fantastic day. As idyllic and unlikely as it may seem, the above exchange actually took place. A while ago someone...I don't remember who...had the great idea that we should have our own special holiday. A Hazard Holiday. We would all play hooky from work and school and just go out and celebrate our family. This last weekend, that idea became a reality, as well as (I believe) the birth of a new tradition.

The day started at a fun restaurant in Spokane called Frank's Diner. It is in a train car and it probably serves the best breakfast in the Northwest. I'm not even kidding. At first, we were a little apprehensive to bring the kids because, as you might imagine, a train car is not all that big, and our family is not all that small. These worries escalated as the kids became a living menagerie of unseemly circus animals on the way into the parking lot. We followed through though, holding our breaths for some sort of miracle. It must have worked too, because as soon as we walked through the front doors they took on an air of refinement that immediately put us at ease. I think that was the only tense moment of the whole day.

From the restaurant we went and explored a bike trail at Riverside State park that we hadn't been to before. Midway through, we came to a big field, and for about an hour played an impromptu game of mission-dot-dot (a favorite from my own childhood). We then rode back and had lunch at "Bowl and Pitcher" which is a popular area with whitewater enthusiasts, has a swinging bridge over the river, and an abundance of trails to explore.

By this point, everyone was getting pretty tired, and they got to rest in the car for the 40 minute drive back the other direction, past Post Falls, and into Coeur d'Alene. There, we went to the swimming pool at the Kroc Center, which is a large indoor place with water slides, hot pools, a little lazy river thing, and a separate splash area for toddlers.

Our kids are fish. At least, they think they are. Lindsey is a fish who can't swim though, and a person has to be on their guard at all times when she is near deep water. Thankfully, the layout of the swimming area makes it so that this is not often. She loves to jump in though, and then be hauled out with a smiling face while giggling the words "I sinked again!" It's not natural. I am glad we have a life jacket for her that she can't get out of.

The plan from here was to eat at Golden Corral (our kids' favorite restaurant) and then finish the day off at the movie theater. By the time our plates were cleared though, we all decided instead that we were pretty wiped out. We would probably fall asleep if we tried sitting in comfortable seats in a dark room. It had been a busy day, and a gratifying one. A movie could wait for later.

The Hazard Holiday was a success. Next year, on the Monday closest to our anniversary (and the beginning of the Hazard Family) we will do it again. And again. And again.

I like us.

Painting the Basement

I think I mentioned it before, but we have been in the process of redecorating our basement. We had new furniture waiting to be delivered, new pictures and wall decor sitting patiently on shelves in the garage, and a new entertainment center with electronics sitting awkwardly in a room of older peers. The final piece of the puzzle would be painting the walls- a piece that is not so easy to fit with five eager little helpers at the ready. Thankfully, my parents agreed to drive up for the weekend and help.

It. Was. Amazing.

Overnight, our room was transformed from a dusty depot of childish clutter to a warm and inviting hangout for the whole family.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

My mom and dad were a HUGE help with painting. That's not the only thing we did though. The weather cooperated with us and besides working, we actually got a few chances to play together as well. Here's some pictures:

I think this picture is super cute

Lots of hugs

I have no idea where this is.

Watching our snake eat lunch is always entertaining.

These next few are from our walk through the gardens in Spokane:

Anniversary

Sometimes I marvel at all the different causes that determine the outcome of our lives- how even the small, seemingly insignificant things, could prove to make all the difference in the long run. This has been spoken of as the butterfly effect. And it is mind-boggling to consider how all the different permutations of fate have led up to the current moments which, in turn, are setting up other moments that may not occur until decades down the road. Thinking of this also makes me feel extremely fortunate- for of all the possible lives that I might have led, it is difficult to imagine one that would even come close to that which Rachel and I have built together.

It's been 12 years now since we were married- dreamlike years that have passed by in a single breath. And still, I look over sometimes and my heart skips a beat at the thought of future adventures together. It's exciting! What do the next 12 years hold in store? The next 50? It's impossible to say, but I know that I want those years to be with Rachel, the love of my life. It's been an amazing journey so far.

Even though our anniversary actually happened on the fifth, the real celebration won't be until later in June when we fly to Vegas for several days. This notwithstanding, I did take work off for the day and we got a sitter for the two youngest kids for a few hours (the others were in school). This allowed us to have a carefree morning where we went out to breakfast and then explored the various art galleries in town. It was a lovely date. We also ordered Mexican food that night because of Cinco de Mayo (not that we needed an excuse) and waited for my parents to arrive.

It was a great day.

Have a good week!

Catching Up

I keep trying to find time to get on here and do an update, but it hasn't been the biggest priority lately with everything else we have going on. To make matters worse, SO MUCH has happened. Things that I would have liked to do a whole blog post on to give them the attention they deserved. Things that were accompanied by thoughts and feelings that have, unfortunately, been erased by time. What you and I are left with, I am afraid, is a mere outline- a sketch, so to speak, of our activities over the past several weeks. It is inadequate, to be sure. But it is better than nothing. So...


Winnie The Pooh

Evelyn, Adalie, and Jackson have been working hard this year on a play they were in. They all had some pretty significant parts: Evelyn was the narrator, Adalie was Piglet, and Jackson was a heffalump (the villain of the story). They finally put on their performance a few weeks ago, and they did great!

When it was all over, we went and got frozen yogurt to celebrate. It was a great night.

Evelyn is front and center. Adalie is on the left side of the picture, exchanging mutual congratulations with Pooh. Jackson is on the far right, doing something strange with his arm. I think he is gesturing to the non-existent pit and lighting crew the way he has seen professional actors do after a show. 

Everyone likes frozen yogurt. Ms. Lou, the kids children's pastor, also came and watched them during the performance.

Snake

A few months ago, we decided to get a pet. We sat down with the kids, and after a conversation with everyone, a snake, of all animals, emerged the favorite choice for a new addition to the family. Since then, the kids have been in charge of learning all about snakes, as well as earning enough money to provide a proper home for it. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, we went down for family night and picked out "Ember," an orange and yellow corn snake with a calm and patient temperament. He sleeps during most of the day, but becomes active in the evening and is fun to watch and hold.

He stays in this little nook most of the day

Solo Climb

According to SummitPost (a climbing website), Steven's peak is the tallest mountain in the Bitterroot range and sits on the Idaho/Montana border. It is a popular destination for the Spokane Mountaineers- a local climbing club- and a great place for people to learn the basics of roped travel, crampon use, and ice-axe self arrest. It is also, I must say, a beautiful outing for a speed-solo on a Saturday morning. Breakfast at home, a nice drive through the mountains, a great workout, and then lunch back at the house. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again- I love where we live.

I did the North ridge, which is along the right side of the picture.

Rexburg

My 8-year-old nephew was baptized into the Mormon church a couple of weeks ago. To make it so that more family could be present, the ceremony was held in Rexburg. We drove down to be with everyone, and it was so much fun. All my siblings were there, which is a rare enough event, and it happened to be over Easter weekend so all the kids got to do egg hunts and stuff together. I have to admit, as much as I love living up here, the hardest thing about it is the geographic distance between us and other family. We want to be connected. We want our kids to know their cousins, and their aunts and uncles. Gatherings like this make that possible, and we will always go out of our way to be a part of them.


Bike Ride

Spring has taken a while to get here this year, but I think it has finally arrived. Last weekend we spent a lot of time outside, including our first family bike ride of the year. We went up to the Trail of the Coeur d'Alene's and rode along the river. It was beautiful. We did the same ride last year around this time, and I have to say that the kids have definitely improved since then. We made good time, and I'm pretty sure that everyone had fun. At the half-way point we ate a picnic lunch and threw rocks in the river. I am pretty sure that this is only the first of many such outings this year.

Exploring during our picnic lunch

House Changes

You'll have to stay tuned a little bit for this one, but Rachel and I have been doing a lot of spring cleaning and decorating lately. The kids got a new play-set in the back yard (one of those wooden ones), and we are re-doing the downstairs furniture. Also, for the first time in our marriage, we finally broke down and bought a TV. I have to admit, it's a nice diversion on rainy afternoons with five kids in a house that seems to be getting smaller as they grow older. This weekend my parents are coming to help us paint, and then we'll move the rest of the stuff in. I think it'll look great.