The Hazard Chronicles

Oh, Summertime- it is such a study in contradiction: a time when perfect day after perfect day tempts you into apathy, the schlepping movement of the sun suggesting that time will never end and that mañana is yet a long ways off. At the same time, it is the moment for action- a time when this same slowing-down leaves windows of opportunity wide open and unguarded to all who would seize upon its ripeness.

As for our family- we do both. We definitely have our lazy days, punctuated frequently by bursts of action, usually on the weekends. It is a great time. 

This past weekend there have been two important moments of action- Lindsey's party and a family backpacking trip. We'll hit these first and then go onto some of the more laid back moments.

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In the last post, Rachel told about Lindsey's birthday and gave a brief update on how she is doing. This weekend, almost a month later, we finally celebrated with her third, and last party- the one with all her friends. We did it at our house and everyone had fun. Here are some pictures:

Of course Rachel had to make a cake. The theme was fairies. As always, I am impressed.

Lots of games, but the pinata was my favorite. The next picture shows why.

A very happy birthday to my sweet Lindsey.

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Next up is our family backpacking trip. This is Lindsey's first, and also the first time we have gone as an entire family. Everyone carried their own clothes and sleeping stuff; Rach and I carried food for the group. Everyone helped with camp set up/take down and with the cooking. There was very little complaining, and a great deal of laughter, exploration, imagination, and fun. They all did great.

Here we are about to start hiking. Jack decided to carry his sleeping bag in his hands so he would have room in his pack for other stuff. I was hesitant to allow this, but he never complained about it and was usually racing in the front of the pack far ahead of everyone else.

Ev was a great partner to Lindsey.

Snack stop at the creek 

We made it!

Another hiking pic

Maren's picture of her favorite place on the trail

Back to the car in good spirits

Every good backpacking trip needs to end with junk food. This has always been a rule for me, and it's not about to change.

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Besides the two activities listed above, we have also had a lot of good, lazily fun ventures. Here's a few more pictures of things we've been up to:

This is what happens when a 9 year old is the photographer on a bouncy boat

Of course we have been spending time at the lake- on the boat, at beaches, and on hikes around it. I love this place.

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The adults got some climbing time in while the kids held down the house

This is a lot of kids for just two families.

We had a quick visit from Jon (my cousin) and Liz and their kids.

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"Live after 5" has two locations this year- Here we are in post falls enjoying one of our favorite local bands.

The showing of "Spring Awakening." I don't think either of us were fully prepared beforehand for the gravity of this show.

Rach and I have gotten out on our own a little bit as well. 

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A bake sale was only one of the ways he saved up money for this purchase

And then there is this. It's a hampster. Jackson worked so hard to earn money, has demonstrated so much responsibility, and was so excited about this smelly little rodent that we couldn't say no. He lives on Jack's shelf and his name is Cosmo. That is all.

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Have a good week!

Thanks to phone apps, we can see the cool old man that I intend to be. Apparently, however, either my eyesight or my coordination will be faulty at this age, because I only shaved half of my face.