Fall is here and I love it! There is energy in the air. 

I usually take Ev to school in the mornings on my way to work. Lately, however, she has been doing the driving, leaving me free to bask in the sunrise.

This was homecoming week at the high school. For a kid in band, that means things get busy. A parade, a football game, an assembly, and a halftime show, all on top of getting ready for the big dance, and still trying to fall into the swing of things with classes and school and homework and music lessons. I am completely serious when I say that it sounds really difficult to be an involved teen.

Ev played in the pep band at the football game, and then did a halftime show with the drumline. The four of us went to watch, and I have to say I felt more "school spirit" than I have in a long time. It was totally fun getting in on the game and cheering and buying junk food from the students and just being a part of the community that we haven't really experienced before with younger kids. I think these high school events will become regular things for us.

Getting ready for the dance. (The tie was re-tied to the proper length). She went and hung out with friends before the dance and got photos with them...hopefully I can get some of those to post a little later.

Rach and I went to a comedy night

This post is very heavy on the Evelyn, isn't it? Well, she is the oldest. Anyway, we do "culture nights" from time to time that are directed by individual kids. Ev and Rachel worked for like 3 hours in the kitchen the other day to make an excellent Greek-themed dinner. I think it was good bonding time for them.

Here are a few more homecoming photos:

Have a good week!

This is going to be a quick photos-with-captions kind of post. I'm right in the middle of some of the biggest months I have ever had at work, which doesn't leave a lot of time in between patients to write literary masterpieces. 

Ok. Here you go.

This is follow-up from a previous post where Adalie and Evelyn's bird died. Jackson spent a lot of time organizing a funeral. He made a bird coffin and he wrote out a little speech. Well, he says he wrote it. I'm wondering if the internet helped a little. Either way, it is worth it to make the picture big and read it.

Addy and Jack turned 14. Rachel made a cake.

They each took one friend with them and spent the day at a trampoline place.

Happy birthday to these two!

Arbor Crest in the fall. Beautiful place with beautiful music and a beautiful lady. Life is beautiful..

Some of us went on a walk around Farragut State Park.

This is the same walk/hike as above. Cool temps and sunny skies.

Lake. Sunset. Music. French Fries. Need I say more?

We went up to Silver Mountain and took the Gondola up to the top. Of course we had to get pizza first, because this pizza is the best.

We hiked up some of our favorite ski runs. We all agreed that it is much more fun going down. Fast. In the snow. Ski season is just around the corner.

Have a good week!

Rachel's Ladies Weekend

Large families like ours tend to have their own special kind of culture and 'in' group. Logan and I have worked a bit behind the scenes to cultivate this family connectivity. At the same time we are very aware that as our kids grow it becomes increasingly important to encourage them to branch out and create their own identities with friends completely separate from family.  The balance between friend and family time can be tough, and I am more than happy to provide a good example of what that looks like! 

I have been looking forward to the last weekend in August since Summer began. It was the weekend that Jamie, Kristin, and I shed all family responsibilities and took off for a Ladies Excursion. My sister, Shannon, gifted me three Lindsey Stirling tickets for a concert in Missoula. This is all of the encouragement that we needed to plan a full ladies weekend!

Kristin, Jamie, and I are the perfect balance of personalities. I think this GIF screenshot sums us up perfectly. When we get together, fun happens.

We began our weekend in Wallace. Delicious home-made fajitas and margaritas are best enjoyed in the Wallace yard overlooking the town. After dinner and plenty of conversation we went to a local joint to play darts until 2 am! Somehow we always end up playing darts that we think we understand, but always seem to keep us on our toes by inventing new rules! The result is consistent- Kristin smokes both of us, but the machine insists that I won. 

Triple 12's! I was a bit excited. 

A cozy breakfast at the Wallace home, then off to Missoula for a bit of hot tubbing before the concert. 

Lindsey Stirling and Walk off the Earth provided a fun and energetic concert! I didn't know much about Lindsey before Shannon gave me the tickets. I was impressed with her showmanship and ability to made beautiful sounds come out of her violin while spinning dizzyingly fast hanging upside down. The Kettle House Amphitheater provided an intimate setting nestled in the hills. I will definitely be back for other concerts. Their upcoming lineup was pretty impressive. 

Sunday morning found us on a hike. When the three of us get together we typically find ourselves centering our days around active fun (skiing, hiking, running (gasp), paddleboarding, etc)! This trip was a bit more mellow, but we did get in a good hike. 

I think The Barbie Movie was created to give girlfriends a reason to go to the movies together. We couldn't pass up the opportunity and we went on Sunday to finish up our trip. It would not have been complete without dressing up, so we jumped at the opportunity! 

I arrived home refreshed and rejuvenated. Everyone should have a Jamie and a Kristin in their lives!

Have a good week!

First things first...I have missed a week. Last weekend, Rachel had a great getaway with her two besties. They hung out, saw a concert, celebrated the end of a summer well spent. She will write about this and share pictures. For now, however, I want to look in the most recent past to the visit from my parents this last weekend.

Originally we were planning a backpacking trip up the Washington coast and into the temperate rainforest that surrounds it, up a glacier, and culminating on a mountaintop. It would have been pretty spectacular. Due to a number of complicating issues however, the trip didn't happen. It'll have to wait for another day. 

My parents still came up and we did local things; We played games, went on a great bike ride, stayed in Wallace, and explored downtown Spokane. We ate good food, from backyard barbeques to Mexican street tacos, and we saw a movie in the theater. It was a laid back visit and gave us plenty of time for conversation and reconnection.

This morning our kids all woke up and went to their first day of school. The air was a little bit brisk, and I wore a sweater to work. The sun was just starting to show itself as I dropped Evelyn off in front of the high school, though it had been light for some time already. In other words, Autumn is in the air. I love it.

Here are some photos:

We'll start with these first two, which are pretty sad. The bird is Aqua. Evelyn and Addy have had her for many years, and she fills their room with her song. She started acting lethargic pretty suddenly and it became clear that she wasn't doing so well. Her breathing got slower and slower. The kids took her outside and held her in the sunshine until she peacefully closed her eyes and stopped breathing altogether. It was a tender passing. Her music will be missed.

These next several photos are from the Hiawatha trail. The faster you ride, the dirtier you get. These three rode pretty fast.

My mom and dad have not had a chance to do this trail before. We tried once, several years ago, but got rained out. This time we had perfect weather and everyone stayed in great spirits the whole time.

So, these pictures are really out of order, but that's okay. We'll let it go. This is Rachel coloring Addy's hair pink on the day before school.

This is at a park in Spokane

A bookstore in Spokane

And here we are in Wallace. We spent the night there. We went out to lunch, we walked around town, and we had a pizza movie night. We played a lot of games, and Rachel, my parents, and I had appetizers on a patio while the kids did their own thing. It was nice. This is the picture that represents all of that. 

Oh, look- we're back on the bike trail. Well, the bus actually, shuttling us back to the top.

Waiting in line for the shuttle. It was quite the wait, but well worth it

And here are some back to school photos:

10th grade

8th grade

8th grade

6th grade: New to middle school

Middle school kids

4th grade: The only kid we have left in elementary school

Have a good week!