This week is one of those that is hard to write about because there is so much stuff that it doesn't fit well into a single blog post. At the same time, I have far better things to do than sit in front of a computer and endlessly report on our lives to the rest of the world. One update per week is about as much as I've got in me, and that is only because I like printing the books at the end of the year.

Well, to be honest, that's not the ONLY reason I write. It's also a little bit flattering to track the stats of our blog and realize that there are actually quite a lot of people each week who, for some crazy reason, find our little family adventures relevant to their lives. I have no idea who these people are. I'm sure that some are family or close friends, but there are way too many unique views each week for this alone to account for it.

Who knows- maybe legions of internet stalkers? Maybe someone out there is going to try and steal my identity, or my children, or my stuff, and they are going to somehow use the information I post on this blog to do it. After all, I'm sure there are lots of creepers out there. It's a scary, scary world we live in, full of predators just waiting for naive saps like me! And if I wasn't me, I could probably get myself pretty scared and worked up over the possibilities- especially if I was an avid consumer of Fox News or the Reader's Digest.

But I am me, and I realize that the actual, real-life chances of this are about as close to zero as you can get, and so instead of getting worried, I prefer to think that all these unknown visitors are people from our shared past who we don't do a good enough job keeping in touch with. People we used to see every day maybe, and who's trajectories in life crossed with ours for a few brief, albeit wonderful moments. Referral sources and locations of our viewers (Facebook, MHS Class of 2000 blog, and Utah) seem to bear out these conclusions. I also think this is possible because I know that I still read their blogs and Facebook walls and annual Christmas cards, and I still care about what goes on in their lives even though I might not see them again for a very long time, if ever. But when I do, I will feel like we are still connected in some small way, despite the years since we talked. Maybe this is a distinctive type of friendship that is only made possible by the advent of social media. Maybe it is not as good as picking up a phone and talking to people, and I understand that criticism...but maybe it also makes it possible to maintain relationships over a long term that would otherwise wither up and die of natural causes. After all, we all have people like that in our lives- buddies from high school or college roommates, friends from another town, or extended family members who no longer play a significant role in our day-to-day activities. But who knows- maybe they are reading this blog.

Well...that was an unexpected detour of thought (something I'm sure forensicists could use to authenticate my writing).

But if in fact, there are scores of old friends reading this, then let it be known that there is one thing I want you to know. Because of all the posts that I write and of all the pictures I put up, or stories that I tell, there is one underlying theme that permeates almost every entry. It is this:

I am totally in love with my wife, Rachel, and living life with her by my side is absolutely the greatest adventure a person could ever hope for.

This week marked our eleven year anniversary, and really there are a lot of things I could say. I could write an entire post about how she is the best friend I have ever had, and how much fun I have just doing stuff with her. I could gush on and on about how impressive it is to me that she is able to so elegantly balance the responsibilities of home life with her advancing career and hobbies. I could talk of shared victories, or heartache, or dreams, and how these things have brought us closer together than I ever thought possible. And it would be easy to lose myself in counting all the ways I am a better person because of her...if anything because she is sometimes the only person willing to call me out and stand her ground when I need to be put in my place. But in the end, nothing I could write would really do justice to what these eleven years have meant. So I'll just leave it at this- I love her dearly and I am honored that she has chosen me to be her partner on the crazy roller-coaster of life.

Eleven years down, and more excited than ever for the rest to follow.

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As far as our week goes, we stayed pretty busy (as always).

To start the weekend off right, we loaded up the car on Friday and headed up into the hills. Camping is getting easier and funner as our kids grow up and can be given more freedom, which really showed on this trip. Here are some pictures:

All set up

Evelyn said she was "doin' the Urkel." How does she even know what that is!? Apparently her music teacher taught her. Now, I've never met this teacher, but I would bet that he is probably in her early-mid 30s.

We were throwing rocks in the river and Jackson sort of missed the water and nailed my head instead.

Our traditional fairy house, or in this case, a "fairy fun hotel.". All the kids helped with this one.

I've written about this before, but one of my favorite things about the mountains is waking up early and enjoying the sunrise. On this particular day there was a herd of deer grazing about 50 feet from our tents when I got up. Beautiful.

Evelyn got up early also, and we went on a hike together so the others could sleep.

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When we got back from camping, we had time to clean out the car and take showers before the baby sitter arrived. That afternoon, Rachel and I had a date to see the stage production of Newsies. Let me tell you, this show did not disappoint. Of all the shows I have seen, I cannot think of a single one with as much energy as this one. The choreography and acrobatics of the dance numbers was absolutely stunning, the music brought me back to my childhood, and the stage work was so spectacular that the set itself almost became a character of the play.

To make things even better, we had some of the best seats in the house and could clearly see the ASL interpreter who was one of Rachel's friends/coworkers. This part particularly inspired Rachel, and I would not be surprised at all if she is up there on stage at some point in the near future.

After the show we went to a downtown restaurant for appetizers, and then walked around the mall for a while. It was a great afternoon.

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Sunday, of course, was Mother's Day. The kids and I got up early to make breakfast in bed for Rachel, and we presented her with the various presents the kids had put together. Let me just say that we do not need to plant a garden this year- it already exists in the form of potted plants on our kitchen counter. I guess Evelyn  got her wish after all (see last week's post).

One of the projects that Evelyn had done is school for Mother's Day was a persuasion-piece about why her mom should be on the cover of People Magazine. By the structure of the writing, I'm guessing she was told to form 3 arguments to make her case. In order, here they are:

1) She is the best "sports mom." Evelyn elaborates about how Rachel has gone out of her way to do classes for and with each child individually to help them explore their talents, and about how she somehow finds time to go to all their activities. You've got to admit, with five kids, this is pretty impressive.

2) She has an important job. Evelyn realizes that Rachel is a professional and is using her talents to help other people. It is also noticed that this same job is a source of personal fulfillment and enjoyment that is important to Rachel. I think it is really cool that Evelyn is starting to realize this, and even to see it as something worth bragging about.

3) She is the "house chauffeur." It is clear that Evelyn doesn't know what this word means, because in this paragraph she doesn't mention Rachel as a taxi service, but as someone who is able to maintain a mostly put-together household despite the craziness of a big family. I think it was nice for Rachel to get a little recognition from a child on this matter, and yes, she does this spectacularly.

In conclusion, I would have to agree with Evelyn. Her mom is pretty "groovy" (Ev's word, not mine).

To solidify her "groove," we had a family karaoke night and Rachel busted it out pretty spectacularly. Together, we're pretty good at show-tunes or Disney songs, but you won't see us on stage singing any pop music for a while...like...ever. Our rendition of "Just Give Me a Reason" was pretty awful. But that's what karaoke is for, right?

So there you go, an anniversary and Mother's day all in one post- and her birthday is coming up next week. You're pretty awesome, Rach.

One more picture for the week. We have been doing a lot of family bike rides lately and it is a lot of fun. It's all I can do to keep up with everyone.

Have a good week!

Do you know why I'me excited for Lindsey to get older?
Why?
Because then we can get potted plants!
    -Evelyn. Random.

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It's been a good night.

Rachel gets home late on Tuesday nights, so I get to hang out with the kids for a long time on my own. Today we all did yard work together, and it was actually a lot of fun. I got the lawn mowed and the garage cleaned, and then we went in and had pizza and ice cream for dinner (it's a dad thing). After dinner we read a few chapters out of our current bed-time book (The BFG), and then they went to bed (and stayed there!).

As for me, I turned on the sprinklers and then sat on my deck and enjoyed watching the sun go down. The air still smelled of cut grass, and the gentle tsk-tsk-tsk of the sprinkler could be heard alongside birds, someone mowing their lawn in the far distance, and the neighborhood game of basketball taking place in the street.

I know it's not official yet, but tonight my brain told me for the first time this year that it is Summer. I love it.
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As for our week, I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Our house project this last month has been Evelyn and Addy's room. We painted the walls and ceilings, got new curtains, a nice new dresser, and new bunk beds. We're not quite done yet, but we are getting really close. The installment of the beds was a major milestone, and it made it so the kids could actually sleep in there again (we still have to put the bedding on though). Hopefully we'll finish things up this week. It's about time.

Then on to the next thing! (Jacks room, I think. Or maybe the deck. Or the fence. Or the shop/home gym. Or the sprinkler system. Or...oh, I give up. Owning a house is an endless task list. At least we find enjoyment in doing this stuff together.)  

This is what the weather looked like on Saturday when we decided to go on a family walk. The weather app said it was supposed to be nice though, so we got the kids in the car and drove up to Farragut State Park.

We got there, and sure enough, the sun had come out and it was absolutely beautiful for the rest of the afternoon. Technology is crazy. Oh- also, I'm pretty sure our kids would get lost in the forest in about ten seconds if it wasn't for us keeping a sharp eye out. "Trail? What trail?" Notice the blue dot in the background. That is Jackson trying to get lost. 

Finally, we stumbled onto this old forest service road. The older kids went in front to protect us from cougars and bears. The sticks are their weapons.

We followed behind.

We did about two miles. I think Lindsey walked at least half that distance on her own. Most of it was in circles. She really seemed to dislike the grass on the side of the road and took it as her personal duty to trample over each and every offensive blade...with a vengeance! It was a fun afternoon.

I had to put this one up because both these girls are so pretty in it! Rachel and Addy on a Mommy-Ice-Cream-Date. Notice their artwork in the back. Very creative. 

Well, that's about it. In a couple of days we will celebrate Cinco de Mayo, which is always a big day for us (it's our wedding anniversary). We have fun weekend plans, and in keeping with tradition we might host our first backyard BBQ of the year. We'll see. I've noticed that as our kids get older we have begun to regain some of the spontaneity that was sacrificed to the combined needs of a large, young family. It's a fun season we are in.

Enjoy the Summer!

"Today while I was going to the bathroom my nose started bleeding and it got really messy but it was okay because my dad cleaned it up with toilet paper!"
            -Maren, very loudly, while standing in front of our entire church congregation. Lovely.

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As I'm sure everyone knows, we had a major holiday this past week. It's true- according to Wikipedia, Earth Day is the largest secular holiday in the world, and is celebrated in 192 countries. To celebrate this momentous event, we went to not one, but two different festivals. Yep- we like the earth that much...and there wasn't much else going on this weekend.

The first one we went to was in Spokane. It was characterized by a lot of politically outspoken young people who wanted to save the planet. Most of them had hemp jewelry and/or dreadlocks, wore recycled t-shirts, and had lots of piercings and tattoos of either flowers or tribal symbols. The air was filled with sounds of Indian drums and the distinctive sweet smell of...earthy things (remember, this is Washington). It was interesting, because as I looked around I realized that I probably agreed with them, at least in principal, on most of what they stood for. At the same time, the culture was completely foreign to me, and my own lifestyle probably had very little in common with theirs. I felt a little bit out of place with our little family circus. Also, if I'm honest with myself, it made it so that I was probably less likely to buy into the ideas they were advocating for.

The one kid-centered booth in Spokane. Make a Salmon? Weird...and a little fishy :) It was next to the booth where you can give a "peace blessing" on the earth. The person running that booth was holding an inflatable globe in his hands and singing in a high falsetto "I've got the whole world/in my hands..." You can't make this stuff up. 

The second festival we went to was in Coeur d'Alene and this one seemed like it was tailored specifically to families like ours. We got there and the first thing we saw was a huge water table with sand and plastic plants and toy animals that the kids could play with. There was a guy there to explain erosion and stuff to the kids who were interested. A little further down we saw a group of volunteers helping kids to plant their own vegetables in makeshift newspaper cups. Still further was an animal-rescue group who had live-animal demonstrations showing the harmful effects that environmental negligence can have. Other interactive booths and demonstrations were plentiful, and our kids had a great time. The expected political activists were there too, with their booths and petitions and causes, but they didn't seem quite as angry and they actually explained their positions rather than simply raising their fists of solidarity into the air as if that was a good enough argument in itself. I had fun at this one, and I was disappointed that we didn't have more time. Also, I found myself identifying more with the message, and I even got suckered into signing a petition for a very nice young college student who seemed almost timid to talk to me.

Planting vegetables

Maren explaining to me how an owl can catch food with it's sharp talons.

Does anyone else find this interesting? I guess I am pointing out the power that ethos can have in a conversation. When you can identify with the person talking to you, it's amazing how much more credibility they seem to have, and it makes it so much easier for that person to influence you (and vice-versa). Realizing this makes me wonder what ideas or opinions or feelings I think I have for "logical" reasons, but which are really just imposed on me through my own psychological conditioning, and whether or not there is a good way for me to be able to tell the difference between the two. Personally I think there are ways (even good ways) to tell the two apart, but that it requires a great deal of diligence and humility which is difficult, if not impossible, to exercise one hundred percent of the time.

Anyway, just another random Logan-thought for the week.

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Earlier this week, Evelyn arranged a play-date with one of her friends. She made an invitation and everything, and when her friend came over it was my cue to leave with the others. I think Ev had a great time, and I know we did. Everyone got ice cream in the end, so I guess it was a successful evening.

Addy, Jack, Maren, and I went and explored the river before getting hot fudge sundaes- "Papa Sundaes" according to the kids.

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Well, yesterday was my last free Monday for a while. .

Lately, I have been reaping the benefits of having three doctors to split between two practices. This meant that I only had to work 4 days per week, and that I had virtually unlimited vacation time. Well, recently one of our doctors had a great opportunity to open a new practice in Pocatello, and is leaving our group for greener pastures. Who can blame him? And while I'm happy for him and wish him all the best, my selfish side still kicks in a little and wishes it wasn't so. Starting next week I will no longer have three day weekends or free vacations.

Life is so full of first-world problems sometimes.

As a sort of farewell to Mondays, Rachel and I took Maren and Lindsey out to eat at a "fancy restaurant" (Denny's) yesterday, and then went on a hike and to a bounce house. Maren said it was the best day ever. I had fun too. The bounce house had a giant wall of velcro and the kids could put on suits so that you could throw them at the wall and make them stick. There was even a point system based on how high you got them to stick. Unfortunately, Maren wasn't as into this idea as much as I was. Where's Jack when you need him?

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Who would have thought that a drawer like this would be at the front desk of a dental office? Well, it is.

 

At least we have this drawer to keep the score even

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Well, to finish up I'll share just a few more Lindsey pictures and then wish everyone a great week:

Her favorite things: coloring while laying on the kitchen floor and trying on shoes

Have a great week!

So, the other day I was out for my morning run and I noticed a flock of geese flying above me. Immediately, I thought of the song "Wind Beneath My Wings" and then I thought "that song is totally wrong!"

Around this time, I thought "where do these random thoughts come from," but then I just wrote it off as a side effect of running- kind of like when you are half way between being awake and asleep and you don't really have total control over your thoughts- running will do that to you.

Anyway, back to the geese. See, I thought about how the only birds that actually need wind beneath their wings are the ones that don't ever get anywhere- they just go in endless circles (until they find a dead thing to eat...then they land, I suppose). The birds that go the distance though, those are the ones that create their own wind by flapping their wings, and it doesn't matter what the wind says or what anything else says- they are going where they want to go because they are going to make it happen by their own sheer force of will. But even then, they can't do it alone. Nope. Birds that fly the absolute farthest go in flocks and fly in aerodynamic v-formations and constantly change the lead to make things easier on the others. This requires all the birds to be strong since they will all have to take a turn supporting the others. None of them NEED the others to succeed; rather, they choose to fly in groups in order to be even better than they already are.

Yeah- it's a weird thought, but Rachel said I should use it as a blog opening, so there you go.

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Well, this weekend has been pretty fantastic for me. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of everything, but I can still write about it.

To start out with, all three offices of Loftus Family Dental took Friday off to hold their first annual summit (a big team-building day of rah-rah-rah and gimmicky motivational talks- but a lot of fun too and very productive in bringing people together around a common goal). We did it at the Coeur d'Alene resort and it was actually a really, really good time. I am lucky to work with such an amazing group of people. That night we rented a cruise boat on Lake CDA and we had a reception-like thing. Again- lots of fun.

The team I work with every day- couldn't ask for a better group of people

Here we are in "Great Gatsby" costume before the cruise. 

A random picture that ended up on my phone during an activity we did.

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Saturday was all about family. We started out by going to a park and riding scooters and bikes for several hours. We then picked up lunch at a fast-food place and went straight to the Kroc Center for swimming. The kids love the pool there (especially when the lake/river are still too cold) and we had a great time. It gets easier and easier to do things like this as the kids get older and I am really looking forward to this Summer.

That night, we got a babysitter and Rachel and I dressed up and went on an awesome date. First we ate at one of our favorite places, then we drove to the river and just walked the trail for about 45 minutes while we talked. Finally, we drove downtown and saw an outstanding production of "Next to Normal," a Broadway show about mental illness. 

Wow. It was definitely not the kind of show you go to for light entertainment. It was, on the other hand, the sort of performance that sticks with you for a long time and forces you to think about the implications of things. Oh, it also had a pretty awesome musical score- like, how to people think of this stuff? Genius! Two major themes it explored are summed up in the lyrics "Everything's great. Why wouldn't it be great? It's great." Versus the idea of "Give me pain, if that's what's real. It's the price we pay to feel." Another lyric that really got me thinking was "What happens if the cut, the burn, the break, Was never in my brain, or in my blood, but in my soul?" On top of all this, it definitely helped me to appreciate the life we have together in our family that suddenly seems very "normal" even though from time to time things can seem a little crazy.

Anyway, I think that for me, the thoughts and feelings evoked by this play will continue rippling for a long time.

Jack is really into tree-climbing lately

Exploring the park

Before our date. Can I just point out how radiant Rachel is in this picture?

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Sunday was a great day for me on a personal level. First of all, it was my turn to play lead this week at church and the songs that were selected were some of my favorite to play and I totally nailed it, including my little solo part. Can I just say that feels good? It does. Man, I love the guitar.

After church, we went to a park for a family picnic and more playing/exploring/scooter-riding. Rachel bought these Razor scooters for everyone about a month ago just sort of on a whim, and it probably turned out being one of the best ideas ever. Our kids will ride around for hours at a time, and never seem to get tired or bored. The scooters are small enough to take with us when we go places, and they are easy enough to ride that even Maren can get in on the action. Chalk up a win for the parents!

After lunch I went and ran a 5k and set a new personal record, which also feels pretty fantastic. I genuinely think that I am in better shape right now than I have ever been at any other time in my life, and I am loving that my body lets me do that. Thank you Mom and Dad for passing down some pretty great genetic material- it wasn't so awesome when I looked like I was in middle school during my senior year, but it sure is nice now that I can predictably plan on being "25" well into my 40s.

After my race I went down to Qemiln park with the drummer from our band and some other friends and we climbed for a few hours and just enjoyed the mountains in the beautiful weather of a North Idaho spring.

Follow that up with dinner and a great family dessert night (Me and Addy made Andes Mint brownies) and it makes for one really full, really good day.

The scooter gang

Lindsey was a great helper with our picnic. Also, I'm not 100% sure where that hat came from. 

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And now here we are on Monday. Once the kids were off to school this morning, Rachel and I went shopping with Maren and Lindsey for paint (we're doing Evelyn/Addy's room) and then we brought the kids on a hike by the lake. Now the kids are sleeping, the house is clean, and Rachel is at work. I just finished the blog and I think I'll take a quick nap before school gets out.

Life is good.

Evelyn's school pictures

That stuffed animal on Jack's back is "Rocket." It's his class pet, and Jack has taken him on some pretty wild adventures this week. If I get a chance, I'll share Jackson's report on a different post.

It's been a few weeks, and I need to get something out of the way before I update- a confession, if you will. The lack of recent updates on this blog is in no way indicative that we haven't been as busy as ever. In fact, we have probably been even more busy than average with the beautiful weather and everything. So, what does the relative silence indicate on this blog?

Laziness. Yep, I admit it. I think about it from time to time, and the further behind I get the more it forces its way to the front of my mind, but so far I have been able to force those nagging thoughts to the side and just not do the work that is required. So, for anyone who will believe it, believe this- I am a lazy bum.

I feel bad too, because there are literally dozens of people who read this blog, and I am sure they are all feeling very let down right about now by my complete lack of attention to their needs. To them, let me just say...

The weather has been beautiful and I have better things to do with my time. Deal with it.

Oh, and I'm sorry. :)

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To start, let's revisit Spring Break where we went to Rexburg and had a mini-family reunion. We did Easter egg hunts and took family pictures and played games and talked a lot. In the past our family has been so spread out that informal gatherings like this have been nearly impossible (Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Idaho). Many of us still aren't super close (in a geographic sense), but we are a lot closer now than we have been in the last 10 years or so, and it is nice that people are willing to go out of their way to get together like this. I'm already looking forward to next time.

I wish I had more pics, but this is all I took with my camera...

Never one to go easy on the kids, Griffin tries his best to get Bennet out in our family "softball" game.

BFFs

More Besties

On one night, all the ladies went to a church thing and the guys cooked ribs and ate junk food and played with fire.

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Spring is one of my favorite times of the year because it means that we get to start climbing a lot more outdoors. Now, I climb for a lot of reasons. I love the intellectual problem-solving aspect of a difficult sequence. I love the physicality of the movement. I love the emotional challenge of embracing the risk of failure and trusting yourself during a difficult lead in spite of sometimes-overwhelming fear and fatigue. I love the social aspect- standing around with other climbers and working routes while talking shop- or just talking about nothing at all. I love getting outside in beautiful areas and enjoying views and positions that are only rewarded to those who put the work in to deserve them. I love it all. Climbing is, to me, a perfect sport, but it's also so much more. I also see it as a poetic metaphor of life that takes place in the give and take between a climber and the unforgiving rock. It's beautiful.

Lately, I have also began to enjoy climbing for another reason, and that is in sharing this pastime with my kids. Of all of them, Jackson is by far the most enthusiastic and he will often initiate the planning process for a climbing trip. He's also pretty good, for a six-year-old. I don't want to put too much pressure on him, but secretly I hope he stays with it for the long haul. I think he has a lot of natural talent and it would be a commonality between us that could last for a long time. 

On one of our many trips, Jackson practices placing quickdraws on a 5.6 route in Q'emiln Park

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Here are a few more pictures of things we have done recently:

Every month, The Home Depot does a craft day that we like going to. Here, the kids are building butterfly houses and then painting them. Very fun.

We are constantly finding new places to go. This is a new trail system we discovered last Sunday and the kids and I had a great time starting with a picnic and then a lot of exploration both on and off the beaten path.

Our first camping trip of the year (in the backyard). Many, many more to follow. I think we'll even try a few backpacking trips this year so the kids can develop a taste for "real" camping.

On Monday when I got home from my normal run, Rachel arranged for a babysitter to watch Maren and Lindsey while we enjoyed a great breakfast date and hike together.

I'm sure people are tired of hearing it, but I'm going to keep saying it over and over again- I LOVE WHERE WE LIVE!

Have a good week!