Get ready for lots of pictures!

To start with, let me share a couple from our week leading up to Memorial Day:

Maren graduated from preschool on Thursday. She had a lot of fun this year and made some good friends. Next year...more preschool. Yeah, it's sort of anticlimactic. 

Here's one I took of Jack and Maren after bed-time. They were supposed to be sleeping, but Maren was scared so Jack was reading her bed-time stories. It turns out that for all the fighting and bickering they do, they sure know how to take care of each other. I sure love these guys.

To be honest, most of the week was spent getting ready for the weekend. We like it when people come to visit because it forces us to do a little spring cleaning that we have been putting off.

Here's a little secret- our house normally looks like five young and very active children live in it. If you come over and it doesn't look this way, then it's probably because we have just barely cleaned it. No worries- stay around for another ten minutes and it'll be right back to normal!

Well, we got our job-list done and we were ready for them to walk in the door on Friday during our family pizza movie night (less mess to clean up). "Oh, hello! Yeah, we were just relaxing a little bit. You know, it's not like we just spent an entire week getting the house and yard in presentable condition. Nope, we don't worry about stuff like that. It just sort of happens by magic. Come on in!"

Don't lie- we all do it.

It was totally worth it though, because once they got here we were able to put everything else on hold and just enjoy each other's company. We had a great time too! Here come the pictures!

Early Saturday morning, Rachel woke up and went on a fifty mile bike ride. No big deal. She got home right around the time that most of us were waking up.

We then proceeded to load bikes onto the cars and drive up to the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, a beautiful bike path that winds its way through the mountains along the river. I graciously offered to pull the trailer to give Rachel's legs a break. Aren't I a nice guy!

Our kids all did great on the ride, and especially enjoyed the picnic lunch we had at the halfway point. It was a beautiful morning.

After being active for the morning, we had to stop by the resort and get some Gooeys at Dockside. Nothing like a little ice cream to put the calories back on!

It's really too bad that we don't have any other pictures of that evening. We got a sitter for the kids and the adults went out on their own. We had a wonderful waterfront dinner, followed by a production of Guys and Dolls at the Spokane Civic Theater. The actors put on a good show for a bunch of people with day jobs, and it was a very enjoyable night.

The next day started out bright and early for me when I went and ran the Coeur d'Alene half marathon. My dad and Evelyn went early with me to make sure I got started in time, and the rest of the family met me at the finish line. It was a nice run, and a good warm-up for some of the more serious races I have scheduled for later this year. The only disappointment for me was the shirt- in the past they have had really nice ones and this time it was a cheap cotton hoodie thing that I'll probably never wear. Oh well.

The rest of Sunday was spent with church, family walks, a big dinner, and an awesome dessert night thanks to Grandma and Evelyn.

Monday saw us at Farragut State Park where we did a short hike along the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille. It was another pretty day, and we had a nice snack while throwing rocks in the water and watching butterflies. From there, we ate a quick lunch in the park and then said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa.

That evening we had a campfire in our back yard and did a nice BBQ with roasted marshmallows and everything.

Have a good week!

Anyone who has been to a parade before is probably familiar with the "horse diaper"- a bag tied to the rear end of a horse with the intent to make things easier for the marching band that is following 20 yards behind. Well, events from the week have caused me to draw from this concept to come up with a whole new invention.

Introducing The Barf Bagger.

Yup. Our kids have been sick, sick, sick, and sick. 4 of them. Lindsey was the worse though, because she is the only one who can't carry around a bowl. Let's just say that I have cleaned up more throw-up on the carpet in two days than I would ever hope to do in a lifetime. It was pretty gross.

During dinner, Maren was feeling so yucky she decided to just lay down and die...or at least fall asleep. It was literally about 10 seconds from the time she hit the floor to the time she was out cold. Poor girl.

So...obviously we took it easy over the weekend and didn't go on any major adventures. We still had fun though.

The three older kids can play Scrabble. What a great way to work on spelling and vocabulary! Maren was on my team and made a great cheer-leader.

After people started feeling a little bit better, I brought the 4 older kids to see a movie at the cheap theater. Please ignore the fact that I look like I have no teeth in this picture. The person who took it was not a very conscientious photographer. 

Also this weekend, I had my study club. I didn't do a surgery this time, but it was still one of the most informative meetings I have been to in the past few years in terms of good practical knowledge that I can take home and use in my practice.

There is an old saying that I have always liked- "When you look around and find that you are the smartest (fastest, strongest, most skilled) person in the room, you know it's time to find a new room." I have always tried to surround myself with people who I felt would force me to be better than I am, and study club definitely fits this criteria. I am one of the youngest doctors there, and the sheer amount of knowledge that gets thrown around in some of the more heated moments is nothing short of inspiring.

Well, that's about it for the weekend.

As for the week itself, there were a few notable events.

To start with, Rachel got old this week. She's 34 now, which it turns out is exactly the same age as the oldest professional inline skater...ever. So, I guess that option is pretty much closed off to her now.

Besides this one major disappointment, Rachel is taking the birthday thing pretty well though. Really well, in fact. She was spoiled by the kids (and a little bit by her husband) with new camping gear and some nice "out-on-the-town" attire. She is in great physical shape and is loving the busy-yet-balanced lifestyle that she has built for herself.

Also, according to a study of over 2000 "older" adults, age 34 happens to be the happiest year of most people's lives, so she has a lot to look forward to. (Never mind that I got this number from a tabloid magazine that was printed on a random webpage on the internet- it says what I want it to say so I believe it to be accurate.)

She officially had her birthday on Wednesday, but we celebrated on Friday so that we could have a bigger party. We decorated the house and had cake and opened presents and everything. I even did the dishes that night.

Happy Birthday, Love.

The kids also had some activities this week...

Maren's end-of-year pre-school presentation. Obviously, a farmer theme. Maren was really excited about her toucan shirt because in her world tropical birds are farm animals.

Our church teamed up with another local church and BikeCDA to host a hot-dog roast and bike safety course for kids. It had a great turn-out. The 4 oldest went and had a great time. When we arrived, the organizers informed us that we were welcome to stay and watch if we wanted, but that they had planned on most parents leaving. Score! Rachel, Lindsey, and I got an unanticipated two-hour getaway to a nice Italian restaurant. Everyone wins!

We are looking forward to next weekend when my parents are coming up to hang out with us. It should be fun, and by then I'm sure everyone will be feeling back to their normal crazy selves.

Have a good week!

Rachel is at the hospital visiting a friend, but will be back in about an hour. Kids are in bed. I am at home nursing my sore jaw (I had a filling done today) and gaining a new level of respect for the patients I see every day who entrust me with their care. It's a quiet night- the best kind for writing a blog post.

You know, the other day I was thinking about an activity I was a part of (I don’t remember when or why) where I was asked to think of the physical trait that I liked most about myself. The answer, at the time, came easily. It still does. Without a doubt, I would say my hands.

This is where I get a little vain. Because no one could deny that these hands are pretty awesome. These are hands that can hang from two fingers on an edge the size of a pencil, or do pull-ups by pinching a 2x4 from below. These are hands that can perform surgeries where the difference between success and failure is measured in tenths of millimeters. These are hands that dance over the strings of a guitar every weekend to make beautiful music for hundreds of people. These hands have strength, grace, and skill. I love my hands, and I am a little bit obsessed with them.

The problem? There is a very real likelihood that I will one day be asking my 5-year-old grandchildren to open cans for me, or that I will have to use large, oversized pencils to sign my name. See, arthritis, especially in the hands, sort of runs in my family. Despite all we know about modern medicine, there is still no good way to prevent it. This sort of sucks.

Of course things could be worse. Because the other fortune that my genetics tell is that, barring accident or injury, I will probably live my entire life with my mind and physical facilities mostly intact. In fact, I will probably not only be able to function in routine daily activities, but in athletic endeavors as well far into my golden years. For this, I am glad.

But my hands.

I’m sitting here trying to find a silver lining to all this, but I can’t really. I guess that’s just part of life, and I better enjoy these hands to their fullest potential while I'm still young.

Is that fact that I am even thinking about this mean that I'm getting old? Who knows. I mean, here I am at the ripe old age of 33, already mourning the loss of my youth. It seems a little bit ridiculous.

But the hands.

Tough.

******

Addy and Evelyn both had performances this week for classes they have been taking. Evelyn did hip-hop, and it was so fun to watch. She had the attitude down, and she didn't seem nervous at all. Go Ev!

Front and Center

Addy was in a drama class, and they did a dramatized version of "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. She was super excited before the show, and just a little bit nervous during it. She had a good time though, and is already talking about continuing the classes.

"...You can get so confused that yo'll start in to race
Down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace..."

******

This last week I have had fun doing lunch-time activities with the kids.

We went to the park with Lindsey and Maren. They liked chasing the families of geese. I think Lindsey's shoes make her look sort of like a goose when she walks. It's funny.

Evelyn invited us to a "tea party" at her school where she served us treats while the teachers talked about how much progress the kids had all made over the past year. After snack time we went into Ev's classroom and saw some of the projects she has been working on.

******

Speaking of Evelyn, as part of her class at school she sends emails to me and Rach every week with updates. They are always good. Her is her latest (Formatting is all hers):

Dear Mom and Dad,

I have had a good week at school today.

Did you like the Spring Tea, if you did why? I liked my poem, did you? Can  I bring something for the food drive, ha, ha, ha, get it, can as in the food is canned, ha, ha, well can I? Recess has been fun. Monday, I get to bring a stuffed animal to school. Tuesday I  get to dress up sportsey. Wednesday I get to wear my pj's to school. Thursday I get to wear my hair up wacky. Friday I get to wear Rainbow close. Now you know I had, and am going to have a good week!

******

Addy and Jack have been getting along really well lately. With twins, it sometimes feels like they are tag-teaming you into insanity (the other 3 only add to this). Other times though, and it is just fun to watch them play together and you realize that some pretty strong bonds are being formed.

"Oh boy! This is a tough job. I need a smart boy like Jack to help me!"   -Addy

Here they are playing a game at a church picnic we went to this weekend

******

On Sunday we had big plans. After church, we were going to go to a lunch/playdate at a local park with some new friends. We would have just enough time to recover from that when we were going to have company over to our place for a big BBQ dinner. It was going to be a pretty full day.

But then it rained. And rained. And rained. We re-scheduled all the meet-ups and suddenly we were looking at a free afternoon with no commitments. What to do?

Go on a road trip, of course!

Palouse Falls is a place I have always wanted to explore, and it did not disappoint. This place was really, really cool.

Now, before I go on, I want to encourage everyone to get onto Google Images and look up professional photos of the Palouse and Palouse Falls. I'm sorry, but I just can't do the place justice with my little phone camera and amateur photography skills.

Alright- now that you have done that (you did, right?), I can show pictures of our trip:

The trip was worth it for the drive alone. Beautiful!

I really appreciated that there were no fences or anything. They did go through the trouble however, of putting signs up every 50 feet  reminding you that you would be 100% responsible for the financial costs of rescue and/or evacuation efforts. I wonder how many times each year this becomes an issue.

On the other hand, no fences meant some pretty awesome views.

Some of these views were so spectacular that it was almost scary to open our eyes!

For those who wanted to get even closer to the action, there was one of the coolest little day-hikes I have ever been on. It led down into the canyon and along the river right up to the brink of the falls themselves. Some parts were actually pretty technical, especially since the whole trail was slick with the recent rain. Rachel stayed up at top with Maren and Lindsey while the rest of us went exploring.

Goodbye!

Descending into the canyon

Kind-of cool walking next to the huge cliffs

There were tons of little caves all along the bottom of these cliffs. Some of them went back pretty far!

Walking along the river

Almost there

Made it!

What a fun Sunday afternoon! This is definitely a place we will have to visit again.

******

Tonight we went out to a fancy dinner for family night and then to the grocery store for the food drives the kids are doing with their classes. For the lesson, the three older kids all got to teach Rachel and Maren what they learned about hiking. Addy said that when it gets tricky or scary you need to just focus on your feet and not look at anything else. Ev talked about how people usually get hurt more on the way back because they think the hard part is over but it really isn't, and their bodies and minds are tired so they are more likely to make mistakes. Jack talked about testing the ground to make sure it is solid before committing your weight to a particular move, and about always thinking about what you will do if you fall so that you can catch yourself before you slip too far.

All good things. Can you tell that our kids are being groomed for the mountains? Yeah- there's a reason for that.

Have a good week!

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.

******

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.

******

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.

******

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.

______________

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.
_______________

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!