Adams Canyon

The kids had a day off from school for a teacher prep thing, and we decided to take advantage of that time off and go on another hike, to a place we hadn't been before. It looked a bit rainy to the south, so Teag found us a place in Davis County called Adams Canyon. We packed a lunch, filled some water bottles, and headed out.

We got a little lost when Siri wouldn't take us directly to the trail head, but we eventually navigated to the right road and were on our way. The first part was a rather miserable set of dusty switchbacks, but once we were through those, it turned into a rather pretty hike, with a creek flowing beside us for most of the way.

The climb was pretty significant, and the kids endured it pretty well as long as we took fairly frequent stops. Which I didn't mind because I'd already exercised that morning. There were a lot of cool old trees, and this fun little bridge by this enormous boulder.

We got to what we thought were the falls, but they seemed smaller than what Teag had seen on the website. By that point though, the kids were all pretty hungry and worn out, so we took a break and had our lunch on another giant boulder, while Teag went to see if he could find what was supposed to be the actual falls.

Teag never really found anything overly impressive, and it required a lot more bouldering for us to proceed, so we contented ourselves with where we were, and once lunch was finished, we were back on the trail home. After reaching the car, we decided to swing by Swig for some extra refreshment. It was a nice little hike. A good workout, and very pretty. Teag and I were proud of the kids for being good little hikers. Several people we passed were quite impressed that Finn especially had managed it on his own. We may be back to visit this one again.

First Day for Finn!

A few weeks after the girls started school, and the day after Labor Day, Finn finally got to have his turn at Newman Elementary. 

He's about as happy as can be with his class, his teachers Ms. Tatiana, and Ms. Rose, and the fact that once again, Millie gets to join him. A few weeks in, and he's doing just as well as we expected. Looking for some good things from Finn this school year!

Chopped Locks

We've been battling with Rory for ages to take better care of her hair, to no avail. She is just not someone who wants to spend a bunch of time brushing, washing, or styling it. Oddly enough though, she was very attached to her long hair, and freaked out every time we mentioned cutting it. She seemed to think that shorter hair made you look younger. After much assurance that that was not the case, and much threatening to do it anyway if she didn't improve her care, she up and decided she wanted a bob.

So, also on Labor Day, this happened. Rory went from this:

To this:

I worried that she'd be a little freaked out or remorseful, but she seemed absolutely delighted, and kept swishing her hair back and forth. I don't think I've heard her say anything to indicate that she's missing her long hair, and it looks very flattering on her. Hopefully she'll learn to take a bit better care of it before it grows long again.

Chopped!

Part of our planned property activities was a game of Chopped for the kids to participate in. However, the weather made that rather difficult, and many of us ended up leaving earlier on Sunday than we'd planned. As such, we got together on Labor Day to have the dinner my mom was supposed to have cooked on Sunday, and give the kids a chance to do Chopped with their cousins. Katie had put it all together, and it was fun to see the ingredients that she picked, and what the kids did with them, and their limited culinary knowledge.

Brad and I were the unlucky judges, and had quite a few "creative" things to partake of.

Even the little kids got in on the fun. Finn made me a very salty entree of cheese, shrimp, and tomatoes on a cracker. It was quite adorable really.

Danyn and Morgan teamed up, and used their crackers as croutons in their salad. Also coming up with their own dressing, made from olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Maisie and Caitlyn were another team, and they probably had the most success overall with their dishes. Or at least the most palatable.

Rory didn't want to participate for some reason, but most of the other cousins were involved to some extent.

It was a lot of fun, and interesting to see the focus or ingenuity applied from the various teams. Some dishes weren't something I'd ever choose to repeat again (Vienna Sausages!!!), but some weren't bad at all. The kids were all anxious to see how they'd stack up against their opponents, but I think everyone had a good time no matter who won.

Labor Day Property Trip

We spent the weekend with almost the entire Rogers clan up there, including Nate and Elle and their three boys. Brad and Sara's family were the only ones not in attendance. The weather was not fully cooperative, but we did enjoy some sun, and the kids made the most of it. Sam was brave enough to hold one of the tiny lizards the cousins managed to find.

Will was a pretty good sport as long as either his mom or dad were holding him. He loves his Dad!

Finn disappeared for practically the whole weekend off with one set of cousins or another. He was incredibly patient when his cousin Lucy decided to catch him instead of a butterfly.

The men set up what they designed to be a more permanent zipline; one the kids could operate themselves and didn't require an adult to tow them. It was pretty much in constant use, even during mild rainstorms.

Somehow we managed to miss a picture of Dany on the zipline. Hopefully this won't require therapy later. On Saturday night we had one of the most terrifying thunderstorms I've ever experienced. The thunder was so loud, and the lightning so close, I'd be lying if I said that Teag and I both weren't a bit nervous. Rory woke up screaming for Teag, and he had to lay next to her to calm her down while she trembled with fright. The protection of a little canvas and aluminum has never felt so inadequate. But we all survived, and after breakfast that morning, went to church at the Frisby's place. My parents had signed us up to sing that week, even though it was a Fast Sunday, and we sang four verses from "A Poor, Wayfaring Man of Grief." I thought it turned out pretty well, and Teag managed to snap a picture of us practicing, something we don't tend to document.

The weather certainly could have been warmer, but all in all, it was a nice last trip to the property for the year. Farewell until 2017!