Bear Lake, Lower Palisades Hike, Butte hike, etc.

Ahhh.... Bear Lake, how we love thee! We only went there once this year, for one day, but it was still wonderful. Totally worth the drive, to just be able to relax while they play. 

 This was just at Arctic Circle after the dentist. It was exciting because we got Hunter and Paige, too, while Halers went to a dr. appt.

 Porch in summer

 We went to a Chukars game, which was mildly traumatizing. All I remember is leaving early with Irelyn and Alex, whom I suspect were the ones driving us crazy. But, hey, it was free so not too much was lost! Just a couple more years off my life, that's all.

 Alex did this, and I was never quite sure what to think about it...

 Alex turned 12!! He had some friends over for a party, where they swam and played games, but mostly Alex just wanted to open his presents. And he was happiest about the $20 that Grandpa Campbell gave him! (He had been asking him for a long time, "You gonna give me $20 for my birthday?")

 He also asked Bro. Treasure for $20, which he said was a little high. Haha! But they did get him a tie, a Jesus picture, a book to draw in and $5! So, they probably still spent twenty dollars. By the way, Alex absolutely loooooves Bro. Treasure and he was such a blessing in our lives this summer, at a time when Alex really didn't want to go to church. Him and Sister Treasure taught Alex's Primary class, and they were just so wonderful with him. Truly, such a blessing.

 The day we discovered that pogo sticks are actually really hard.

 

One of Alex's favorite presents- his friend Logan asked his dad to take the tractor over to our house and give Alex a ride in it. The kids were over the moon! 

 And then he helped Alex to move the bucket around. Alex thought it was so, so exciting!

 Ammon days! Very hot, but they had free hot dogs and chips and watermelon, so no complaining allowed! Plus, they had a lot of free games and face painting, etc. My favorite was the gyro ride that Alex waited in line to ride for an hour and a half, and then about 30 seconds into it he started screaming for them to turn it off! That is his second time chickening out on a ride.... it makes me second guess our plans to take him and Tristan to Lagoon this summer.

 While Alex was in line at the gyro ride, the other kids waited in line for a chance to ride the fire department's crane up as high as it would go. It went really high!

 Alex spent a lot of time this summer watching the diggers tear up the roads in the neighborhood behind us. I paid Tristan $1 to ride his bike with him. One time Alaina went, too, and fell into a HUGE hole they were digging in- bike and all! Once again, we were glad for helmets.

 The only picture I took at the Snake River Roaring Youth Jam. But I do remember that I got paint all over my white capris that I loved and the paint didn't come out. I still wear them though, and figure that now they look kind of "artsy."

 This was us on our way to do the Lower Palisades Hike. Wow. That was quite an accomplishment. We thought it was 6 miles, but it was actually 8. Those two mile make a big difference.

 Irelyn spent almost the whole time on Danny's back, except for the little bit that Danny and I switched. Lucky.

 First break, one mile in! Alex kept trying to run away and saying that he wasn't going with us, but finally he gave in and then was probably the very best one! You can see how happy he was in this picture.

 We had planned on Emme walking at least a little more than a mile, but no, that was about all she made it. Then she rode in the top of my hiking backpack, which distributed her weight nicely so that only about 90% of my back muscles went numb.

 About two miles in, Emme said, "This would be a great place for a hotel!!"

 (In winter, it always seems so amazing to look back on the pictures of what we did in the summer. I feel like it is a whole different family and a whole different me. We need more winter hobbies.)

 At last!! Seriously, we weren't nearly as excited about the view as we were about being to the turnaround point!! But it was really beautiful- the whole hike was.

 Eating lunch! Yay!!

 Alex hitting his stride. He was like a horse heading back to the barn on the way back!!

 The last mile back Danny and I got split up by quite a lot, and I was afraid maybe he had died from carrying Irelyn so far. But I had Alex and he was NOT stopping, so I just had to stay with him. Our feet were tired and our backs had decided to just stop sending pain signals, but in the end it felt like a great accomplishment and we were all really happy. Especially when we got square ice cream cones, which Emme said was her favorite part. :)

 Nice, patient Mavis being pushed around in the shopping cart...

 .... and buried under blankets....

 and put to bed...

 and put under costumes...

 and in the hutch.

 Alex's great love this summer was mowing. He had quite a rotation with the neighbors and by the end of the summer could do ours without much help. Danny is really happy that something Alex wants to do actually helps him. 

 And this was when we took the kids on the Butte mountain hike. It was really short (I think somehow that we skipped like half of it), but it was really pretty at sunset and we saw a snake, which was pretty much the coolest thing ever.