September is for Siblings

Now that they each go to school, I dare say there is a mutual respect blooming.  Of course, there's still lots of "mine", "leave me alone", and tears, but maybe there is less?
Anyhow, on one beautiful Saturday evening, I took the kids to symphony in the park.  I picked them up from a dad and kids' playdate, so they initially weren't impressed with sitting still in the park listening to classical music.  But they eventually loosened up a bit with some snacks, dancing, playground time, and cupcakes provided by the symphony afterward.  I'm trying to culture them, but it always helps to have some side perks to offer, too.  :)

We made our annual trip to pick raspberries with our playgroup.  The kids did not stay by me at all this time.  They were too busy chasing each other and eating their finds. Since we have so many berries in our own garden, I wasn't too bothered by barely scraping together a pint to take home.  Conspiring in the shrubs...

Here's Hadley's guilty face when I asked her if she'd been eating raspberries off the bush!

We also took advantage of apple picking at a local orchard with the same group. Randomly, Owen had seen apples on our calendar and asked me when we could pick apples, and I could tell him "this afternoon!"  That worked out well, and the kids were excited.

The orchard owners encouraged consumption along with picking, and the kids were happy to oblige.  We were picking Cortland apples, which I was not familiar with, but they were sweet and delicious.  I think we might even try making some homemade applesauce or apple butter.  Fingers crossed!  Both kids were able to examine and pick the biggest, ripest apples, which made for a pleasant and quick excursion.

The kids were happy to pose with their freshly-picked apples!

On another beautiful afternoon, while Daddy was helping a friend move, I took the kids hiking at Cress Creek.  We are having a very mild fall, so far, and I couldn't let the gorgeous weather slip by unappreciated!  It's not the most exciting hike, but the colors were just starting to change, and Hadley wanted to walk the whole thing without riding in the backpack, so this little hike fit the bill.

It still has some pretty areas by the creek that provided a nice setting and some colorful backdrops, but it probably got up to 80 degrees while we were hiking, so we were happy to be in shorts. :)

Some of the trail is definitely going uphill, which leads to some sweeping views of the valley.  I think we get a picture there every trip. :)

I had to include this one, lest you think that our trips are all sunshine and rainbows.  This is Hadley crying because Owen decided to finish his own half-sandwich leftovers near the end of the hike, instead of giving them to her.  (Don't feel sorry for her though - she had already eaten her entire sandwich and grapes.)

Lastly, when we were back in the car on the way home, we saw a moose by the river!

We've also been making weekly trips to the zoo before it closes for the season.  The weather is perfect, the animals seem more active, and we've caught the zookeepers doing tricks with servals and goats on leashes.  Pretty entertaining stuff!

We also went bowling, which I think was H's first time doing so.  She thought it was awesome, and I cracked up every time she yelled, "YESSSSSSS!" after knocking down two or less pins.  This was usually followed by a happy dance, too.  She was also very positive and encouraging for her lane-mates. I would go bowling with her any day.  :)

We still support our team, even when they embarrass us and break our hearts every weekend.  Sigh....  One of these years, the kids will have a winning team to cheer on!

This moment brought tears to my eyes.  These green islands are suspended, but still shift back and forth, and Hadley has struggled on them for the past year or more.  I usually have to help her across because as she reaches for the next one, the one she's standing on drifts away from it, and her legs can't bridge the gap.  As they were playing together, Owen went across first but would stop and push the next one back to her.  Love him!!! (Side note: I'm happy to report that she's either growing or understanding these now and got across on her own the other day.)

We also have a pre-schooler!

Hadley finally got to start her school journey this past week.  She's going to a nearby pre-school 3 mornings a week for 2.5 hours (same place big brother went a couple of years ago), and she was so excited to have her own school! She overlaps with brother's school for 2 hours, too, so I was pretty excited too!  :)

The kids have to find their nametag and place it in a bucket when they go in their classroom.  Hadley had no hesitation, since she is obsessed with spelling her name. Throughout the year, they'll learn their letters, addresses, phone numbers, etc. this way.

The classroom is very colorful and accessible for 3 and 4-year-olds.  She had no issues saying good-bye or jumping right in.  See ya!  When I picked her up later, I asked her how her first day went, and she told me that someone had their finger up their nose. I guess that made the biggest impression on her. I then asked if it was her. Ha! She denied it.

She's also been going to gymnastics for a few weeks and LOVES it.  Most of my pictures are a blur from there, but I did get one of her stretching really close to her coach. It's fun to watch her following directions and really trying to do the tumbling, trampoline, swing, beam, etc.  I know she's been waiting to do this since she had to sit through Owen's class a couple of years ago, so I'm glad she's finally old enough. 

With all of the new activity, she has still been fighting naps, but occasionally she will pass out during her quiet time. Owen still naps more days than he doesn't; why is she trying to short me on two more years of quiet afternoons?  :)

Laboring at GTNP

We were able to caravan with friends to Grand Teton NP on Labor Day for a day of fun. The previous days had been windy and cold, but we had perfect weather on Monday! 

We met up early in the morning to get to the alpine slide in Jackson just after it opened. Getting to the slide required a ride in a chair lift, and the way the guy was taking tickets meant it was just Hadley and me in a 6-person chair!  I'm pretty sure she could have slipped under the handrail pretty easily, but I did brave it for one picture because she loved it so much!  I might have my family ski-buddy after all!  :)

Here's the top of the slide.  I didn't get any pictures from the slide this time, because I was riding with H, and John was riding with O, and I didn't want anything crazy to happen. But I did take pictures 2 years ago when we did this before, if you want to see what it looks like.  Side note: they were building a roller coaster on the mountain, which is the structure over the slide.  It looked like it would be a blast!

Owen was very hesitant and reluctant to go on the slide, but Hadley was pretty excited and shouted "Woohoo!" most of the way down.  At the bottom, Owen said he had fun, but didn't want to do it again, and Hadley said, "Let's do that again!"  She even asked about going there again sometime over the past week.  (It's closed for the season now.)

After the slide, we hopped back in the cars for a trip into the park for a picnic.  The tables were all full, but we couldn't have asked for better scenery.

After lunch, it was a quick walk down to the ferry dock to cross Jenny Lake.  We had not done the ferry before, but we thought it was a fun idea to try with the group. The kids loved it!  It was very fast, but I think we'll walk next time to avoid the crowds and expense.  The longer hike is definitely doable!

I think the hike from the dock to Hidden Falls was only supposed to be half a mile, but it sure felt longer than that.  I guess that's what happens when you have 8 adults and 9 kids trying to hike together.

There was some pretty scenery along the way, and Owen was feeling fairly cooperative for the camera and the hike!

Finally, Hidden Falls!  Still impressive and just as I remembered it from 4 years ago.

The lighting reflecting off the waterfall in the background made group pictures difficult to do, but we tried anyway for that rare family photo.

Again, Owen was hesitant to walk down to the waterfall, but once we did, he was glad we had made the trek of stepping stones over the creek.  (see a pattern here?) We were getting misted on, but I got my picture!

The rest of the group turned back for the ferry, but we weren't quite satisfied yet, and Owen was just hitting his stride, requesting more hiking.  So we ventured on, which was a dead end just past the waterfall, but then we took a side trail and came upon a beautiful panorama of Jenny Lake.

Now we could catch the ferry back, but we did have to wait a while at the dock.

We caught up with the rest of our group at the Snake River Brewery for some dinner.  The kids were all exhausted, hungry, and crazy, but at least we sat outside and didn't bother too many patrons.

Mary, our resident 1st grade teacher, kept the kids entertained and busy with a game while the bill was paid.  Pretty entertaining to watch this spread of ages and friends try to follow directions and compete.

What a fun, full day!  We are so thankful to be close enough to such scenery to make a memorable day trip with friends.