Bryce and Grand Back to Back

We decided when the kids had some time off from school this Fall we wanted to visit Bryce Canyon. I also really wanted to take them to the Grand Canyon, but we weren't sure that we'd be able to fit both. Luckily, it all worked out. It was awesome. 

The first evening there we took a short hike to the Queen Victoria's Garden via the Sunrise Point trail. 

Thor's Hammer on the trail to Queen's Garden.

The evening light was so beautiful.

After our hike we decided to go to dinner at the highly recommended Bryce Canyon Pines. We know we have a big family, but we were reminded in a big way of how unconventional that is. We ended up having to wait an hour an a half for an 8-person table, and then the entire time we ate, all the European tourists seated around us stared continuously. I had to smile.

The kids were extraordinarily well behaved considering we didn't get to eat until 9:00 PM.

We stayed that night at the Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel, a sister hotel to Ruby's Inn at the park entrance. We'll stay there again.

One of our favorite hikes in Bryce was the short double trail called Moss Cave. One spur of the trail heads off to a really cool window formation. The kids would have spent all day playing there if we'd let them.

We left Bryce late in the afternoon after seeing more of the park. We headed south to St. George along THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STRETCH OF HIGHWAY I HAVE EVER TRAVELED. The part of highway 89 that runs down through Hatch along the Sevier River, then cutting west on highway 14 to Duck Creek and past Cedar Breaks. Heaven must look like that.

We spent that night at Mike's parents' house in Washington. The next morning we struck out for the North Rim with Mike's dad coming along for the adventure.

I don't think I have ever been on that road before. It was eerie driving through Springdale and Colorado City. Those places are just unsettling.

We stopped in at Jacob Lake before we entered the park and Grandpa bought one of their famous cookies for each of us. If you go to the North Rim, I definitely recommend a cookie from the Jacob Lake Gift Shop.

 The Grand Canyon in the fall is extra spectacular. The scope of it boggles the mind.

 Mike strategically sent me away so he could  take this picture. I almost break out in a sweat still just looking at it. I was so jittery with the kids all day whenever a ledge was in sight - even with a hand rail and chain link. I don't handle cliffs very well.

On the way out of the park we had to stop to let a large herd of buffalo cross the road.

We drove back to St. George that night thoroughly awed by the wonders of nature and God's power.

 We spent the next day kicking around St. George. We visited Judd's Store, an old mercantile store that now serves soups, sandwiches, ice cream and a wonderful array of sodas.

Sipping my Leninade

On Sunday we went to church with Mike's mom and dad and then got back on the road for home. We got back late -- but fully refreshed.

So glad to have been able to spend a week away from it all, enjoying the people I love most and unwinding in nature.

Change Keeps You on Your Toes

Hi again. It's a been a while.
As I lay in bed last night at the end of another busy day I thought about updating the blog, and then thought something like,"No rush --- no one's holding their breath waiting for our latest news." But then I thought, "If I don't write it down we won't remember these things. I need to update it." I will try to be better about keeping a record.

The past few weeks there's been a familiar change in the air. My locust tree out the front window has started to turn gold. It's a little taller than last year, like my kids (a LOT taller in Noble's case). With the change in the season this year have come a few other important changes.

Speaking of the change of the season...

We took a breakfast hike up Yellowfork. River loved it! (He loved it so much he got giardia  from the stream he was drinking from. No kidding. He spent 2 full days the next week throwing up and having diarrhea. The vet helped got him back on track... G.I. track. Now we know that a young puppy's stomach is considerably less resilient than older dogs. Live and learn. 

Sully enraptured by nature.  He kept yelling stuff like: "Nature is waiting! I feel the nature!! There's so much nature just waiting for us! Wow! Nature is getting so awesome!" 

Abner with his "mustache stick"

Big Change #1.
Four of our kids started at the new Montessori charter school near our home. Everyone has been over the moon about it. The method, the atmosphere, the new friends, the gourmet lunches...

Everyone, that is, but Tillman.

We didn't make the decision to change schools lightly. We had been involved with our old school for 10 years, but felt in the last few years that things were changing. When the option of enrolling at this Montessori school presented itself in the spring we thought a lot about it, prayed and felt right about it.

We knew it would be really different for all the kids. And we knew that Tillman is the one that has struggled the most with change in the past. When we moved to this house Tillman cried every day for weeks, and begged us to move back to our old house. Eventually he got over it.
Tillman is also a kid who likes to have every detail laid out. He wants to know exactly what to expect. So we knew it would be an adjustment for him. We just didn't understand how MUCH of an adjustment. A few days in he started to complain that it wasn't like his old school, that he didn't know the kids. (It didn't help that he and Grace and Sully had to miss the first day of school because they had strep.)  Day by day he escalated the situation. He went from whining about it after school, to crying in the bathroom at school, to calling home sick, to leaving school without telling anyone and walking the 2 miles home across Bangerter Highway.

That was a nightmare day for me. Luckily he wasn't hurt, luckily the police were not involved, luckily everyone was able to get in touch and I found him by chance before they were able to ,get a hold of me by phone (I would have freaked out). Lucky all around.

After asking him (in a very loud voice, I'll admit) what on earth had happened that would cause him to leave school like that (and hearing the same stuff: "it's different from my old school, I don't like it, I don't know the kids", etc.), I made it clear that that kind of stunt was COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. Then I drove him back to school, had him apologize to the director and his teacher, and checked him back in for the rest of the day.

The thing with Tillman is, he has a stubborn streak sometimes, so this has been exhausting. He gets into a panic cycle and then there's no stopping him until he finds a way to reboot. He needs to change the way he thinks about it...but he is unwilling. He has let his anxiety grow beyond any reasonable response to the point of desperation. His siblings are totally confused by the whole thing. I've heard them shushing him in frustration when he starts to get anxious, afraid that he'll spoil everything for them in their new-found Shangri-la.

He insisted that if we let him switch to a classroom where he knew a couple of kids he would be fine. After a series of meetings with his long-suffering teacher, the director and the school counselor we agreed to change him to a different class (not the one he wanted), and made it clear that if he chose to switch classes he was responsible to make it work. He agreed, and chose the new classroom. At first it seemed to be the reset button he needed for his negative thought cycle. Since then it's been mostly better, but we've had a few tough days lately. So we will keep on working with him. I don't know that there's a magic approach that will make him want to change his attitude, but I sure hope he figures it out soon.
That kid. We have been learning a lot about him in the process. We are also learning a lot about agency.
That was a long story.

Big Change #2.
Jessie comes of age.

 Jessie started high school, got asked to Homecoming, turned 16 and got her driver's license all in less than a month (and our auto insurance doubled).  BIG changes.

Her friend from the neighborhood (son of Kris Kemp - for those of you who share my history) dressed up like Napoleon Dynamite, his little brother dressed up like Pedro - they pedaled over with Napoleon on the pegs to give Jessie a delicious pie and this drawing of Jessie. "There's a lot more where this came from if you'll go with me to Homecoming." And then rode away again. It was classic.

Her 16th birthday was magic. A few days before the big day one of her friends texted me and wanted to set up a surprise birthday party. I kept her occupied that day with a pedicure (her first!), and later that night Mike and I took her to dinner at India Palace while the invited guests arrived at the house and set up for the surprise. She claims she had no idea, but I'm not so sure.

On Sunday (her actual birthday) we thought we would just have a quiet family dinner and invited the grandparents over for cake after. Didn't turn out that way. Her good friend from next door filled her bedroom with balloons while we were at church and then brought over this DELUXE Captain America (Jessie's favorite super hero) cake. W-O-W! 

Earlier in the day we had been looking at old scrapbooks, and we were laughing about how when Jess was little every member of our families came to every birthday party (a consequence of being the oldest and only grandchild/niece for many years), and how that was definitely a thing of the past. When it came time for cake that evening however, along with both sets of grandparents, a steady stream of Sullivan family (all 5 of my siblings and their kids) filed through the door. They all happened to be over at Sullivan's before that and so they came to wish the birthday girl many happy returns. What fun!

Big Change #3.
Noble's big reveal.

Noble got his braces off last week. He was actually supposed to have gotten them off almost 2 weeks before that but some how we totally spaced the appointment. We have to be the first people in the history of braces to actually forget about the appointment where you get them OFF.  Unprecedented.
He can't stop smiling.

 Big Change #4.
Mike has a doppelganger!

Mike has River trained to sit, stay and come. Pretty good for a 10 week old. So far however, the potty training is largely unsuccessful, and he barks a lot, and has started something called puppy nipping (a  normal phase where a puppy tests his place in the pack by challenging everyone). We are working with him to nip it in the bud...more nipping. ha ha ha.
But the thing is, it scares the kids - and makes me frustrated. Why did we need a dog?
At least he's cute. Both of them.

Dolphins and Dogs in Training

In August Grace, Tillman and Sully did a session of swimming lessons at Debbie's Dolphins swim school. It's a small back-yard pool operation...the kind of thing I've been looking for since the Shinsels retired and we could no longer take from them. I had heard lots of good things about how effective she is, as well as a warning about what a tough-mother she can be. It was all true. She definitely runs a tight ship --- with both kids and parents. But at the end of the session my kids had made really great progress and loved to swim more than ever. We'll be going back next year.

This week Mike's wildest dreams came true. His new Wirehaired Pointing Griffon puppy arrived from Idaho. We named him River (finally breaking away from the planetary themed pet names). I could have done without a dog for a while, but Mike has a soft spot for dogs. He convinced me with his argument that the little boys needed a dog to grow up with like the older kids had. I made a list of required traits: a dog that doesn't shed, smaller than a Lab (and not as loud),  gentle with kids and new people (knowing that the entire neighborhood would consider him their dog), and Mike wanted a hunting dog. He did his research, settled on this breed, and found a breeder in Idaho with a new litter.

We realized that while we have owned dogs in our lives, neither of us has experience in raising a dog from such a young age (8 weeks). We've been reading a lot, and watching YouTube.

How goes the training? River cried a lot the first night. But Mike was Johnny-on-the-Spot, springing out of bed whenever he heard River crying in the night, rushing him outside to relieve himself. I joked that Mike was better about getting up at night with the puppy than he had been at getting up with our babies. He admitted it -- but said, in his defense, there was not much he could do to meet our babies' needs, which was a good point.

 River sleeps a lot. Like all babies.

Since our backyard is not fenced, and he's too young for the shock collar, we can't just turn him loose outside. So, for now we are working on house-training. He spends almost all his inside time in a pen, and then we take him outside whenever he shows signs of having to use the bathroom. He's learning. And as with my potty training of Sully and Abner, I am grateful that this house is mostly tile and laminate flooring. It makes things less stressful.

And someday he'll look something like this... pretty cool.

So, while I didn't initiate the search for a new dog, and the puppy training can be frustrating, I am excited for this new addition. It's different having a puppy around. They are so fun and filled with wonder and curiousity, it makes everything fresh. I miss Jupiter, but it's really nice to start again. I smile when I think about what Jupiter would think of this new little guy. I wish they could have met.

Reunited

July is for family.

My mom's family held the biennial Sampson Reunion this year here in Utah.

Day 1. Big Cottonwood Canyon - hiking Solitude Lake. After our hike we spent the day up the canyon playing games, and doing kid-crafts, and a devotional. 

Day 2. We met at Salt Lake City Cemetery to install a grave marker for one of our ancestors, Lucinda Bybee Layne, who died in 1895. Her grave was unmarked, and my mom decided that we needed to remedy that situation. My brother Casey, the stone mason, crafted it out of a piece of marble, my uncle Larry offered a dedicatory blessing, and we all helped cement the head stone in place. It was pretty special. 

After spending the rest of day 2 playing in water bounce houses, shooting air rockets, visiting, horse shoes and eating yummy food -  my mom's brothers and sisters (9 of them) and their spouses gave us quite a send off. The Lawrence Welk goodnight song.
Those outfits were custom crafted from t-shirts and duct tape. 

DSCN6928 from Angie Melton on Vimeo.

The Melton's all came into town the last week of July and we got to spend lots of time together. This is always special time for us since we don't see the Michigan Melton's very often. Plus, our newest cousin, Pax, came up from Las Vegas and spent the whole week with us too. We had lots of fun. We watched fireworks, rode horses, went swimming, hiked Cecret Lake, Seven Peaks, a back yard movie and roasted hot dogs in the fire pit, had a birthday dinner, and got to see Spencer be baptized and confirmed!

Horse back riding with Jess

Swimming with the cousins.

Dinner and FHE at our house.

FHE talent show...Tami and the boys played for us. Now that's talent!

DSCN6934 from Angie Melton on Vimeo.

Val and J.

All the Melton boys after Spencer's baptism

Slip-n-slide at grandma's house.

Good times. We love all our family so much!! Thanks everyone for coming! It was so good to make more memories.

This Month's Adventures and Accomplishments

Catching up on the last month. It was action packed.

Here's a photo journal of the goings on:

Mike took the Teachers' Quorum up to the Snake River in Idaho for an EPIC high adventure camp. One of the leaders had a connection with a family up there that guides groups on the river and also opened their cabin for them to stay. Without charge. 15 boys, 6 leaders and dads. Mike says he's never met a more generous family. This scripture hung prominently in their cabin. A mantra which they live.

 Some of the action shots from the river. They took a GoPro too. Hopefully we'll get to see some of that footage soon. There were some dicey moments, some people to pull out of the water. The boys were in heaven.

They also threw in a paint ball and Airsoft war, an afternoon in Jackson Hole, and a visit to Lava Hot Springs.

 It was a trip that neither Mike nor Noble will ever forget. And it turns out it was Mike's last as their fearless leader.  I was called into the Young Women's Presidency, and so they released him from the Young Men's Presidency so that someone will be home on Tuesday nights with the kids. It made us all sad.

When Mike got back from the river we celebrated our 17th Anniversary by going to see Wicked. A lovely night.

We worked on the sand box and playground area. I sweep a lot of sand in the house these days.

Abner catching some sleep whenever he can get it during a rare quiet moment in the Melton house.

 Noble apprenticed with Grandpa Melton in the art of window washing. He's getting set to start his own little neighborhood enterprise. Grandpa gave him a set of professional window washing tools for his birthday and spent a day showing him the techniques he honed many years ago when he washed windows on the side as a young dad.

Construction time in the little boys' room.

Horses. It was a busy month for the horses and this team.

Shows and long practices....It's been a great year for both Jessie and Grace. Jessie brought her handful-of-a-horse Russel a long way this year. We are all impressed with the horsewoman she has become, how confident and competent she is. Grace, who had never really been on a horse before this season, did an amazing job with Pecos. She even placed first in her class in one show, and finished the season with a slew of ribbons at County Fair.

Grand Entry at County Fair

The Majestic Riders

Coaching from Grandpa

Grace on barrels

 The most impressive performance of all though came when Mike took over flags during the County Fair show as a volunteer Arena Steward. Look at that form!  ;) 

With Grace after County Fair with her string of ribbons.

The Majestic Riders. Such great kids. We'll be back again next year.

We got lucky one day when I picked the kids up from the temple  and we found the Waffle Love truck parked right outside the gates.  The take-away for the kids:  you never know what good things might come your way when you're living right. :)

I bottled 53 jars of apricot syrup.

We happened to have a free day together - so we went to the zoo.

We hadn't been up there for a few years. It's totally different! The exhibits were awesome! The kids had a blast, and everyone was cooperative and pleasant. It was one of those rare days when we climbed in the car after the outing and I said something to the kids like,"This has been awesome! You guys made this day so fun. We could do this again. I love you guys!"

The polar bear exhibit was amazing! We were so close!

 Monsoon season arrived. None too soon. I love summer thunder storms! So do the dudes. Here's Sully out in one of the recent down pours. Oh, the joys of childhood!!

All aboard the Potty Train!!!

Abner is on board. Here is the totally Pinterest-able chart I made for him (kidding). He was all about the Potty Train. Check off one more phase of my life closed. NO MORE DIAPERS!!!!!! 

(I won't miss that phase.)

 We fought it out in the 2nd annual neighborhood epic summer water fight. Intense as ever. The teams took the battle all the way up and down Corinne Drive, a glorified game of capture the flag - but everyone was more focused on the water than the flags. When the dad's get involved, mercy goes out the window. They were dousing anyone who was dry including mom's in street clothes who came to watch and babies in strollers. I love this neighborhood!

I tried to shield some of the little guys on the front porch. They still got caught in the cross fire. 

HAPPY times.