Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Summer Camping



We have made it out camping a whopping four times this summer. I say that sarcasticly, since typically by now we would have been out twice as many times. Between a cold start to summer, rain, work, and two two-year-olds our camping trips have been limited. But, the few trips we have taken were lots of fun. We have made two trips with the Morris's, one trip with team Schults-Early, and one trip solo-Weaver. We've camped near Idaho City, Lowman, American Falls, and the most recent (and prettiest) - Trinity Mountains. Caulder and Kessler love camping in the tent and exploring the outdoors. We try to make the trip fun by bringing lots of toys, going on short hikes, and incorporating in swimming, if possible. Our most recent trip took us to the close, but remote, Trinity Mountains where we camped on Big Roaring Lake. Although we endured swarms of mosquitos and an eight hour brilliant thunder storm during the night, we had a great time. We had a very private campsite, which allowed us to spread out. We also did a beautiful hike up a mountain to some lakes.
Caulder and Kessler are now starting to learn to use their imagination. It's fun making up stories and playing games with them. They have also starting repeating/remembering everything we say. This sometimes leads to embarassing moments, which we have had a few of in the past couple of weeks. One of which Kessler proceeded to yell-out in a parking lot "is that Santa Clause" a number of times before I saw him pointing to a man crossing the parking lot. To Kessler's credit, the man had a very large belly, was wearing a red long sleeve shirt and black pants with suspenders, and had a large white beard. So, I told Kessler "maybe".

Short trip to Bozeman

Palisade FllasMat, Kessler, and Grandpa Richard hiking to Emerald LakeEmerald LakeCaulder and Kessler at the Dinosaur ParkKessler and Grandpa Richard on an electric 4-wheelerChad and AudreyBridgerMat and the boys on a quick stop in yellowstone

After a change in plans, we decided to make a quick trip to Bozeman over the 4th to visit Mat's family. Mat's brother Chad and his wife Shawna and their baby Audrey were also in town. We relaxd a bit at Mat's grandma's house, did some hiking up highlight canyon, and checked out the newly remodeled Bozeman Hot Springs. Last summer we discovered one of the coolest playgrounds I have ever seen. Sticking with Bozeman history, it has a dinasaur theme. It is a very large, intricate playground with fun structures for all ages. We try to make it there everytime we are in town. It was pretty mild while we were there, so luckily the playground was almost empty.

Gymnastics

Kessler swinging on the bar.Caulder on a balance beamKessler climbing the letter rock wall.The boys using their 'listening ears' with miss Anna
Instead of swimming, we decided to enrol Caulder and Kessler in gymnastics this summer. They have been hitting the gym once a week for a few months now, and absolutely love it. We've seen quite a change in their balance, strength, and confidence since we started the class, and it is beginning to teach them to listen and focus. The entire class is composed of 2 year olds, and they are all so cute. It's pretty hilarious watching them do the skills. We are trying to get as much out of the classes as we can now, since it appears that neither of the boys will end up short enough to be gymnastic stars. 'Mat says...phew!' The place that we take them (the Wings Center) has a great set-up for the toddlers with all of the equipment you would see in a regular gym (trampoline, balance beam, parallel bars, vault, etc.), but scaled down for munchkins. Unfortionately, our photos are not that great, so we will have to post more in the future.

Summer outings


As usual the summer is flying by. I don't know how long it's been since we've posted last, but I hope that you haven't given up on us. We have been getting out around Boise- exposing the boys to the local culture. We've pent a lot of time biking, hiking, visiting the local playgrounds, and the boy's favorite - swimming! Although we're not doing lessons this summer, we are trying to get to the pool as much a possible. The boys love swimming, and our local neighborhood pool has a great kiddie pool and water slide.