Climb Every Mountain (Well . . .This One, Anyway!)

Friday, September 30, 2011

For quite some time now, James and I have been meaning to hike from Tony Grove Lake to White Pine Lake. And every year, we just never found the time, and never found the time . . .but THIS year, on September 3, we did it, by gum! And it was SO much fun--such a great hike. The scenery was spectacular and the company was even better. ;0 We want to do this every year! And for the next few years at least, it will continue to be just the two of us. It's an seven-mile round-trip hike, which is just too long for a small kiddo's legs--energetic though they may be.

Anyway, the object was to hike from beautiful Tony Grove Lake:



To beautiful White Pine Lake--a glacial lake in Logan Canyon that you can only reach by walking in with your own two feet(or four feet, if you happen to have access to horses, which we don't).



This hike happened on the perfect day--just the right weather--and we also had lots of things to talk about and consider, because James had just received a new job offer and we had to weigh the pros and cons of switching careers. (Update: He has since switched careers and is very happy with his new job.) Anyway, we had lots to discuss so the hike gave us lots of time to talk. And steal kisses. And admire the view:



(And woo-woo, what a view! He he he.) But seriously, the landscape was just wonderful. Here I am by a babbling brook. Have I mentioned that I really, really love babbling brooks?



And cool boulders . . .



And really awesome-looking bridges . . .



And after 3.5 miles or so, we began our descent to the basin that holds White Pine Lake. It's so beautiful! And we had a romantic picnic on a fallen log near the shore. That's when I discovered that I had forgotten a knife with which to slice the tomatoes for our sandwiches. And you know you married the right Boy Scout when you hike 3.5 miles into White Pine Lake for a picnic, realize you forgot the plastic knife, and then watch your husband whip out a foil packet of Immodium from his pocket and proceed to slice an entire tomato (and avocado) for your sandwich! I took a picture to document James' resourcefulness:



I'm almost convinced that had we forgotten our sandwiches entirely, James could have brought down an elk with the two Band-Aids in our backpack so we could barbecue. Anyway, here's another look at the lake:



I'm a big fan of the cliffs! On our way back, I decided to do some planking. (Okay, technically it's not "planking" but it's my kind of planking--just find a plank and take a rest!)



And then we descended back down into Tony Grove. The whole experience took about four hours, which made us doubly ashamed that we'd never carved out four hours to do this before. But believe you me, we will again--we're already looking forward to next year!

Preschool Days: The Beginning of the End

Saturday, September 10, 2011

This summer and fall, Bethany started preschool. And although I've been absolutely thrilled for her, part of me mourns because I know it's the beginning of the end. Preschool today, kindergarten next year, and poof! We're sucked right into the school system vortex that doesn't spit your child out until they're an adult. Bye-bye, baby. Hello, schoolgirl. (Sniff!) But all of those bittersweet sentiments aside, it has been really fun watching Bethany trot off to school and come back with her cute little crafts and her little songs and poems and stuff!

I wasn't intending for Bethany to start preschool over the summer--we had planned on the fall. But as things turned out, the Child Development Lab at USU (I had put Bethany's name on their waiting list when she was 18 months old) called up one day and told me they had a spot open up for their summer session. I asked Bethany if she wanted to go, and her response was, "Yeah! I want to go TODAY!" So we signed her up. It was fun seeing her go to the Child Lab--that's my alma mater, you know. Yup, I went there myself as a four-year-old, as did all of my siblings. And guess what? They still had the same tiny little toilets! Check these out:



Aren't those the cutest little johns you've ever seen? Everything at the lab (the drinking fountain, the sinks, the toilets, everything) is at a preschooler's level. And another big plus for the Child Lab is that they have one-way mirrors that look into the classroom. This means that parents can drop off their kiddos, park, and sneak back behind the mirrors and SPY!!! Which I did on many occasions.



See the mirrors? Anyway, here are some pictures I took "through the mirrors" when Bethany was none the wiser:





Those mirrors were awesome. The ultimate parenting tool. If you ask me, the Church should seriously think about putting them in the Primary room--or at the very least, the nursery. Anyway, for six weeks, four days per week, Bethany and I made the drive up Old Main hill to take her to preschool. And despite my anxious feelings of how she'd stand the separation from me, she did GREAT! She loved preschool; they do SO many cute things. And I got to go on lots of field trips with her--so fun! Here are some more pics:





Here's the classroom:



Here's the "meet and greet" area where the kids would wait for their parents to pick them up (I remember the meet and greet from my days there):



And it sure didn't hurt that there was a big dinosaur mural at the playground:



Anyway, they say that "All good things come to an end," and such was the case with our summer session of preschool. The first week of August was our last week, and her new preschool didn't start until after Labor Day. This meant that Bethany was home full-time with Mommy for August, and she thought I was B-O-R-I-N-G. (Sigh.) But we went to the pool and the park a lot and managed to convince her that life at home wasn't too bad.

After Labor Day, Bethany started her new preschool: Little Thinkers in Hyde Park (which had come very recommended by several friends). I was excited for her to have Mrs. Turner as a teacher, since she had a more academic approach to preschool, which I felt would prepare Bethany better for kindergarten. At first, it was a struggle for Bethany because at the Child Lab, it was kind of a "free for all" with the kids going from activity to activity as they wanted to. But Mrs. Turner has a lot more structure--so I applauded and Bethany adjusted. Now she loves her Little Thinkers! Here we are on our first field trip--the fire station! (Yes, I volunteered again to go on the field trip. I'm one of THOSE mothers who signs up for everything.)





Aren't these kids so cute in their little matchy-matchy Little Thinker tees?



So yes, it's the beginning of the end. But it's okay; I can handle preschool. Seventh grade, on the other hand . . .I'm going to need some serious help when we get to that point! So don't grow up too fast, Little Thinker.