Maggie Lost her First Tooth

A few weeks ago, we took care of our friends' almost one-year-old son, Sam. I picked him up for a diaper change and was immediately struck by how this thing, changing diapers, which had been such a regular part of my life for years was now a part of our past. When did I stop changing diapers?

Today Maggie lost her first tooth! Both of her bottom front teeth have been loose for a little while, and she's been holding onto them, hoping that Poppa Gary can pull them out for her (as she remembers he did for Connor). Today, a bite into an apple brought us the exciting moment which cannot be taken back. She took it in stride, very happy to celebrate the moment. She and Connor collaborated on a note to the Tooth Fairy and planned the night .... until bedtime. Then Maggie, who really does not like the idea of characters, realized she was very scared to have the Tooth Fairy come into her home. We came up with a plan -- put the tooth and the note out on the kitchen table so the Tooth Fairy would not enter the bedroom. That seemed good for awhile ... for a short moment. Then Maggie just could not stand the idea that this Tooth Fairy might enter her home at all. We have taken the tooth and the note and hidden them so that the Tooth Fairy will not even know about this lost tooth at all ... until Maggie is ready.

I so love my little girl ... who does not want the Tooth Fairy to come?!

The Waltons ... an historical irony

We are back to watching the Waltons with our kids. The funniest thing is that neither Corb nor I want to miss an episode!! Last night we decided we needed an early night with the kids and wanted to have a movie night together (this is a challenge lately as the kids go to bed later!!).

We had an early dinner and all sat down together for an episode of the Waltons called "The Abdication." The story was about, among other things, the fact that the King of England needed to "abdicate" or step down from the throne because he was in love with and wanted to marry a woman from Baltimore, who was either divorced or close to it (mid-1930's). His brother, the Duke of York, would become the King of England. Through the Waltons' radio we listened to the King's abdication speech. We peacefully put our children to bed.

Then Corbin and I began to watch "The King's Speech." As the story unfolded, we realized that the main character was, in fact, the Duke of York. The movie told the story of how he had to take over as King because his brother had taken up with a woman from Baltimore. I was already dumbfounded by the irony ... the fact that I'd never learned this part of history and had been exposed to it through these two odd vehicles on the same night. Then as I listened to the speech given by the King as he stepped down from the throne and realized it was the exact recording I'd heard earlier on the Waltons (through the radio), I had newfound respect for the historical integrity of the writers of the Waltons series!

I remain wide-eyed by this irony.

"Normal" days ...

In the past couple of days, I have been reminded that it's important to take joy in the moments, not only in the "monumental" family outings. I've also been reminded that normal days of being home with kids being bored, arguing, creating imaginary play, and not getting everything they want is OK. We've chosen to have some down time this week, and that has opened moments for some short one-on-one outings with kids. Corb took Connor down the Teton on Wednesday and this morning he took Brady mountain biking. We've each taken short bike rides with Maggie. Maggie has also enjoyed helping us with household tasks, including those getting ready for guests. Actually all three kids have been jumping at opportunities to help out, including trips to the dump ("transfer station"), grocery shopping, laundry and house cleaning!

Splash and Giggle!

You know its summer when your little girl giggles as she runs through a sprinkler in the backyard.

Canoeing the Teton

Captain Connor

Connor and I took our first canoe ride of the summer yesterday.  It was a beautiful sunny day with a little wind to keep the mosquitoes away and help push us down river.  Between the wind and the higher than normal water, it was a quick float from the South Bates bridge to the Bates bridge.  Yet, we saw two moose, a bald eagle, sandhill cranes, and ducks.  After Nancy picked us up, we all went to the Creamery for ice cream.

Another Moose

Ice Cream Afternoon

Sleepovers

Sleepovers seem to be "the thing" right now. Lia and Brady have each hosted; last week we did a swap with the Russells (Brady there, Will here); yesterday we did a swap with the Greens! We all met up at the library and then the pool. The kids really enjoyed the chance to play together and didn't want the fun to end. Lucie came home with us, and then they picked up Connor on their way home. Lucie and Brady started out in the wall tent, but moved inside around midnight when they were mystified by a heat lightning storm!

Just Another Fun Weekend!

The Friday night rodeo lasts only through the month of July. With visitors arriving this coming weekend, we figured last Friday would be our last rodeo of the summer. Tim, Tizzy, and Sam Benson joined us, and we had a nice chance to catch up with the Wilcox family. We also got to watch Harley in team roping. All three kids decided to participate in the "calf scramble," where kids up to age 12 are invited into the arena to chase a few calves with ribbons on their tails. The kids who capture the ribbons are rewarded with certificates for milkshakes or pizzas. While no Lang came back with a ribbon, they all had fun running around with all the other kids.

The second part of Harry Potter #7 (Deathly Hallows?) is playing at Pierre's Playhouse in Victor, and I had promised both boys that I'd take them at some point. The Saturday afternoon matinee seemed the best option, so we met Sue, Lia and Jory for the show. Connor loved it; Brady did not enjoy it so much; I was interested enough in the outcome (after seeing part one) to watch!

Saturday evening we were invited to a big potluck bbq dinner at a ranch down near the river. Unfortunately, we didn't take pictures - except for the one that shows that the swan, the duck and the goose were all chumming around together, which completely amused me! They had horses, alpacas, geese, and a big pond with huge fish that Connor enjoyed reaching in and touching. He, of course, came home soaked through! The evening gave us a nice chance to visit with the Batchens, the Russells, the Browns, and the Goodells, to meet and get to know some new friends ... and to enjoy time in a beautiful spot in the valley.

Sunday morning, I met Susy for a great trail run in Horseshoe Canyon. We did Bovine and Southbound, which is my second favorite trail run. I have yet to run my favorite - Rick's Basin and Quakie Ridge (up at Targhee). Snow, bear tracks, and festival weekends up there have delayed that run. However, I hope to do it this weekend!

Last Thursday our grill died on us for good, and we were excited to replace it! Sunday night we gave it a trial run and had the Russells over for a bbq dinner - a really nice evening for all of us.

Brady Cooks

Brady has enjoyed the many opportunities this summer to sleep late in the morning. The consequence has sometimes been that he misses breakfast, which has provided the motivation for him to learn to cook for himself. The first couple of times he made pancakes, Corbin or I hovered a bit. He's proven himself responsible in this task. In fact, he now tends to hang around the kitchen during any meal preparation, offering to help. One evening he announced that he would like to make breakfast for the whole family. We are enjoying watching all of our children negotiate increased independence.

The Bannock Trail

This morning I got a text from my friend, Sharon, saying that she and her 9 year old daughter, Sammy, were planning to hike up Targhee today ... and did we want to join? Connor jumped at the opportunity, Brady declined, and Corbin offered Maggie the chance for a special bike ride instead. So Connor and I headed up to Targhee for a hike up the Bannock Trail. Susy ended up joining us with all 4 of her kids. Timmy, only 4, rode in the backpack for a short time, but walked most of the way! He was so determined, and I was so impressed. As it's early in the season, the trail is not well marked and we missed an early turn and ended up hiking straight up a steep section (the pictures don't even do it justice). So Susy, Sharon and I made it up to the top with 6 kids. There was snow, there was mud, there were gorgeous views ... and I had M&Ms and Sport Beans for the tough moments ... the kids were amazing. We really had a great time. Truly.

After a chairlift ride down, we met Corbin, Brady and Maggie at the pool. Corb took another ride in Rick's Basin while we played with kids at the pool. We finished the day with a fun dinner at the resort restaurant (which incidentally offers free meals to kids under 10) - dinner for 12 ... lots of laughs.

Throughout the hike today, Connor and Will were true mountain goats. They could have scrambled up this trail in half the time we took. At the top the boys came to me and said, "Can we celebrate our hike to the top with a sleepover tonight?" So we have Will here with Connor and Maggie, Brady's out at the ranch with Susy, Elsa and Tim (they've collected eggs and taken care of the rabbit), and Sharon ended up taking Ann home to spend the night with Sammy - major kid swap after a very fun day. This is as it should be.

Swimming Lessons

The summer pool pass at Targhee has been invaluable. They are offering free swimming lessons to pass holders. So far the whole thing is actually pretty disorganized. However, after just one lesson Maggie is confidently swimming the width of the pool in the deep end and attempting backstroke and freestyle relatively well. Connor has mastered treading water and all 3 new strokes rather well. Brady missed the lesson, but is now very interested in participating next week.

Rick's Basin and Quakie Ridge

Mountain biking at Targhee just opened up this week and I wasted no time riding my favorite trails.  This ride is the ride that I was on when Nancy made the call from the hotline in the lodge to a realtor in town and when I got back to the car she had lined up a home tour.

First Trip Down the Teton

Tim Stalking Rising Fish

Even though the river is still high, 2000 cfs, the water is clear so we decided to give it a try and we were not disappointed.  The trip had all the features of a typical float...

Two Moose on the Bank

• caddis, pmd's, and stoneflies
• stunning views
• moose and owls
• rising fish

We got off the water at the Cache Bridge at sunset with smiles.

Rails to Trails

The railway spur from Victor to Ashton has a long history.  Victor and Driggs have wonderful old train stations and all along the line there are numerous abandoned grain elevators.  For Christmas one year, Gary and Sue gave us a spectacular photograph he took of a steam engine with a huge rotary snow blower clearing the line.  The line has been abandoned for several years and is a paved path between Victor and Driggs.  Just last year they finished converting the entire line into a gravel path, perfect for a leisurely bike ride.   We've been thinking about this ride for awhile and now with the trail-a-bike we all can enjoy it.

We started this ride at the grain elevator on Jackpine Loop road and rode to the bridge over Bitch Creek and stopped for lunch, then back to the car.  The flowers are out, the grass is green, and the Tetons still have snow.  It was a beautiful afternoon.

The Bridge over Bitch Creek

Lunch in the Shade of the Aspens

Connor Looking for the Troll Under the Bridge

First Hike

With so much snow, many of the trails haven't been clear enough to hike. Targhee offers some of the best options. At the pool the other day, the boys really wanted to hike up Fred's Mt. We were short on time, so we agreed to take the chairlift up and hike down. It was the boys' first time to the top of Targhee this summer. Connor skipped or ran almost the entire way down. Brady enjoyed spotting his favorite skiing spots.

Full Weekends!

By Monday, we always seem to need a bit of a down day! We kicked off this past weekend with the Friday night rodeo. Lia joined us and then spent the night - she and Brady claimed the wall tent. I told them that I'd have to wake them up early (7am-ish) for Young Eagles Day ... they were inside by 5:30am! Corb made everyone a french toast breakfast on 460 bread. Then we headed off to pick up Lucie for Young Eagles Day (see earlier post). After a very successful morning, we all headed to the Driggs City Park for the Tin Cup Challenge celebration, which is basically a community event to raise funds for all of the non-profits in town. There were tons of booths with games and activities for kids (including roping, laser shooting, a petting zoo, a bike obstacle course, and much more). Incidentally, I had mixed emotions about not running one of the Tin Cup races - last year I had a great half-marathon at this event. I simply wasn't prepared to do that distance ... and I can't imagine having missed Young Eagles Day, so I suppose it was as it should have been!

Saturday afternoon was relatively quiet at home. Brady went home with Lia and they baked cookies. That evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the new TWR Grille with the Russells. Jeff owns the Grille, which serves TWR Ranch beef and vegetables from Susy's greenhouse and garden. Outdoor seating allowed plenty of room for the kids to play after dinner, while the adults enjoyed a more leisurely dinner.

Sunday morning, I joined Susy, Sharon, and Melissa for a hike up Spring Creek. It's just over 4 miles to the top, which rewarded with 360 degree spectacular views. It's a very accessible trail, where you can get relatively high relatively fast. It's a bit too steep for my kids I think ... but not for long.

Sunday afternoon we headed to Idaho Falls. After a brief stop at Clackacraft (closed, but easy to view drift boats in the yard), we joined the Greens for a 4pm Chukars game. They lost to Missoula, but we all had a wonderful afternoon. Maggie even got over her fear of the Chukar, and got an autograph and a picture. With 93 degree temps even at 4pm, we splurged for box seats in the shade, and it was well worth it!

On our "down day" today (Monday), I've had a houseful of kids (Lia, Xander, Lucie, and Dylan ... plus my own) in and out. The kids are loving it of course, and I love happy kids. Corbin just headed out with Tim to float and fish the Teton River for the first time this summer (water's been too high until now). Before he left however, he baked a delicious strawberry pie, which provided great snacks for the kids.