Family | Life Elevated Mom

A final glimpse at summer 2013 (in pictures)

August 26, 2013 by Amber

I purposefully planned our summer to be busy in the beginning and middle and then to just take it easy the final few weeks before school. It turned out marvelously.

June was crazy with trips to The Broadmoor, Chautauqua in Boulder, Breckenridge and Frisco in the mountains, not to mention Hadley’s overnight camp, Bode’s first solo flight to visit Grandma in Utah, our hailed-out camping trip, a Sunday drive to 14,265-foot Mt. Evans, summer hiking group and two weeks of swim lessons.

The Broadmoor, soaring at Chautauqua, first solo flight & atop 14,265 ft Mt. Evans

Camp Chief Ouray, YMCA of the Rockies & at Camp Dick. Not pictured: Avid4Adventure Survival Camp

Breckenridge

Frisco BBQ Challenge

Summer hiking group

In a word, whew!!

And then, of course glorious July was dedicated unto Independence Day and then a three-week-long road trip to the Motherland where great times were had with my family in Calgary and then on Okanogan Lake in British Columbia. On our way back we stayed with my former mission companion in Boise and Jamie’s wonderful family in Utah.

Independence Day

Mom’s birthday dinner in Calgary

British Columbia

Idaho and Utah

Then, we were home for some R&R! Or not.

Think: Annual hike to St. Mary’s Glacier, Water World, Elitch Gardens, pool parties, tennis, the 9News back-to-school fashion show and many glorious bike rides.

Hiking St. Mary’s glacier

Water World

Elitch Gardens

Multiple pool parties

Tennis

9News fashion show

Farewell to summer sunset

Summer 2014: you’ve got a tough act to follow.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Hadley, Jamie, travel

Oh Canada Part IV: Jumping Into the Abyss

August 8, 2013 by Amber

This was my kids’ first extended trip on the water so I wasn’t sure how they’d react to our week of boating Okanagan Lake in British Columbia. I suspected Hadley would love it because she’s a fish but Bode only recently started really swimming after we had to pay for private lessons last year.

Judging from some of his dock jumps, the dude is finally enjoying the water.

He wasn’t the only one to try new things. Because my brother Pat’s new boat is weighed down by fat sacs when we surf, it creates a huuuge rooster tail at the back of the boat. One of their favorite activities is jumping into it. Water Adverse Amber of yesteryear would’ve said NO FREAKING WAY but Water Loving Amber gave it a try. It’s a scary sensation when you first get sucked under, almost like you’re in a swirling toilet. But then it shoots you waaay back like a cannon and you pop out behind the wake. We went one right after the other so there was minimal distance for my brother to come retrieve us after.

This picture of Hadley launching into the rooster tail for the first time is my favorite picture I took on the entire trip.

Taking flight

Not only does it represent boldly trying new things but if you look closely you can see a line of heads bobbing up in the background, representing our supportive family who had gone before.

Speaking of trying new things, both kiddos enjoyed kneeboarding.

But no one was more accomplished than dear ol’ Dad. Not only is it tough getting up from your stomach but his kneeboard somehow got turned sideways during his run so he was fighting the current the entire time. The dude is strong!

I tried to convince Hadley to wakeboard but she had no interest. We called Jamie and he tried to up the ante: “Tell her I’ll buy something special for her when she gets home.” I relayed the message, to which she responded, “Unless it’s a pony, I’m not doing it.” And. She. Meant. It. Welcome to our world of having the most unbribable kid out there (and a glimpse at why potty training her was such a nightmare).

My niece Emily just graduated from high school and Ashton is a mama of two in her 20s. I never thought my kiddos would be the same age as hers but that’s how it worked out.

Mom with gorgeous deck views

Our daily schedule (if you want to call it that) was the same. Each morning, I’d get up early and go kayaking while Pat and Co. went for a morning wakeboard while all the kids slept. Around 10:30 a.m., we’d have Jane’s huge ‘n delicious breakfast and then everyone would load up on the boat for several hours. We’d head in mid-afternoon, grab some snacks, play on our beach and off the dock and then have a huge dinner. In the evening, we’d sometimes head back out or have a great time playing on the lawn of our cabin. Soccer got pretty heated as Ashton’s husband Fred and I battled out the glory days while pretending to teach our kids how to play. 🙂

But nothing was more fun than disco soccer by strobe light.

Hands down, my favorite day was when my brother took us all to the more cossetted west side of Okanagan Lake. Not only were the houses bigger but the water was warmer. Pat cut the engine and we played all afternoon–from diving contests (Ashton beat Pat, a huge upset; or rather, he was hugely upset) to splashing around to races around the boat.

Hangin’ on the boat

Soarin’

I came away thoroughly converted. Maybe I am a water person after all.

Here’s for Vernon, British Columbia 2014!

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Oh Canada Part I: My Home and Native Land

Oh Canada Part II: Home on the Range (errr, boat)

Oh Canada Part III: How Not to Die When Surfing Behind the Boat

Oh Canada Part IV: Jumping Into the Abyss

Filed Under: Bode, Canada, Family, Family travel, Hadley, outdoors, Uncategorized

Oh Canada: Part I of My Home and Native Land

July 30, 2013 by Amber

How do you summarize a multi-week, 3,000-mile trip that covered two countries and six states (Colorado, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah)? You really can’t so I’ll only attempt to share some highlights over the next few days!

First things first: my kids are fabulous travelers. Never once did they complain about the 50 hours they spent in the car and though it was taxing (particularly the 12.5-hour drive from Vernon, B.C., to Boise) the trip was broken down enough that we had plenty of downtime before we had to hit the road again.

Jamie drove with us from Denver to Billings, MT to Calgary and stayed for a week before flying back. Something about work. And paying our mortgage. And (mostly) pumpkins. But we crammed in some fabulous fun while we stayed in my childhood home.

The Flood

One of my favorite things about returning home to Calgary is navigating the extensive network of bike trails along the city’s waterways. However, the flood damage was significant in these areas.

Surveying the floods on the ridge where my brother lives

But I soon learned things like a little broken trail that had literally fallen into the river weren’t enough to stop my dad.

Broken Fish Creek Park trail

This was after we snuck around the DO NOT ENTER TRAIL CLOSED SIGN. Dude is a rebel.

The Mud

One of our favorite activities from last year was playing in Fish Creek and then discovering some hidden mud pits towering above in the cliffs. Unfortunately, the water levels were too high so we headed straight to the muck with our cousins.

Fish Creek Provincial Park Mud Pits

I’ll spare you the details of how we cleaned them off afterward without being able to dunk in the water. Let’s just say we got creative.

The Bulk Barn

I’m convinced of two things: 1) You are an optimist if you buy a convertible in Canada (but we sure had fun cruising around in the perfectly mild weather) and….

Bulk Barn

2) Bulk Barn, Canada’s largest bulk food store that carries over 4000 products, is the most marvelous store on earth.

The Stampede

Despite being there during the Calgary Stampede, we didn’t go and Hadley wasn’t feeling well when we planned to attend one of their infamous pancake breakfasts. The only Stampede-related event I did was volunteering for the second year with my friend Stacey at the rotary club’s popular Stampede Roundup. After we had a blast serving dinner, we joined her brother and wife for the Cheap Trick and Def Leppard concert, which consisted of a bunch of drunk 40-somethings reliving their youth.

Turned out, I hated those bands when I was a teenager. Time did not endear them to me so we left early. #KillJoy.

The Pampering

A visit to Grandma B. also means some quality pampering that included getting pedicures and a day at cousin Ashton’s salon with Hadley’s first-ever streak in her hair.

The Real Highlight

I thought that was the highlight of her life until my childhood bestie Rachel (an accomplished horse trainer) invited Hadley out to ride at her 50+-horse property.

Do you know all the cool things I’ve done with Hadley over the years? All rendered insignificant after one afternoon with Rachel.

The Birthdays

Mom and Bode celebrated birthdays during our trip. My sister-in-law Jane traditionally invites us over to her house for some quality trampoline jumping and beef tenderloin. Something about my family: we’re serious about our tenderloin and so when I saw my 17-year-old niece Emily had invited a friend over, I very firmly informed her that she was a vegetarian so as not to share the highly-coveted 4.5-kg hunk of beef.

“Do you see these people, Jamie? Do not look at them as family. Look at them as competition.”Turns out Em and her friend ate the very best, rarest pieces. Game ON for next year.

On my mom’s real birthday, we went to a tasty Italian restaurant with the whole family.

Still as beautiful as ever!

The Market

One of my must-do items is taking a scenic drive to the Millarville Farmer’s Market, a quaint rural community south of Calgary. For me, it showcases the best of Canada with fabulous views and fun booths with delicious locally-made Canadian delicacies, home and garden wares, custom clothing, jewelry and so much more.

Our lunch of champions: more samples than I can count, the most unbelievable peas grown by the Hutterites and three different kinds of fudge (root beer was my favorite).

The Golf Cart

My childhood home is on a golf course and my kids looooooove going for rides in the golf cart. This year, Grandpa let the kids drive it, which I thought was endearing until they took me down to the gully and started swerving along the hills, doing crazy turns and nearly dumping us out.

Riding to church in the golf cart

The kids learned very quickly Grandpa is waaaaaay more fun (and tolerant) than Mom.

The Father’s Departure

After a fun-filled week, Jamie went home. The kids and I were more than a little bit sad he would not be joining us for the next leg of our adventure: a lakeside cabin in Vernon, B.C.

P.S. Don’t tell him how much it sucked to be him to miss it. Stay tuned for details.

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Oh Canada Part I: My Home and Native Land

Oh Canada Part II: Home on the Range (errr, boat)

Oh Canada Part III: How Not to Die When Surfing Behind the Boat

Oh Canada Part IV: Jumping Into the Abyss

Filed Under: Bode, Canada, Family, Hadley, Humor

Balancing short-term with long-term needs and our lovely car accident

July 8, 2013 by Amber

In my Denver Post column today, I was given the assignment to write about how to balance short-term family needs with long-term retirement planning.

And then en route to discuss this with a financial planner, Jamie side-swiped another car.

You can’t make this stuff up, people.

Click to read on.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Denver Post, Family Cents

Our Out-of-this-world Indepence Day

July 5, 2013 by Amber

I usually look forward to the Fourth of July. The fireworks are shot right above our neighborhood so we shut our street down for a huge party. However, this year, our fellow partiers all went on vacation so I feared our celebrations would be a bust.

The Ice Cream

We decided to make our own fun, starting with a holiday tradition that would be an even better tradition if we remembered to do it every year: homemade ice cream. The night before the holiday, Hadley and I made the most unbelievable snickerdoodle ice cream but here’s a tip: the recipe only made 1.5 quarts.If you want to keep your man happy, you will go back in the kitchen and make two more batches. Good thing we all benefited from it.

While the ice cream was churning, we had the best time playing on the front lawn and doing shadow puppet plays with the flashlight on the porch. Hadley and I went for a walk around our neighborhood in our PJs.

Because we’re those kind of neighbors. #SunglassesatNight

The Breakfast

We always start our July 4th by waking up early for our church’s stake pancake breakfast and patriotic program.Gotta love the tongue in this one. Pancake-eating takes a lot of concentration.

The Day at the Museum

Then, because we had no plans, Jamie suggested we go to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Bode is obsessed with space so Jamie bought him a Living Social deal. Little dude was in his element and we were shocked that the normally cram-packed museum was nearly empty. We raced from exhibit to exhibit without any lines and delighted in the Planetarium’s Cosmic Journey: A Solar System Adventure.

Our tickets included an IMAX. We really wanted to see Great White Shark 3D or Galapagos 3D but the show times didn’t work for us so we reluctantly settled upon Flight of the Butterflies 3D. It. Was. Unbelievable. IMAX always does a great job not only telling a story but sharing a journey and this one literally had me in tears…as I marveled over butterflies. Go see it; you won’t be disappointed.

The Party

Though 99 percent of the world bailed on us for our evening festivities, we had our good friends pull through. Bonus: they have six kids so that means it’s an instant party wherever they go. My friend Eva is an unbelievable cook so brought a full spread of food and we threw in our ice cream and made patriotic dessert pizzas (delish recipe here) for good measure. It turned out to be a fun night of great conversation, croquet and fireworks.

And the biggest announcement of all? We slept in the next morning, which rarely happens. I’m usually awake between 5:30-6 a.m. and crashed until 8:45 a.m., Hadley slept ’til 9:30 a.m. and Bode achieved a personal “high score” for sleeping: 10:24 a.m.

It was a winning holiday for all. Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Hadley, holidays

The Johnson Family’s Shortest (and worst) Camping Trip Ever

July 1, 2013 by Amber

I have tried to instill a love of nature in my kids–just last week we went hiking four times, my daughter recently returned from YMCA of the Rockies’ traditional overnight Camp Chief Ouray and at the end of July they’re both enrolled in Avid4Adventure’s Survival Skills Camp. We are an outdoor-loving family!

But my favorite childhood memories are of camping and that is one area in which we’ve fallen short with my own family. There is nothing like the sense of community at campgrounds, playing with new BFFs, eating tin foil dinners and s’mores, exploring and exploring some more, and telling stories around the campfire.

Here’s a recap of our camping trips since having kids.

Trip 1: Hadley had just turned 1 and was a horrible sleeper so she wailed all night long two nights in a row. Our campsite at Golden Gate Canyon State Park was on a slope. Hadley had just learned to walk so was falling over every few feet and when she wasn’t face-planting, she was trying to crawl into the fire pit. Our three-day weekend was cut a day short.

Trip 2: We took a few years off from camping to get pregnant and have our son Bode. When he was 2, we joined our good friends at Eleven Mile State Park. Never been? Keep it that way. I’d read about it in FamilyFun magazine and it was a huge, barren disappointment. In addition to camping, capsizing and crying, my baby had the most disgusting, explosive case of diarrhea and I spent hours at the camp laundromat cleaning out his car seat and clothes. (Ugly details here).

Trip 3: Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada. This is my favorite place on earth and I was ecstatic to introduce my kids to this wonderland that borders Glacier National Park. Sure there were minor hiccups (such as near-hurricane-strength winds) but it was our best camping trip to date.

Trip 4: Bear Lake State Park. Last year, Mile High Mamas partnered with Coleman for the Great American Campout. It had all the fixins for an amazing weekend with horseback riding, games, gourmet camp meals and kayaking. But do you remember that record-breaking 105-degree day last June? ‘Nuff said.

Trip 5: Camp Dick last weekend. This was going to be our year. The kids are 7 and 9 and the perfect ages for camping. Check-in wasn’t until 2 p.m. so we had a few hours to kill when we arrived at this campground set in a glacial valley just off the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway.

The kids caught butterflies and threw rocks in the adjacent Middle Saint Vrain Creek and we hiked a portion of the Buchanan Pass Trail.

We have been united with our fellow Coloradoans in praying for rain to defray the horrible wildfires…we just didn’t want the drought to end right then. All was going shockingly well until we felt our first raindrop. We’d waded through near hurricanes and diarrhea; a bit of rain wasn’t going to deter us.

Then it started down-pouring so we raced back to the car and ate lunch. Earlier, we’d spotted the remains of the previous night’s hail storm but miracles–the weather broke a half-hour later and we still had plenty of time to explore before we could set-up our tent.

Adventurous Hadley (who no longer falls every few feet and cries all night), discovered a faint trail on the other side of the creek so we bush-whacked our way to my children’s version of wonderland: a massive boulder field. We spent the next hour free-climbing these rock monsters and Hadley and my husband braved a steep slope to a cossetted cave. I hung back with my more-cautious Bode who called out encouragements such as “you know you can crack your head open and slide all the way down.”

Kid needs a lesson or two on pep talks.

Then all hell (or rather, hail) broke loose and it could not have come at a worse time. We were forging back through the forest when Bode slipped and hurt himself. Not even 5 seconds later, hail started pounding us and blinded, we lost the trail that was already barely there, forcing us to wade over a swamp land and practically toss now-hysterical Bode across the creek.

When we arrived at the road, we still had over a mile to where we’d parked our car at the trailhead but our soon-to-be acquired campsite was right around the corner. “I’ll run and get the car and you go to camp,” I bravely volunteered. Come hail or high-water, I would lead my family to safety!

I raced through the campground, hail pelting and drenching every inch of my body. It seemed like an eternity before I reached the car but I raced back to our campsite and saw my poor little family hunkered down under a tree trying to shield themselves from the frozen sheets of ice.

“We’ve taken a vote,” my husband announced.
“What is it?” I already knew the answer.
“We’re ready to go home.”

I looked at our campsite, the mud puddles thick from the previous night’s storm were now filled with snow. We could have toughed it out if we were staying in a camper but there was nowhere to setup our tent. And most importantly, the sky ‘s furry was just getting started.

We called it a day at 1:30 p.m., just 4.5 hours from the time we left our house.

Better luck next year.

Filed Under: Canada, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Favorite Posts, Hadley, hiking, Humor, Jamie, outdoors, travel Tagged With: camping, Colorado, family, family travel

June Travels: Our Crazy Life According to Instagram

June 30, 2013 by Amber

My work-life balance has been nil with waaaaay too much playtime with the kids. I’m hoping to write about all our hiking adventures (and believe me, there are MANY) but until that time, my iPhone tells the story of our first month of summer break.

Chautauqua in Boulder

Our month-long party started with a glorious getaway to Chautauqua in Boulder complete with a charming cottage, emerald hikes bursting with jeweled wildflowers, a gourmet meal at the Dining Hall and Snow White reenacted by Theatre-Hikes Colorado.

Chautauqua in Boulder

Chautauqua meadow outside of our cottage

: Snow White Theatre Hike!

With a kickoff to summer like that, it’s hard to go wrong. And we haven’t.

Giving Back

One day, we did a tour of the Food Bank of the Rockies where we learned about their kid’s program Kung Food Fighters to teach kids how to help fight child hunger.

Food Bank of the Rockies

But obviously not how to do Kung Foo moves.

Kicking It

Then there was the Colorado Rapids, our first-ever professional soccer game.

Colorado Rapids

We expect greater things from our soccer-playing son now.

Cave of the Winds

OK, technically our trip to Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor was late-May but I need to fit in our awe-inspiring cave tour of the 500-million-year-old Cave of the Winds, which was discovered in 1881.

Cave of the Winds

An exciting new addition to the already-cool caves is the Wind Walker Challenge Course. This three-story obstacle course is located on the rim of a 600-foot drop into Williams Canyon and has a challenging maze of steel beams, swinging ropes and ladders. Bode barely met the height requirement and I was proud of him for trying.

Wind Walker Challenge Course

Though it may take him a few years to recover from it. #Scary

Utah Fun

While Hadley was at Camp Chief Ouray for a week, Bode took his first solo flight to Utah. But then I crashed his party on the last day by scheduling a business trip in Park City where I also crammed in a quick hike to the Living Room, roller-bladed the Jordan River Parkway for the first time in 10 years (we’ve both changed!), had a cousin sleepover with the edible twinnies and storytime with Grandma.

Utah!

Talk about a memorable trip!

Carnivores Unite

Then, Bode and I headed straight up to YMCA of the Rockies near Winter Park where we got a tour of Hadley’s camp and had some fun adventures of our own. Sane people would have turned around after picking her up but not us. We headed further west into the mountains for our Father’s Day tradition: the Frisco BBQ Challenge where we met up with carnivore-loving Jamie.

Golden Breckenridge

But the fun didn’t stop there during that masochistic week (I crammed in four trips, but who’s counting?) Breckenridge is just a 15-minute drive away from Frisco and if we were to have a cabin anywhere, it would be there. It was like coming home as we spent the morning at Peak 8 Fun Park, which boasts the most awesome line-up of summer activities of any of Colorado’s ski resorts with an alpine coaster AND slide, gold panning, a maze, bungee trampoline, miniature golf and a bounce house.

Breckenridge Peak 8 Fun Park

We were thrilled to be in Breckenridge during Kingdom Days, which celebrates the town’s colorful history.

Or rather, lack of color as you can see from this old-fashioned photo. Note to self: Next time stay and watch Kingdom Days’ uproarious Outhouse Races.

Breckenridge was founded back in the 1860s thanks to the many gold discoveries. I have always wanted to go on a mine tour and was thrilled when Country Boy Mine Tour was a part of our itinerary.

Country Boy Mine Tours

There is still gold in them thar hills but it costs more money to extract it than it is worth. Following the tour, we panned for gold and Hadley unearthed a real sliver of gold, which I then proceeded to lose.

So much for our chance at millions.

Breckenridge is part of an extensive paved trail system that connects to mountain towns Frisco, Dillon, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Vail. That evening, Hadley was exhausted after her week at camp so Jamie stayed behind while Bode and I took to the trail. I had an epiphany: almost exactly two years ago, Hadley took her first solo flight to Utah (like Bode) and she first tested out her new mountain bike on Breckenridge’s trail system, just as Bode and I did that evening on his newly-minted mountain bike.

New bikes on the Breckenridge bike path: Hadley (2011) and Bode (2013)

His ride went smashingly on the dirt trails…until he ended up slowly smashing into the bridge. Luckily he made a quick recovery.

Party Boy

For the past few years, we have been in Canada for Bode’s July birthday, which has resulted in a number of “pretend birthdays” leading up to the real deal. He wanted to celebrate with his buddies at Big Time Fun Trampoline Center and it was the cheapest, easiest party I’ve ever thrown: Invite friends, buy cake, show up.

Big Time Partiers

Why have I been killing myself all these years with parties, food and entertainment at my house?

Finally a Fish

For the third year in a row, I organized summer swim lessons for some of my good friends from our ward. It is a two-week pool party for the kiddos and a lot of fun to hang out with the Real Housewives of Jefferson County.

And most noteworthy? Bode has finally figured out how to swim and graduated from Squids, which is the first time he has ever passed a swim class. There may be hope yet.

Camping Disasters

I was looking forward to our camping trip yesterday to Camp Dick in the Roosevelt National Forest. Like so many of our adventures, it started well with blue skies, beautiful hikes, creek-playing and boulder-scaling.

Camp Dick

But then ended so very, very badly. Details tomorrow.

Lyons Soda Fountain

But I suggest you drown your sorrows with ice cream sodas, floats, freezes, phosphates and classy sundaes at Lyons Soda Fountain, one of the state’s best preserved and oldest soda fountains in Lyons, Colo. Because ice cream makes everyone feel better.

A Little Bit of Magic

Lest you think we haven’t had any downtime in June, think again. Every chance we got, whether we were at the park, in the car driving 14,265 feet to Mount Evans’ summit or in the basement, I was reading the kids their newest obsession: Time well spent in what turned out to be a magical month.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, Jamie, outdoors, travel, Utah Tagged With: Colorado, family, family vacation, fun, mountains, travel, Utah

Hadley’s Camp Chief Ouray Highlights: Kitchen-Raiding, Mammoth-Catching Fun!

June 26, 2013 by Amber

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up the kids from school and asked, “So, what did you do at school today?” Their universal response: “Not much.” End of discussion.

That couldn’t/didn’t happen after Camp Chief Ouray. Not only did Hadley talk my ear off for hours about it, the administrative staff wisely compiled a list of questions for parents to ask their kids in order to relive their experience. I sat down with Hadley and the operative word during our interview was “fun.”

I heard you ended each day with a campfire and Vespers. Could you tell me about them?

This was a fun way to end the day. All the campers would sit down at the campfire and the leaders would tell us stories and do some fun skits and plays. When that was over, we’d put down our backpacks and the entire camp would get in a huge circle around the campfire. We’d cross our arms right over left and, while holding hands, we’d say a prayer. Then, we’d sing the “Day is Done” song and we’d be dismissed to go back to our cabins where we would go to bed. Some of us sooner than others. 🙂

Did your cabin get to sleep out one night? What was it like to sleep under the stars without a tent?

We camped out in the meadow at Pole Creek and it was so beautiful. Even though the camp wasn’t very far from our cabin, it was hard carrying our sleeping bags and pads by ourselves. We cooked hamburgers and s’mores over a campfire, followed by a fun tag game called Camouflage. It was cool sleeping under the stars but I was like a Popsicle that night. My Dad told me to bring a warmer sleeping bag but I wanted the blue one so I was really cold. My counselors Laura and Lindsay were so nice they let me snuggle up between them to stay warm all night. In the morning, we were the first ones back to our cabin and it was nice to get warm. (Mother’s note: next year she will listen to her dad’s counsel about the sleeping bag!)

What were your favorite activities?

*My favorite activity was horseback riding and I learned to canter and trot. On the last day, I even rode my horse bareback!!! There are lots of horses at camp and I had a different one every day. Dandelion was my favorite horse because she did exactly what she knew she was supposed to do.

*On the last night, Laura and Lindsay snuck our cabin of 10 girls into the Dining Hall’s kitchen. When we got there, another counselor of a boy’s cabin was there and put his finger up to his lips telling us to be quiet; he was stealing a whole bunch of chocolate ice cream! We raided the kitchen, grabbing cookies for ourselves and then RAN out. It was so cold that night (I was wearing shorts) but we so much fun!! We made lots of noise because we were laughing so hard. Other cabins raided the kitchen, too but we didn’t see them doing it.

*We played so many fun games with our cabin and other camps. One of my favorites was Ninja where we’d jump up, get in a Ninja pose where we’d pretend to cut off each other’s arms.

*I did arts and crafts and made a pot for my dad for Father’s Day that was all different colors like purple, yellow, blue and black. Now, we’ll both have something to remember from camp!

*I also really liked Kitchen Creation where we learned how to make different foods. The first day, we made frozen Popsicles (they were easy and really delicious). The second day, we made vanilla ice cream in a bag. My counselors were the ones in charge and they did a good job.

Can you teach me some of the songs you sang at camp?

It seemed like we were always singing. One of my favorite songs was a game as well–“Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky where the bull frogs jump from bank to banky….”

They’d even make silly songs out of really simple things. When we had announcements, we’d ALL sing really loudly before they started: “ANNOUNCEMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS. HEY, TERRIBLE DEATH TO DIE, TERRIBLE DEATH TO DIE. TERRIBLE DEATH TO BE TAUGHT TO DEATH, A TERRIBLE DEATH TO DIE!” It was really random but funny.

The Dining Hall was so much fun because all of the campers at ate at the same time. DJ Lollypop did a few songs for us on the final morning and my mom says she could hear us laughing and singing from her lodge all the way across camp.

What kinds of chores did you have to do to

Every day we had to keep our stuff in order because while we were gone in the afternoons, someone came by to check. We did pretty good. (Mom’s note: I’ll attest to that. During my tour, we peeked into her cabin and it was very orderly. The boy’s adjacent cabin? Another story). For horseback riding, we had to groom the horses, clean the dirt off their feet and put a blanket and saddle on them.

Camp friend Zoe

Who was your best friend at camp?

My best friend was named Zoe. She was in my cabin and we also did horseback riding together as well as lots of other things. She was really nice and fun. We were all good friends in our cabin and got along great.

What did you talk about in your devotions before you went to bed at night?

Every night before bed, we’d gather together and talk about our day. Sometimes we’d talk about our feelings at camp, stories about good and hard things we’ve had happen in our lives (one time we talked about how we got our scars). Other times, we’d play little games. It was a nice way to get to know the girls in our cabin better.

Daily flag raising

What was your favorite all-camp game?

Every week they picked a theme for camp and ours was Ice Age. The cabin that got the most into it–had the most “spirit”–won the Spirit Stick. It has been a camp tradition for a long time. The winners got to paint this year’s Spirit Stick and they’re all hanging on the wall in the Dining Hall. We didn’t win but we were still spirited.

One of my favorite games was when Russian scientists unfroze cave men and we were in charge of capturing all the extinct animals from the Ice Age. This huge chase game had saber-toothed tigers, mammoths, possums and sloths. It was really hard to capture them because the counselors were dressed up and some of them were fast (saber-tooths were the quickest). We had to catch each of them in a different way. I.e. possums you could tag but the mammoths we had to hold hands with the mammoth in the middle. For the tigers, we’d have to encircle them and sing a song so they’d be entranced and wouldn’t tag us.

I loved camp so much because we had lots of games, horses, great counselors. It was SO MUCH FUN and I can’t wait to go back next year and bring my little brother!

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On the final day of camp, each of the kids received an all-camp picture, a Certificate of Achievement from her counselors and another certificate from her riding instructor.

“Hadley: Work on picking hooves and trotting! You were awesome to have in class and I hope to see you next year! Love, Claire.”

On the back of her camp certificate, her beloved counselors wrote notes:

Miss Hadley!

I have so enjoyed having you in Chippewa this week! Your adorable giggle and spunky personality made the week so fun! I hope you had a blast with the horses and that you continue finding things to do that you are passionate about. This quality will serve you well. 🙂 Have a great rest of your summer!

Loves of love,

Laura

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Hadley,

What an awesome young girl you are. I love how bubbly and silly you are and I think everyone in the cabin learned how to have some fun with you around. I am so proud of how willing you are to try new things (horseback riding, caveman dressing up, etc.) You are such a beautiful person on the inside and out. I know you are going to do great things in the world.

Love,

Lindsay

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All pictures taken by Miss Hadley with her trusted disposable camera. Stay tuned tomorrow for Bode’s and my adventures at YMCA of the Rockies including the beaver that wasn’t really a beaver.

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Introducing the newest member of our family

May 28, 2013 by Amber

It’s a bit belated but I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our family: our new deck! We’ve been in our house for almost 10 years and have been using a temporary (read: crappy) paver-stone deck with a patio set I bought at a garage sale years ago.

Those days are no more! I worked my butt off on a big project all winter and with those funds, we hired someone to build a nice little refuge in our backyard. We still need to stain the pillar and pergola and put up the shade cloth but you get the idea. Our finishing touches were writing our individual prayers on Prayer Flags and stringing them across the entrance.

Yes I’m a little bit obsessed with Nepal. Though reluctant at first, Jamie was all-in when we wrote a “pumpkin” prayer for him.

To christen our deck, we hosted a neighborhood progressive dinner a few weeks ago. And then had a big group of friends over for Family Home Evening last week. I had a gift card to try out Chipotle’s new catering and haven’t had the chance to use it. A non-occasion turned out to be the perfect occasion!But most importantly, what does Fat Kitty think of the new deck? He had a rocky introduction to it a few months ago when the builder had it framed. Jamie painted it with some water-resistant stain and Hadley decided to take Fat Kitty in the backyard. Within minutes, The Fat One jumped onto the wet paint. It wasn’t bad enough that it got all over his feet but his fat gut sags so much he got the paint all over his belly, too.

He was greatly displeased when we had to scrub him down in the bath.

Bathing beauty

But he’s gotten over it.

Filed Under: Family, Humor Tagged With: Fat Kitty

The importance of motherhood and teaching souls to fly

May 19, 2013 by Amber

I have tried to savor and make the most of every stage of my children’s lives but lately, I feel like I have been holding on just a little bit tighter. For some reason, Hadley’s ninth birthday this week has hit me harder than the others, probably because it’s half-way to 18. She’s such an independent soul that I have no doubt when given her adult wings, she will fly away just as I did.

Of course, that’s what every parent wants but, though I’ll be her mom forever, it has made me sad to think that this stage is half-over. Pretty soon, she’ll be in the harder-to-reach teenage years and we will have to trust she will continue to build upon the foundation we’ve given her. And I can’t help but pray it will be enough.

On Friday, we got a taste of summer by delving into our favorite activities in Denver: Biked along the Platte River. Watched the tubers and kayakers at Confluence Park. Devoured Little Man Ice Cream cones. Shopped and played at our favorite store, R.E.I.

I loved it all and tried to live in the moment but fought away feelings of sadness to think that very soon, they will prefer the company of their friends to dear ol’ mom and dad on the weekends. It’s all a part of growing up.

I have been reflecting a lot about the choices I’ve made since becoming a mom. A good friend of mine is a shining star and recently received a huge promotion to an executive-level position at a major corporation. She is a great mom to beautiful children and I’m sure struggles to juggle the long hours and extensive travel. That is the path she has chosen and she is surrounded by a loving family who support her so she can balance it all.

Mine is a much different path, one in which I have stayed home with my children, put my career on the back-burner but have been fortunate enough to keep my foot in the door. I sometimes wonder where I’d be now if I had chosen to work full-time. But then I’m just grateful for the privilege it has been to stay home and for a husband who works hard to support us so that I could go to all those weekly story times. Never miss a field trip, class party or field day. Dream up a new adventure every day as we tried to fight winter’s doldrums. I have to believe that, though my kids don’t remember many of them, that all my missteps and successes have helped form the blueprint of their lives.

I recently fell in love with an essay by Lia Collins from a new book called Choosing Motherhood: Stories of Successful Women Who Put Family First. The story starts with Lia sharing a question her younger, single sister asked her after spending five weeks with Lia’s young family in Germany. She had seen the good times…and the tough ones and finally blurted out, “why would anyone want to be a mom?”

When I worked with the young women at church for a number of years, they would frequently share how their peers would make fun of their desire to become mothers someday. That, with all the career choices out there, this was only an afterthought, a backup plan. While I certainly don’t discount getting a good education and having a career (I have many wonderful mom friends who are doctors and lawyers), somehow our society has devalued the role not just of the family but of the essential, life-saving work of mothers.

As Lia struggled for an answer that cut through the daily chaos to the deeper, abiding joy that only mothers can understand, she found it months later. Her husband brought home a book from the library and she was awed when she saw the painting on the cover, “Teach these souls to fly” by William Blake.

I will include a few of my favorite excerpts.
“The beige muscles swells across the mother’s back inspired my admiration at first. A woman with such strength could perform any labor she chose. Yet the curve of her shoulder introduced a steady softening that ended in a touch on the child’s elbow. I saw the same force and persuasion in the look she gave the child. This mother seemed in the same instant both to command and to invite, to compel and to persuade.

“I found the odd trajectory of the mother’s flight as intriguing as the paradox of her person. She was definitely flying–that was clear by the way her robes hugged her body before swirling away. But her torso twisted back toward her child.

“An outsider like my sister might have seen in this mother of how children hamper and restrain. What heights could such a woman not have attained, had she been free to pursue the course she had started?

“…The child in the painting definitely didn’t know. He stared blankly toward me, not his mother. His chubby toddler arms barely reached past his head, and his feet rose behind him like two lazy balloons. While his mother seemed wholly devoted to some noble end, the child appeared merely present. This child flew only because his mother pulled him, but like most children, he seemed oblivious to what his mother did for him.

“…It would be impossible to convey to my sister all the flying I did as a mother. I could mention that I taught my daughter to read, but my sister wouldn’t know how it made my own soul soar to see the wonder on my daughter’s face when she read her first book. My sister could marvel to hear my three-year-old identify a particular waltz on the radio, but she couldn’t experience the earlier lift of listening to Strauss for hours with my little one. Until she turned back to teach a child she loved to fly, my sister couldn’t know the profound joy I felt to hear my children lovingly and patiently teaching one another.

“…The interesting thing about this painting was that it wasn’t particularly beautiful or technically impressive. Still, the longer I looked at it, though, the more the mother in me responded to it. As I watched the young child in the painting, I felt with a sense of urgency that he had entered a fallen world and, but for the guiding hand of his mother, he would sink into the blacks and reds toward the bottom of the painting. The protective shield of light and light and truth that his mother provided for him–a safe haven from the world around him–relieved me. I felt a kinship with her efforts to guide her child into the blue expanses that this world also extends.

“…I finally laid the book down with a feeling of reverent awe. “Who wouldn’t want to be a mom?” I wondered. A career in motherhood has its element of drudgery, but so did any other. What other career could claim as its end-product the elevation of a human soul? Not just the enlightening of a mind or the development of a body, but the improvement of every aspect of a vibrant child of God? I, at least, want to be a mother because I believed, with President Harold B. Lee, that the most important work I would ever do would be within the walls of my own home. I chose to be a mother because I wanted to teach souls to fly.”

-Lia Collings

Filed Under: Family, LDS