School Year 2016-2017

Where did my babies go?? Nathan is moving on to 5th grade at the Middle School and Hyrum is in 3rd grade at Hibbard Elementary.

A new year always brings enthusiasm and silliness on that first day.

My mom heart is so full of love for these two! I'm grateful for their excitement for life and the joy they bring to our family.

We went over to the Miller's front yard for the annual back to school neighborhood breakfast and to catch the bus with all their friends. Brock was happy to have the boys get on the bus with him for his first day of 1st grade.

Justin started his senior year with contemplation . . . not really, he was totally posing. He has already been attending cheer practices throughout June and August (6 a.m.!!) but today he got to sleep in before performing at the morning assembly.

I'm treating this as just another school year until the very last drop of denial is forced out of me at his graduation. This smart, handsome, witty, young man amazes me in so many ways. I will enjoy every ball game, every practice, every competition, every presentation, every lunch, every late night conversation, and store them in my forever memories.

Fourth Annual Hike to Darby Wind Caves

Hiking snacks, water bottles, and insulated back packs ready!

Our first stop is always in Driggs to update our Spud Drive-In family photo.

It make me happy to see the older kids get excited to stop somewhere that isn't really that interesting but the tradition brings up so many memories.

The beginning of the hike had us wondering once again WHY we do this hike every year! I swear that mountain gets more steep each year. We took frequent breaks to catch our breath and drink water and after about mile 2 our legs accepted the trek and we made good time.

Gabor, Vivien, Nathan, Brian, Kayla, Justin, LeRoy, Sabrina, Hyrum, Levi, Daymia, Derek


At the base of the falls we stopped for snacks and to put jackets on before heading into the cave.

Only the brave and adventurous crossed the falls and went into the cold darkness. That left Daymia and I resting in the sun against the warm rocks. Honestly, I've never had so much trouble on a hike before. My legs needed a serious break!

As they emerged from the cave in pairs we heard stories of crawling along their bellies, darkness so thick you could feel it and a bitter cold that eventually forced an end to their spelunking adventures. Once we were all together again we started our decent, which always goes much faster than the climb in part because our traditional burger joint is waiting for us upon our return.

Much to our dismay, Basin Burger was closed for a remodel. We backtracked a little to find TJ's Pizza and Pasta. The pizza was okay, the pasta needed a little more kick, the animals on the wall creeped Vivien out, but the flowering chips were creative.

Next year we'll go to the newly remodeled Basin Burger. (Did I just say next year? Have I forgotten already how torturous that hike is?)


The following picture caught me in a very tired mood as I lay in bed with sore, shaky legs looking through photos from the day.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then lets analyze this one.

Up in the left corner is Vivien and Gabor obviously sharing a secret. Or maybe a kiss? I know, they founds diamonds in the cave! Okay, they were just hiding from the camera.

At the right we have Justin looking a little caught off guard while Kayla appears about to gag. Hmmm . . . feeling gassy, Justin?  I have no idea what was really taking place.

Sabrina, Sabrina, Sabrina . . . if you don't want your picture taken you don't have to flip me off.
Fine, she's only brushing her hair out of her face.

Brian, Stop! Rolling down the hill is not the best way. Actually maybe the steady, careful 10 year old is just making his way away from the crazy people.

Gabor's Birthday

Gabor doesn't much care for sweets so I made a carrot cake, a little less sweet than most cakes, and banana muffins using my banana bread recipe which has become his favorite. Vivien and I decorated them with minimal frosting (and from her glare she was so happy that I took pictures of the event).

After a very out of tune round of "Happy Birthday" we gave him our gifts. Nathan gave him a silicone oven mitt to use for making his now famous "Gabor potatoes" and Hyrum shared his loved of cooking by giving him a chef hat. The boys picked out a card so appropriate for their relationship and inside jokes with Gabor.

"On your birthday remember - it's better to be a party animal . . . than a farty animal!"

Vivien's only request for his birthday was to have a pinata because he'd never had one before. With our lack of trees we struggle to find a place to hang a pinata. We tried the basketball stand but that wasn't working so we gave in and did it the Edwards way.  Justin pitched it to Gabor and he hit it with a baseball bat.

After sharing the pinata spoils and gathering up the mess, Hyrum and Gabor pulled out their aprons (Vivien gave him the apron for his birthday) and chef hats and geared up for some kitchen creativity.

Happy Birthday, Gabor!!! 
♥♥  The Edwards Family Loves You  ♥♥

Bear World and Cousin Time

Bear World in Rexburg was so much more than I had expected! I thought it would be zoo like, depressing to see wild animals caged up, but it was wonderful.

The hard part about Bear World is keeping the windows up and staying in the vehicle. I wanted to get out and roam with the bears! I was so jealous of the workers who were giving back rubs to bears and looking into their big brown eyes! I found my dream job . . . bear snuggler.

The bonus of Bear World is the small amusement park with rides. 

The boys were so happy to spend an hour or so there, bouncing from ride to ride while Kara and I sat in the center where we could see them the whole time. They paired themselves off into their usual buddy system and we could see their personalities in the rides they chose to go on the most. Though they initially went on all of the rides, Nathan and Max spent most of their time with the rhythmic calm of the train and the stationary spinning of the bears while Hyrum and Zane took the more thrilling rush of the roller coaster over and over again. 

It was a perfect combination of playground freedom and thrill-ride excitement with a spot in the shade for moms to visit.

While we were at the rides, Vivien and Gabor drove through the park to see the animals again and found the map to pin where they were visiting from.

After we met up again we went to the petting zoo. 

The boys laughed and laughed over the pot belly boar and were in awe over the deer. Though it was more zoo like, the animals roamed freely. Hyrum was chastised for chasing the wild turkey but was  still grinning after the keeper walked away because he had never run with a turkey before.

Vivien and Gabor joined us at the petting zoo as well, Vivien with hand sanitizer wielded and ready!

As we left we took a final glance at the baby bears, hugged the big fake bear goodbye and committed to making Bear World a yearly event.

The rest of the week with Max and Zane was filled with summer fun outside, a little light reading inside, and movie night in the park where Levi, Daymia, Justin, and Kayla joined us.

Touring Idaho and Wyoming

This summer we became experts in packing lunches and taking day trips to the beauty surrounding us in Idaho and Wyoming.

Mesa Falls is our most visited hangout because it is close and perfect for a short hike. We love the spray of the water, the lack of cell service, the beautiful trees and calm breeze.

We also hiked over to the abandoned train tunnel where we found an eagles nest (with eagles!) sticking high up into the sky, marriage proposal, and more gorgeous scenery.

The beauty of Yellowstone never gets old! 

Old Faithful was faithful, the paint pots were stinky and mesmerizing, the scenery breathtaking and the company a joy to be with. We even got to witness a bear roaming his mountain home.

The day ended with a light rain which cooled us off enough to need hoodies and blankets but in no way did it water down the adventure.

Jackson Hole took us back in time to a wild west adventure with guns blazing and fists flying at the main square.

The top of Teton Pass and the tram and gondola rides to the top of Rendezvous Mountain gave us a gorgeous view of the Grand Teton Mountain Range and forced us to pop our ears several times.

The winds at the top of Rendezvous Mountain cooled down a ninety degree day to a nippy sixty degree day and lack of oxygen at 10,450 feet evidently left Nathan and Hyrum a little loopy. The view and the company were spectacular! Nathan and Hyrum decided that they were each going to take their own gondola down the mountain. My little adventurers are becoming so independent!

On the way home from Jackson, we stopped at our favorite ice cream stop, the Victor Emporium. 

While Nathan, Hyrum, Daymia and I enjoyed our ice cream, Justin & Kayla and Gabor & Vivien gobbled away at over sized and overpriced grill style hamburgers and home style fries from the Brakeman American Grill next door. Gabor ended up accidentally stealing his Coca-Cola restaurant cup as a souvenir, which we all unforgivingly teased him about.

We left one morning to do a loop from Rexburg to Twin Falls to Craters of the Moon and through empty no-mans land back to Rexburg. An unscheduled stop came after only 30 minutes at the Honda dealership because the van was shaking so bad at any speed above 40 mph. It was an easy fix (rocks and asphalt in the rim due to all the road construction around us) and we were on our way again.

The first scenic stop was just north of Twin Falls at the Shoshone Falls.  The falls and surrounding canyon were spectacular!

We next went into the city of Twin Falls to see the long bridge spanning the canyon. It looked impressive from the road but walking underneath it to see the structure, hear the traffic above, and witness the massiveness up close was, well, Wow! To add to all of that, there were bridge jumpers dropping from the top and we were able to witness parachutes opening, graceful landings and what had to be exhausting hikes back up the canyon wall.

After a picnic lunch in the shade, we headed to Craters of the Moon. My kids had each been there on school field trips, but I had never been there. What a vast, black, hot, landscape!

We hiked up the black sand to look out over the mountains, then wandered our way over to the caves.  Though spelunking was fun, after awhile it started to feel suffocating for me. The day was a hot one so the caves were nice and cool but the feeling of being covered in darkness (both in and above the caves), void of any color, greenery, or as it appeared, even animals, gave me a feeling of imprisonment that I have never felt while being out in nature.  However, I took the time to appreciate the opposition of beautifully landscaped mountains and imagined the volcanoes, weather and science that went into the making of Idaho's volcanic wonderland

The drive from Craters of the Moon back to Rexburg didn't really improve the empty feeling as we meandered through three hours of wide open fields with a scattering of a few small towns. With the late start to our day (van check-up), spending more time at each place, and hiking in the heat of the day, we were quite famished. Each time we came up on a town (village? community?) of lights we hoped for somewhere to stop for a meal (and potty break) but it wasn't until the road suddenly dropped into west Idaho Falls that relief seemed near. Fast food never looked so good.

Temple Square and Lagoon

We kept our family trip close to home this year with a visit to Salt Lake City with our first day spent at Lagoon.

 After a quick just-in-case-we-get-separated photo of the boys, we split up into several groups with a meet up time for later. Hyrum (who wasn't quite tall enough to join the thrill seekers) and I kept it close to the kiddie rides and had a great time! As the youngest of 6 (which has grown to 9) he revels in individual mom time. Our common loved ride was the swings. We would get off and run back around through the empty line to get right back on. 

After a day of rides and wandering we ended up at Pioneer Village. LeRoy (who is not a museum kind of guy) and the younger boys went back to the rides while Levi, Daymia, Derek and I wandered through the old-time shops. We each found a place that called to us: Daymia at the barbershop, Derek at the watchmakers, Levi at the old church full of interesting facts, and Me at the piano shop.

Erika and Kailee Jo joined us for the second day while we visited Temple Square. They had recently moved to Taylorsville and Bret was unable to join us due to his new job. However, we took very good care of his girls, often arguing over who got to stroll with Kailee.

We toured the Beehive House, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and the North Visitors' Center where we wandered the lower level with all the videos, paintings and statues as well as the upper level where we had a family picture in front of the Christus.

I love the feeling of reverence in this place, especially when sharing it with those who mean so much to me!

4th of July Highlights

♥  Family  ♥

Vivien and Gabor
Only a few days in the USA and they fit right in with our crazy family just perfectly!

Kailee Jo

Parade and Fireworks
And again, Vivien, Gabor, and Kailee Jo!

Explosions

From a safe distance we watched LeRoy lead another explosive (and messy) summer show. Only watermelon and dumptster treasures were injured.