Bear Lake part 2

Saturday afternoon we spent at heavenly Rendezvous Beach on the south shore.  It was PACKED. So much more so than last year when just our immediate family went.

The temperature was perfect, and to prove I can be adventurous, I took Millie out in a kayak. The water was only a foot or two deep in that part, but still, I was on the water. I sang Moana songs.

JB also took James out, and Andrew and Max paddled a lot as well. 

Ben played and played with Emily and Jane on big inflatables.  

And the 7 and under cousins all dug and dug in the sand.

We had to get back to have dinner and then shower and change for family pictures that evening. A photographer was arranged to come capture the whole family back on the shore.

I can't wait to see those, because I am hoping she can do wonders with my screaming 2 year old. James also wouldn't stop doing T-Rex arms. She took pictures of the big, middle and little cousins together, and the six siblings together, and the siblings with John and Pauline.

Here is one from JB's phone as a preview.

In age order we have Maxwell (13),  Emily, (12), Benjamin (10), Jane (9), Andrew (7), Aaron (almost 6), Phinaes (5), James (5), Kate (5), Millicent (almost 3), Harvey (2), Spencer (2), Millie (2), Carver (almost 2), Silas (5 months), Kira (2 months) and Rachel (5 weeks).

We got professional pictures done in these same outfits earlier this summer (and I should be sharing those eventually). But what a beautiful place to take some more photos!

Bear Lake part 1

Richards reunion - 14 adults, 17 children in a beautiful lake house at Bear Lake!

We took a quick trip up north to Bear Lake Friday afternoon through Sunday morning, leaving after school/work and getting back for church.

We took turns with meals and ate very well. And raspberry shakes per usual were fantastic.

The kids were excited to run up and down and all around the huge house, and try all the different bunk beds to find their favorite. The layout was just like my friend Sarah's that we went to 3 years ago (post here), which helped me and my kids feel comfortable right away.

The boys liked the ping pong table and swings and Smart TVs.

Millie liked the playroom under the stairs.

I liked the big clean airy kitchen, and the washer/dryer where I was able to wash all our swimsuits and towels and bring them home clean. I am changing, aren't I. It's all domestic with me now.

JB doesn't believe I used to be more adventurous. I went paragliding and parasailing in Europe when I was 19. But on Saturday morning, when almost everyone else tried the rope swing into a cold mountain lake, I sat on a rock and dreamed of reading my book on a sandy beach instead.

So we woke up early on Saturday, packed picnics, and drove past blue Bear Lake to go about an hour north on a gravel forest road, then hiked the babies and Pauline and John up to Bloomington Lake.

Ben carried Jeff and Kim's dog, Teeny.

Collette went over to the rope swing on the other side, and took these pictures of Ben and Max going in. I think JB and all his siblings went in, as well as cousins Emily and Jane.

The smaller cousins played on rocks and logs and in mud by me.

JB strung his hammock when he came back around from the rope swing.

After lunch, we hiked back down and then drove back and around to the south of Bear Lake and got there in time for a few hours of play. I'll get those pictures into the next post, so this doesn't get too long.

First Day of School 2018

Four boys are in school this year! 

Because I work so early in the morning, I was not able to see them go off down the sidewalk.  And it can be a learning curve, getting up and getting ready to go. But JB says the mornings have been smooth this week. Max has to catch a bus by 7:45; the three other boys have to start walking down the street by 8:15.

Maxwell is in 8th grade now. I have horrible memories of 8th grade, but I believe Max has good friends, and he is an SBO (Student Body Officer), which boosts his confidence and helps him help others and stay involved.

Benjamin is in 5th grade. This is when I feel like elementary school can start to get harder. And he seemed bummed the first few days about his teacher (ie she told them they had to earn parties, and that they all should wear deoderant). He also was fighting a slight virus or fever that made him feel less than his best. But he is cheering up as the week goes on.

Andrew is in 2nd grade, and seems to like Ms Berica so far. He also is still wearing clothes from kindergarten. Will he ever grow? He doesn't mind. He is a cheerful joy. Although he did have a rough night this week -- nerves, or illness, I couldn't tell. Better now though.

And James is in all-day kindergarten! He came back bummed the first day that he wasn't allowed to only play with the dinosaur toys all day. Oh, and he had to move his clip down for roaring at another boy like a T-Rex. I volunteered the next afternoon and he seemed to be getting along well (PHEW), but afternoons are when he lets loose on the family with all his pent-up emotions and feelings.

James is in Kindergarten with Dax in our ward. His mom and I think they should sit at the same table and duke it out.

Andrew found Ethan H from our ward in his class:

Ben found Owen and Jackson

And then these boys - Joe, Dash, and I can't remember the rest. They were at his massive birthday party. I admire how Ben makes and keeps friends. 

On Tuesday, Millie put on her little backpack over her jammies so JB took a picture of the cuteness. 

Wednesday, she insisted on getting dressed and getting shoes and then her backpack, so JB had to take another picture, it was so cute. But he says she didn't cry when they left?!

The house is quiet when I get home at noon. JB gets so much more work done. But my thoughts are often at the schools with my boys, hoping they are doing ok.

Film and Lit

In college, I took a Lit & Film class and absolutely loved it. I still love to read or re-read a book and then watch the movie or vice-versa and compare the two. Not in written essays like before, more like out loud to anyone who will listen. I am not a purist, where only a strict telling of the book will do, because I understand the constraints of the screen. But I do like it when the main characters do what I expect and look like I thought they should.

Here are some of the highlights from my past year or so.

Silas Marner

It’s about a weaver who loses his gold but finds a foundling girl and it changes his life.

This movie stars Ben Kingsley, and it stays pretty close to the book in terms of characters and plot development. I remember watching it when I was young, and when I found it on Amazon Prime Video recently, the music took me right back. My copy of the book has pages falling out, but it smells so good (old book smell!) Such a good story of love and forgiveness and redemption.

Lorna Doone

It’s about a farmer who falls in love with a girl raised in the law-breaking clan that killed his father.

I read this book in my teens because it was one of my dad’s recommendations. Olde style, so it takes some going to get used to the style, but the payoff is worth it. The BBC did a 3 part adaption a few years ago that I recently found, and really enjoyed. It’s on Amazon Prime Video. Three parts allows more time for story-telling. Though John seems more moody in the movie. And his sister (Anna before Downton Abbey) has a different accent from the rest of the family.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

It’s about a writer befriending a book club formed during the WW2 German occupation of the Island of Guernsey

The book is told in letter form – letters and telegrams from the characters to each other. The movie was in theaters in the UK, and just released on Netflix in the US. It acts out those happenings from the letters, so revelations happen at different times. It also combines some characters and changes a couple points a bit, but is otherwise pretty faithful. And it’s very well done (and includes four Downton Abbey actors). I have watched just the ending a few times when I needed cheering up after sad news stories at work.

The Martian

It’s about an astronaut trying to survive when left behind on Mars.

I am late to the game on this one, others saw it in the theater a few years ago. But I got the book from the library, then I watched the movie On Demand on our Xfinity package. And they are pretty close. The movie has to have him talk out loud more, because in the book he is just making journal logs. And the movie adds more stuff to the end, which I liked for the sake of closure. But one character’s role is changed a little for Hollywood purposes I suspect. My big boys watched it with me (I had to mute a couple bad words in the beginning) and they liked it.

A Man Called Ove

New neighbors refuse to let grumpy man remain depressed after wife's death

This one I read in my book group last year, and then we went to see the movie in the theater. It's Swedish with subtitles. Seeing the movie made me like the book more, if that makes sense. The book is told in a lot of back and forth through time, and to be honest, I had real trouble with the main character. Then I loved the way he changed.

Anne with an E

Imaginative orphan adopted by an older brother and sister, finds her bosom friend, falls in love with Prince Edward Island

This is on Netflix and it is horrible. It takes way too many liberties with the source material, even outright lying. It does show the darker themes from Anne of Green Gables, which made me go back and realize that some of those things were there (but not all. Sheesh).  It also made me realize the sea and the Scots are a bigger part of the book's background than what I first realized. But this should not be under the kids section of Netflix, and I will not try season 2. 

LM Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables

This adaptation is from Canada in 2016. More light-hearted, bright and cheery, and not bad, but Matthew is not at all like the shy man in the book. We can't get everything we want. There's a sequel I will watch next. 

The series from the 80s also took liberties and combined/eliminated characters and moved plot points around, but I still enjoy it for nostalgia sake because I watched it with my mom. Gilbert and Anne look different in my head than in any of these adaptations though.

I could also write posts comparing books v films for Jane Austen and Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and Harry Potter, but who has time for that (note: my sister and I disagree about Pride & Prejudice adaptions, while my mom likes a different Emma than I do, etc).

Island Park last day

Three moose spent about an hour and a half just walking, strolling, laying down, and otherwise hanging out RIGHT OUTSIDE the cabin. It was amazing.

Here are JB's feet in the hammock, and the brown spot is one of the Moose. That's before we came inside for safety. 

Andy is so good for my boys. He taught them the joy of making a fort in the woods, and gathering sticks, and making piles and just being a boy in the outdoors.

One last picture feeding the fish. There was a HUGE one.

This was the morning we left. The Loosles were staying on for another day or so. 

I cried a little when we hugged goodbye (even though they live just a few blocks away). I guess it was the beauty of the place. I could feel the memories going back a generation. Linda's parents are gone, but their presence and love remains as each child comes to visit with their children and grandchildren. I wish for something similar for my children -- for good memories and happiness with family.

Yellowstone day 2

On Wednesday, we went through part of the lower loop. We drove right to Old Faithful, first, to hopefully avoid too many crowds. And right as we walked up from the parking lot, it was going off!

There is nothing like it. I hope the boys remember it. I remember it from when I was younger. JB and I came 14 years ago (before kids) with my Aunt Nancy, and camped overnight and saw Old Faithful and other geysers. It's something I think every American should see. Though there are plenty of people from other countries there, too.

It was going to be another 90 minutes before it went off again, so we used the time to walk around the old lodge (so cool!), and around all the other geysers and hot pots and springs and thermal features in that area all along the board walks. 

Max carried Millie for a spell, and she held my hand.

Then we were right back where we started in time to see Old Faithful erupt again.

After that, we drove back up the road to see some more geyser basins. The little boys were tired of walking, so JB took the big boys to see Grand Prismatic Spring. Look at this photo he took on his phone! It should be on a calendar.

Then we had lunch, found a good climbing tree, and waded in the Firehole river. I forgot the swimsuits and towels back at the cabin, so we stayed in the shallows.

(proof James smiled for one picture on our trip)

(proof I got into the water)

We saw this sign along the road. My mountain.

And not much longer after that, we saw a momma elk and baby elk cross right in front of our car.

They were going to a playdate on the other side! Four mommas and four elk just walking up the Madison River, right outside our windows. 

When we were back at the West Entrance, Max took this picture of JB and me.

We went back to West Yellowstone, had more ice cream (the IMAX has 50 cent cones - pro tip, you are welcome). Then we went to Big Springs in Island Park and fed the fish.

Linda brought Kraft singles -- these fish like cheese!



Linda had an amazing roast in the crockpot when we got back to the cabin. Next post -- the MOOSE who stayed right next to the cabin, and our last day of our trip.