A Mountain Swim at Sunrise

A stroke of good luck, and the blessing of generous friends, landed us a free night at the Stein Eriksen lodge. We found out about the opportunity Friday afternoon, and after a flurry of shopping, leg shaving, nose wiping (the kids noses that is) and packing, we were checking into a beautiful room Friday night.

On a tangent, one of my best friends won a free trip to Disneyland a few years ago. It included airfare, park tickets, and accommodations at the Disney Grand for the whole family. You know, the really nice hotel with three swimming pools and your own private entrance to the park for about $375 per night. She would have normally stayed at the budget Best Western down the street for $100 per night. But, since it was a free trip, they were going in style and we were all SO excited for them to experience the extra luxurious accommodations.

After the trip was over, she wrote a really funny story called "The Imposters" about how they felt all out of place at the really fancy hotel, sneaking homemade meals in their room and wondering how much to tip the guy who was carrying their luggage all around. Then, when they moved to the budget Best Western down the street (they extended the vacation by a few days), they felt right at home with their little micro-fridge and carrying their own luggage. She is hilarious the way she tells it.

I have to admit, that as I packed our things into a huge suitcase and carefully stowed a little cooler full of chocolate milk in the bottom, I was reminded of her story and chuckled a little to myself.

We arrived at the beautiful Stein Eriksen Lodge, passed our stinky mini-van off to the valet (I did actually vacuum it during the flurry of getting ready, it still seemed out of place at that elegant lodge), and proceeded to our room with a guy hefting our embarrassingly heavy suitcase (adding a cooler of drinks makes it a tad heavy, but you've gotta have hotel munchies!). It was after 9 p.m. when we got settled. The pool was closed. The kids were tired. So, after Soph and AiAi took a fun bubble bath in the jetted tub huge enough to fit our whole family (we didn't try that out, but it looked like it would fit our whole family) and we drank a bunch of chocolate milk with powdered sugar donuts and crackers with easy cheese on the side (yeah, we go all out on junk food for trips), we got everyone settled into their beds for the night.

We made room for Soph in the huge king-sized bed with us (at her request) and made beds on the floor for the boys. By the time morning rolled around, I was nestled in the bed with all three kids and awesome Photoguy was taking the hit for the family sleeping on the floor (thanks Photoguy!). Luckily, as I've said before, that guy can sleep anywhere. And, while I loved being surrounded by six over-sized feather pillows and engulfed in a warm feather comforter, Photoguy found it hot and stifling. So, maybe he was even happier in his more modest accommodations.

I awoke at 6:30 a.m. and sneaked out to look around. The perfectly manicured lawns and elaborate gardens were gorgeous, and the fall colored mountains encircling the lodge were incredible. The pool opened at 7 a.m. I crept back to the room and dressed Soph and E-Man in their swimsuits for an early morning dip. Scratch that. I forgot Soph's swimsuit. Kind of important. I was glad she was a good sport about wearing a t-shirt and my swim shorts rigged up with a hair band to keep them from falling off. Classy, I know. But, we couldn't just not swim so we had to get creative. Photoguy and AiAi stayed behind for a few more Z's.

When I at first realized that the pool was outdoor, I was a bit surprised and wondered how that was going to work for a pre-sunrise swim in the mountains at the end of September? Luckily, the weather was awesome and the water felt like a warm bath. It was a magical, peaceful morning gliding through the water with my kids while the sky slowly lit up, taking the clouds from dull gray, to glowing golden, to pure white. We experienced that quiet moment together, just before the sun is up, when the leaves on the trees seem illuminated from within. And, after the sun lit up the sky, the water scattered little shimmers of light all over the rock wall lining the pool on one side.

We also spent some time in the hot tub with a rock waterfall spilling into it or curled up on the padded chaise lounges draped in the giant plush pool towels.

A little before 9 a.m. our friends (the friends I babysit for and kids), and Photoguy and AiAi joined us. It was a great morning playing together in the pool. Soph looked up at a tree covered with green leaves just beginning to yellow and said, "The leaves on that tree are really yellow. Leaves have chlorophyll, which is green, and when the chlorophyll leaves you can see their true color." I love it when my kids share something they've just learned.

After another bubble bath for the kids, we headed to the Glitretind, the resort's ultra-elegant restaurant for a delectable breakfast. Somehow, all six kids were angels for the hour-and-a-half experience. Whenever they acted up, we just let them eat cubes from the sugar bowl and for once all the extra sweets worked in our favor.

I wanted to order hot chocolates for all the kids, but, at $5 per cup (the prices were overly inflated), I couldn't bring myself to do it. After breakfast, we congregated in our friends' room for a bit before heading to a movie. The kids, of course, wanted to play in the closet. I love how kids are magnetized to tiny spaces. They heated water in the coffee maker and opened a box of Nestle hot cocoa with mini marshmallows (that I had grabbed at the store when I was picking up trip munchies), and made themselves cocoas in mugs and wine glasses. They were perfectly happy with themselves and it only cost 99-cents instead of thirty-dollars. Gotta love that. And, I loved seeing them using the stirrers like tiny straws to sip their drinks from goblets.

Our juice was also served in fancy glass goblets at breakfast. E-man must have reached across the table and toasted me about thirty times throughout the meal. So sweet. We feel so blessed for this little excursion to the mountains, and even more blessed to have such thoughtful friends!

And, since I'm writing about great times and free trips to Disneyland and stuff, the other good news is that on Friday we are leaving for our own free Disneyland trip!

Last fall, Photoguy came home from a photo assignment and said that he had happened upon a raffle for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "I was feeling lucky," he said. So, he bought $5 worth of tickets and threw them in. A few days later we received a phone call telling us we had won the grand prize!

It's not quite as grand as the trip my friend won (with airfare and fancy hotel and all). In fact, it's just three nights at the budget Best Western down the street, and one-day tickets to Disneyland. But, whatever, we're still grateful and excited.

Friday, we are heading down to St. George so Photoguy can run the St. George Marathon on Saturday (maybe I should change his name to Marathonman?). On Sunday, we are driving to California for a day at the beach and Disneyland on Monday. All day today when I was thinking, "Somebody pinch me. Why am I in Park City in the lap of luxury?" I was also thinking, "And, why are we doing this (as in, getting away) again in just a few more days?" We are blessed.

Feel Free to add to my List

Fall, how I love thee . . . let me count the ways.

And, summer. And, spring. Then, there is that long grueling time in between called "winter."

Growing up, I would hear people say, "I love having four seasons." So, I thought, "Yeah, I love having four seasons too." Then, I spent a fall semester living in Israel, where it stays warm all year, and guess what? I don't really need four seasons. When I was sitting on a beach in Galilee with my feet propped up in the sun studying for a test (in December) I realized I didn't miss trudging through the snow and braving the canyon winds of Logan one bit. Not one bit I tell ya! Yep. Warm is pretty much the only season I need.

Alas, I live in a place where winter is the longest season of all. Not only do I not enjoy cold, but, as an adult I've started to be SADD in the winter. We have fall, which, hands down, is the best. And, it winds up with a flurry of holidays. Goes out with a real bang from Halloween to E-Man's birthday, to one of my favorite days -- Thanksgiving. And, who doesn't love the whole Christmas season?

Then, comes January with inversions and weeks with high temps hovering in the teens. Ugh, January! And, while Valentine's Day is a little bright spot in February, we are still trudging through winter oft-times until the end of March. Sometimes into April. And, some years the cold seems to last through May and into June. It's maddening.

As we approach this inevitable season, I've decided to change my thinking. Scratch that last paragraph. I'm going to start a list of things to love about winter. I'll try to keep it in my head once January hits so I can make it until the sun shines again.

1. Hot cocoa. Who am I kidding? I drink it year round. But, it's a bit more satisfying in winter. I just discovered Starbucks Drinking Chocolate. Mmmm. It tastes like I'm drinking a candy bar. When I was in Russia, I visited a castle-like structure in Nizhni Novgorad. I had a cup of cocoa there that tasted all thick like melted chocolate. I've never forgotten that cup of cocoa. That is what Starbucks Drinking Chocolate is like.

2. Layers. So much easier to hide that not so flat tummy under. And, I love bundling the kids.

3. Early bedtime for the kids. I'm already enjoying this one immensely! All summer long all I heard was, "It's not dark outside!" while even my three-year-old stayed up past 10 p.m. every night. Love getting those munchkins off to dreamland by 8 p.m.

4. Cozy nights by the fire. Oh, wait. We don't have a fireplace (yet). But, I do love cozy nights cuddled up in blankets reading together.

5. The magic of freshly fallen snow.

6. Making a snowman. I have made a tradition of building at least one snowman per year with my kids since Soph was tiny.

7. Sledding. A bit of work and a cold day, but so much fun with the kids.

8. Seeing how much Soph loves winter. That girls loves every kind of weather.

9. Soup.

10. Citrus.

11. No yard work (and, Photoguy does all the shoveling -- bonus!).

That's about it. I mean, I do love skiing. Let's see, I've done that either once or twice in the past ten years. Having babies in rapid succession will do that to ya. And, I would really love to try snowshoeing with my kids now that they are a bit older. Snowmobiling could be on the list (hint, hint to all my friends with snowmobiles). And, a couple of times we've gone to a cabin in the Uintah's with friends in winter - very, very cozy!!

What do you love about winter?

Hottest Daddy

Photoguy doesn't want me to do this, but I have to brag on him a little, and here is why:

A couple of weeks ago, Soph brought home a permission slip for a fieldtrip to a historic farm in Logan. My heart about melted when she asked Photoguy if he could come with her and he said, "Yes!"

If you know Photoguy, you know that he works pretty much all the time. But, Mondays (the fieldtrip was last Monday) provides some flexibility. I know he had one million things he would have liked to get done, rather than accompany a bunch of seven-year-olds for the entire day. Yet, he still agreed to do it.

Soph mentioned that her daddy was going with her on her fieldtrip at least once per hour in the weeks leading up to the big day. Every time she saw him, she'd say, "You haven't forgotten about the fieldtrip yet have you?" And, "You have to sit by me on the bus, okay?" She couldn't even go to sleep the night before, she was so hyped. And, when it was over she talked about how fabulous it was, except for the fact that it ended too soon.

I love so much that he did that for her. And, he's officially the hottest daddy in my book.

First Signs of Fall

Earlier this month, when all the kids were finally in school, including our littlest ones beginning pre-school, I started hiking on Wednesdays with a group of girlfriends.

We started out with waterfall canyon -- a beautiful, not too strenuous climb (kids can even do it if you take it slow) that ends up at a giant waterfall. I've enjoyed this hike since I was a teenager.

For the past two weeks, we've been hiking Malan's Peak. The first time we did it (my first time ever), it was raining just a little and as we climbed up and up we came into little fairytale pockets of mist. We gained several thousand vertical feet on this steep climb, and it was on our way up that I discovered the first signs of fall. Things started out green, then we began to see yellow and brown, finally branches of bright red jutting out here and there. Of course the rain made the colors even more stark.

It was difficult to make the five-mile round trip trek quick enough to pick the kids up from pre-school (2 1/2 hours). I felt like I was running up steep stairs for most of it. And, I don't know how anyone else around me could breath because I was sucking ALL available oxygen in the vicinity as fast as possible. That first trip up was a real doozy. My super-in-shape friend (mother of five) was running up the trail while I staggered along awkwardly, trying to catch sight of her.

There is a certain solidarity that comes from hiking in the rain, I think. It is the same way I felt when that same super-in-shape friend and I use to run together (back in the day) on rainy days. No matter the weather, she was always good to go. I would call and say things like, "Ummm . . . it's pouring rain, should we cancel?" "There is a blizzard, are you sure you want to go?" "I just checked the weather and it's two degrees outside. I heard people's lungs can actually freeze and stop working at two-degrees. Can we please just go back to bed?" She never once relented.

It was a tough hike, and my legs were sore for at least five days after the first time (it was easier the next week), but, as I always promise my kids when we hike, I felt very, very rewarded in the end. In fact, not only was it a great feeling that day, but every day after, as I was driving around, looking at that huge peak, telling my kids, "Your mom walked to the very top of that mountain right there!" I'm asking myself why I haven't been hiking this peak all my life? It's so gorgeous!

I gathered red leaves and brought them home to show my kids the first signs of fall. That was fun at the beginning of September. It was amazing how much that hike had changed by the following week -- much more color including oranges and purples. Now, the leaves are even beginning to change here on the benches. I was so pleased last night when Soph and E-Man spent the evening playing in the backyard until sundown. They gathered up fall leaves and glued them to papers (and, glued papers together) making a huge fall collage. It brings me such joy when they get along, when they spend time outdoors, and when they are artistic -- truly a nice night to see all three happen at once.

The Z-Man and Gentle-B

A couple of weeks ago, two of my nephews, Z-Man and Gentle-B, came to spend a couple of nights with us. Photoguy and I were in for a real treat getting to know these two better.

Z-Man is four and an expert on trains. He picked up a toy train and exclaimed, "Wow! It even has traction rods!" He explained many facts about trains to me including how fast different kinds of trains can travel. I asked, "How fast can you travel?" You know, to see what kind of train he is. He replied seriously, "Well, I can only go about three miles per hour." Surprisingly accurate and cute response. My kids have been obsessed with different things from time to time, but I have to say, Z-Man's fascination with trains goes beyond anything I've ever seen. And, it's so stinkin' cute! Makes me want to buy him every train I see for how excited he gets.

One day, while the other kids were at school, I took my nephews to the Treehouse Museum. Right inside the front doors, there are three train tables. Beyond that, there is an old-fashioned schoolhouse, farmer's market, pretend vegetable garden, working cash register, physician's lab, life-size firetruck, giant fish tank, two-story "tree", castle, art garden, ship, music room, and a host of other amazing exhibits. It was really fun to take someone new there and realize just how much there really is to do. Through the whole tour, Z-Man's question was the same, "When can we go back to the trains?"

Gentle-B is two, and, I have to say, he is about the most easy-going-all-around-barrels-of-fun two-year-old I've ever met. Every time I looked at him, he was flashing me a toothy grin. And, he's a great cuddler! What more could you want I ask!?

His love, rather than trains, is cars. Luckily, with two sons of my own, we have quite the assortment. The only times he got upset were when he realized it was bedtime and he wasn't going home. Letting him choose a car to snuggle with (hard plastic, how comforting) proved to work well. I also made sure to put him to bed with a sippy cup of water (a tip from his mom). But, one night, I guess he couldn't find his cup and I was awakened at 2:30 a.m. by his sweet little voice singing out, "Drink please." Gee, my kids are hardly ever that polite even in the daylight hours. What a nice change from waking up to the usual blood curdling screams.

One is Silver, the Other Gold

Friday and Saturday provided rare opportunities to visit friends from my college days (sadly, more than a decade ago).

On Friday, Tina, a gal I lived with in Jerusalem in 1997, brought her two-year-old daughter on Frontrunner to Ogden from her home in Salt Lake. She took my blog on fun things to do in O-Town seriously because she is smart like that. I picked her up at the station and we headed to the Treehouse Museum. Unfortunately, I forgot to take note that this just happened to be during the one week each year the Treehouse closes for cleaning. Luckily, the Dinosaur Park was just a short drive northeast, yet another catastrophe averted.

Our toddlers were none the wiser about missing out on the Treehouse while being amazed by the "live" robotic dinosaurs, feeding the fish, and playing on the pre-historic playground. Then, we headed down to Union Station for the annual Real Men Can Cook fund raiser. This is the clever idea of the YCC, a women's crisis clinic. Hundreds of men from the community volunteer to cook their favorite dishes and thousands of people show up and eat 'til their heart's content for just $10. There was a 45-minute line, so we opted instead for a sandwich shop called Kurt's on Historic 25th Street. The healthy sandwiches and fresh fruit smoothies were a great choice. Add that to my list of favorites.

It was nice to catch up with an old friend and find out the ways our lives have been not that different from each other since the glory/easy/enchanted days of living in a palace (aka Jerusalem Center).

Saturday morning, the kids and I headed up to Logan to cheer Photoguy across the finish line of The Top of Utah Marathon -- his 13th!?! The drive through Sardine Canyon was gorgeous and I almost caused several accidents from all the photos I shot (some of them while still driving). It felt like we were descending into paradise as we came into Logan, hometown to my alma mater.

After we high-fived Photoguy, we visited the home of Michelle, former roommate from the days of freedom, er, I mean college, for pizza and good times. We took the kiddies (my three plus her two darling boys) to Willow Park -- a park and a zoo. I don't remember the zoo part being quite so spacious and with so many animals the last time I was there. I thought it was fascinating, but, my kids, tired of being cooped up in the car, couldn't wait to ditch the zoo in favor of the playground.

Fun to catch up with two girlfriends in one weekend. Neat to see old friends as mommies and get to meet their kids (and, Michelle's husband who was very calming and had cool new boots). Speaking of boots, Michelle reminded me of the time when we were freshmen roommates and she took me to her home in Malad, ID and her dad let me ride a horse and round up their cows just like a real cowgirl. Good times!

It rained off and on the whole day, rendering the fall colors even more spectacular. We returned home around 5 p.m., and right when I turned up our street, we were treated to a wonderful rainbow. The colors were vivid and the arc extended fully from one end to the other. There was even a fainter double arc up above. The fall colors on the mountain were breath-taking, freshly rained upon, soaked in a break of sunshine, and framed by the beautiful colors of the rainbow. What a gift. Unfortunately, my camera battery had died by then. I'm sure the kids and I will remember it forever.

We're all Learning Here

I'm so excited for the piano teacher I have Soph and E-Man with this year. She seems a perfect fit for our family. And, instead of having them both take a lesson every week, she lets me rotate them (so, they each have a lesson every other week). I think it's great for them to have that extra week to practice and not feel so much pressure while they are so young.

She has also been awesome about working with E-Man. I think I would have gone bonkers if she had insisted he start at the beginning of the book. Instead, she looked at what he already knew and he finished the first book in two lessons -- hooray! Now, he and Soph are working in the same book (she is about halfway through the second book and has been taking lessons for a year-and-a-half -- in other words, that's what is normal). I'm a little nervous because it is looking like he may pass her in the not too distant future.

I mean, Soph is a great piano player too. But, she just wants to practice her lesson. No more, no less. And, sometimes she needs an extra lesson to work on the same stuff. E-Man, on the other hand, wants to play everything in the book every day. It's like the music is in him and he has to get it out.

My kids are so competitive. I think Soph will freak out if/when they are playing the same pieces (they actually already do play the same pieces -- after Soph practices, E-Man sits down and plays her songs by ear). I hope it doesn't deter her from continuing. But, if we have to find a different instrument for her, that's okay.

I'm getting better and better at telling everyone who chimes in to tell me that I shouldn't have started E-Man in piano lessons so young, "Thanks for your opinion. I really don't care what you think." My only regret is that I didn't start him eight months ago. And, if he gets burned out, and we have to take a break, and he only knows the same things at age ten as if we'd started him at eight, as he will because we started him at five, then, gee . . . ummm . . . I really don't care. But, what if we start him at five and it turns out that he LOVES it and continues forward and plays beautiful concertos at age ten? Well, then, that's fine too. I do love how people who don't even know your kids know what is best for them.

This is great practice for the future just in case I ever decide to homeschool my kids. I'll be ready when people tell me how I'm ruining them socially. Just like stay-at-home-moms outside of Utah get flak for "ruining their kids socially" by not putting them in daycare. Sound absurd? "You are ruining your kids socially by giving them extra love and one on one time." "Thank you for your opinion. I really don't care what you think."

On the subject of homeschool. I continue to love many aspects, and I continue to feel overwhelmed at the reality of all the effort. For now, I am grateful that both Soph and E-Man LOVE school and have the best teachers I could ever ask for. So, for now, we continue. And, this mom gets a nice break every day to just be with two little ones (AiAi plus his little friend Izzy) instead of everyone all at once. It's been a wonderful back-to-school time of year!