Adventurous kids – Page 29 – Letters from Home

A late summer outing

Richard’s work party was held last Friday evening at a local theme park. Richard was out of town, so we went without him.

We gathered from the far reaches of our current domains to be together. Paige came up from school in Provo and we met Daniel at his job in Murray. Timothy turned down two invitations from friends to be with us. Mark skipped a baseball practice.

After much ado, we were together, driving up I-15 in the old black minivan. I switched songs on the radio based on the commentary from the back seats. Finally, we resorted to the classical station, only to hear Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, its pensive notes contrasting with the mood of the evening. Timothy made a joke about roller coasters in slow motion to match the melody and we all laughed, the frustrations and responsibilities of the day sliding off and revealing a truer version of ourselves.

During that drive, a familiar feeling came to my heart. I felt as I did during our drives in Arizona, seeking homeschool adventure in our old van, years ago. Triggered by the old, well-trod pattern togetherness, we laughed as we heard Timothy and Daniel’s protests against Adele’s songs on every radio station. The voices were deeper and no one was strapped in a car seat, but some essential feeling had come back during the drive.

It made me wonder if I will ever love a stage of life as much those years when we ran around the desert together. It made me sad that I hated the desert so much when we lived there. I didn’t appreciate what a gift that isolation was to our family. I always loved time with the kids, but who knew the backdrop of our adventures would also hold my heart? When will my point of reference for “wonderful” move to a new period in our lives?

I have changed during these four years, living in the mountains. I don’t lead out in adventures with the kids as I used to. Did I impart all my courage to them, or have I redirected my courage to other areas? I have always lived with big fears, but they, too seem to change. A new fear is that the best days with the kids all together are over.

I want to remember this night because it reminded me that despite all that has changed, some essence of our family dynamic remains strong. We still love our times together. I want it to be enough to know that, despite the reality that similar days are rare.

The late summer twilight-lit faces, spinning and rushing through the park that night are a memory I hope will join the ranks of the good old days when I look back on it, years from now. By then, I trust that these bittersweet thoughts will be dulled by time and experience and new joys. The light really was golden on this evening, perfect for capturing and framing good memories.

Ephraim Canyon

San Diego

Lego hunt

August has come, and the schools are sending us emails and mail and phone calls. In an act of solidarity with the spirit of summer, today Mark, Timothy, and I went on a search for Lego figures, specifically the rare Lego babies. We passed Pokémon GO players, fixated on their screens, keeping our heads high and alert for the small yellow packages in stores. On our fifth stop we finally found them, zealously guarded at a counter at a toy store.

The blind yellow packaging made it challenging to know which figure we were handling. We were joined by other seekers at the counter, one clearly more dexterously confident. I would take a good two minutes to handle a package, while our neighbor, who brokered a deal with the cashier to bring out the remaining stock of figures, cast aside packages quickly. When the boys and I thought we found a Lego baby, he offered to feel the package to validate it. Instant friend! Expert in his field. He did not disappoint. We came away with two Lego babies…and several other novice (not pictured) surprises.

Richard takes the boys on grand adventures. Mine are designed to be shorter, less dangerous, and closer to fast food restaurants. It was delightful to be a kid with a couple of my boys, opening Lego packages as soon as we got to the car and exclaiming joy or bewilderment at what we discovered. It was a simple 3 hours, full of conversations, and I’m really glad we found something, or else the boys may not have agreed it was so fun. I was just happy to be with them, and not driving them to school and back.

They even offered to let me keep a Lego baby. My heart melted.

The Weber Carnival 2016

We gathered at the family cabin for the first time since the death of my grandparents, who were so good at making these gatherings special. In loving memory (and instead of a funeral) we held a parade and carnival for my grandmother. My mom carried Grandma’s patriotic umbrella and we all decorated our bicycles, hats, and scooters… and the handcart.

I wore my grandmother’s red boots.

For carnival games, we had a fishing pond, doughnut eating contest, darts, ball games, and face painting. The kids made little boats to race in rain gutters.

My aunt showed up wearing the old fox stole and the dogs went crazy over it.My aunt and uncle brought their own brand of silly to the party, which is always expected at a gathering at the Weber.

We revisited the tradition of a sawdust candy hunt.

Next came the rubber ducky races down the river.

The winners were all adults.

Once the duckies came out of the river, we watched the kids tube down the river for hours.

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Oh, that Paige and her winning ways.

Mark and Timothy had a good time in the river. Daniel was at youth conference this day.

One theme of the gathering was gratitude, for a legacy of family traditions, a beautiful cabin, and one another. This day would have made my grandmother and grandfather smile.

Fish Creek 2016

For several months, Richard’s extra time has been used to acquire, repair, and outfit two four-wheelers. It has been a serious endeavor, requiring lots of grease, parts ordered online, phone calls, a visit to Elko, and time. One four-wheeler is for his dad, and one is for our family. They are ideal for exploring Fish Creek. It was nice to see many of Richard’s siblings on this trip and to watch the cousins have fun together.

High Adventure Trip 2016

Our family has been in many places over the past few weeks. Last night I uploaded photos from the camera before Richard took it for another week away from home. Phew! What a summer. Here are some photos of the high adventure trip that Richard and Daniel made at the end of June in the Uintas.

I should be back to writing soon, once I get through some more stacks of laundry, camping gear, craft supplies, paint, and hardware. I have thoughts about my grandmother that need to be shared, some new Favorite Things to post, and adventures to winnow down to a few pictures and words. It’s good to be back.

High Adventure 2016

See if you can spot Daniel and Richard in this picture. They are backpacking in the Uintas this week. Our basement is strewn with dehydrated food leftovers, rope, and cast-off equipment. The hike will be nothing after all the trips to the store to prepare for it.

To share or not to share

Daniel came home from EFY summer camp to many questions. “What did you eat?” (Richard) “Who did you exchange contact information with?” (Me) “What were your favorite activities?” and, “Did you participate in the talent show?”

“No.”

“What?…Why?”

I have always wanted our kids to have the confidence to play a perfected piece, with little notice, for anyone who would ask. We have pushed through many years of piano lessons and practice sessions to make this possible. So Daniel’s news was baffling to me. He was prepared! Why didn’t he go for the payoff for all his hard work?

As I blinked and tried to guess why Daniel wouldn’t play for his peers, he said he overheard some other kids practicing for the audition. They were playing two of his pieces, a bit roughly, in simplified arrangements. He decided that he didn’t want to crush their desire to play with his more advanced versions of the pieces.

I swallowed my comments about the importance of sharing talents. These words felt petty compared to the quality of empathy he showed as he stepped away from the spotlight. Well done, Daniel. Well done.

Last week of May

The last week of May has passed. Richard and Timothy spoke in church. We watched Daniel’s last bell choir concert, had a rocket launch, house guests, a belated birthday cake, a camp out, watched the neighbor kids, and did some gardening. Paige came home for the weekend and I thought we would have a girls’ night on Friday, but the teens came home early from the fathers and sons camp to sleep. We are all worn out from the last weeks of school.

Richard finished the electrical switches for our new fan in the living room and Daniel unearthed all of the offending sprinkler pipe and heads that didn’t make it through the winter. He set out flags around the neighborhood in the early morning hours of Memorial Day. Mark and his friend Adam sold cookies and lemonade for two days on a corner and Mark came home with $15 and a sunburn. Daniel played the piano for seminary graduation.

I cut everyone’s hair while Richard watched Tora, Tora, Tora!, which has a script not unlike an episode of The Flintstones, but gave us the Memorial Day feeling. Paige won for the most hair lost, maybe 8-9 inches. There was smoked chicken, potato salad, and corn on the cob. A Masterpiece Classic movie played on some evenings, and I finished one of the latest Mitford novels. I seem to need those when I am serving in Relief Society.

My least favorite things to read or write on a blog are lists of family activities. However, these little things are important, especially as I see the family beginning to disperse on the wind to college, work, and summer activities.