Happy Birthday Beckett and Evan

This picture still makes me laugh at my sister's neurosis. Juliet had just mopped the floor when someone spilled a can of bacon grease. She was fried (haha) and while she was cleaning up, G-rat walked right through it. She had W pick him up and carry to be washed in the sink....only to have him walk through it again. Mind you, there is a lot of kaos going on because of the upcoming baptism/birthday party. I come into the kitchen and walk through it as well. She didn't take to that kindly and picked me up and carried me to the sink while yelling for someone to take a picture and to come clean my feet. This picture is "G" rated the one I didn't post isn't. Pretty sure there were some obscenities being thrown around...won't tell you by whom...will I purple?

Is that the look of a happy birthday boy or what. Love you Bucket!

Evan was so thrilled to get a Cars coloring book, a Lightning McQueen and a Cars shoe box that it was wrapped in. A guy couldn't be happier.

And speaking of happy. Miyakawa cousins surprised us and showed up 30 minutes before the baptism. How we love our cousins!

L.J.'s Baptism

If you ask her, this day took forever to come. If you ask me she still seems three. It comes as no surprise to my kids that I hate that they are growing up. Anytime anyone asks Halley about kindergarten and being such a big girl she says "Quiet!, We can't talk about it in front of my Mom, it makes her sad". What I am grateful for is the choices my kids are making as they do grow older.

Lindsay was baptized along with three of her classmates; Leilani, Emma, and Dallin who they are watching get baptized now.

Look how they are beaming. That is what it looks like when a child enters into the waters of baptism and takes upon them certain covenants or promises that they make to their Father in Heaven. That is the joy that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can bring into your life.

Here is the group of family members that made it to the baptism. How lucky we are to have such a wonderful family.

Too close for comfort

Shane came home at lunchtime to take Spencer out for his birthday. Saturday was the day but he was still convalescing from strep throat and Shane didn't want to leave me as I had just had my tonsils removed. We noticed black smoke pouring from over the hilltop a little too close to where we live. Our first thought was to pray for the pear farm. This local pear farm provides our church with all the pears they need for their welfare system world wide. We live a short jog away and the fire was getting very close.

This house was doused in an effort to help save it.

It has sounded like WWII over my house. So many planes and helicopters trying to do all they can to stop the spread. Today was a day off of school due to budget cuts so my heart goes out to working parents whose children are at home alone. I hope they were all able to evacuate safely.

A Time to Be Still

I have always considered myself pretty laid back. I do like to get things accomplished but I don't have to be going all the time. I have found though with 5 kids, a lot of what I like to do gets pushed off to the side. Nothing earth shattering, but I have had 600-ish pictures in my camera waiting to be uploaded to my computer...blogs in my head that I have not published...magazines left unread...you get my drift.
I don't know what I have been waiting for, it just seems that I can't get it all done. If I had my husbands personality all things would be on a list and systematically crossed off when accomplished. Good in theory but not my style. I guess I needed something to come into my life to urge me to finish tasks that have long since been pushed aside and gathered cob webs.
Last Thursday I had my tonsils removed which I have pushed off for years but finally had taken care of. I have found now that rather than lay in bed and fear my next swallow I am distracting myself with small mindless tasks that needed my care. These are things that no one else will notice but me, but I have found that it is putting a smile on an otherwise pale face. I guess I should be grateful for this chance of renewal and a chance to look deeper. I'd say thank you but in reality my throat still really hurts...maybe in a week or two.

Chilkoot Trail

Well here we are, ready for the five-day ordeal. We will follow the same route the Klondike gold seekers followed in the late 1890's.

There was a great deal of smoke from fires in the interior the first day. Luckily the smoke occurred at a time when the views were obscured by trees. The air cleared up during the second day, and the weather was perfect all the way.

Starting out the first day the team still looks pretty fresh. Here we are passing through a burnout on a floating bridge.

The second day included a stop at Canyon City. Artifacts were plentiful in this old stopover from the Klondike gold rush. How they were able to transport things like this cast iron stove is open to conjecture.

The team stops for a photo shoot starting out day-two. Backpacks were still very heavy at this time. Our first day was a very short hike because of the ferry arriving late. Consequently, this second day will be longer than planned.

As promised, I brought no cooking implements along. However I snuck in a couple of MRE's just to see how the kids would react. Julie decided it was worth a photo as evidence that I enjoyed a warm meal on the trip.

This is a place called "The Scales". Here gold seekers weighed their loads before the ascent up the Golden Staircase. Anything extra they left behind. Artifacts like these were plentiful in this area.

Looking up at "False Top" from the bottom of the "Golden Staircase". Looks daunting, and there are two more False Tops after this.

Spencer just getting under way for the top. He'll shed this long-sleeved shirt before too many more steps.

Mid-way up you see our team going hand over hand up the boulder strewn staircase.

Stampeders headed for the Klondike actually preferred the winter ascent because the steps cut into the snow were easier to climb on than these boulders.







Spencer poses near the top on the Golden Staircase for a picture. He, in his BYU tee shirt, should be posted on the BYU website.

Jessica, having already rested at the top, comes back to rescue a distressed backpacker who wrenched her knee, and stops to pose for a photograph with the oldest member of our team.

This monument marks the summit and the dividing line between Alaska and Canada. Usually this area is blanketed in fog. For us it was beautiful sunny skies and a wonderful view.

Spencer's ill-conceived notion to overturn the out-house was was photographed by his Aunt Julie. I imagine Papa Glen was in the out-house at the time.

By this time in the hike, people would resort to anything to improve their body odor -- even the use of bug spray. Juliet demonstrates the technique here.








The bridge near Deep Lake. Everybody is still doing fine. By this time the two old men have developed blisters however and are hobbling just a little.

The Canadian side was treeless for much of the way -- being at about 3,000 feet, which is above the tree level at this latitude. The landscape was marked with glacial snow that provided fresh snow melt all along the way.

Jessica was quite conscious of her appearance along the way because some of the backpackers from other parties were pretty good looking. I'm glad someone was, because many of the rest of us smelled like horses "rode heavy and put away wet".




Long Lake behind this hardy backpacker was a beautiful site, as were the numerous other lakes on the Canadian side of the boarder.

Spencer's backpack was a big as he is but that didn't slow him down. He was the first one to arrive at Bennett Lake, and when he passed me he was running.

The last night was spent at Bare Loon Lake. Some of the brave ones decided they were tired of smelling bad -- time for washing up. The swim out to this little island required passage through leach-infested waters. None of them seemed daunted by the the danger.

True to its name, there were loons in this Lake. Their beautiful sounds made this a much more enjoyable stopover.

The group pauses to pose before this old cabin that reminded us of what the good old days were like. The end of the trail is barely a mile from here.

This was the final day of the hike, and most of us show it.

Nearing the end now. The lake in the background is Lindeman.

Many of the stampeders built boats here only to see them dashed to pieces on the rapids between here and Bennett Lake. The wiser ones pushed on to Bennett before building their boats.

With only two more miles to go, we pushed on as well -- somewhat reluctant to see this wonderful adventure drawing to a close.

The end of the trail. The trail marker now points the way back to Skagway. They don't look too worse for the wear do they?

33 miles of unbelievable terrain as far as scenic beauty. We finished with a much greater appreciation for what the stampeders went through in the search for gold that put Alaska on the map.

The Kids Are Home Again -- At Least Three of Them

Well, the 3 youngest have come back to the Frozen North -- at least for the summer.

It looks like rest and recuperation are the first thing on the agenda.

We had a warm and sunny Independence Day and the parade was as big as ever. Two times around the block make it seem twice as long and make each entry unforgettable.

We drove out to Banana Point to help Jeff remember just how large the island is (that's a joke). We gathered rocks for a landscaping project I had, and found time for some rope swinging.

Not much time spent with Jordan. He's been out commercial fishing -- first with Kirt Marsh and then with Scott Newman.

Fishing has been pretty good, so if the prices hold up he should have a profitable summer.

The Ohmer Creek Trail was our first training hike for the big Chilkoot Trail scheduled for the end of this month.

The obvious exertion is overwhelming.

The next event was the tote race. Jessica teamed up with three of her friends and showed unsurpassed skill in winning this close race.

Next, Jeff shows that New Yorkers have outdoor skills too, teaming up with his sister for a humiliating loss.

No wonder they lost. They're doing it wrong.

Next the Kid from the Bronx shows off his skill at the log roll.

The agony of defeat.

Baby sister shows him how it's done, easily upsetting her first opponent.

But now it's her turn to taste the cold consequences of defeat.

No pictures are available for the 4.6 mile walk in which Jessica took third for 15-29 age group; and Jeff took 5th for the 50 years and over group. Wow, New York has really aged him.

The summer has been fun -- and it's not over yet. More to follow.