Average Summer Activities

 Erik and Alyssa have been hiking on Saturdays to prepare for a longer hike - maybe Mount Timpanogos - while we are in Utah. They had fun last Saturday hiking along the Barton Creek greenbelt. They crossed the creek at some point and then ran out of trail and found themselves back in the creek and eventually swimming to get back on the trail. There was a little more water than they had anticipated!

While Alyssa and Erik are gone, I have been taking the boys to a community soccer thing. Taft loved it the last week because there was a school advertising and he got hand sanitizer! And chips and juice. Taft also played more than he had the previous week, which probably made it enjoyable. Can you find Taft and Joel? Joel is holding a rainbow kickball if that helps you and Taft has eyes...

We've also been engaging in fun playdates and water activities. This week we went to a splash pad. Joel spent most of the 2 hours on this frog. Alyssa and Taft also played on the nearby playground. There was a giant web swing and a bunch of kids piled on it while Alyssa pushed them and another kid dumped water on them. I had the lovely privilege of holding my sleeping Evan the entire time. :)

When we are not out and about which is actually most days, this is what our mornings look like. Alyssa and Taft have been doing Hoffman Academy piano lessons and everyone gathers around, doing their own thing.

Some Pictures of Late - a short update

Kent put this monkey on his head like a head band. 

I have visitors most mornings during scripture study. They're kind of noisy, but they are cute.

Joel draws pictures and narrates as he draws. On this day he drew a house with stairs. He has a T on his head and Kent has a G on his head. Dad is pushing a lawn mower. Taft is carrying an H with a house on it and our garden is growing. (Taft collaborates and drew himself in the picture.)

It's a thing to wear stuff on your head. Joel's eyes look magnified in the VR goggles. Kent's eyes look depressed with his pants pushing them down.

Kirsten had a birthday so Alyssa made an apple cinnamon cake and we had a birthday party. It was so fun! Yay for birthdays of dolls! She's 6 now.

And here's the cutest baby in our house! He's a happy guy, that Evan! He likes to eat and sit up with some help. He ate a graham cracker yesterday - his first solid food. Now his poop will not be sweet and innocent any more. One graham cracker can do that. We all love him. Taft, Kent, and Joel played with him yesterday with baby toys. They made a tower of little cups and had him knock it over. They also hung Sir Prance-a-lot from his bouncer thing so he could play with it. What a crew of brothers we have!

Evan fell asleep like this in his swing. It's hard to get a clear picture of a baby that's swinging, but you can't let these cute moments pass you by!

 

Pedernales Falls 2021

Our family took a day trip to Pedernales Falls. We hiked to the falls and saw the water running over the massive rocks. We went a couple of years ago and it was bone dry. There has been enough rain this year that there was water!

Later we went to the swimming hole farther down river. It also involves a little hike with a lot of stairs, but the kids did great! Evan fell asleep on the way down and took a little nap under the large cypress tree that was our day camp shelter.

After swimming, Evan took another nap and I held him for that one. Erik had taken the kids in a tube down the river. He and Alyssa swung off a rope swing. Then he pulled the kids in the tube back up river against the current. I went down later on my own and couldn't even make it 10 feet back up the river. I don't know how he did it! But everyone had fun!

Kent and Joel spent a lot of time in this little pool. One time Kent managed to push out the pineapple (scented) tube and Erik went to grab it. Kent also managed to push himself out, so Erik grabbed him too.

Joel was ready to hike back up. He wanted to help carry something, so he carried Erik's life jacket. He was pretty proud of his water bottle's spot!

It's interesting. Even though we still have a baby and a 2 year old and a 3 year old, our family is figuring out how to go on adventures. I love being outside with the kids. It is not easy to take 5 kids hiking. We often don't get very far, and if we do go far, we end up carrying 3 of the 5 kids back. But we are creating memories that are priceless. We are developing our family culture and it is one that will endure throughout our entire lives. It probably won't be very easy for a long time. We will have little kids for quite awhile, but it doesn't have to stop us! Our outdoor adventures aren't so much about getting somewhere but about being together and soaking in nature while we do it.

 

Graduation Station

Erik graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with his PhD in Civil Engineering and more specifically in fire science and lithium ion battery failure and safety. 

We started this journey over four years ago when Erik decided he wanted to get a PhD. I still remember conversations in bed about what this would mean for us, where we would go and what we would do. We left our life in Vicksburg, MS, saying good bye to wonderful friends and a good life there. We left our home on Redbud Drive, our chickens, our carport swings, our ward, the library, a good and reliable job, and so much more to enter back into student life. 

It was a bit of a step into the dark as we welcomed Joel, our third child, moved to Texas and started a new life. Despite starting so many things, it was not a journey of fear. It was a journey of faith. This was made very clear from the beginning as Erik lined up well with his advisor, DK Ezekoye, we miraculously got into student housing, and Erik got an instructor position at BYU-Idaho. The Lord provided for us very early on and continued to be with us throughout the journey.

The last four years in Austin, living the student life, have been among my favorite years for our family. We made so many good friends at Brackenridge Apartments. Alyssa had a couple of really good years at Mathews Elementary school. We endured and thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcomed Kent and Evan into our family. We learned to live together and enjoy one another in our small apartment. What really matters was etched into our hearts as the best of experiences has the power to do. 

I am a bit saddened by the end of this leg of our journey. My heart feels full and I hope to remember the beauty and growth that accompanied these years. I am incredibly proud of Erik. He has worked hard and accomplished much. I am thankful that we did this journey together. I am thankful for all he does for me and for the love he has for me and our kids. We are partners in all we do. I am happy I could support him in this endeavor and that he has recognized and expressed gratitude for that support.

Four more years down in the books; here's to another great four!

Hook 'em horns!