July 4th

A picture montage of our awesome Fourth of July!

Gem Lake Part 2

Fruvellhoff Tradition 3.4 states that when a Fruvellhoff offspring hikes, without the assistance* of the mother,the full Gem Lake Trail they are entitled to their own size camel-back.  (*Assistance is defined as any carrying of any sorts.  AKA-They must hike to Gem Lake and back on their own accord, with their own little legs.)  

It was Ryker's time to complete Fruvellhoff Tradition 3.4.  Ryker was not exactly screaming to do this hike, but he always seemed excited to do it when I would bring it up.  Since the summer has been rather crazy, last weekend was the first time we had a chance to get up to the mountains for this hike. Grandpa watched Demps and A.J., while Ryker and I took off on the hike.  Ryker had a pair of hiking sticks and enjoyed using them.  My first thought was that this was going to take forever because of those sticks, and then I realized that they were definitely keeping Ryk interested in hike up.  The hike up is the hardest part, so distraction is good.  

Soon we came across rocks and this was the adrenaline that Ryk needed to keep going up.  Instead of following the trail Ryk went straight up the rocks.  He said, "Mom!  I'll meet you on the other side."  As much as I wanted to follow him up the rock wall, I knew that he wanted to do this on his own and the rocks were perfect size for him.  So I would hike as fast as I could up to where he was to come out, and I'd holler "Ryk!  You there!"  Within minutes his cute little face would show up!

When we made it to the top, Ryk ran around and climbed the rocks everywhere.  We then sat and ate a bar, and this chipmunk was rather insistent to get some food.  We declined, and had to get up because he would not leave us alone.  Ryk was ready to head down the path and he BOOKED it.  I had to run and still could not keep up with him #proudmom.  He made it down in 45 minutes!  There will be many hikes with this guy moving forward!

I was looking back at pictures of this hike with A.J.  It happened  right before A.J. was to start kindergarten, just like Ryker.  It makes me so proud of these guys, and once again we are embarking on a new journey for Ryker.   I love traditions, especially those that bring me closer to my boys and to mother nature.  

Love,

Momma

Ships

From the other room I hear, "Russell the Muscle is coming for you Death Ship." "Russell the Muscle is attacking!" "The torpedo just destroyed Russell the Muscle".

There may have been a father in charge of naming a ship. I think he did it so I could giggle all day.

Also, notice AJ's face-he's making battle noises! 

Love,

Momma

Traveling June!

June was a bit nuts in regards to the traveling piece.  However, it fits us.  We spent most of the school year staying put, and then by June we are ready to head out.  The first part of June took us to Nebraska.  We had a friend's wedding and a family reunion, with lots of fun in between.  As always, we never have enough time in Nebraska to see everyone we want to see.

When we returned from the family reunion, I was able to go to a national conference in DC and present with a team of awesome colleagues from my school.  It was such a great professional experience, and we managed to have a ton of fun too.  I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to be acknowledge as a crucial team member at my school.  It also felt awesome to go present about the great things we are doing, and then get to talk individually with people about how they can implement the same things back at their schools.  DC definitely left me wanting more time to go explore, luckily we did take a night tour which allowed us to see many of the sights.  Someday Russell and I will take the kids, and make a week of it!


After DC, I did a quick turnaround and flew out to see my bestie Ern.  It has been forever since I had been to her neck of the woods.  It was so perfect to spend time just with her, floating in the ocean, seeing her puppy and house, and taking in the sights.  I soaked up the time with her, and enjoyed being completely present and appreciative that I was able to do this excursion.  I was also thankful for Grammy and Russell who took care of the home front while I was out and about.  In July/August, Russell will take his time and be gone on three business trips.  We also plan to get some mountain time in!

I truly love the summertime!
Momma

Dempisms

A couple of things coming from this sassy, awesome chica!

*One day there was a helicopter flying around.  Dempsey told me, "Mom-someday I'm going to fly a pink helicopter and a pink plane."

*Last week Dempsey and I were swinging on a big swing.  She was facing towards me and holding onto the chain, while I made us go higher and higher.  She told me that she was having so much fun and that her "whole body tickled" when she felt that sensation of going up and down.  I loved the way she described that feeling, because I instantly knew what she meant.

Sweet Demps.
Momma

7

Mr. A.J., big ol' 7.  How the heck do we have a 7 year old?  

A.J. is such a cool individual and is most definitely growing into his own.  He has girls that invite him to parties because they like him.  He is no longer scared to order his food by himself.  He never lets Ryker play on the ipad when it's Ryk's day, because he has used his older brother charm to convince Ryk that he should watch him play.  He is sneaky, and just recently convinced Demps to play hide-and-seek, and then took one of her animals and hid it from her instead.  He can be so helpful with Demps and Ryk when he wants to be.  He will do ANYTHING for ipad time.  Anything.  He asked questions night and day about the way the world is, why things are the way they are...sometimes it's exhausting.  He recently went for his first scooter and motorcycle ride with Russell and I, and he had a blast.  He loves the water, and is gaining independence daily by practicing his strokes.  He became super brave and started playing flag football.  The kid has an arm, and we are working on his catching skills.

A.J. and I have a great relationship.  He drives me crazy and I drive him crazy.  I truly feel like we are at the middle school level of relationships most of the time.  He is slower than molasses if he doesn't care about the thing he is doing.  He is easily distracted by legos and thoughts.  But he has a heart of gold, and I can trust him because the kid cannot lie to me, yet.  

I'm excited for A.J. to have Ryker at school with him next year.  I can't wait to hear about the first time they see each other in the hallways or passing through electives.  It makes me so happy to know that A.J. will be there for Ryker as the older brother checking on things.  

A.J. got to have a long drawn out birthday celebration.  He celebrated with Russell's side in Nebraska, he celebrated with my side up the mountain, he celebrated with his friends a week ago.  He decided to have a video game party, similar to the one Russell had some 25+ years ago.  We had 4 game systems setup, and each pair of kids rotated.  They played games 90% of the time, and A.J. said it was his best birthday yet! 

Love this dude.
Momma