Draper Preserve

Tuesday and Thursday's big events were gymnastics, but Wednesday was spent as a lazy day!  Friday we joined friends for a swim at Easley Hot Springs north of Ketchum.  Aaron had classes on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, and Emily loves to help.  So Saturday involved a few trips out to the gun range to help set up, or to bring lunch, before we joined everyone for dinner afterward.

Sunday Emily opted not to head back out to the range and chose to hike instead, so we took Gerda for a walk in the Draper Preserve.  We started out on the Croy Creek Wetlands Boardwalk to see if we could spot any cool birds (we didn't) before crossing the Bow Bridge and heading down the trail to visit the Heart Tree.

at the Heart Tree

on Bow Bridge

Bow Bridge, again

Swiftsure

This summer, Emily is riding for an hour and a half on Mondays.  She's lucky that they have a covered arena to block the hot afternoon sun.  She's riding with a boy named Dominic and a girl named Brooke.  While they are getting in more time on the horse, they're also doing more off the horse - yesterday's skill was learning how to measure each horse to see how many hands tall they are.

Emily's horse for the summer is Ben.

 And here's the group showing off their popsicle tongues - a treat from the staff because it was so hot!

Dominic, Brooke, Emi, and Dillon (Dominic's brother)

Roaring Springs

There's a month left before the school routine starts, so we are trying to pack in the fun!  Dad was on his way home from Lakeview, Oregon, so Emily and I met him in Boise for a day at Roaring Springs.

Emily was 48 inches and a hair tall, which means that she could go on any ride she wanted - except for the little kiddie rides.  She tried all of them except for the trap door ones, and loved them all.  She rode in the dark, went down zippy raft rides, and relaxed in the lazy river and the fountain pool.  Luckily we picked a day that wasn't very busy and the lines were short, so in the six hours we spent at the water park we were able to ride each one several times.

Caves!

Today Emily and I went to check out two local caves.  First we started off at the Shoshone Ice Cave.  It was about 32 degrees in a cave that is 1,700 feet long, 50 feet wide, and about 45 feet in height.  We arrived ten minutes before our tour started, so we had a few minutes to look around at the cheesy decor.

Then it was 160 steps down into the well lit cave with an ice floor that ranges between 8 and 30 feet.

Then we had a lunch date at the Shoshone Snack Shack (okay, we really went for the ice cream), before we headed over to the Mammoth Cave.  This cave was first discovered by settlers in 1902 and is about a half mile long.  Where the Ice Cave was well lit, here I was handed a propane lantern and Emily a flashlight (that didn't work!). Luckily, I had a flashlight we could use.  We were the only ones in the cave and it was pitch black!  Emily was okay until she read a sign about the bat inhabitants.  She wanted to turn around and dash out, but I convinced her to stick it out and we did make it to the end!  

 In the 60s the government used this place as a fallout shelter and stored supplies in this cave for 8,000 people.

Redfish Lake

Yesterday we joined the Sauvageau Family up at Redfish Lake after a morning at gymnastics.
First stop was the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery to check out the salmon that have returned.

Then it was on to the lake where the girls spent the afternoon swimming, playing in the sand, snacking, jumping off the rocks with Mark, talking, giggling, and having a great time together.  It was a great day at the lake!

Roadtrip!

Last week we were invited to visit our California friends Walt and Hope at their place in Raymond, Washington.  I think it surprised everyone (myself more than others) when I accepted!  So last Thursday afternoon, Emily and I set off for the first leg of our journey.  I planned it so that we could stop in Boise for dinner at Emily's favorite restaurant, PF Changs.

 Then we drove on until we reached La Grande, Oregon.  Emily was happy that we arrived early enough to swim at the hotel pool.  Friday morning we continued on, luckily Emily slept most of the way.  And when Hope suggested we stop at Multnomah Falls, we were thankful for the opportunity to get a few wiggles out.

doing cartwheels, of course

 These falls are 611 feet tall and are just off the I-84 about 30 minutes from Portland.  Emily couldn't wait to walk up the paved trail to the Benson Bridge for a closer view.

 Then we started off on the steep 1 mile hike to the very top, but it wasn't long before we abandoned that idea and headed back to the lodge that was built in 1925.  There we found a pressed penny machine!

From there we continued on with our travels, got stuck in Portland traffic, and finally made it to Raymond mid afternoon.  Emily spent the weekend playing with the dogs, doing lots of walks and obstacle course with them, helping Hope cook in the kitchen, sassing Walt (yet taking treats from him every chance she got), and she got to spend the afternoon swimming in the city pool.

Emily set the table - notice the upside down silverware!

Walt showing us around - but I forgot to get a
picture of Walt and Hope!

After lunch on Sunday it was time to start toward home.  Emily, who hates goodbyes, sobbed for about 10 minutes before falling fast asleep.  I was pretty sure she would be out for hours, but it lasted less than an hour.  We drove for 11 hours that day, and she spent time texting her dad, taking camera phone pictures, recording her singing, and entertaining herself.  She was a great traveler!

We spent the night in Nampa, and made it home Monday morning in time to say hi to Dad, grab lunch, and get to horseback riding!

Thanks for the great weekend, Walt and Hope!  We just might make it to California sooner than you think!

Growing Up

As Emily's second grade year gets closer, I'm starting to encourage more independence with her.  She did her own hair the other morning before gymnastics -

And we recently had a yard sale where she parted with a lot of her little girl toys, like the pink little tikes car she had had since she was one, her radio flyer wagon, and her first bike.  She was such a great helper collecting money and helping her "customers" carry things to the car, or showing them things she thought they'd like.  Her profit all went to gymnastics, specifically a team uniform.

The other item we parted with was Big Bertha, which was a great place to live for 80 days in 2009, but just didn't get much use since then.  We've already seen her driving down the road, so I know the new owners will put her to good use!

Independence Day

The Fourth of July weekend was pretty mellow.  On Friday night Emily went to a Parents' Night Out event at the SMAS from 5:30-10 while Aaron and I went to dinner and a movie.  Emily had a great time doing gymnastics, eating, and watching Zootopia doing more gymnastics.

On Saturday, Aaron taught an all day course, so Emily and I brought coffee and breakfast to the group before having a lazy day.  That night the two of us headed to the rodeo.

 On Sunday I had committed to working at the Children's Carnival as a gym fundraiser.  We started early with set up and my shift lasted until 1 (I got stuck at the cotton candy machine!).  Emily had a great time playing on the inflatables all morning long, but at 11:30 it was time for Aaron to take her to the gymnastics float so that she could be in the parade.  She had a fabulous time doing cartwheels down main street for most of the route, and her hands were pitch black when I saw her afterward.  Then it was time for more fun at the carnival.

We went to a friends' house for a BBQ, where she was still going strong.  We headed home around 8 with the intention of watching fireworks.  But it had been two late nights before and a full day of playing, and Emily just didn't rally for the show (her parents didn't either). The fireworks we had purchased were saved for the 5th.