Back To Normal

The heat couldn't last forever (thankfully).

And it didn't (thankfully).

And I had a terRIFic night's sleep last night (thankfully).

Two nights ago Braeden and Emma and Mark slept in our backyard in a tent. Braeden said I could be a hobo mom when I walked into the tent to wake my kids up for swim team practice. Except I'm not sure how many hobo kids are actually on swim teams.

Last night when Adam and I returned from our play at the Village Theater (and I think I shivered walking to the car afterward which was a delight), Braeden was in the house watching TV and Emma and Mark still wanting to hold onto the novelty were asleep in the tent. Sometime during the night they both came inside and to their beds.

Emma said she was cold and thought she had hypothermia.

Back to cool nights.

Back to over reacting and dramatic Emma.

Back to normal.

(Thankfully)

Not Really Coping

Don't you just love breaking records?

Doesn't it make you feel lucky that you were there when it happened?

It depends (a lot) on the record.

Yesterday the temperature was 103 in Seattle. That's as hot as it has been EVER. Ever. And I was here. And I have to ask why. Why weren't we in Nevada this week? Wouldn't that have been a smarter move?

Yes. It would have.

And so apathy is setting in around here.

My hair has been pulled into a frizzy none too attractive pony tail for days.

I haven't made dinner since we returned from our trip.

My children's rooms which are on the decidedly hot side of the house are messy pits of despair because I haven't made them pick up one. Single. Thing.

Because I don't care.

It's a good thing I don't live in a place where it's like this all the time. I would be way way too slovenly.

Because it is too hot.

We're going to a lake today. With Stephanie and her crew.

And I, the non swimmer, just may swim.

Because it is too hot.

Coping...Sort Of

My mom told me I can only whine on Wednesday.

Well, it's Wednesday.

We are in the midst of a record breaking heat wave.

It turns out I'm not a big fan of record breaking heat waves. (I am, however, a big fan of fans.)

It reminds me of summer in Connecticut and we left Connecticut for a reason.

Yesterday we fled the confines of our hot house and headed to IKEA. For no reason really, besides the air conditioning and the longish drive there--in the air conditioned van. We wandered around and decided which couch was the ugliest couch in America (there were some really garish patterns) and Mark had to try every keyboard on every prop computer to see if the IKEA people had accidentally put a real computer with real internet access. We bought three different types of cookies because really, we have to do our part when it comes to taste testing. (raspberry was the winner)

We spent some quality time in the cafeteria with meatballs and lignonberry sauce. Then Mark and Emma filled their cups at the soda fountain with different combinations and I guessed the ingredients.

In case you are wondering, they were none too delicious.

We headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's relatively cool backyard for dinner and a turn in the sprinklers.

It didn't cool down so much last night and today doesn't look great. Seattle may break it's highest temperature in recorded history.

It's enough to make us cranky.

And it has.

Today we're going to hit a matinee. Braeden wasn't too excited about the movie Mark wanted and I had to remind him. It's not about the movie. It's about the air conditioning.

It's The Fam!!!

Just when you thought I couldn't possibly have more pictures from our trip...

I want to post these too though. And I can. Because it's my blog, that's why.

My parents generously paid (or traded...our favorite bit and spur maker is going to make a snaffle bit or some conchos) for a photographer to immortalize all of us. Her name is Sarah Spratling and she is as talented at photography as she is patient with restless subjects.

my parents

Robert, Marianne, Clarissa, Deseret, Liberty, Hyrum, Morgan and Carolina

us!

Edgar, Olivia, Marcos, Liliana and Ruben

Enoch, Luke, Jennifer, Savannah and Isaiah

Baby Olivia, Tabor and Katie

Ammon and Melanee

And Home Again

Mark has been in his room building Lego ships, Emma has been sitting at her school desk, drawing pictures. Braeden is pestering me. "What should I do now? What exactly needs to be done?"

(It's less about being a noble son and more about being done with his work so he can leave and play with his friends.)

We're all settling into being home in different ways.

As for me, I'm carefully avoiding the packed bags, the laundry, the empty refrigerator, the huge pile of mail and the blinking answering machine.

At least until I've posted some pictures on my blog.

If you have the time, patience and interest to endure these pictures, well then you really are a friend and I love you.

Starting out:

In case you're wondering, Adam fit everything in.


A few days into the trip, enthusiasm for the van fading.



The Dahl Reunion:

As we were dutifully capturing this picture, my cousin Gretchen said, "I have so many pictures exactly like this."

I said, "No you don't, this year my dad has a beard." (I am enthusiastic about my dad, less enthusiastic about his beard.)

my dad, and my uncles, Demar, Drew and Joe
Aunts Jennifer and Claudia, Grandma and Aunt Olivia

my nephew Ruben shooting a marshmallow gun, incidentally, a big hit with the little boy set (you can shoot them, you can pick them up, brush the grass off and eat them...what's not to love?)

my brother Ammon, The Perfect One

Marianne and Enoch in the background (blue shirt, hat, beard...what is it with beards and my family?)

The salty Salt Flats:

a dust/salt storm

BYU:

I have disappointingly few pictures of our BYU trip but sometimes you're too busy soaking up sights to remember to take pictures.

my second favorite mountains in the world

Mark in the Hinckley Building: hot, tired, bored with his reminiscent mother

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House:



Temple Square in Salt Lake City:(great temple shots courtesy of Adam the great photographer)




Hiking to the top of the world:

this is the view along the trail we took to Smith Lake with Marianne and Robert and a whole bunch of kids

Robert, leader of our pack and carrier of Carolina...

Mark, enjoying a water backpack

beautiful Nevada wildflowers

if you squint, you can see the mountain goat-like children on the trail

sweet Lili

the reward at the top of the trail

although look how close the snow was...I didn't swim (shocking, I know)

We ate dinner at Angel Lake. In the distance you can see Robert fishing with the kids. Hyrum and Mark enjoyed poking and prodding and carrying around a hapless fish that found its way onto Carolina's hook. I didn't get a picture of the fish. I was too busy telling Mark to stop poking its eyes and to put it down.

Target practice with Grandpa:

Mark putting in ear plugs because his "ears were popping"

A buggy ride with my parents:

and Goldie...

The Tina Trampolina Concert:

Deseret (Tina), Liberty (Trampa) and Emma (Lina)

Clarissa, the accompanist. Liberty and Desi sewed the costumes, in the background are their friends who dubbed themselves the Wanna-benas.

The Thespians--Missoula Children's Theater:

the entire cast

Braeden, the leprachaun on the left (Clarissa's the one on the far right)

Emma, a winter wind worker

Mark, a dust bunny

And that, my dears, is all!