Uncle Jordan's visit and burglars!

These past few weeks have been so crazy! I almost forgot to post about Uncle Jordan's visit.

He showed up on the afternoon that we got back from Price after spring break. He had gone and stayed a night in Evanston then stayed with us on his way back to Montana.

Ashton and Gunnar were beyond excited! We hadn't seen him in a LONG time. They absolutely loved having him here playing with them. He is so good with them, I wish we could see him more often.

They played for a long time just running around downstairs, and played some Mario kart with him, then Ashton showed him a few songs he's learning on the piano.

Then we all watched part of the movie Holes together before bed.

Sunday morning when we woke up Jordan went outside to find that his truck (that used to be my truck that I had for years!) had been broken into. The window had been smashed out of it!

He didn't want to wake Lars or me up, so he called Kelli & Mom to see what he should do and of course Kelli called us...haha.

So we got up and Lars went outside and sure enough the passenger window in his truck was smashed out as well!

Luckily they didn't take anything. There wasn't anything to take in ours, and they must have gotten spooked or something because somehow they didn't take Jordan's wallet with $300 in it that was sitting right on the seat!

We called the cops and a sheriff came and immediately said that they'd already caught the guys that did it.

They'd broken into a bunch of cars in Providence and Logan over that past week and had gotten pulled over for speeding heading out of Providence early that morning. They had drugs and stuff they'd stolen from other cars with them and admitted to everything. I was so glad they caught them. But I was also mad! Mad that while Jordan could have been playing with the boys, he had to be cleaning shattered glass out of the truck for an hour and a half! And just mad that any of it had happened the one night he comes stays with us in 2 years!

After we watched the rest of Holes...

 we went out and helped him tape up the window so he could drive back to Montana that day...

 ...then we both had to get windows fixed that week.

Anyway either way it was lots of fun to have Jordan there for a short visit. We told the boys we'd take them to visit him next time. 

Gunnar's first season of soccer! And Ashton's 7th!

I remember a time when I thought it was a long ways away before we had 2 kids in sports at the same time. I can't believe the time has come. It makes me sad, but also excited for Gunnar to get his turn now. He had his very first game a couple weeks ago. He was excited to put the jersey, cleats, shin guards and socks on, he was even excited to get there and practice with his little team for about 15 minutes.  

Then the game started and we started cheering him on. That's where the excitement ended and his shyness got the best of him. He stayed in the game for the first quarter about, then I could just see him trying not to cry. Eventually he ran out of the game and sat on my lap crying the rest of the game. I felt so bad for him :( I know he was just nervous and hated everyone watching him. So he got his treat and drink at the end and we left.

We didn't talk a lot about it and just hoped he feel differently at his next game.

We told him before that next game that if he wanted to keep the jersey and get a snack after the game he needed to get out there and play and he said confidently "I will." Then I asked him if he maybe didn't want us to cheer for him while he was playing and if that had bothered him before and he said that no he didn't want us to. He did say that we could cheer for him if he made a goal though.

So off we went to his second game and I crossed my fingers that he would just get out there and play and have fun. And he did! And before we knew it he had scored not 1, not 2, but 3 goals for his team!!

And you can bet I was on my feet cheering for him then! It was so fun!

I loved the look on his face after he would score. So proud and so cute!

He has had 2 more games since then and is still loving it...I am so glad!

 

It's so hard to believe that Ashton just started his 7th season playing. Usually by the end of each season we think it's his last, but then he wants to play again and likes it for about half of the season. We'll see how the rest of this season goes.

He had a great first game and played really hard and even scored a goal and has scored once more since then.

Still not aggressive, but trying hard and that is good enough for me. I'm so proud of him. He's got a really good coach again and some great little players on his team.



Ashton got glasses! (and a haircut)...

The week after we got back from spring break, the boys were scheduled to go in and get their eyes checked. For a couple weeks before that, Ashton had started to complain about his eyes bugging him, things being blurry etc...so I was interested to see what the eye doctor said. We knew it was only a matter of time (unless he miraculously didn't need glasses with us as parents), but I also knew that he really wanted glasses, so I wanted to know that he also really did need them to see better.

And sure enough he did, and he was SO excited! And disappointed that he had to wait a few days for them to arrive after they were ordered. I let him choose which frames he wanted and was glad he chose some cute ones...

 The day they came in, he and I went in right after school to pick them up while Gunnar was still at school.

It was fun seeing him wear them for the first time and point out how much clearer everything was! He was reading signs all over the place :)

That night I went out with some friends for dinner and shopping and Lars texted me saying that at Ashton's soccer practice he'd already gotten hit right in the face with a ball! I thought for sure the glasses were already broken, but thank goodness they weren't!

Anyway I'm so glad he's loving them.

About a week after he got them I told him it was time to get his hair trimmed because it was getting down in his eyes and just really long and scraggly. So he agreed and then while I was cutting it he started to say that maybe he'd like to go shorter this time, so I asked him a few times if he was sure and he went back and forth about it, so I told him I'd just go medium and not super short. He agreed to that, and even liked it when he went and put his glasses on and checked it out in the mirror.

I loved seeing his hair shorter again! Even though the longer look had also really grown on me.

But the next morning before school, he changed his mind and decided he hated how it looked. By the time we got to the school he was in tears saying everyone was going to tease him and he hated it and he just wanted to go home and on and on and on. I felt terrible! Eventually I walked him in about 15 minutes late and talked to his teacher about how he was feeling and just left and prayed for him all day.

I was so glad when I picked him up that he felt better about it all. He still says he wants to grow it longer again. But for now, we are loving seeing more of this cute face!

Our last day in Glenwood Springs...

Friday was our last day in Glenwood and I think we were all kind of sad to leave. We got up and went downstairs for our last breakfast, then it was time to get packed up and ready to check out. I had taken about half an hour the night before to organize all of our suitcases and set out clothes for the boys for Friday morning and I was glad I did. The boys just played in the room while I got ready for the day and Lars finished packing up.

Then we said goodbye to Hotel Glenwood Springs and got in our rental car and drove over to a little shopping center where there was a Game Stop, so we let the boys spend some of their money...they each got a new Kirby game for their DS's, then we drove down to the train station.

The boys and I hung out there while Lars drove the rental car back to the office to check it back in, then he walked back to the train station and we stashed our bags behind the desk there, then walked across the street to this place for lunch.

It was SO good!  The best food we ate the whole trip...we wished we'd come another time while we were there and can't wait to go back someday. Ashton was cute saying it was the best pizza he'd ever eaten.

I got a smoked chicken quesadilla and we got some really good nachos to share. Lars had some awesome asparagus soup and I can't remember what else.

So good!

Then we made our way back over to the station to wait. We only had to wait about 45 minutes before the train arrived.

Then we got on and enjoyed the train ride home. I really just can't say enough how much I loved it. The boys were entertained the entire time with their new games, so I sat and read my book, looked out the window and listened to music for hours. It was so peaceful.

 And didn't at all seem like 5 1/2 hours. I wasn't ready to get off when it was time...

But all good things have to come to an end.

We got into Helper at about 7:30 I think and Papa was there with Lars' truck to pick us up.

Then we stayed one more night at their house and got up on Saturday morning and had a big breakfast to celebrate Hunter and Gunnar's birthdays...

 ...then we drove home.

Such a fun, fun, memorable spring break!

Thursday in Glenwood...Our hike to Hanging Lake

While the boys were yet again swimming after breakfast on Thursday, I sat in the pool area with them and
got on my kindle and looked up more things to do in Glenwood.

The thing that caught my eye was a hike up to a place called Hanging Lake. So when Lars came down to the pool, I went and asked at the front desk how we would go about getting a ride up there. The guy told me that we could get a taxi, but it would cost at least $35 each way! So that was out...

Then I decided to just see how much it would be to rent a car for the day. It ended up being fairly inexpensive, so as soon as the boys got out of the pool Lars booked one online and walked down to the Enterprise dealer right down from our hotel and came back with our rental car for the day...$35.

It ended up being well worth it. We got ready and loaded up and grabbed a quick lunch at Arby's, then headed up the canyon to start our hike.

I had read a bunch of reviews about it online and went into it expecting it to be a bit difficult. It was a total of 3 miles from where we parked, then back again.

The actual "hike" was actually only a mile and a half, but pretty much straight up and really rocky. (and we would find out later...very muddy, snowy and icy in towards the top!)
Anyway, we packed plenty of water and snacks and started on our way.

 It is just so pretty in that canyon...

Gunnar started saying he wanted Lars to carry him long before we even got to the trail, haha...but we made him walk at least that far, then Lars did end up carrying him most of the way up on his back.

Ashton did great, and like I had read it was a pretty difficult trail. You really had to watch every step.
But to me it was lots of fun...I love hiking.

Almost there!

I can't remember how long it took us, we took a few short breaks on the way up and started to see a few people on the way down covered in mud. And one poor little girl with her knees all skinned and bloody.
But we didn't turn back.
And it was so worth it to get to the top and see this...

And to read all about it.

We kind of walked back behind to see these waterfalls...
 

We even walked out on this log...

  (and amazingly no one fell in!), and had a lady take some pictures of us...

Gunnar had fun chasing these little chipmunks around and set out one of his crackers for one of them and thought it was so funny when he came and grabbed it and started munching on it...

We stayed at the top for about 45  minutes, then made the trek down. Which was much harder. Especially in the snow and on the ice.

 We had to be so careful, and at one point Ashton fell flat down on his bum on the ice and when I went to help him, I fell down right behind him and unfortunately my camera was in my back pocket so the screen got cracked! Oh well...no one got hurt, or too muddy!
Of course then Ashton was mad the rest of the way down and was saying he hated Mother Nature and Glenwood Springs and hiking and on and on and on!

But we finally made it and were glad we did it.
(my camera did something really weird with this picture...?)

By the time we got loaded up it was time to find somewhere to eat dinner...we drove around for awhile, but didn't find anything we wanted and finally ended up at Village Inn. The boys were starving and fighting like crazy by that point, but everyone was happy again after we ate :)
Then when we got back to our room, they got their suits on and went swimming one last time and actually got kind of sick of it I think finally.
Then it was off to bed for our last night there.
Up next our last day in Glenwood and the train ride home...