the grovers - patently awesome

First day of school

All four kids in school! I think the first day of school (August 27 this year) might by my favorite day of the year. :-)

Winnie started morning kindergarten, Miriam is in 3rd, Analee is ruling the school at 6th, and Rebekah has her second and last year of middle school at 8th.

Showing off their backpacks, and in Rebekah's case, her euphonium. I'm not sure how she got that thing on the bus.

Group picture #1: Cute and smiley.

Group picture #2: Silly and whatever.

Winnie outside the school on her first day. The parents have to transport their kindergartners to and from school the first week. Usually we say goodbye to them outside the school, but it was cold and windy, so ...

The kids lined up inside and then said goodbye to their parents as they walked down the hall to kindergarten.

Summer hike #5: Targhee Creek

This was a surprise hike. We had planned to spend the final Saturday of summer break (August 25) canoeing with cousins in Island Park, but the weather turned too cool to subject us all to the water. Instead, Aunt Rachel suggested that we try out a trail just a few minutes from their house. So we enjoyed the trail, creek, cousins and our lunch on our fifth hike of the summer. This time we hiked nearly 5 miles.

I think Miriam held Hudson's hand for the entire 2 miles in.

Four adults and seven kids on the trail.

Andrea, Winnie and Seth enjoying lunch.

Winnie wading while Miriam, Hudson and Aunt Rachel check out the other side of the creek.

Seth helping Kelsey get her shoes on with Cooper in the foreground and Miriam, Hudson and Aunt Rachel in the background.

Seth skipping rocks. Since the creek is a creek (and only so wide), some of the time everyone was trying to skip a rock hard enough to get it to bounce up past the logs on the other side.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Wildes' house, where Rebekah captured this lovely gem on Seth's phone. I think this will be perfect blackmail material when Analee starts dating.

Girls' camp

I loved stake girls' camp so much two years ago that I asked the stake presidency if I could take another stab at being stake camp director this year. Besides, I actually had a daughter at girls' camp this year, so that just meant I could experience it with Rebekah.

Because Darby is under construction this year, we got to give Pasa-la-coma a go. It turned out to be a beautiful area for our girls and leaders. And since the church has released a new camp guide, we also got to implement it in our camp.

The YCLs and stake leaders went to camp on Monday, August 6, with everyone else coming up the next day and staying through Friday, August 10. Our theme: Neverland.

My assistants (Julie Beck and Elisabeth Haroldsen) and I laughing together before our spiritual program Tuesday.

A few of the girls that I asked to participate in the spiritual program. Each ward had selected a scripture, talk, poem or song that includes the word "never" as their spiritual theme. I then asked a girl from each of the 8 wards to come up with something (a musical number, family history story, etc.) that would tie in to their ward theme.

Rebekah telling about her Great-Uncle Chris. She interviewed Grandma Susan and Grandma Hendricks, then wrote a narrative that included details from the farm accident that led to his death as well as their testimonies of his work beyond the grave.

Grandma Scott (the stake YW president), Andrea, Rebekah and Isabella (another camper from our ward) on the Sunrise Hike. The 2-mile hike led steeply up a hill so we could watch the sun rise together. We had to meet at 4:30 to get up there in time.

Family selfie after the sunrise. Rebekah, Andrea, Grandpa Scott and Grandma Scott.

Andrea explaining the scavenger hunt to the Nature Trail hikers. This 3-mile hike started at the upper amphitheater and followed a bunch of signs that informed about plants, geology and the like.

Grandma Scott and Andrea at the top of the Nature Trail.

Rebekah helping to unload wood. Each camper was asked to perform one hour of service for the camp. We had campers loading and unloading wood, picking up litter, moving rocks out of trails and digging up invasive weeds.

Rebekah trying out Uncle T's kayak in the lake.

Grandpa Scott hauling the kayak out of the lake.

Andrea and her root beer. It's the only thing that kept me going with the long days and work required to coordinate a stake girls' camp.

Rebekah chasing Grandpa Dennis out of the girls' camp. She was supposed to tell him something, but he didn't hear her behind him. She ran several hundred yards in flip flops to catch up to him.

Seth giving Andrea a hug upon his arrival at girls' camp for bishop's night. Having a husband in the bishopric has its perks.

Seth playing the ukulele while Andrea sings around the campfire.

All seven of the girls from our ward who attended camp.

Andrea and Rebekah by the campfire before testimony meeting.

North Leigh Creek/Tetonia camping/biking/family reunion

By the time it reached August and we hadn't de-winterized the trailer, we decided we needed to remedy the situation by going camping. We found out we had an Egbert family reunion the same weekend we had planned to go, so we found a beautiful site that would allow us to do both.

On Thursday, August 2 we hauled the trailer up to North Leigh Creek and found a great spot to park it. We got everything set up and went to bed.

The next day, we spent a good deal of time tracking down the right place for us to get on the Ashton to Tetonia Rail Trail, then decided to go the opposite way we had been planning on so we could have the wind at our backs. We started in Tetonia and ended up just north of the Bitch Creek Trestle, biking about 10 miles.

Seth pulling Winnie in the Weehoo with Bekah in the background.

Riding across a bridge.

At the Bitch Creek Trestle.

Seth and Andrea selfie.

We spent some time playing in the creek before dinner.

Analee and Winnie in the creek.

Then played some games as a family.

Our trailer and the family gathered around the card table.

Another angle. Winnie used the target as a little table to go with her little chair.

Both Bekah and Seth took turns grabbing my camera and taking pictures.

Winnie shot the whistling styrofoam arrow.

Seth blowing on Miriam's stomach.

On Saturday, we spent some time shooting stumps before we loaded up the trailer and pulled it back in to Tetonia for the reunion.

Winnie shooting at her own imaginary targets while Seth points out the next target to Rebekah.

Seth with his bow.

Rebekah with hers.

We parked the truck and trailer at the church and took the van to the Egbert homestead for lunch and a tour of the house my great-great-grandfather built.

Analee climbing one of the trees in the front yard. I climbed the same trees when I came to the reunions as a kid.

We also drove through the dry farm that my great-grandfather owned and made a stop at the Cache-Clawson cemetery before calling it a day and heading home.

Library parties

Our family attended three of the four Awesome August parties put on by the public library this summer. (The fourth one was held while I was at girls' camp.) The girls had lots of fun dressing up, playing games and eating treats.