I'm not giving up on summer

Never mind that it's rained 3 inches in the last 3 days and I've worn my rain boots more in September than I did in February. Speaking of rain boots, I highly, highly recommend these wellies from LL Bean. Excellent quality and comfort for a reasonable price if you wear rain boots as much as I do.Which is too much, by the way.

But back to summer! I just don't want to say goodbye this year. Usually I look forward to apples and pumpkins, leaves and cooler nights, but not this year. Lucky for me we're headed to California for a trip to Disneyland on Saturday. A week of sunshine and 80 degree weather might be just what I need to keep summer going. When we get back it will be October 12th, so I think I can embrace fall then.

I do feel slightly guilty about taking my kids out of school for 4 days (the 5th day is a furlough day and we don't have school) since I complain about the short school year here all the time. But we've been wanting to take the kids for a while now, and I don't want to go when it's crowded. Kyle bought tickets in April and I haven't really thought much about it. Usually I'm excited for trips for weeks, and now we're just 5 days away and I'm just starting to prepare.

The thing I'm most looking forward to about this trip, besides the sunshine, is being with my family, just the 6 of us. Our two trips this summer we got to see almost every member of our extended families, which was great, but we haven't spend time together on vacation for a long time. It will be good to be able to listen to the kids and enjoy being with them. I'm determined to get Kara swimming and show Jillian and Hayden I can be fun and relaxed.

As a bonus, we're going to see two families from our Michigan days while we are there. Can't wait to catch up! We might also see my niece and her husband. It's going to be a great trip!

South Sister Hike

Kyle and I climbed a mountain together in August. It was fun and not as hard as I thought it would be. We went with two other couples and had a good time. Oregon is such a beautiful state. I think I'd like to climb a peak in Oregon, Washington, or California every year.

South Sister is one of the Three Sisters mountains. It's a 12-mile hike round trip. Part of it is very easy, but the last 2.5 miles to the top are pretty strenuous. I thought down was harder than up, and my legs felt like they do after a marathon the next day.

Kyle took his GoPro camera and had fun taking photos. Here are some of the best ones from our adventure. It felt good to leave the kids behind for a day and do something adventurous. I really love the outdoors. I can't wait to spend more time hiking, camping, and exploring with my family.

 We are about 2.5 miles in here. Easy going. We were watching the summit because there was a potential for rain and snow.

 We passed Moraine Lake. Some people hike in and camp here and summit the next day.

 Putting on our gaiters at the false summit before attempting the last mile or so.

 We made it to the top! And it was beautiful.

 At the tippy tippy top. 10,300ish feet in elevation.

 Kyle's GoPro selfie.

 Walking back across the glacier at the summit. That was kind of cool.

 Watching the wind swirl around the summit. The weather changed so rapidly up there.

 Stopping for a snack. It was a perfect day for hiking.

 Views to the West of Middle and North Sisters. We also saw Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Bachelor, to name a few.

We've decided to conquer Middle Sister next year. Can't wait!

Skip this one if you're tired of back to school nonsense

Wow. What a clever and informative title. My blog has been blocking me for days, so I was pleasantly surprised to find I could actually log in today.

If you don't know, I find our school district to be extremely frustrating and lame. The individual teachers I like, and some of the schools we've attended I like (we've sampled 4), but the overall district is frustrating. Last year we had under 170 school days, and this year we are scheduled for about 165. The day is only 6 hours long. We didn't start school until September 10th. We got out June 10th, so we had a legitimate 3 months of summer. I had to buy school supplies for the 3 school-aged kids. We also have to buy copy paper for the school, 2 reams/kid, and they usually run out. In addition, I had to purchase 2 workbooks for Jillian's classes. Have I mentioned that property taxes are not low in our fair(ly lame) city?

Most of this trouble stems from the decline in state revenue due to the economy and decreased timber harvest/sales. Budgets have been slashed every year since we moved here. Overall, the kids are happy on a day-to-day basis, and I think they are learning, but I do wonder if their public school education won't add up to much by the time they are trying to go to college. Jillian's school is moving to a proficiency grading system, which sounds like a bunch of hogwash.

Anyway, after spending a small fortune getting everyone ready to go back to school, they went. I think we are all happier with a school year routine. I get things done at home without constantly being interrupted or breaking up fights, we get up earlier and get more done, and the kids see their friends. Summer is great, but I only need about 9 weeks of it, not 12. Kate is the kind of child who doesn't entertain herself well, so it's great that she's in preschool 2 mornings a week. I have already accomplished so much at home! When the kids come home, I'm very happy to see the kids and we can interact in positive ways. Win-win.

Photographic evidence my children got ready for school, plus a few bonus snaps:

Kate - preschool
Kara - 1st grade, Spanish immersion
Hayden - 5th grade
Jillian - 8th grade

4 kids, 4 schools, 4 different start and end times!