Hiking

Told ya I was going hiking!

Just a short one, Menan Butte. But I'm making it happen!

 

Good bye Summer!

We sent the summer out in style this year! Our friends Heather and Justin invited us down to their cabin in Bear Lake for a weekend of boating. Oh my goodness! We had so much fun! I'm so thankful for good friends! And generous ones! We drove down Friday after I got off of work. First thing Saturday, we loaded up the boat with all things yummy and headed out. 

We anchored the boat half way through the day for lunch and put out the platform. I seriously love that thing.

Only a few bruises were gained in the making of this photo

I don't know how she did it but that head was dry when she went to bed! Too funny. The weekend ended way to quickly. We went to church on Sunday, ate some good food and headed home for...

the first day of school on Monday!

McKinley Marie Cronin- Kindergarten

Lilia Karolee Cronin- 6th

Ebony Pearl Cronin- 3rd

And what would the first day be without a little photo bombing? 

I love these kiddos but I've got big plans! With full day kindergarten starting this year I thought "I guess I'll start working more" but then I realized that's not really what I wanted to do! LOL. So instead I'm looking into taking guitar lessons, picking up a spanish class at the local EITC, and going for lots of hikes. For real, I'm gonna go hiking! 

Jaedyn ditched our photo session and went to her friend's house to get ready for the first day of school. She was really nervous so I'm glad they had each other. That's Emily on the left and Suzy on the right. I'm so grateful for good friends for my girls!

 

Table Mountain

 

Seriously. Is this not the best sign ever?!

Helen and I decided to go for a few hikes to prepare for our Rim to Rim hike in October.  We loved the sign at the beginning of the trail hahaha! The hike is called Table Mountain, in Wyoming, and is about 1.5 hour drive. 

We took Atlas, figured it was time to break him in. What a hilarious experience it was climbing rocks behind him. He's so gangly and had no clue what to do or where to go. Which is funny cuz climbing Face... there's nowhere you can really go off trail so I really didn't understand his confusion. "Which way?" "Up you dummy!" LOL  He got the hang of it after a few miles and did great.  We laughed pretty hard when he got high centered on a rock at the beginning of our ascent!  

The views were breath taking!  We were so close to the Grand Tetons!

We've hiked so much together that we automatically know what we will be taking for our lunches and snacks.  Cucumbers are a staple on our hikes.  I used to just pack the lightest of foods which included a lot of dehydrated products. Can you say dehydration anyone? For reals, a cuke is so refreshing on a hot hike!

We were only a few yards from the top of Table Mountain at this point.  My face says it all.  4199 foot elevation gain over 4 miles!!! I'm pooped. I've prepped my feet for the mileage of the Grand Canyon but this ascent about killed me. Due to the busy summer this was my first real elevation this year (I'm not counting Hawaii cuz it was before the summer) and it was a lot! I've got some prep to do!

At the top we stopped for lunch.  Helen asked me if I wanted a half or a whole bagel with avocado.  I laughed and said that was the funniest (or stupidest) question of the trip!  HAHA!  We were so hungry!  

 The hike down was on a trail called Huckleberry.  It was a delightful treat/snack to stop and pick some as we hiked down.

11 miles and 8 hours later we arrived back at our vehicle.  We decided we want to hike it again another day to see what our progress is after some more training.  I loved it!!  

Summer Traditions

Gardening! Duh. Actually we didn't do much of one this year. I decided with the busy summer that my stress level was too high to handle the weeds. I get a little weird and if I go in the green house I have to pull the weeds until they're all gone. I can't leave it undone and I hate a job unfinished. Well that's a trick when your garden is in an irrigated pasture. The weeds are so hard to stay on top of! I just couldn't do it this year. I told Chad if he wanted a garden, it was on him, I wouldn't step foot in it. And I hardly did. The weeds! I swear you could see them growing out the top of the greenhouse this year! ugh. But he did plant a few things and I reaped the benefits. I just really had to keep myself out of there. 

Ross Park with my sweet friend Kelli... you know those friendships that change lives? This girl, right here. Such a great girl. So thoughtful and kind. Just genuine to her bones. She was a great example to me in highschool, and still is! Though I don't get to spend the kind of time I would like with her. But the last few summers we have started the tradition of getting the kids together at Ross Park and we all love it. Hard to find a time amidst all the busy summer schedules but I'm so grateful we've been able to find a time and make it work!

And I love, love, love that the girls get along so well!

This kid is thinking of cutting her hair and I am trying my best to convince her not to! I had to take a picture so she could see what everyone else sees, I just think it's gorgeous!

Good bye summer! And middle school. And childhood! *sob

I took Jaedyn to back to school night at the high school! gasp

She's a little nervous. Only cuz she doesn't recognize how great she is. She will soon, and then boy will I be in trouble! She's a good kid, with a good heart, and a great group of friends. I'm excited for her high school years.

 

Shenanigans and Dixie Chicks!

Oh this summer has been good for my soul! It has been filled with family, friends, games, camping, trips, fun, laughter, hobbies, music, and more!

First up... watch ya mouth. Ever heard of it? It is this great little game where you get to use a dental device... not really but might as well be... and recreate a dental visit, the kind where they ask you questions while your mouth is chuck full and look at you expectantly for an answer. LOL it's great! The goal is to take turns saying something and repeat it until those playing understand what it is you have said. And before you freak, yes, we clean the appliances well after each use! It is hilarious to watch!

 

We were blessed to get my nieces to stay a few days with us. Shawn and Kellie are moving to Texas and needed to go house hunting so we got to keep Hailey and Madelyn for a few days.

Then in the middle of their visit, we dropped them and our 2 younger ones off at Grandma's and dashed down to SLC for a Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks) concert. We wanted to bring Hailey so bad but we didn't have an extra ticket! Valerie and Luis were kind enough to host and feed us. Luis seriously cooks the tastiest meats!

We decided to hit the outlets at Traverse Mountain and do a little school shopping while we were down there. It's a little harder to get away with online clearance shopping through Old Navy and Children's Place these days so I guess here enter the days of "Real" shopping! It's a good thing we did too. 

Because we had just entered the venue for the concert when it started raining. By the time we were good and soaked, this sign appeared... "Severe Weather Alert" asking us to find the nearest exit and leave the Venue!

I was none too pleased. And neither were any of the layers I was wearing... all of which you could ring water from. So we headed back to our car where we just happened to have a trunk full of clothes. Well some of us did. Chad had bought shoes and socks so was able to put on dry footwear. The rest of him just had to air dry. But I borrowed a dress from Jaedyn's new wardrobe and the girls excitedly chose some of their new clothes (that they had already received a lecture about waiting until the first day of school to use... what's a mom to do?) to wear. 

We waited in the car for about 1 hour before being invited back to the venue. The lightening was no longer striking within a half mile so it was considered safe. I wasn't too sad about missing the pre-show because the few seconds we got to hear of it actually didn't sound very good. Don't tell anyone I said so, cuz that's kinda mean. So they started right into the show in order to end it in time for the instituted noise ordinance.

What fun! The only concert I've ever been to was Collin Raye at BYU-I which almost doesn't count except that he's one of my faves. 

This was a totally different experience. And I promise that Chad enjoyed it too!

By the end we were looking up tickets and considering hitting next year's concert for Carrie Underwood, who Jaedyn absolutely loves.

We went back, picked up kids and got to hang onto cousins for a few more days after we received the heart breaking news that their grandma, Kellie's mom, had passed away. My heart goes out to them at this devastating news. I can't imagine living life yet without my mom. I'm grateful they got to be close when it happened though because that so easily could have not been the case! Heavenly Father was watching out for them I'm sure. It's so hard to watch someone you love, lose someone they love. It hurts. And for some reason, it freshens the pain of loved ones lost. But I'm grateful for the plan of Salvation, and the chance we have for new beginnings, to see loved ones again, and to be together forever. It somewhat dulls the pain of the loss we experience now.

I hope these girls will always be good friends!