Flashback Friday: Camp Hunt

Nate and I have a tradition that we do with the kids. The summer of the year that they turn 11 we take them on a camping trip one on one. Nate took Ethan and last year I took Ally.

We had so much fun together. We went to Camp Hunt up in Bear Lake. Even though it was around the 4th of July our first day it just rained and rained. Cute, brave Ally decided to go for her swim check. It was COLD outside of the water I couldn't believe she wanted to get even colder by getting into the water. I was super proud of her, especially because her Mom was too big of a wuss to do it. Of course she passed the swim check. 

The next day, when the sun was shining, I got my swim check out of the way so we could enjoy all of the waterfront activities.

We went canoeing and kayaking and swam in the lake. It was perfect weather.

Here are our swim check chips. The board shows that we stayed in the Crow campsite.

During some of our free time we went into Garden City and got us a raspberry shake. Ally found this blow up Dolphin so we picked it up too for her to play with. She had a great time with it.

I thought she was a little bit crazy when she wanted to get up before sunrise and go canoeing out on the lake. I really thought that once the alarm went off that she would beg to sleep in but nope, she dragged me out  of bed into the cool, crisp morning air and away we went.

It turned out to be the highlight of our camping trip for me. It was so beautiful and calm. I loved being out on the water with my Ladybug. Such a sweet memory.

We loved participating in the campfire songs, the skits, and all of the activities that Camp Hunt had to offer. It was a great trip!

In Memoriam: Dash Kitty

Today is a very sad day here at the Little Mills Kingdom. We have discovered that we have indeed lost our poor kitty Dash.

We got Dash the day before Halloween of 2010. In the summer of 2010, we had gotten two orange and white kittens from the same litter, and we named them Tom and Jerry. We loved Tom and Jerry. The week leading up to Halloween poor Jerry got hit by a car. We were so sad. Poor Tommy boy was just a lonely little wreck. So we went back to the family we got them from hoping to still get a kitten from the same litter, hoping that the kittens would remember each other. We liked them having each other to snuggle with when it is cold out and to have each other's backs when they feel threatened, etc. 

The first day we brought Dash home he was very, very skittish. We almost named him Skitty. I had to hang out in the back yard keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't take off. Tom was super excited to have him around and would not take no for an answer when it came to playing together. It took a bit of convincing. The night of Halloween he disappeared. We searched for him and luckily we found him being taken care of at a home just up the street from us. We figure he got spooked with all of the trick or treaters and then couldn't find his way home.

After that he and Tom were inseparable. We often found them in our garage lounging  on the jogging stroller.

 Unfortunately, the following April (2011) Tommy boy disappeared. It was very unlike him to wander off and the first morning he missed breakfast we knew something wasn't right. We never saw him again.

Dash on the other hand was a little bit of a wanderer. Nothing major for the most part. Last summer he got mad at me for taking in a rescue kitten, Roxie, and took off for a week but he eventually found his way home.

 So when I noticed I hadn't seen him for a day or so about three weeks ago I wasn't too concerned, but I didn't like it either. We asked the neighbors to keep an eye out for him and to let us know if he was seen.

Well, this morning we got a call from our good neighbors across the street, the Nutleys. They were wondering if they had found our boy Dash. Nate went over to confirm and unfortunately it was him. He hadn't been gone long. Looks like he had drowned in our irrigation ditch after this weekends rain storms. Poor Dashie boy. We will sure miss him. The hard part comes tonight when we have to break the news to the kids. They have missed him so much and been so worried about him.  

 Our other kitty, Pepper, has just been lost without him these last three weeks. She is so social and is getting increasingly attention starved without having her buddy around.

I will miss you greeting me every morning when I return from my run and having you demand attention and a good rub down while I try to catch my breath and stretch a bit.

I will miss you attacking the plants I am trying to work with in the garden.

I will miss hearing your bell tinkling while you run around the yard.

We love you Dash! Thank you so much for all of the love and fun you have brought to our family these last 2 and half years. You will surely be missed.

 

Dash

June 2010 - April 2013

 

The Butchers

We love when we get a chance to hang out with our awesome friends the Butchers. The four of us go way back. Nate and Andy met their first year of College, pre-Mission, while working at Hardees by Weber State University. They became fast, good friends. Once they were both home from their missions they reunited. By then Nate and I had met and become good friends with Kim Watts. We ultimately set them up so we could double date. Worked like a charm! Five months after Nate and I married so did they. We try to get together a couple times a year. They currently live in Tooele, Utah and are about to have their third daughter. It is always a great time when we get our families together.

Obviously getting our little families together and sharing our friendship is rubbing off on the younger generation. 

Evelyn and their little Julee have just hit off. Every time we get

together they just have a ball together.

Snow Fort

We had Shay and Sawyer over for the day today. Because we had already had a great snow storm they were anxious to get outside and make a snow fort. They were out there for hours and had so much fun. Never mind that they never finished the bottom row. I was having so much fun getting pictures of them that I completely forgot to get their Fort. Ooops.

Christmas 2012

 Christmas Day was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. The kids were trying to negotiate with us yesterday on how early they would be allowed to wake us up Christmas morning. Dad and I were saying 7 am, very reasonable we thought, the kids were pushing for earlier. Ally even said, "The earlier we get up the more time we will have to think about Baby Jesus." Haha, sure, that is why you want to get up earlier.

Evelyn loved the baby doll blanket Ally gave to her. It was a little blanket that my Grandma Sargent originally was making, it just needed to be bound around the edges. Ally worked on that a few months ago.

 The boys were both convinced that their shared gift was a lightsaber set and they were doing Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who got to play with the coveted dual Lightsaber first. They hadn't even opened the present yet!

 The girls both got dress up wigs.

 Evelyn drew me a pretty picture for Christmas.

 Ally gave Ryland a Star Wars wallet. He was super excited and has carried it around all day.

 Ally made both Ethan and Nate scarves.  

Grandma and Grandpa Hale came by about mid morning for a visit.

We had a great day! In the evening we had my Dad and Fran over for dinner and games. It was a perfect and relaxing Christmas Day.