Daddy Daughter Hiking Adventure

One day I was thinking about Father's Day, and out of no where I had an awesome idea.  My Dad likes to hike.  The serious kind of hike.  The kind where you hike down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and then back up again.  I thought that I would like to take up hiking.  You know, the non-serious kind.  Not the Grand Canyon kind of hiking.  I also thought about the fact that my dad and I hadn't done anything by ourselves in a long time.  So, an idea was born.

I called Dad and gave him my proposal.  We should celebrate Father's Day with a hiking/camping trip.  And, that is just what we did.  We stayed at Bonham State Park.  I got there Friday evening, and we hiked and camped until Sunday at lunch.

I think Dad was surprised that I was willing to camp with him.  My Mom will hike with him, but she does not camp.  When I was a teenager, we camped a lot.  The kind of camping that involves a travel trailer.  Certainly not the tent kind of camping. 

Bonham State Park is a nice little park that is easy to navigate.  Well, the park itself is easy to navigate.  The hiking trails?  Not so much?  The trails were not marked well, and the map was useless.  Thank goodness it is a small park.  We spent hours hiking in circles.

Most of the trails were in the trees.  There were a few sections that allowed a nice view of the lake.

The hiking sticks were awfully cool.  I didn't have any hiking gear, so Dad brought stuff for me to use.  I really liked the hiking stick.  Unfortunately, there is no place in Frisco that requires a hiking stick. 

The trails were beautiful, and there was lots of tree cover.  With all of those trees, the sun didn't pose a problem.  It was just hot!

After hiking, Dad and I decided a bike ride would be nice and relaxing.  We rode around the lake two times.  Boy, oh boy, was the sun hot!  And, hills steep (at least it seemed that way in the heat).

I think we look like a true outdoorsman and outdoorswoman with our bikes.  After enduring our bike ride, we thought that we surely needed a picture for documentation!  Jonathan let me borrow one of his bandanas.  Isn't it nice?

I learned a little bit about hiking on the trip.  For instance, I didn't  know that you were supposed to mark your map with where you hiked.  I'm ready for next time.  I think I'm almost a pro... NOT!

I had a blast, and enjoyed being outdoorsy with my Dad.  I hope he enjoyed his Father's Day gift.  Maybe we can make it an annual Father's Day Hiking Extravaganza!

Bright and Early

This is a year of firsts for our little freshman girl.  This is the first year that she attends seminary.  Oh, seminary.  I think it is going to be quite the challenge to get my sweet girl to seminary every morning.  Seminary starts at 6:00 a.m.  Yes, you did read that right.  Six o'clock in the morning!  Thankfully, seminary didn't start until Wednesday.  So, they had two days to get used to school, before starting this new endeavor. 

I wish I could tell you that I get up at the butt crack of dawn, but that would be untrue.  I get up at the PRE-butt crack of dawn.  The alarm goes off at 5:00.  I bathe and dress.  At this point, the challenge begins.  Waking up Jessica.  She is not a morning person.  And, when I say she is not a morning person, I mean she is down right mean when she hasn't had enough sleep.  I roll her out of bed and throw her in the car.  Once in the car, she puts her hair up in a pony tail, and partakes of some Dr. Pepper (the story behind the DP will get its own post).  I drop her off at church, and then go back at 6:50 a.m. to pick her up.

Wednesday and Thursday were quite successful, and she seemed to really enjoy it.  However, I do have to report that we failed miserably this morning.  She stayed up too late last night studying.  As a result, she didn't get enough sleep.  It was a rough morning, to say the least.  I got her to church, but she refused to get out of the car.  I told her that if she didn't get out of the car that I would take her phone away from her.  She handed me the phone!  What?  Jessica NEVER parts with her phone.  So, I have to come up with new strategies next week.  Some mornings are going to be good, and some are going to be horrible. 

It is my hope and prayer that she will find seminary a blessing in her life.  In fact, I told her that I wish that I could go to seminary every morning.  What a wonderful way to start the day.  If I could bolster myself with gospel teachings every morning before work, I would most certainly make better choices during the day!

There is nothing like a banana smoothie to make the pick-up at 6:50 a.m. go faster.  I think I am going to spend a lot of time in the church parking lot this year. 

Hangin' with the Cousins

Our family was lucky enough to have two of the cousins spend the weekend with us.  We usually try to plan for some fun on the Saturday before school starts.  We ended up a little behind, because I decided to enroll Jonathan at YMCA and do my grocery shopping.  Turns out that the entire city of Frisco thought that Saturday was a fine time to do those things as well. 

Once we were done YMCAing and Krogering, we headed off to the Frisco Athletic Center.  It was our first visit this summer.  Last summer, we practically lived there.  But, as I stated in an earlier post, Fred has been all about the lake this summer.  When discussing our Saturday plans, he started bringing up the lake.  Even going so far as to pick a new lake that was TWO hours away!  Jessica, Jonathan and myself took a stand.  No more lake water!

Kylie, Jessie and Kaitlin

Let it be known that little Kylie rode that big slide in the background over and over and over.  She and Jonathan made countless trips up the steps.  There are two slides, so they always made sure that they each came down at the exact same time.  After about 10 or 15 trips (you start to lose count after a while), the life guard decided that Kylie was too short for the slide.

Fred's beach towel is Fred-sized.  He went to grab his towel and it was gone.  He thought Jess or Kaitlin had taken it.  Instead, we see tiny little Kylie wrapped up in the extra large towel.

Jonathan is quite serious about his goggles.  He does not like going into the water without his goggles.  When he was in preschool, he and his swim instructor would argue about those darn goggles.  He wasn't allowed to have them in swim class.  He has had these goggles since he was 4 years old.  I can't believe that he has managed to keep up with them all these years.  Jess had the same ones (just in a girly color) for swim team.  They weren't cheap, and why we bought them is a mystery to me.  However, this is the best purchase that we have ever made.  The Easter Bunny got Jonathan a new pair of Speedo goggles.  They were nice, and they were green -- his favorite color.  He hates them.  They aren't as comfortable as his trusty black pair.  He is definitely a creature of habit.

We enjoyed getting wet and playing in the sun on Saturday. 

May You Have Courage

During our Family Home Evening on Sunday, I gave the kids a lesson on courage.  I introduced them to President Monson's talk called May You Have Courage.  It is my hope that we can use that as our family theme/motto for the 2010-2011 school year. 

President Monson was speaking to the Young Women, but I assured Jonathan that the talk could be applied to anyone... even me!   There were three areas that President Monson counseled that we should have courage.  (Note:  I am paraphrasing)

1) May you have courage to not judge others
2) May you have courage to be chaste and virtuous
3) May you have courage to stand for truth and righteousness

We talked about all three.  Trust me, when I say chaste was a little tricky.  I danced around the subject making sure that Jessica understood, but trying not to be too explicit for Jonathan.  I shared that my weakness lies in judging others. 

I think that they took the lesson to heart.  I hope to reinforce that lesson as we go about the school year.  I just felt that it was a great "back to school" lesson.  In the school setting, it is so easy for our kids to lose sight of their eternal goals.

First Day of School

Today was the big day.  The day that my little girl headed off to high school.  The day that my little boy started the last year of elementary school.  The day that makes mom a little sad.  The day that makes her wonder where the days and years went.

I love this picture.  It is Jessie's "I'm scared to death, but I'm trying to play it cool" look!

I was prepared to drop Jess of at high school this morning.  That was the plan.  Until last night, that is.  There is a girl at church that Jess really looks up to and admires.  She is going into her senior year, and her younger brother is a freshman.  Jess texted this particular girl, and asked for a ride this morning.  There is safety in numbers.  She would be with a fellow freshman, and they would have a senior to show them to their first class.  Honestly, the situation was ideal, and made Mom feel better about the first day.  I really was worried about her getting lost!

For the most part, her first day went well.  She said that the school is huge and her classes are pretty far apart.  Thankfully, she brought her lunch, because she never found the lunchroom!  Then, to end the day, she had a nice long walk in the heat.  Needless to say, she is exhausted!

Jonathan headed off to 5th grade this year.  His morning went quite smooth.  Getting up early is old hat for him.  1) His internal body clock wakes him up at 6:00 a.m. EVERY day! 2) His summer drop off is the same time as his school year drop off.  He never gets a break!

This is his last year in elementary school.  I am not ready to think about middle school.  When Jess was in 5th grade the kids rotated through 4 teachers.  This year, there are two different teams.  One team has two teachers and the other has three teachers.  Thankfully, Jonathan ended up in the 2 way rotation.  He had hoped for Mrs. Carroll or Mrs. Demlar for his homeroom teacher.  Lucky for us, Mrs. Carroll is his homeroom teacher, and Mrs. Demlar is his other teacher.  He was quite relieved! 

As we drove up to the school this morning, he decided that he wanted to be dropped off in the parent circle.  He was so proud climbing out of the car and heading into the school for 5th grade.  He reports that he had a great day. 

Time Spent at the Lake

We spent LOTS of time at the lake this summer.  During the very beginning of summer vacation, I went on a hiking trip with my dad.  Fred and the kids found this spot on Lake Lewisville.  It isn't as nice as Lake Ray Roberts, but it is free and it is much closer!

Fred loves the lake water, so every spare moment as been spent at this lake.  Usually, we spend the summer swimming at area community pools.  The kids and I are into chemically treated water.  Call us crazy... we like to know that our water is clean.

For the most part, Jess sits on the bank texting and perfecting her tan.  She is not in to icky green/brown water.

We enjoyed our summer at the lake.  But, I think we are all offically "laked out!"

Six Flags Over Texas

While Jessica was visiting Grandma and PawPaw Larry, we siezed the opportunity to use Jonathan's free ticket to Six Flags.  Jessica is not the adventurous sort.  She doesn't like roller coasters, which means that I end up sitting out with her.  All the while, the boys are riding roller coasters and having fun.  This year, I got to join in on the fun!  Jonathan enjoyed riding Flashback, Shock Wave, Judge Roy Scream, Runaway Mine Train, Mini Mine Train, the bobsled, and all the water rides.  Judge Roy Scream and Runaway Mine Train were his two favorites. 

My all time favorite ride EVER is the Judge Roy Scream.  I have fond memories of riding that with my  friends in middle school and high school.  That being said, I have to say that my beloved Judge Roy Scream disappointed me a little.  It seemed to be a much rougher ride than before.  In fact, Fred refused ride it the second time around.  He sat out, while Jonathan and I made a second trip.

Jonathan's method of riding was priceless.  He curled up in a ball and held tight to the lap bar.  His head was always tucked down, and he refused to watch the scenery.  Then, as the ride would start coming to a halt, he would pop his head up, raise his arms  and shout "Yeah, that ROCKED!"  I think Fred might have been slighly embarassed and ashamed of his offspring.

Hiking Adventure

Several weeks ago, I set out all by myself on a hiking adventure.  Little Elm boasted of their lake view hiking trail.  I thought it sounded like a grand time.  So, I got all gussied up in my hiking attire.  Grabbed a water bottle, and wore my awesome little trail shoes.  Oh, how I love my trail shoes.

I easily found the trail head to the Cottonwood Trail.  Turns out you exit the trail the same way that you enter.  There was no map, but there is absolutely no way you can get lost.  The land was flat, and it seemed to me that it was really a "no mow" area with the trail being a big wide strip of mowed grass.  You walk (hike is being too generous) to the lake.  Then you turn around and head back the way you came.  It was hot and in the open sun, but it was nice change of pace.  I think I'm going to wait until the fall when it cools down, and I'm going to take my bike.  I haven't taken my bike off-road, and I think this will be the perfect place to try. 

At the time, it seemed like a failed attempt at adventure.  In hindsight, it was nice afternoon, and I would do it all again.

Celebrating Freedom

We have a tradition of watching the City of Allen's firework show with the Garstka's.  Allen always celebrates a week in advance.  Usually, we have a big lunch at the Garstka's followed by swimming.  This year, Ally had a soccer games all day.  So, we spent the day at the lake with Abie and Stacey.  By the time we met up for fireworks, everyone was exhausted.  Jessica and Stacey opted out of the event.  The rest of us trudged on not wanting to break tradition.

The fireworks did not disappoint. They were magnificent.  It was very crowded.  I'm pretty sure that everyone in the town of Allen was in attendance.  And, as always, Jonathan fell asleep before the fireworks started.  He did wake up enough to enjoy the fireworks, though.

Sweet 16

On July 29th, Fred and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary.  We celebrated by leaving the kids home alone.  Of course, we prayed the entire time that they weren't killing each other.  We thought we would stay close to home, so that we could get to the kids quickly, if needed.  We had dinner at Texas Land and Cattle.  Then we did a little shopping.  We decided that we really needed some shoes from Academy.  Sadly, we do not have that wonderful establishment in Frisco.  So, we ventured out to Plano.  What were we thinking?  Shortly after we arrived in Plano, we received a call from Jonathan.  He was scared, and Jessica wouldn't let him hug her.  She is not the most sympathetic person in the world. Over the course of the night, we received several calls from the boy. They made it, and both of them lived.  We have repeatedly learned that Jonathan doesn't like to stay home alone with Jessica after dark.  Once in a while, we get  a wild hair and tempt fate.

Jessica took this picture of Fred and I before we left for dinner.  Portrait composition is not one of her fortes.  Which is crazy, because she does a great job taking pictures of herself.  I guess she is the only subject that she can successfully work with. 

Summer Nights

I love our fair city.  During the summer months, we have Movies on the Square.  They have a huge inflatable screen that they set up right in front of the city hall/library.  Back in June, we headed out to see Grease - The Singalong.  I was so excited to spend my Friday night singing along to one of my favorite movies.  Our friends, Abie and Stacey joined us.

I was really excited for Jonathan to watch the movie.  I thought for sure that he would love it.  However, in true Jonathan fashion, he fell asleep before the opening credits were over! 

Jess didn't go with us.  Her reason for staying at home on a Friday night?  "I don't watch movies from YOUR era!"  I would be offended, but I know that without a doubt that I deserve it.  You can ask my parents!  I always asked my dad to tell me about the "olden days."  So, you see, I now have to pay for my earlier crimes.  One day, Jessie will want to take her daughter to a High School Musical Singalong.  And, my granddaughter will make fun of Jessie.  And, she too will have to pay for her teenage crimes.  Sweet justice!

I would like to state for the record that this movie is not really from my era.  I was just a little girl when it was released in movie theaters.

Sweet Little Lainey

Just before we left for Arkansas, we got to see this precious little girl (and her parents).  She is so sweet and wonderful, and is growing so fast.  She is already demonstrating that she is going to have a cute personality.

First Dance

At our church, you have to be fourteen to attend the youth dances.  As luck would have it, there was a dance just a few days after Jessie's 14th birthday!  At first, she didn't want to go.  I am so happy that she ended up going, and taking a friend along with her.

I hear that she danced mostly with the 5th Ward boys.  She did report that she danced 5 times with one particular boy. 

Jessie and her friend, Bethany

Not Forgotten

On the way home, we stopped at Bethlehem Cemetery.  This cemetery is in Gurdon, Arkansas and is where most of my dad's family is buried.  This place is near and dear to my heart. 

My Granny died just four days after my 16th birthday.  I remember being devestated.  For a long time, I didn't want to visit her grave.  Once I got over that sadness, it became a special place to me.

Granny's only daughter died at the age of 12.  As you can imagine, that experience effected her deeply.  Being her only granddaughter, I was royally spoiled.  Side note:  I have no idea why they spelled her name Forthmon.

Baby Forthman

I have asked my parents where they want to be buried.  They can't seem to agree.  I think Dad wants to be buried here with his family.  One problem... there is no room for Mom!  There is only one spot left in the family plot!

You might have noticed that my grandmother's name is Jessie Belle.  Yes, my daughter is named after her.  I never thought we would call her Jessie, though.  I thought she would only be known as Jessica.  The Jessie thing just evolved when she was a baby, but seems very fitting.

My grandfather's name is John Henry, but he went by Henry.  Jonathan wasn't officially named after him.  Fred just picked the name, because he liked it.  However, I think that it is still a nice tribute to him.

Three Boys and a Young Lady

Jessie and Matthew

While we were in Arkansas, Jessica turned 14 years old.  For her birthday dinner, she chose Mexican food.  They were kind enough (at her Daddy's request) to embarrass her by making her wear a sombrero.

Jonathan, Cody, Jessie and Matthew

It was a rare opportunity for her to spend her birthday with her Arkansas grandparents, cousins and aunt.  After dinner, we made sure that she had a birthday cake.

The Walmart in Ash Flat, Arkansas didn't have a big cake selection.  In fact, they didn't even have a bakery.  This poor little cake was covered in candles!

Lovin' the Lake

As you can tell, we spent lots of time on Crown Lake while we were visiting Grandma and PawPaw Larry.

Mom and Jess

Fred

Jess and her friend Kate

Cody and Jonathan

Fred

Big Bertha

During our trip, we spent a lot of time with Big Bertha.  Who is Bertha?  She is a 4 man tube.  And, when they say 4 men, they really mean 4 small children!

PawPaw Larry and Jonathan

Jessica showing off

Jonathan and I... ALL feet!  We thought this method would be relaxing.

Cody and Jessie

Kate, Jonathan, Matthew and Cody

Aunt Donna and Matthew