I can’t believe it but we are back in school!  School started on Tuesday last week.  There was a lot of anxiety around here Monday night.  We did have some confidence in the form of Savannah going to ninth-grade her third year at the junior high.  She knew what to expect and was excited to be with people again her own age.  The twins also were excited.  They started first grade and were excited to meet their new teacher and see new friends and eat lunch at school! 

At the other end of the spectrum, Sarah was worried about starting junior high, Megan was worried about having orchestra at the junior high, and Mariah was just plain worried!  I am happy to report, though, that all went well and even my kids who were high on the anxiety scale Monday night came home happy from school on Tuesday afternoon.

I think it will be a good year.  Savannah has her hardest schedule ever.  She's taking Chinese, biology, geometry, honors English, geography, seminary, and master choir.  She is excited for the challenge, though.  I'm excited about all she'll learn!

Sarah found junior high to not be nearly as scary as she thought.  It turns out that a whole bunch of kids are 7th graders, as well – just about a third, in fact.  Cool!  She gets around to her classes just fine and can open her locker.  What more could anyone ask?  Lunch and the class after that with her best friend?  Well, she got that, too.

{Insert Back to School picture here – the picture I can’t get off my phone where I took the picture because my camera died from too much water/sand at Bear Lake.  :(  }

Megan is taking 8th grade orchestra at the junior high.  She thought it sounded like a good idea in the spring, but when it came time to actually attend . . . well, she was terrified out of her mind!  I convinced her to give it two weeks.  I told her that if she still hated it after that, then she could quit.  She was still terrified and fought it pretty hard, but by the end of the week, she had had all good experiences.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed!  “Regular” school is a piece of cake, of course, seeing as she is now in her seventh year at Brookside.  I’m thinking that Megan and Sarah should have been twins.  Sarah wants to still be at Brookside with Megan and Megan wants to be at the junior high with Sarah.  Heavy sigh . . .

Mariah, after some heavy anxiety, discovered that, yes, she would know friends in her class this year, and that, no, having literacy first was not the end of the world.  Hurrah!  We saved our CapriSun packages from our summer camping trips and Megan and I sewed it up into a bag for school. At the last minute, Megan decided she did not want as much attention as the bag would generate, so she switched bags with Mariah.  Mariah loves the bag AND all the attention.  She’s already had people take pictures of her bag at school and had her bag showed off up front of the class as a great way to recycle.  She’s soaking up big star status all because of her cool bag!

Cheyenne and Calianne like their new teacher and their class and everything is going well as far as I can tell.  I can also tell that they are worn out when they get home!  It is a long day for 6 year olds who were five last week.  I worry about them and try to go as easy as I can on them when they get home!

Bethany, Benjamin, and I are figuring out our new lives, as well.  I thought that I would have more time once school started, but so far, that has not been the case.  Maybe I will get caught up from all the summer happenings and then maybe I will have a minute or two . . . maybe?

Mariah started soccer this week and had two practices and two games.  She loves it even though she runs until she’s red in the face and her ears clog up.  She scored two goals in her first game.  Go Mariah!

Cheyenne and Calianne started soccer practices for their 4 on 4 league in Mapleton.  They really like their new coaches as they are accustomed to calling them “Mom” and “Dad” . . .

Speaking of Cheyenne and Calianne . . . My twins turned six years old!!!!!  On Saturday, we had a birthday party with pizza and games, a pinata and cupcakes.  It was great fun.  That evening we went with Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik up the canyon for a birthday party in the trees! 

We had pizza and cake and opened presents.  What lucky little girls! 

I told Kevin I thought it was  way more fun than it was six years ago.  My mom said that I’d probably say that on every one of their birthdays until I died.  I think she’s right!  . . . But, oh, what fun they are now!  They have been and continue to be such a blessing.

Well it was camping again for us this week!  We just can't seem to get enough!  Although Bethany said on our last night, “No more tent!”  Funny that.

This week, we had a reunion with Kevin's family at Bear Lake.  So on Wednesday, (you guessed it) we packed up the whole house and left for Bear Lake early Thursday morning.  Bear Lake is really a pretty place.  The water is so blue it is almost turquoise, and it's surrounded by beautiful mountains.  We were at a fun campsite this year too.  It was a KOA really near the lake with miniature golf, a playground, a rec room, and a swimming pool.  But the best part of all was all of the family of course.  We had the biggest group ever from Kevin's side of the family.  It was so fun to see uncles and aunts and their families that we haven't seen for a while and watch our children get to know them better – and to see Grandpa too of course!

On Thursday, we set up camp and enjoyed exploring the camp ground.  We went to the pool of course.  They had a small baby pool and Bethany gave it a try.  She put on some swimming arm floaties.  Her sisters convinced her to take her feet off the bottom of the pool.  Bethany loved it and said with glee, “I'm flying!”  It was so cute. 

On Friday, after a big mass breakfast of pancakes and sausage and eggs and bacon, we packed up the whole campsite and went down to the beach.  We spent the day on the boat and on the jet skis and playing in the sand and swimming in the water and talking and snacking under the canopy.  It was loads and loads of fun!
 We went back to camp for a delicious Dutch oven dinner and to collapse our sunburned bodies exhaustedly to bed . . .

Just to wake up the next morning and do it all again!

The wind was pretty strong and we had to fight it all day, but we still managed to have a good time.  Savannah, Sarah, and Megan loved being on the boat and Savannah especially loved riding the jet skis.  Kevin said that Savannah drove the jet ski like I did.  I rode behind her to find out if that was true.  She whopped for joy as she hit the waves and almost bucked me off a couple of times.  Which, truthfully, is what I do, too.  :)  Hee hee.  I guess she is just a chip off the old block!

Mariah and the twins stayed close to shore and built many things in the sand and swam and jumped the waves being kicked up by the monstrous wind.

It looks like Beth slept the whole time, but she did play in the sand a lot on the first day.  On the second day, she was pretty grumpy and clingy, partly I’m sure because the night before she woke up in the night and talked to us for about a half hour no matter how many times we told her to “Be quiet, Bethany!  Go to sleep!”  Brat.  :)  Just kidding!  The last 15 minutes of the second day, Bethany got off my lap, played in the sand and swam in the water.  Silly girl.  She had a great 15 minutes, though!

We mostly tried to keep Ben out of the sun.  This is his fifth camping trip in his four-months of life.  That is one tough baby, huh?  No matter how hard I work to keep him out of the sun, he always comes home a little bit pink!  I guess I’m destined to always see my babies in pink!  :)  Just kidding!  It’s hardly the same, but still funny!

Mostly it was great just to be with family.  They are a good group and it was fun spending time with them.

This week, we packed up the whole house and went camping just outside Bryce Canyon at Ruby’s Inn Campground.  It was time for the bi-annual Elton Family Reunion.  Yay!

Here is the view from our campsite:

I wish I’d gotten a picture looking the other way, because you would also see the tents of the other families in my family, the gazebo in the middle, and the group fire pit where we gathered each night for s’mores and visiting.  But in this picture, you do see what a peaceful, secluded group site we got.  It was really fun.  Oh, and that shade is from the tall pine trees interspersed throughout the site.  It was a pretty spot.

We arrived late Wednesday night and set up with the help of other family members in the dark and dazzled by the brightness and sheer number of stars.

Thursday we went on a hike to a cave and waterfall nearby.

 

We suffered some minor injuries, but there were cousins around to help.

We also went wading and didn’t lose any cousins over the waterfall – just one shoe!

Savannah tried on this new look.

Anyhoo, we all made it back alive and it was an amazing oasis in the desert.

That afternoon, most of the little kids headed to the campground pool.  The wind really kicked up that afternoon, too.  But, luckily, my brother, never one to take the scout motto lightly, was prepared with KITES!

That was fun, too.  The rest of us visited and rested.  Bethany tried out all the chairs.  She found one that was just right!

  My brother also brought a craft for everyone – leather bracelets with stamping tools.  I didn’t get a picture of that.  Too bad!

After dinner, we gathered around the fire for s’mores, and when we were completely cold, we headed back to our respective tents for the night.  It did get cold there at night!  But, with many blankets on top of our sleeping bags, we managed alright.

On Friday we headed to Bryce Canyon!

What a gorgeous place!

Benjamin thought it was tons of fun!

Look at all those cousins!

 

That afternoon, most of the cousins headed back to the pool.  Grandpa, Savannah, Sarah, Bethany, and I went back to the visitors center to look at books!  We also saw the little museum.

After dinner, some of us headed to “Old Bryce Town” for ice cream and funny pictures.

Around the fire that night was the best, as each couple, starting with Grandma and Grandpa, took turns telling the kids how we’d met.  It was neat.

Kevin took some time that night to point out some constellations to the girls.  The stars were really magnificent.

And that was that.  We packed up the next morning, gave last hugs, and last lingering visits and drove on home.  The reunion was over, but the memories will last a lifetime!