Hike to Russian Falls

Yesterday we drove down to the Russian River where Kenny has gone salmon fishing the past two weekends. We hiked up to the falls to see where the fish go to spawn. It was really cool to watch them jumping up out of the water and trying to go up the falls. You never knew when one was going to just pop up out of the water and then disappear again. It was pretty funny. The hike was a bit ambitious (2.3 miles each way), but we always enjoy a good activity that stretches everybody and teaches to do hard things. Though I will be the first to admit it might have been a little much for my body. I've been sore a lot lately, just lots of extra pressure. I said a prayer at the beginning of the hike that I'd be able to make it without too much trouble so as to not ruin this fun, family day. I was certainly waddling along extra slowly and painfully at the end, but we made it :). I took a nice soak in the tub with my Deep Blue essential oil that night and that was a nice reward. Of course I can't ignore how much extra weight Kenny was carrying. Always one child, and sometimes two because the little girls would get whiny. Madison had a hard time on the way to the falls, but I was so proud of her for the second half of the hike. She just decided to change her attitude and she didn't complain once! She just held my hand the whole way back. She was counting to 100, counting by 10's, reviewing her letters and sounds, and belting the primary song "The Family is of God" loudly no matter who was walking past us on the trail. It was adorable. I was so proud of her because I know that's a really long way for a 3 year old. If only her older sister would have followed her example :). Brynlee doesn't usually have a hard time but she was complaining a lot about her feet hurting. Anyway, we had a good time overall. It was just so nice to spend the whole day together as a family. 

After the hike I stayed in the van with the girls while Kenny took Tyler fishing for a little bit. There weren't even any fish running, but Tyler talked about nothing else and we knew it would just make him the happiest boy in the world to go fishing with his dad. He said he snagged a few, but didn't catch any. Truthfully he snagged a bunch of rocks, but it sure made his day anyway. 

The drive there and back was so beautiful. It's a gorgeous time of year with everything so green. We stopped at the new Cabela's store in Anchorage on our way home. It was sort of like visiting the Sea Life Center and the wildlife conservation center all at once, but for free. :) Nobody seemed to even mind that the animals were not alive.

It might be hard to tell, but that's a bunch of salmon in the shallow water

Yes I am huge. Even though this pic is most unflattering of me, I want to remember that time with Madison so I'm swallowing my pride and putting it on here anyway. I know I won't always look like a whale. Just for another month or so. :)

Today has been a good, busy Saturday. The sun finally came out and it's been so nice. We ran errands, painted an accent wall in Ty's room, cleaned the church, yard work, house work, etc. I do wish Saturdays were longer. Kenny also took Ty and Bryn to a fun magic show today. Somebody in the ward had won the tickets and wasn't able to go, so she gave them to us. They had a really fun time. Kenny got summoned up on stage (he was mortified) and had to help the magician with a few things. I'm sure it made it all the more fun for the kids to see their dad up there.

Kenny also finished up his time at BP this past week. On Monday he will start his new job at Conoco Phillips, and we are grateful and excited for this new opportunity. It was of course bittersweet for him, he's had a good experience at BP, but it will be nice to have the security of a direct position at his new job. I'm also excited for what will be more consistent work hours. He will ride the bus now instead of drive, which means he HAS to get on the bus and come home at the same time every day. Maybe we'll even have him home for dinner now. :)