Labor Day Weekend at Blake Island

For the first time since 2020, school started the week before Labor Day weekend.  As a result, our annual camping trip to Blake Island happened after the kids had already gone to three days of school.  This actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I was still in Utah the weekend before school started this year which meant that my kids would have missed joining Chris and his family out on the island for our annual camping trip with them.  Although I was still super tired from this marathon trip and getting the other three kids off to school, I managed to summon enough energy to shop, pack, and head out on this camping trip as the solo parent this past weekend.  Since there was rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, we decided to push back our departure and left on Sunday morning and returned on Monday evening.  Although the kids were disappointed that we didn't get to spend two nights on the island like we have done the last few years, it helped me find the motivation to pull off this trip with less days and meals to pack for.  Overall, we were blessed with some beautiful weather and had a fun time being out on the island with Chris, Natalee, Trenton, Brynn, and her boyfriend, Zach who were visiting from Utah.  It was fun to meet Zach for the first time and spend the weekend with this group at a place that we love so well.  Here are some pictures from our time out on the island...

September 6th:

After getting out to the island and eating lunch, we set up the tent and then hit the beach because it was so hot.  Several people put on their swimsuits and went out and played in the freezing cold water because of how warm it was.

Logan and Emmett.

Ella decided not to pack a swimsuit, but later on, realized that she should have brought it along.  Here she is cooling down on top of one of the pilings in the water.

Emmett playing in the sand after swimming.

The teenage boys talking on some driftwood.

Around 5 o'clock, we hopped on Chris' boat for the ride into Seattle for the evening.

Like last year, we enjoyed walking along the waterfront and the kids loved playing at the amazing park again.  Here is Ella coming down the jellyfish slide.

Emmett hanging out on one of the swings that remind me of stingrays.

We then walked over to Ivar's restaurant to eat fish and chips for dinner out on the water.

The kids then enjoyed throwing out left over fries to the seagulls.

Logan, Emmet, Ella, Trenton, Zach, and Brynn walking back to Chris' boat in the marina.

September 7th:

After a good night's sleep all cozy in our tent, the kids started the day by piling on top of each other on the half deflated air mattress.

After breakfast, Brynn and Zach took the kids around the campground playing an epic game of Bocce ball.

After some more games in the campground area, we ended up on the beach to skip some rocks.

And take the annual cousin picture on top of a log.  

It's kind of sad to think about how much this picture has shrunk over the years.  And if it hadn't been for Brynn visiting from Utah for the weekend, there would have only been four cousins in the photo.  It's hard to see everyone growing up and flying the nest.

Our annual mommy and kids photo on the beach, minus Lia for the first time ever.  Sniff.

My mom and some of Natalee's family came out to join us on the island for the day on Monday.  Here is a picture we snapped with grandma and her five grandchildren.

The kids enjoyed playing a game of baseball with the group after lunch.

Ella up to bat.

The group went back out to the beach for the second afternoon in a row.  The boys ended up jumping into the water from a large fallen log on the beach.  Here is Emmett leaping into the air!

Trenton, Logan, and Emmett all walking out on the log.

Logan jumping in.

Ella decided to follow the boys and jump into the water in her clothes.

Logan's 1st PHS XC Race

After training with his high school's cross country team since the beginning of June, Logan had his first unofficial XC meet this afternoon.  His high school hosts a meet at the beginning of each season in September at Wildwood Park for runners from just their high school.  His coach does this so that everyone has a chance to run in one race before official meets begin the next week and to give them a baseline time.  Since the Wildwood Park course is very difficult, full of many hills and trails in the woods, I didn't know what to expect from Logan.  However, he rose to the occasion and stayed in the first pack of boys during this 2.7 mile race.  I was able to see him four times during the run and watched him slowly pass a few boys each time.  By the end, he was in ninth place as he ran past me which meant he was two places away from a varsity spot on the team.  Although I didn't make it to the finish line before he completed the race, I learned from another mom that he finished at 7th place after passing two boys on the last hill and finished it in 17:37.  I was so blown away by this as it is so difficult to be in the top seven runners as a freshman, especially on the boys team which is typically so much larger than the girls team.  I was so proud of Logan and this huge accomplishment, especially during the first meet of the season.  Well done, Logan!

Logan running past meet me as he ran up one of the many hills on this course.

Another unique aspect of this meet is that the coach hosts a second race for any friends and family of the XC runner who want to participate.  After learning about this the night before, Emmett said that he wanted to run in this second race, but I knew that he would need a "chaperone runner" to go with him through this 2.7 mile course in the woods.  Luckily, his good friend, Kenzo, from school and his running club, has a mom who enjoys long-distance running.  So after giving her a call last night, we learned that Emmett could do this race with Kenzo and his mom.  It was so fun to cheer the three of them on as they ran around this lengthy course, especially since Emmett has never ran more than one mile at a time.  He is so athletic and in shape that it was no big deal for him to finish this difficult course.  He was all smiles when I found him at the finish line.  Well done, Emmett!

First Day of School!

After being home just one day from taking Lia to BYU, I had to turn around and get the three other kids ready to go to their first day of school.  Although we had completed all of their school clothes and school supplies shopping before I left, we still had a bunch of things to do yesterday to get them ready to head out the door today.  For the most part, everyone was excited to return to school to see their friends and to get back into the swing of things.  Emmett was excited to start second grade and have Mrs. Engle as his teacher who lives just four doors away from us.  Ella was ready to begin junior high school for the first time and be at the same school as her dad and brother.  And although Logan was not excited to return to the work load associated with school, he was ready to see his friends on a daily basis again.  Overall, everyone had a great day and I was so happy to hear everyone's positive reports as they returned home in the afternoon.

Logan and Ella posing on the porch before heading off to their one year of junior high school together.

Logan

First day of 9th grade

Ella

First day of 7th grade

Emmett

First day of 2nd grade

Dropping Emmett off at school that morning.

A happy Ella getting in my car after picking her up from the bus stop after school got out.

Emmett running to me after being dropped by the bus.

My 2nd grader all smiles as he walked towards me from the bus stop.

Lia

First day of her freshman year at BYU

At the end of the day, Lia texted me some pictures that she and her friends had taken that evening after their first day of school which also fell on September 2nd.  She had a successful first day and made it to all four of her classes, although she was late to a few of them due to her classes being so far apart on campus.

Lia with her friends in front of one of the two main entrance signs to BYU near her dorm complex.

From left to right:  Melissa, Lia, Claire, and Lyndi

Lia and some of her friends standing in front of Chipman Hall.

From left to right:

Claire, Hayden, Lia, Lyndi, Daryn, and Melissa

Lia's Off to BYU!

After a whirlwind week, I just returned home from taking Lia to BYU for her freshman year of college!  Overall, we really had a successful week and got so much done to set her up for a good start for her first year at college.  Lia and I pulled out of our driveway on Tuesday, August 25th, after many days of packing, running last minute errands, and checking items off of a very long to-do list.  We drove ten hours the first day where we spent the night in a hotel in Burley, Idaho.  We got up the next morning and drove the remaining 3.5 hours to Provo and arrived at Helaman Halls a little after 12 o'clock which was when Lia's check in time had been scheduled.  After picking up her keys and ID card, we headed over to her dorm room in Chipman Hall to meet her roommate, Melissa, and her parents for the first time.  After months of texting each other back and forth, it was so fun to watch these girls finally have the chance to meet in person.

We spent several hours on Wednesday unloading everything from the car and unpacking it in Lia's dorm room before throwing in the towel and driving to Sundance to get a good night's sleep at my friend, Sarah's, house.  We then returned to her dorm room for a few more hours of work on Thursday and finished all of the unpacking and decorating by four in the afternoon.  Lia's dorm room looked so cute and it felt so good to have everything done before she began four days of Freshman orientation the next day.  After stopping by a cousin's house in Orem for a quick visit, we met up with Lia's roommate and her parents on Thursday night for dinner at a restaurant in downtown Provo.

Lia spent all of Friday attending her first day of orientation while I did a variety of things in Provo--attending some of the parent orientation, going to an early dinner with Callie and Brynn, and then visiting two more cousins at their homes before returning to Sarah's house around 10:30 at night.  On Saturday, Lia and I spent about six hours together taking care of everything else we needed to do before I left town for good.  We spent quite a bit of time on campus, picking up her books, finding her classes, exploring the library and student union building, eating lunch in the Cougar Eat, and meeting with a family friend (who is a senior in the theater department) to talk to her for an hour about all things BYU theater.  After taking Lia to find her bank in town to withdraw some money and showing her how to use her clothes washer and dryer in her dorm basement, it was finally time to say goodbye in the late afternoon.  I gave her two big hugs outside her dorm building and wished her farewell.  I teared up a little bit, but Lia was all smiles and happily waved to me as I watched her walk back to Chipman Hall.  She didn't even turn and look at me as she opened the door and walked inside.  I was so impressed by how excited and ready she was to begin this new chapter of college life.

As I got in the car, I was able to blink back my tears as I drove to Sarah's house.  I then spent a fun evening with Sarah, David, and her two kids still living at home.  We had a delicious homemade dinner and spent a few hours talking, laughing, and reminiscing.  I was feeling really good about saying goodbye to Lia and was proud of myself for handling it so well, both in front of her and for the rest of the evening.  However, I learned the very next day, that thinking this was a bit premature.  On Sunday morning, I drove back down to Provo to meet my dear friend, Kerry, for brunch as she had just flown in the night before to move her daughter into her apartment for her second year of college.  After saying goodbye to her around 1 o'clock, it was time for me to begin my drive home.  Since the restaurant where we met for brunch was literally two minutes away from Lia's dorm complex, I seriously debated for a minute if I should stop by and say goodbye to her one more time.  I could tell by looking at my phone that she was back from church and eating lunch in the Cannon Center.  I knew in my heart that this wouldn't be the right thing to do, so I turned my car on and started driving towards the freeway onramp.  And that's when it just hit my like a ton of bricks that I was leaving Lia behind for good.  Never in my mothering career have I ever gone on a trip with a child of mine and, when it is time to go back home, this child is not going home with me.  And with that thought, I just started bawling.  I sobbed as I drove north on the freeway through Provo and Orem.  And although I was eventually able to get my initial tears to stop, I cried on and off the entire drive to my friend's house in Boise.  

This six hour drive actually turned out to be very cathartic for me.  Since I was alone in my car, I felt comfortable enough to just let it all out while I mourned the fact that my oldest daughter's childhood had officially come to an end that day.  So by the time I got to Boise, I was able to spend the evening with my friend, Carrie, and didn't even shed a single tear.  Although I did cry quite a bit more on the 8 hour drive home the second day, it wasn't as much.  So I have already made some progress and am doing better today.  And although 90% of this entire experience is just so exciting, happy, and celebratory as both Lia and I have dreamed for years of her going off to BYU as a freshman, the one difficult part of it all is saying goodbye to her childhood and accepting the fact that she is now a young adult.  So with a very proud and happy heart, I close this significant chapter on Lia's life and look forward to all of the amazing experiences that she has coming her way in this new chapter of life at college.

August 25th:

Lia's stuff all packed in our car and ready to go!

Lia saying goodbye to her siblings for the last time.  All three kids chased us down to the end of the street as we drove away.  Needless to say, it brought a tear to my eye.

October 26th:

After checking into Lia's dorm for the first time, we had to take a "before" picture to show how plain and boring her room looked when we first walked in.

After working in Lia's room all afternoon long, we took a well-deserved break and ate dinner together in the Cannon Center.  It was fun to eat Lia's first meal together in this cafeteria.

October 27th:

After finishing unpacking and decorating, we had to take an "after" picture of Lia in her darling, beach-themed room.  We brought most of the bedding and decor for her room from home.

Lia's desk all decorated with framed photos, beach decor, and pictures.

A close-up of Lia's cute corner with her little lamp and some other beach items.

The adorable hanging shelf that we bought online and hope will stay hanging all year long.

Two pictures I framed for Lia's room that I love--one of her grandma graduating from BYU in 1965 and one of Lia wearing a BYU cheerleading outfit for her first Halloween in 2008.

Lia with her roommate, Melissa, in their dorm room.

And another photo of them outside their dorm building, Chipman Hall.

Mother and daughter outside her dorm building.

A picture I took of the girls after dinner with Melissa and her parents in downtown Provo.  Look at those mountains that Lia gets to look at every day!

August 28th:

Eating dinner with Brynn and Callie after I attended a few hours of parent orientation on campus.

August 29th:

A picture of Lia and me in front of the awesome BYU sign on campus.

A quick photo I took of Lia in front of one of the two signs that are at the official entrance to BYU's campus.  Both of these signs are right next to Helaman Halls.

Lia smiling and saying goodbye to me for the last time in her dorm parking lot.

August 30th:

The one picture Sarah and I took together all week long as she was heading to church and I was leaving for good to drive home.

My friend, Kerry, and me in Provo after eating brunch together on Sunday morning.

The screenshot I took of Life 360 right before I started my long drive home.  I took this screenshot to show how close I was to Lia before I left Provo for good.  I think being this close to Lia made it a lot harder to leave her behind.  Sniff.

A screenshot of Lia's first Instagram story that she posted after her first weekend at college.  I just love how it shows all of the friends she is making and the fun that she is having only a few days into her freshman year!