chris.reese.girls1.2.3.4

I was super reluctant when I was asked last September to serve on our Stake's Executive Committee for the upcoming Trek. The goal of Trek is to recreate, in a small part, the life of our Mormon pioneers as they made the 1300-mile journey on foot, pushing handcarts, to the safety of the Salt Lake Valley. For 3 1/2 days, we took 200+ youth "off the grid" and stripped them of all things modern (including phones, candy, deodorant, toothpaste, and regular clothes). We organized them into families and companies where they worked, slept, cooked and relied upon each other to journey on back roads and trails deep in the wilderness. As they worked  hard  and walked long distances, they gained a new found appreciation for their blessings, and for the sacrifices made by their ancestors.  With me serving on the committee, it meant that Chris and I would be Company Leaders. We led a group of seven families, totaling about 85 youth/adults. I was overwhelmed with this responsibi...

We had a flurry of activity the days surrounding the 4th, so we never really made definitive plans until the day before. We had our annual Ward Breakfast and flag raising on the morning of the 4th, but this year we decided last minute to put all our bike prep to good use and rode the almost 8-mile round-trip as a family. It was so fun! (Paige & Chris on their new bikes! Sidenote: Paige is in love with this bike and is riding nonstop!) We spent the rest of the morning working around the yard and in the house catching up from the weekend prior. Then we had to prep for the par-tay! I love a good party and enjoy it when my backyard is brimming with kids and food! We invited two neighborhood families to our BBQ potluck, and also the Johnsons, from our old ward in Renton. Chris grilled, we had homemade strawberry ice cream, and lots of yummy salads from our friends that joined us.  Then came the fireworks! It was so fun to have the Johnsons join us, especiall...

The Jarvis fam lives in California and we really miss them at our Apken/Hendricks gatherings scattered throughout the year. We are grateful they make a grand trip to the Northwest each summer. This year our schedule was pretty tight and I only had one open day to join them in Yakima. I am just glad it worked out for a day of cousin fun! We were so excited to meet this cutie pie: Emma Kate.  If anybody is baby hungry in this house it's Miss Finley. She is crazy for ANY baby right now. Grandma and Laurie had a lot of fun planned for the kids, starting with crafts. Swings and fun outside. And then we skipped over to Great-Grandma Apken's house to see her and enjoy her pool. The kids loved having it all to themselves.  The weather ended up being a bit on the cool side. Grandma was awesome to get in with the kids, since I was too cold. (Thanks, Janet!)  Have you noticed Paige's obsession with peace signs lately? [sigh]  It amazes ...

Another summer bucket list item was visiting Alki Beach at low tide. We are lucky that our very own Auntie Kristin, who is a Certified Beach Naturalist, and a complete whiz at all things beach-related could take us. We learned so much about the animal/plant life and lucked out with perfect weather (cloudy is best so you can see in the water).   The rocks contain the treasured sea cucumbers, starfish, and the "egg yolk" jellyfish, which I can't remember their actual name, but very cool.  My little girls just loved following Auntie Kristin around.  Catching a crab! We loved having cousin Mary and Will come along, too. Mary was a great help with Finley. We loved the piddock clams. If you touch it, it spits out water like a fountain! My camera got caught in the wake...whoops! My little Finley started to drag behind and became a bit on the whiny side. I held back with her a bit and tried to keep her from going into water deeper than the...