Fantastic Forgein Film

I just finished watching this fantastic forgein film from India called "Water." It is about a little girl who is married and widowed at the age of seven. Widows in that country are outcasts thereafter and are forced to live in near seclusion. Their families don't have anything to do with them as they are considered bad luck and marrying again is unheard of. This little girl is taken to a widow's home by her father whom she never sees again. She doesn't understand what is happening to her and can hardly remember her wedding in the first place. While in the home she meets many other widows with stories similar to hers. One young woman in particular was brought to the home when she was nine and can not remember ever being anything but a widow. There is a beautiful love story and wonderful cinematography. The film is beautiful and as usual for Asian film tragic and agonising to watch. I highly recommend it. It was a tear jerker I admit but an eye opener and really absolutely beautiful and cathartic. If you have Netflix, you can watch it over the Internet.

Lewis & Clark Caves and Caverns

Andrew is ready to go on our trip. He has his "gear." Yesterday we decided to go to the Lewis & Clark Caves. It was tons of fun--and oh so much cooler inside than outside. If you have never been, the first part of the tour is a 20 minute walk uphill to the mouth of the cavern. The hike isn't too bad--a little challenging for six and half year olds who want you to drag them the whole way until they realize they can run instead of walk up the mountain--jeesh, why didn't we think of that before. Walking is too slow and boring and takes too much time. Anyway, the hike was fine, the heat wasn't the most pleasant but do-able. We waited at the mouth of the cave for our guide who must have ran most of the way. He was a very cheerful individual who had paid his dues with over 32 years of elementary school teaching--(so of course nothing in this man's life would ever phase him again.) The first two caverns were bat homes, so we couldn't take pictures, but after that it was awesome. During Roosevelt's New Deal program men came and cut out steps and connected caverns and smoothed out walkways for tourists, so there was a definite pathway the whole way 300 feet down. Our guide, who was a very cheerful man as I said, joked (mostly badly) the whole way and had about six young children act as tour guides pointing flashlights at interesting formations as the rest of the people walked past. Andrew was one of those and he was a very good and well informed spelunker guide. Andrew can be a very enthusiastic child and I would say if nothing else crops up in the future, he could do the whole tour guide thing--what a natural. He answered questions-even if he didn't know what he was talking about, knew the names of each interesting point of view and was friendly and readily able to brush of touristy sarcasm like a natural. He had a great time and went from nearly ready to turn back because of the steep stairs to running down the stairs looking for his next guide opportunity. After our caving adventure we also drove down through Yellowstone and stopped at Old Faithful. Every few minutes the steaming geyser would belch or burble or something and Andrew would yell (very loudly and annoyingly after the ninth or tenth time) "There she blows!! or There she goes!! Awww when's it going to go off. I'm tired!! I'm hot.! Look over there, that one's going off!! We should have gone over Theeeerrre!!"
You know the drill. We sat by some Russian Americans and chatted with them a bit, and they told us they had nearly ran right into a Grizzly in Glacier Park just a few days ago. They were very nice and were delighted to distract Andrew for us.

All in all, a very fun trip. As close to the center of the Earth as we are likely to get this year at least. Quake Lake

We're Back

We just got back from the Clark Reunion where we had a wonderful time visiting and eating and sleeping out and getting messy and watching the kids explore ... Andrew hardly said two words to me as he was too busy playing with his cousins and exploring his imaginary Terabithia (a.k.a. the gravel pit) with Kayden. I don't think he even stopped to eat hardly a thing. Every time I filled his plate and sat him down to eat, I would glance over and he would be gone, vanished, evaporated, and his plate would still be nearly full. I am glad there was so much pop available because I think that is where he was getting his energy--Just like a hummingbird he just needed sugar water and then he was ready to flit onward. I am a very irresponsible parent I guess, but I am glad he had so much fun. Now and then doesn't hurt right?

One of my favorite parts was throwing rocks with Cole in one of the pools. We almost filled that baby in, and may I just say that kid has an amazing arm for a two year old. :) Steven had a lot of fun trying to make up to Jocelyn. They were adorable together.--and then Steven eventually converted Sidney too. I think that boy had a girl on his lap nearly the whole time. What a FLIRT!! (I'm talking about Jocelyn actually--WHAT A FLIRT!!!!) You better look out LeAnn and Cris!!

Anyway, thanks to everyone and lots of love!! We miss you already.

PS. Only 11 days left--you know what I mean :)

4th of July

For the 4th of July we went to visit my parents and my sister and her family who were up from Colorado. We got up early 6:30 to have a Lion's Club breakfast of pancakes, sausage and goosebumps (it is always cold in the morning and we inevitably forget a jacket). Then we went home and got ready for the parade. We happened to find a spot at the beginning of the parade route and so we really and I mean really got loaded down with candy. Andrew had brought a large clothing size bag for his candy which at first I thought was funny and ridiculous until the candy started to fly. They threw three or four handfuls at us from each float. Then there were Frisbees, balls, ice pops and so forth. At one point Andrew was even hit on the head by flying candy.

One funny thing, Andrew was busy collecting a huge handful of suckers that one float had tossed, and he had a considerably big pile too, when all of a sudden another float threw out a handful of pennies. As soon as the sound of money rang on pavement, Andrew abandoned his stockpile of suckers and ran for the money--like a starting gun had gone off in a race--I think he collected maybe four pennies--leaving his suckers to the neighbor children. Here is a picture of Andrew and his cousins at the Idaho Falls Zoo.

July Happenings

Andrew had a wiggly front tooth and he had been working on it for several days--until it literally was hanging on by a thread. Steven offered to pay him a dollar if he would just yank the thing out. After all his tugging on it, his gum was a little soar I think and he refused to let anyone help him. The next day we went to visit Grandma Cziep and she offered him 5 dollars if he would let her pull it. Well, that little stinker reaches into his own mouth and gives a tremendous yank and out comes the tooth--just easy as all that!! I guess we just didn't offer enough money.

Book Report

I just finished reading this book about a week ago. Fantastic!! Get on the waiting list at your library immediately. This book was an action packed adventure all the way through--It is the story of a young girl in a world changed by war--some sort of Apocalypse of some sort. All the old metropolises have been abandoned and everything ugly has been made or will be made pretty. The goal of society is to turn everyone pretty--so as to avoid jealousy, desire for power, anger, frustration, etc. etc.--all those things society thinks can actually be changed if only everyone was beautiful, so as soon as you turn 16 you are taken away from the rest of the "ugly" children and given a complete full body plastic surgery. But, what if you don't want to be turned pretty? Anyway, I highly recommend. Oh, and as an added incentive--there is surfing in this book!!

My Bathroom Jives

Okay, at last I have down loaded the pictures off my camera. The first week school was out I shanghaied my poor guy and made him tear down flowery purple wallpaper and help me paint our tiny bathroom. For the size of the project, it sure took a long time. And, by the way, who knew that the anti-wallpaper glue spray remover stuff was going to turn into blue goo as it disolved the glue. What a nauseatting mess. Several times I had to catch myself and remind my imagination that I was dealing with a non-organic mucus--as much as it appeared to be the real stuff--only blue.

Here are the befores:

I already said that it was a tiny room--as you can see.

If you can't make out the finished colors, they are bright yellow and lime. I thought they turned out pretty good. It was an experiment that didn't completely blow up in our faces. You can't ask for much more than that.

And here is the after: