Grotto Trail Adventure

We decided to take a family drive up the Nebo Loop to check out the damage done by the wildfire that happened there last summer. I was really hoping we would get a chance to go up and see the Payson Grotto. We were super disappointed when we came up the canyon and saw the road had been closed.

We were not discouraged and lots of other hikers had the same idea. We soon found out why they still had the road closed. There were trees that had blocked the road and in many places erosion looked like it could easily bring down more.

These boulders  made a great resting spot on the way up and down.

Honestly, I wasn't sure that the boys would make it all the way to the trail head. They got exhausted pretty quickly. Even though we were walking on asphalt, it was a steep incline. It took us an hour to make it to the trail head. Literally, I was trying to distract Luke enough so that he would keep putting one foot in front of the other. We talked about what the Elk would be doing if they were living on the mountain and we tried to find him a walking stick made out of birch. We also saw many, many butterflies and contemplated the ways they would stay warm during this time of the year. We are convinced they find little hollow areas away from the water where they can sleep.

Papa finally hiked up to the trail-head and then came back to tell us we were just one more bend in the road away. Luke was especially excited to see the snow. We were all so happy. It ended up being a 3.5 mile hike up and back. WAY longer then we ever intended to go.

The parking area for the Grotto

It was so sad to see how much damage the fire did to the trail. This is a trail that we know so well and most of it is unrecognizable. We had to climb over and under trees that had even fallen on the alternate trail that had been created. 

It will be interesting to see how much of it will grow back before Autumn comes. I'm hoping the forest service can get up there soon and take care of some of the trees that have fallen over the path. Hopefully, they will also be able to get the bridges back in working order. There was one particular part that was quite frightening for Mom & Luke (literally one misstep from falling in the rapids), but we were super careful, said a prayer for the trip down, and made it with everyone feeling very brave for making it. I did manage to get a little video of the area where you would enter the Grotto part. Brandon and Peter also scrambled up to get a view of the river falling into the grotto. It was amazing to see the video he got. 

Once we got past the scary part Luke and Peter were as happy as clams hiking down. They both know this area so well that I let them take the lead and most of the time I can't even see them. On the way back to the car Luke and Papa zoomed down the road. Peter was exhausted and then needed to go potty and then wanted to rest after every bend in the road. It was okay though. We weren't in a hurry and it gave me time to get a few more pictures. 

For perspectives sake, this is what the area looked like in September of 2017. Sadly, the boys and I didn't make it up there early enough in 2018 to see if before the fire.

Scouts - Aware and Care

1. Used a blindfold to simulate visual impairment. I had to go into my room, get dressed in pajamas, and put myself to bed. I was able to successfully to it, but I bumped into a lot of walls, Luke, and toys on the floor. I was also not able to tell the color of my pajamas.

2. I did a project that simulated dexterity impairment. I used spoons to do it. I taped them to two of my fingers. Then I tried to do my normal things with the spoons on. My conclusion was that it was a hard experiment because it was harder to do things, but my brain was smart and worked it out.

3. We played the potato game. It helped us to realize that people can look different on the outside, but on the inside we are all the same. I also realized that scars never show up on the inside like they do on the outside of the potato. 

4b. I got to talk to my Grandma about her disability. 

Her disability is that she has to stay in a wheelchair for like a year. It is really, really hard for her. She doesn't have her wheelchair in the house because her foot is a weapon because she has to keep it lifted up. She uses a walker to get around the house. 

She also has grabby arm that she can use to pick up things. 

She also has a really hard time bending down. She also needs help with eating her food because she can't carry milk, bowl, and a spoon by herself. She also has a very hard time taking a shower. So she has a bench to help her. 

4d. I was able to go on a field-trip to BYU. My Mom's Uncle works with people who need help at the University because they are deaf. This is what I learned. 

Luke glasses part #2

So the glasses frames that Luke wanted were back ordered. Sadly, they weren't even given a date on when those frames might be available. So, back to the eye doctor we went to pick out different ones. Hopefully this time they will come in and be perfect for him.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, his glasses finally came in. He looks so adorable in them. It's taken him a bit longer to get used to them, but it is going well. He is obsessed with reading the Magic treehouse books right now. I am trying to keep up with his library requests for them. I try and check 4 or 5 of these short chapter books out for him every few days. 

Also, today Luke took a the DIBELS state reading test. It's a test that all 2nd grade kids take. I decided it would be good for my kids to experience tests this year and it was his first time ever taking one. He did it online so I was able to eavesdrop on the other side of the office door while he was doing it. His teacher told him that he was a "reading genius". I was inwardly so grateful. I have been quite discourage with school this past semester and her words were a reminder that I am a worthwhile teacher. I think Luke is reading near a 4th grade level because he and Peter are both reading the same "school reading book" right now. His love for stories makes me so happy. At night I am reading them the Sassafras twins book about Botony and Brandon is reading us Book #1 of the Rangers Apprentice. I hope family book reading time will always be a treasured memory for both my boys. 

Game night fun

Last night we had a game night. Luke was so bored. To keep himself entertained he took pictures with filters. Peter and I were laughing so hard when we found them on my phone this morning.

BattleCreek Falls with snow

On Monday we had the time to go up to Pleasant Grove. We had some time to "kill" and I decided to take the boys up to Battle Creek Falls. I thought it would be a fun and enjoyable hike. It was but....there was snow!

The first part was perfect, even if it was a bit muddy, but then we started hiking on snow. It was slushy, melting, and then quite slippery. This time we only felt confident until we reached the little pond. The boys were perfect even hiking in shorts, but coming down it got a bit treacherous. At one point Peter decided to slide down on his bottom since his shoes had no traction.

Even with the snow, it was a fun hike. We even saw a beautiful butterfly. I had no idea butterflies would be out this early in the spring.

Scouts - Build my own hero

1. Talked about what it means to be a hero. I decided that serving and protecting other people are what makes a person a hero.

My Mom and I went and talked to Bishop Johnson yesterday. He is a hero to our ward because he visits with people. He also helps people be happy. It was fun to talk to him. The Bishop can also help people by giving them food.  One story the Bishop told me was about 2 cowboys. They weren't members of our church but they needed help. He gave them gas and got them some food for them to take with them. I think it's really neat that the Bishop was able to help people even if they aren't members of our church. Bishop told me that it's because Heavenly Father loves everyone, not just members of our church.

2. There are many things that people can do to be a hero in their community. I think that helping someone cross the street would be a good thing. Plus, you can collect garbage that isn't yours. My Mom and I talked about the Provo police officer that was recently killed. We talked about how the people of Springville have been doing things to show respect. Like lining the streets and putting blue bows up.

3. There is a police officer in our neighborhood. He works for the city of Spanish Fork. My Mom and I decided to take him and his family a care package because he works so hard to keep our community safe.

6. I created my own superhero. All those pictures around him are his super powers.

Luke glasses

Since I was taking Peter in I figured I might as well take Luke in to for an eye checkup. I've never thought his eyesight was bad at all. I was wrong. His prescription is -1.0 in one eye and -.50 in the other. I never would have thought they would be worse then Peter's. These are the glasses that he chose, but we ordered them in a grey/red combination instead of this brown color.

This kid is hilarious at doctor offices. They assistant took pictures of the back of Luke's eye and put them up on the computer so the doctor could see them as soon as he walked in. Luke was confused about what the pictures were. The doctor explained to Luke what they were and all Luke wanted to know was where his lungs were. The doctor thought that was pretty funny.

Then, when the doctor was trying to get Luke to tell him which prescription was better (the dreaded 1 or 2, 2 or 3 game) Luke told him that he discovered that the higher number is always the best number. After that was done the doctor explained to Luke that eyeglasses will help him to see things better. Luke then replied that he wanted glasses that would make him fart better. Gah, this kid. Seriously, never a dull moment.

Scouts - Aquanaut

1 - Learned about all the safety precautions that must be done before water activities
2 - Learned about all the safety precautions and skills you need to know before going boating. Peter remembered going boating last year at day camp which helped him to think about the importance of these safety requirements.

Day Camp - July 2018

3. Talked about order of rescue and demonstrated the reach and throw technique using a stuffed animal and a water shoe as the life preserver.

4. Attempted the BSA Swimmer Test

5. Talked about diving precautions and attempted a front surface dive.

6. Demonstrated the crawl and breaststroke

Botony

While Peter was away, Luke and I started our next unit study in science. We will be learning about botany for the rest of the school year. It's my favorite topic ever! I've always wanted to have a Venus fly trap plant. I saw this kit at Hobby Lobby and I knew we needed to try it out. The seeds are soooo tiny! I was really quite shocked at how small they are. They also take forever to grow. It will be a good 2-3 months before we will even see them sprouting.

This kit came with two different varieties of seeds. The first type (venus fly trap) we were able to plant right away. The second type (sundews) need to sit in the fridge for 6 weeks and then we can plant them in soil. They also have to be watered with distilled water because the minerals in our normal water will kill the seeds. I'm loving it. Luke was not even excited. In fact, he said he was so worried about the plants eating him that he wouldn't even help plant the seeds. WAY too many human eating plants on his video games, I guess.

We also talked about how roots help plants to grow. As a visual representation I showed Luke what my crazy orchid plant is doing right now. It has decided to grow some roots right above leaves that are already on the plant. They are growing at a very rapid pace. I'm enthralled with checking on it everyday. My sister says that orchids are normally very finicky and need extra care. Mine has been so hardy and I treat it just like all my other houseplants. It hasn't been hard to take care of at all. I've had this plant two years and I'm really hoping it will decide that it wants to bloom for me once these roots are finished growing.

Trip to Disneyland

When the boys turned 5 Brandon decided to take them to Disneyland to celebrate (just Dad and the kid). We had no intention of repeating a trip to Disneyland anytime soon. Brandon decided shortly after Peter turned 10 that it would be fun to do it again. This time they flew out of SLC (last time it was Provo), and I drove them up to drop them off. It was a little heart wrenching watching them leave, but I knew the time together would be a good thing for both of them.

They enjoyed three days at Disney and plus the 2 travel days. It was fun to get picture updates throughout each day. Almost better were the daily breakfast/lunch/and dinner pictures. They had a wonderful time together and I'm so glad we were financially able to make it happen. Luke is already planning on taking Brandon to DisneyWorld in Florida when he turns 10.