We Love Summer

We had a warm day (finally!) so we got out the sprinkler and put on the swimsuits.  Z and Eden decided that adding a little mud into the mix would be fun.

A Fork in the Road

So this post has been a long time coming!  Last January I taught a class on theology and Harry Potter.  We all had a great time and at the end of the month the students asked if they could do a musical final.  I love a good musical final, so of course said yes!  I managed to get pieces of it on video, so here they are:

The whole gang.  You can see the resurrection stone right there in the middle of the front row being held by Harry himself.  The students gave it to me at the end of the class.  Awesome!

Conversations

Today I had this conversation with Eden:


Eden:  Daddy is a person.

Me:  Yes, he is.

Eden:  But you're not a person.

Me:  I'm not?!  What am I?

Eden:  Umm. . . you're a mom.

From the Past

Nathan found these videos today, so they must go on the blog.  They're from September, 2012.  Eden was one and a half and Z was just five.  It seems like a long time ago and like just a moment has passed.

Lee came for a visit that fall:

A family dinner:

Showing off their dance moves:

General craziness:

Bath time:

And the apple orchard, a fall favorite:

The Black Hills + Spring Weather = Happy Family

We stayed one night in Hot Springs, which has the loveliest stream running through it.  Because the steam's source is a hot spring, the water is comfortably warm rather than icy cold.

Z found a crab claw, which he was very proud of.  And, if you look closely, you can see a "Z" in the red rocks behind him, just above his head.

Z and I making crab claws after wading in the stream.

Eden was not quite so eager to go in the stream.

Z clearly could not get enough!

And Eden finally decided to try again when she was how much fun Z and I were having.  This time she liked it!

The next day we discovered Cascade Falls, also fed by a hot spring.  

You can see behind Z is a man made pool.  In the 1890s it became popular for Easterners to come take the hot baths in South Dakota.

Another pool at the bottom of a little waterfall.

Eden wanted to collect everything she saw.  Several times she told me, "Mama, I'm a collector!"

An old house, probably built in the late 19th century, but it looks like someone is still living there.

Z hiking near a cool red rock formation.

Enjoying the view.

Daddy and Eden.

Is there any greater pleasure of childhood than throwing rocks over a cliff?

Can anyone identify these tracks?

Squeeze in, family!

Echo

We were in the Black Hills this weekend and I caught this little exchange on video:

Hey Daddy!

This morning Eden said to Nathan, "Hey Daddy, you're kind of like my father but really you're a snakey."