Aspen's Blessing

So, we are sometimes lame. Concerned that Aspen might have a baby accident on the blessing dress (she was on her 3rd outfit for the day), I changed her out of it so fast that we didn't get any pictures of her in it. So, this Sunday, when we're all dressed up for church, we'll pop her in it again and take a couple pictures--trust me, she'll never know the difference. Really, considering that Grandpa Seguine was here and the camera was out, it is shocking that somehow it didn't happen. This is the only picture I took, after the excitement was over, but it is a sweet one, a little girl and her Grandpa.

We did the blessing at home and were able to be surrounded by friends and family (Mom and Dad Seguine, Jordan and Emily, and a nice selection of Winward cousins). We enjoyed it, especially being able to share with family and spend time with them.

Two days was just too short and the kids miss Gramma and Grandpa Seguine, but are excited to see them in Hawaii in July (I think we'll have to make a countdown chain this weekend or the questions will never end). They are also looking forward to visiting Grammy and Grandpa Chapman in a week in their new digs in Idaho. Forester keeps informing me (and others) that Grammy and Grandpa live in a "hota-el" (it becomes three syllables from him, the "a" being pronounced like the name of the letter itself), always uttered with excitement and a touch of incredulity.

That should catch us up. Today is Ilana's last day of school and we'll see what the summer brings...craziness and fun, I'm sure.

Mother's Day Recap

Some women get flowers, some get candy or jewelry, but all told I think I got the best presents of all: a new purse from REI (really, could I have a purse from anywhere else?) and a hike up The Narrows in Zion National Park with Justin and all four kids. I had Aspen in the front carrier and two hiking poles--to ensure that neither of us fell in the Virgin River as we hiked through it. Justin had Ronan in the kid backpack and held onto Ilana on one side and Forester on the other. The next day his hands and forearms were so sore he could hardly grip anything, from hanging on to their little hands so tight. We almost lost Forester's hiking stick in the river at one point, but never lost a kid, so all was well; and a group was crossing the river downstream from us, saw the stick, and grabbed it for us.

For any that don't know, The Narrows is a slot canyon (though generally a pretty broad one, at least at the lower end, which is where we were hiking), but the "trail" is, for the most part, the Virgin River itself. The water was above our knees at its deepest (adult knees, which means waists for kids). The water was really cold, but it was over 90 degrees that day, so it felt great. It was gorgeous and fun and we had a great time.

It's such an interesting place, there's just something so strikingly odd and beautiful about so many people winding their way through the river. It is so quiet and full of light--off the red rock of the walls and flashing off the water all around you. In moving through your world in such a different way from the norm of everyday, even the norm of a good hike--not on it or next to it, but truly through it--you can't help but feel more connected to the spaces around you.

Jump in

At some point you just realize that the time to begin is now. So here I go, blogging. It sounds wrong and mildly inappropriate for good, upstanding citizens, but I hear that once you start you just can't quit. I'll be under construction for a bit, but once it's all up and running I think it'll be a form of correspondence that even I can handle.