battle creek falls

Every morning we eat breakfast watching the sun rise over the mountains, wishing we had more time to explore some trails.  I finally left the laundry piled up at home and packed up the kids to make it happen.  Kirk had class, so I'd be going alone and wanted something the kids could handle.  Battle Creek Falls had lots of positive reviews that said things like "my young children really enjoyed it," "the falls are great," and "it's an easy hike to do with kids." Definitely fit what we were looking for.  

So we packed a lunch and drove to the trail head.  This was the view from the parking lot.  The trail is only 1.8 miles roundtrip with some steep sections. I say "steep", but then I'm used to hiking PA trails.  :)

Well-groomed trail.  This part was mostly flat.

First hints of Fall

Little mountain goat

I had let Dayton choose between wearing flip flops or tennis shoes (cause it was an "easy, family-friendly hike") and he chose flip flops.  That mistake became evident as the trail grew steeper, but he was a trooper. His favorite part was crossing the creek.  The water runs over the top of this bridge and we had to get our feet wet to cross.  The flip flops came in handy here. 

Battle Creek

The trail was obvious but the top half off was mostly loose rock. Flip flops were worthless on this section, but it encouraged Dayton to hold my hand while we hiked inches from the edge of the cliff.  That was a plus.

When the trail was at its steepest and narrowest and slipperiest, I noticed we'd made it to the falls (there's totally a metaphor for life in there somewhere).  So as we were standing about six inches from the edge of the cliff on the loose rocks, I told Dayton to hold really still while I took a picture.  The view was totally worth the climb, and it seemed to give Dayton a second wind because he begged to keep going. 

View of the valley from the falls

We stopped for lunch next to the creek and then found smaller waterfalls just a little ways up the path. 

Stopped here for lunch above the falls

It was a beautiful hike that I would do again.  It would be easier with Kirk's help and tennis shoes for Dayton.  He really did well negotiating the loose rocks and steep sections, and said multiple times how much he loved our "walk".  Check it out, people.

we have arrived

We are here! And have been for almost a month...oops.  Time flies when you're unpacking. :)  

unpacking Halloween costumes 

Since arriving in Utah, I had a fantastic birthday/girls' night out seeing Wicked for the first time.  We had one family missionary leave for Paraguay and another return home from Sweden.   

Tina's home from Sweden!

My new niece was blessed and we had a mini family reunion.

Family Reunion fun!

We visited the BYU Student Health Center--Emma wasn't feeling well.  That is, until they handed her a sucker.  Then all was right in the world. :) Suffice it to say, we've been busy.  But it's good to be here.  Somehow Kirk can stay up late (I'm talking really late) doing homework and then get out of bed in the morning for class.  He enjoys his professors and the students, and has already refined his list of companies he's most interested in working for.  

I'll sign off now with a promise to check in before another month rolls by. 

zaycon chicken $1.89 per pound

One of the main themes of grad school life is living on a budget, especially if you're living exclusively on student loans.  How do you stretch your dollar?

Second only to rent, groceries are our biggest monthly expense.  Buying in bulk is one way to save money if you have space to store the extra food.  We don't have extra storage space currently, but our new home in Utah will have plenty.  We'll finally be able to take advantage of bulk sales!  

With that in mind, let's talk about Zaycon Foods.  They offer high quality meat at very competitive prices.  For example, the deal I recently took advantage of offered farm-fresh chicken breasts for $1.89/lb.  Seriously?? Yes.  Let me tell you how excited I am about this.  I'm a Wal-Mart shopper and their store brand chicken breast are $1.99/lb where I live. The quality is OK but certainly nothing special.  EVERYONE I've talked to has really loved the taste, texture, size, and quality of their Zaycon chicken.  This is a win-win...better chicken for a better price.  If you'd like to take advantage of this, follow my referral link!

https://zayconfoods.com/refer/zf48214

The orders come in 40 lb. boxes which poses a problem for people like me with a regular sized refrigerator--not a lot of freezer space.  Take care of that problem by sharing the order with a friend or family member.  My sister and I will be sharing our chicken.

If you decide to purchase, you'll be given a referral link to share with others.  Every time someone registers with Zaycon through your link, you'll get a $1.00 credit to be used towards future purchases.  Just keeps getting better, right?  Search for a location near you, order now, and then pick it up later.    

Has anyone else tried Zaycon Foods? How do you save at the grocery store? 

nyc

With just one month left until we leave the East Coast, we are doing our best to soak it up while we can.  NYC was on our bucket list even though this was our third visit.  There is so much to see and do, we still haven't done it all.  Enjoy the picture highlights.  

World Trade Center tower

Lady Liberty

Ellis Island

"Graffiti Pillar" at Ellis Island.  Years of paint have been removed, leaving just the original plaster.  You can see where the immigrants wrote their names on these pillars over 100 years ago.  

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge

not a day over twenty-nine

We've really got it made.  This guy is so good to us.  He fills so many roles--husband, father, friend, teacher, provider, protector--and does it all like a boss.  We love you, Kirk.  Happy birthday!

Happy birthday! Low quality pic but can't pass up those faces.

mr. clean owes me one

Let me preface this post by stating that this is a NO-JUDGE zone.  So all you people with clean houses and sticky-free kids move right on past this post.  Love me or leave me baby.  Mr. Clean and Friends will be grateful for this unsolicited shout out.

If you do have kids with dirty hands, those hands are guaranteed to drag along the walls leaving behind a tell-tale trail of PB&J, dirt, and who knows what else.   I have let those smudges accumulate mostly because I hate scrubbing walls, but also because I wanted to show y'all the power of the Magic Eraser.   

I couldn't look at the grossness of the walls anymore (plus, the terrible lighting in here accentuates the grossness--yikes).  So I bit the bullet and did some scrubbing.  But not just regular scrubbing 'cause that makes me grumpy.  It's way more fun with the Magic Eraser.  Here's the before...

various nasty walls. yuck 

...and the after!  Here's a side-by-side. Remember people, No. Judge. Zone.

before

after

before

after

before

after
Dayton cleaned this spot.  Not bad, eh?

    

Now that the walls are clean, a certain handsome preschooler will be wearing gloves for the remainder of our time here.  Like I was saying about the Magic Eraser, it's great.  Removes almost all marks (my walls had pen, jam, dirt, yogurt, old stubborn marker stains, and other normal gross stuff...it is normal, right?)

Here's my cleaning list.  Or should I say Dayton's list?  He totally loves scrubbing walls.  Anything to feel like a grown-up.  Wish I had a picture of his little hands in those big rubber gloves. 

• wash blinds (some I could take down and wash quickly in the tub, others I had to scrub with a sponge and towel)
• scrub marks off the wall with magic eraser
• spackle holes in wall from nails 
• shampoo carpets
• wipe off cupboards shelves and cabinet doors 
• sweep behind fridge, washer & dryer
• cobweb check
• rinse out light fixtures (how do bugs get inside light fixtures??)
• bathroom deep clean
• wash windows
• deep clean kitchen: sink, oven, & stovetop
• last thing before moving: spot clean, sweep, vacuum

The goal is to have everything done before packing the truck so that all we have to do after loading the truck is a quick spot clean.  This is a great cleaning checklist from Apartment Therapy if you're interested.  What's your least favorite spot to clean?  Maybe a better question is where do you find cheap labor?

emma's first birthday

This girl...so much goodness in one little package.  She turned one-year-old this week :'(

Her personality is beginning to show itself.  There's a lot of sweet with a little spunk--just enough to keep mom and dad on their toes.  She and Dayton light up for each other (may it always be so!).  Emma usually wakes up from her afternoon nap just before Dayton.  As soon as she hears him wake up, she crawls off towards his door where she sits and waits for me to let her in.  As soon as I turn the handle she pushes the door open and babbles with Dayton for a bit.  And he reciprocates the love; often the first words he says in the morning are "Emmaaaaa, wake up Emma!"  We often find him getting out of bed at night to wake her up and play with her through the slats of the crib.  Roommate problems.  :)

She is the queen of disarming smiles but is not easily tickled.  Poor Dayton has to take her doses of that in addition to his own.  Her "spunky side" comes out if I leave the room when she is hungry or tired, or if I have to take away something she wants but can't have (like power cords), it is just the end of her little world.  She gets so sad and lays her head on the floor to whimper, cry, or grunt...whatever seems to best illustrate her displeasure.  She rolls around a few times to make her point.  It is the silliest thing!  

There are so many things we love about Miss Emma.  One special memory I'll have of her baby years is her snuggles.  She's an on-the-go kind of girl, but when it's nap time she's all cuddles.  Plug in the pacifier, wrap her in the Gramma blankie, and this little mover melts into a butterball.  It's such a treat.  She also loves to join in on the wrestling we do with Dayton, climbing on top of anyone that gets pinned.  

We love what she adds to our family dynamic.  For my record keeping, here are her stats from her 1-year check up.  

height: 2' 5" (41%)

weight: 21 lbs 3 oz (71%)

head circ: 18.7" (97%)