Silverwood's Dry Run

So, being in Northern Idaho, we're not exactly a mecca of hot spots and amazing activities to do. We like it like that.

There is no Disneyland, Sea World, or Six Flags.

However, there is Silverwood Theme Park.

We've gone to Silverwood enough to know our way around pretty well. The schools have a program where the kids get a free ticket if they meet their reading goals. Last year we went once on an afternoon, where we got a cut-rate admission for arriving late in the day. It is about a 2 1/2-hour drive to get there from home.

This last weekend, we stayed the night after Alyssa's softball game, and only had a 20-minute drive to get there the next morning. We were fortunate to score some tickets for Silverwood's "Dry Run" day. This is a day where they open the park to families of employees, and work out any kinks they may have for the new season. They evacuate a ride. They evacuate the whole park, and do a security sweep. But we got in for free, so it's all good!

One of the girls snagged this shot of Emma at the hotel with a fishy-face:

We had taken Emma last year, but she was still pretty little. Not that she's all that bigger now, but this year, she got more of the theme park experience. First thing in the gate is the carousel:

That's Darcie right behind us. The down side to this being early in the season, and in northern Idaho, is that the weather can be uncooperative. That day was sunny, but pretty windy, so we were all bundled up. We generally avoided the water rides (well, except Cameron & Alyssa) just to stay drier and therefore warmer.

The old-time cars were fun for her too... but Mom had to push the gas pedal, since she couldn't reach!!

Alyssa is here on the "Panic Plunge" ride with her cousin. They rode twice in a row, with no one else on the ride. This was also a reeeeally big advantage: with attendance on the low side, the line waits for rides were pretty minimal. The bigger coasters had longer waits, but some rides had no wait at all! "Aftershock" is the newest coaster, but it was not open that day.

Darcie & I rode the ferris wheel, while Todd waited with Emma asleep in the stroller.... snapping pictures as we came around each time. I do have to admit, there is a definite advantage to a stroller at a theme park, too........ it becomes our cart for carrying around our stuff!!

They closed the park earlier, with a wonderful evacuation rehearsal. No problem, as there was a bi-stake dance that Alyssa really wanted to attend. (Cameron bowed out on the grounds that he hadn't showered.)

So then at the end of the day: we didn't have to hike for forever to get to the vehicle: we were the 6th car in from the gate at the front edge of the lot. Combined with free parking, we had a super day at a fraction of the usual cost! Can't beat that!!

How Many Uniforms? Part 3

Yes, folks, here it is, the Gen-U-Ine article: Alyssa's official team uniform for 2010! Despite other posts with other uniforms, this is really what her uniform for HER team looks like! We took these shots at an "away" game, last Friday, vs. Lake City, in Coeur d'Alene. Alyssa pitched and played well, although she didn't get one of her nice huge hits. She's had a couple over-the-fence hits during practice this last week. Just need those to happen during a game now!
She didn't get her #17 for her JV uniform, and instead is #13. We tell her it's because she'll be bad luck for all the opposing teams. For a little variation in photos, this is her demonstrating the proper technique for turning away from an inside pitch. (If you turn the padded part toward the incoming ball, it decreases the chance of a real injury.)

We ended up losing both games that day, but we brought the family up, stayed the night and played the next day. Please see the next post!

OUR Easter Tradition

A number of years ago, we started a family Easter tradition that has stuck with us and we've faithfully repeated every Easter. Part of the reason it works, is because it's a really fun activity that works for all ages, so no one outgrows it.

It is our annual Easter Egg Cracking Contest. You too can do this at home. All you need is the basics:

Eggs. Duh. Ok, but our rules are that they must be hard-boiled, and cannot have any stickers or shrink-wrap on them that might give you an unfair advantage. One egg per person.

You also need a prize. This has varied over the years, but often has been a jar of jelly beans. There is only one winner to this game.

Here's how it works. All participants sit around in a circle with their eggs. We decide whether we will start with the pointy end or the rounded end of the egg. Two people begin by positioning their eggs end to end, and hit the eggs together.

In 99% of the cases, one egg will crack, and the other egg will not. If your egg cracked, you lost. (But hang around for Round 2) The winner with the uncracked egg proceeds to the next person in the circle, and they crack eggs. Sometimes, one egg has a super-duper shell, and it outlasts all the others. Sometimes eggs can't last more than 2 crackings.

There are various cracking strategies employed here. The Gentle Approach. (We've given up on that one)

The Quick Attack. Cameron excels at that one:

And he adds the sound effects for good measure. Sometimes the Quick Attack can work to your advantage, since the recipient egg never knew what hit it.

No, Cameron. You may not eat your losing egg. Yet. Play continues around the circle until everyone has cracked one side of their egg.

At the end of Round 1, there will be one person whose egg has not cracked. Move on to Round 2, and now you repeat the whole process, now cracking the OTHER side of the egg. Including the person who won Round 1. We think it's only fair if everyone cracks pointy ends against pointy ends, and rounded ends against rounded ends.

When Round 2 is over, there will be one winner of that round, who is usually NOT the same person as the winner of Round 1. In fact, if they were the same person, I would seriously suspect foul play.

Get it? FOWL PLAY??

(I crack myself up. Pun intended!) Bwahahahahahaha!!!

Note: Alyssa has an illegal egg, since it has a wrap on it, but at this point in our game, it became a free-for-all, and everyone was grabbing a new egg when their last one cracked. That's not usually the way we play it. In fact, when the kids color their egg, they usually have one in particular all picked out to be their egg-cracking contestant, sometimes specially dyed or otherwise marked.

And when Round 1 and Round 2 are both over, the winners of those respective rounds then crack the winning ends of their eggs together in the Grand Champion Round. Once again, one will crack (and I suspect that the person now cracking the pointy end of their egg has a bit of an advantage.). The winner of the whole contest wins the prize.

And at that point, we usually peel absolutely every one of our Easter Eggs, and have them devilled for Easter dinner. No leftover eggs at my house. Ever!!

So this is too late for you to try this year, but NEXT Easter.............

Peter Cottontail Rides Again

For the last few years, we've kind of backed away from a showy display from the Easter Bunny. I admit, there was a time when the Easter Bunny's arrival at our house was a really big deal. But the kids got older & seriously, how much Easter candy do you REALLY need?

But now, with Emma in the family, perhaps Peter Cottontail needs to resume something more than what he had been. So Emma got a new Easter dress, and there were candies for everyone:

Emma loves being outdoors, and also is thrilled with the pretty yellow daffodils that were blooming so prettily in time for Easter. It was a bit chilly for her to be out in a tank top, so the standby jacket was in order:
We hosted the family for Easter dinner, which was ham (smoked on the Traeger grill!), and all the yummy trimmings. One thing Emma did receive from the Bunny, was some bubbles. What is it about bubbles that all kids love, and they don't outgrow for years?

And years.

And years......

(Darcie let me play with her hair, hence the fancy style)

I love picking up a pack of primroses in the springtime & having them on the front porch for some COLOR there!! (They don't necessarily get planted...... whoops!)

WE LOVE SPRING!!!!

Spring Break

Yes, folks, we actually took a trip. Well, we incorporated a family trip and a softbal trip together. Alyssa's varsity Boise games led right into Spring Break, so we took 3 extra days, and made a quick trip across the state to visit family there.

We visited with Uncle Kyle (Butch) and Aunt Diane, on Todd's side of the family, both in Idaho Falls. It was really nice to see them again.

We also visited with Aunt Karen and Grandma Duerden on my side of the family (in Pocatello).

It was sure nice to see my sis again, and visit with my mom. Mom has some dementia, and it was hard for her to remember us, and keep us straight with other family members. But we love her immensely and grabbed a 3-generation photo. Emma wouldn't sit with Grandma alone, but did fine as long as I was holding her.

Todd took an evening, and replaced the broken kitchen faucet at Grandma's house. We loved Karen's creative "make-do" arrangement: attaching a rubber band to the spray nozzle, and leaving the nozzle dangling in the sink, so that no one would get a shot in the face. However, we also think that kitchen sinks really need to function properly, so we were glad to leave Karen and Grandma with the new faucet!

We also did some dress shopping for Alyssa to have a modest formal dress for the upcoming Freshman Dance. And we found one. But those photos will wait until the dance itself happens next month. Stay tuned.

And we availed ourselves of bigger malls, which was fun. We did split up at the mall, staying in touch on our cell phones. I commented to the kids, that although I didn't know where Dad and Emma were, it was fine "as long as he doesn't take her to Build-a-Bear. I don't want her to even KNOW about Build-a-Bear for at LEAST six years."

When we met up with him...... guess where they had been?

You got it! Build-a-Bear!!

Em loves a hug with her bear, and this is her wearing her Disney princesses shirt, which the bear also has. Dad even gave the bear sound, and it giggles when you squeeze the paw. Ok, so Build-a-Bear isn't so bad. Right?

How Many Uniforms? Part 2

I'm back. Did you miss me?


So in an earlier post, I had a picture of Alyssa in a yellow softball uniform; that was the "C" team uniform. She went from that to a trip to Boise with the Varsity team, and wearing their uniforms (and yes, that's uniforms--plural)


She pitched in a game with the varsity team, and also went in as a pinch runner in another game. So the main uniform is purple, a sleeveless style that they wear with UnderArmour. The games in Boise were bitterly cold. (Love that power position and the game face she wears).....

And the second uniform is white.

The Boise trip was a great experience for her, and we loved getting to see a college softball game at Boise State's softball field.

If Only

I never seem to be hooked up with my photos to get the blog updated. But this post will work because the photos I need are actually ON this computer! (Isn't there an unwritten rule that all blog entries need photos?)

I got thinking this morning about today's technology, and it struck me that my dad would have really loved this day and age, if he had been alive to see it. He was always a tinkerer, but he really loved his recording gadgets, whether reel to reel, or cassette, or records. And when Radio Shack came out with an early version of a home computer, (archaic, by today's standards!) Dad enjoyed playing on that, as well.

(I think my dad had a secret fascination with looking like Marlon Brando - in the early years. What do you think?)

I can just imagine my dad with a cell phone today. In WW2, he was a Radio Man in the Navy. With a cell phone, he might not always have the latest technology, but he would have really appreciated the potential for what could be done.

And an iPod? Get outta town -- he would have eaten that up!! CD's? and DVD's??

Dad passed away 20 years ago last month, long before any of this stuff was invented. But I know he would have LOVED it!

Then, I jumped on the train of thought, and as I was on Facebook this morning, I was glad to see a post from my cousin, and some other things another cousin was up to. About 15-20 years ago, when my uncle was still alive, he used to put together a monthly newsletter for his nieces & nephews. It contained pictures, updates, birthdays, anniversaries & highlights. He'd even add jokes and cartoons, especially if he didn't have articles to fill the space. It was not easy to get information submitted, and was a thankless task, but I, being far from any of my family members, really appreciated it.

(I could only find this 1950 shot of Uncle A-Rab (Aaron)!)

Can you imagine this same uncle today? He would SO be on Facebook with everyone, would have loved it, and would have an amazing blog, as well! Plus, with desktop publishing, his newsletters would have been absolutely amazing.

I wonder what my dad and Uncle Aaron think about technology today as they look down on me with my computers and phone and texting and CD's..... are they sitting up there saying, "WOW! That is the COOLEST thing!"?