Hahn Family: June 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Kids Grow Up So Fast These Days

We are planning on getting Anna some tweezers

and James a razor.

Monday, June 20, 2011

The Lost Boys

I think Martha's Vineyard is NeverNeverLand.
The ferry from the mainland to the island must take you through a time warp.
Time does slow down there.
You get to savor the moments a little more.

This year we had
6 adult bikes,
2 trailers
3 kid bikes
and 2 baby carriers.
Really, it is our company that makes the trip so great...
...riding 13 miles along the beach with some of the best people we know, flying kites, bridge jumping, eating ice cream, the whole family there...I can't think of a Saturday much better than that.

And to end out the day, we watched a fireworks show, from on top of the ferry, as we sailed back to real life.

Octobaby

This girl has a new nickname around these parts.
We call her...

Annapus

It is a hybrid between Anna and octopus.
Anna is so quick and so grabby, it feels like she has 8 arms.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Frosty Mug

This was our treat...

...and activity for FHE.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Martin's Cove

We spent two days in Wyoming with nothing but

the wind,
the Sweetwater,
and some senior missionaries
to keep us company.

Maybe you recognize this.
It is a picture of devil's gate, one of the landmarks all westbound travelers watched for during the pre-railroad western colonization era.

Many Mormon pioneers traveled this path.
We have pioneer blood coursing through our veins.

One of Christian's ancestor's,
George Frederick Housley,
was in the Martin Handcart Company.
The Martin Handcart Company left Iowa City late in the summer.
They got caught in early winter storms with little provisions.
While waiting for help and better traveling weather,
they sought refuge from Wyoming wind in a cove.

We trekked to that cove.

We went a total of 5 miles.
That is 1/3 of what their daily travel distance.
It was tough.

This is the cove.
It really isn't much of a cove.
The wind still blew quite strong, but it was their best refuge from the storms.
There was a spirit in that cove I have never felt before...
...a very peaceful one.

We crossed the Sweetwater.
The Sweetwater is the river the pioneers had to cross 6 times...
...it was cold and icy for them.

Four rescuers carried most of the handcart company across the river.
They all passed away from the exposure.

The water was pretty warm for us.
My favorite pioneer story was about a widow with four kids.
When she got to her 6th crossing of the cold Sweetwater, she did not wait for the rescuers.
She took her little boy across first.
When she returned to get another child, the boy followed her.
She ran back to her boy, picked him up, took her apron off, and tied him to some brush before going back for the others.
She crossed a total of five times.

Our cargo

After trekking, we did
a little doce dou with these guys...

...and then stories by the fire.

Our Wyoming sunset.

I am so proud of our heritage.

The Wild, Wild West

Us city slickers ventured into the wild, wild west.

We camped at Green Canyon for a couple days of swimming lesson bonanza,
and good 'ol family time.

While Daniel had lessons, James played.
After the lessons, we all swam together.

And when we weren't swimming, we were trying out our cowboy skills.
Here is the tale of how we fared.

"Uh Mom, why did they not pick up after the geese?"

"I've only seen one of these at the zoo."

We ran into a new species...a rare one.
He seemed pretty tame until you started talking U of U football.
He also liked eating strawberry twizzlers.

Christian and Daniel really did run into a moose on a hike.
They did not stop to take his picture.
They had a starring contest.
They stared at him.
He stared at them.
He won.
They turned around and tiptoed away.

Something about the West draws me back...
...I think it is in my blood.
It feels good to watch your kids fall asleep so content and so exhausted.