Fall Break

This year for fall break we decided to head down to Moab with Lisa's mom, our good friends Bart and Becky Williams and the Ashursts (they came down late Friday Night).  Unfortunately I think everybody in Utah had this idea.  It was the most crowded I have ever seen Moab in 18 years of going there.  We almost always get a camp site at Sand Flats area, but this time they were completely full, as were most all other sites around Moab.  

By pure coincidence we happened to run into my good high school friends Doug Cary and Spencer Couch as we first entered into town.  They were down in Moab to take their boys on a fun camp trip.  They, like us, were without a camp site, so we decided to find one together.  We went back north of town to some BLM land and ended up finding a great site for the kids to all play.  Best of all was the site was free.  Woo hoo!

The kids were in heaven.  They would go hiking, digging in the dirt, climbing trees, etc.  It was funny to see so many kids in our site.  It was like a swarm of bees that just hovered from area to area.

For as full as Moab was, this site turned out to be just about perfect for our group size.

Friday morning when we woke up there was a hot air balloon drifting directly over our camp site.  Only about 50 yards above us.  Lisa took this awesome photo with both the balloon and the crescent moon on it's left in the same shot.

That morning we took our kids with the Williams over to the Bar M trails to do some kid friendly mountain biking while Spencer and Doug took their boys into Arches National Park.

The kids all did awesome and really got the hang of it quickly.  Even Blake was able to ride a paved trail with his training wheels.  Next year he'll be ready to hit the dirt trails with us.

Back at camp the kids did more digging and playing in all that glorious sand.

That afternoon we took all the kids rock climbing over in Kane Creek.  The approach to the climbs is a steep, talus slope.  The kids all loved it.  It was like a giant play ground for them.

I lead climbed a route and then we let all the kids that wanted take turns climbing up.  Bart and Becky's boys killed it.  They were naturals.

Tucker really enjoys rock climbing now and feels so comfortable now with both the climbing and the rappelling part.

Doug's boys did great as well.  They all are so fearless.

Aubrey is such a cool girl.  Although she loves all things girly like the color pink, princesses, dancing, and dolls, she also loves to keep up with her brothers.  She is a big fan of outdoor activities and loves to rock climb.

Spence had fun getting to know our kids even better.

Here is a view from up top looking back down at our vehicles and the descent.

Late Friday night Joe and Jessica rolled in, and then we had a huge group.  It was fun getting everybody together.  Each morning treated us with some beautiful sunrises.

We had fun around the campfire.

This tree was a favorite for the kids.

Here is a cool photo I took of Bart, Kaden, Lisa, Tucker and Kolton when we were riding on the Bar M Trails.  Those boys are great bikers.  I can't wait until my kids are old enough to do some longer, more technical trails down there.  The older these kids get, the more fun they are.

We had great weather for our weekend in Moab.  The kids played non-stop and I had fun hanging with Bart and Becky, and running into Doug and Spencer.  We are lucky to live so close to Moab and such beautiful country.

Wapiti Hunt

Wapiti is the native american (Shawnee) word for elk, and that is what we were after the first weekend in October.  We had spectacular scenery this year, but not much luck with seeing elk.  We hunted hard, but due to various reasons the elk weren't moving around during our hunt.  Due to the lack of elk sightings, this post will highlight the beautiful views we enjoyed.
The weather was amazing for us.  Clear skies and fantastic autumn leaves were quite the treat.

I drove up on Friday morning with my mom and dad and we set up camp.  They took their fifth wheel and I took my trailer.  We found a great camp site.  That evening my dad and I left elk camp and went back down to Provo to watch the BYU vs Utah State football game.  It was a disaster of a game, but we had fun and were super excited for the elk hunt the next morning.

Sunrises during the elk hunt are so peaceful and inspirational.  The quiet in the backcountry is soothing to the soul.

My cousin Zach and his family came up around lunch time to join us on the hunt.  The kids all had a ton of fun playing together.  One tree in particular at our camp was a favorite.  The kids spent hours climbing and playing in this pine tree.  It was funny to watch them.

That night we had an enjoyable camp fire and roasted marshmallows and made s'mores.

We got to take advantage of a gorgeous sunset as we were sitting around the campfire.

We had a group of happy kids.  Zach and Lindsay's girls play so well with our kids.

Even though they are messy, s'mores always bring a smile to our kids faces.

The next day the kids went back to climbing that tree again.  Aubrey was quite the little monkey and could climb all the way to the top.

My dad and I stayed through until Monday afternoon.  Even though we got skunked and were unable to fill the freezer with elk meat, we had a great time.  Hunting is a family tradition that I really enjoy.  I love being together with family and getting out in the mountains during one of the prettiest times of the year. It's also fun to see my kids starting to enjoy it the same way I did at their age.  Hopefully they will continue this long standing Calderwood family tradition for years to come.  I took this photo of my dad on Monday when it was just him and me out on the mountain.  This secret location is only about a half a mile from where I shot my big bull last year.  Such awesome country.

Back in School

Back to school happened for Tucker and Aubrey the day after we got back from Lake Powell. Tucker is now in 3rd grade with Mrs. Knight. He is lucky and has a bunch of his friends in his class. Aubrey is in 2nd grade dual immersion and has Tucker's teacher from last year as her English teacher and a new Spanish teacher. I suppose she'll always have a new Spanish teacher since her grade is the highest dual immersion class.

  These pictures I took the morning of picture day. I only buy the class picture but wanted to show how cute they looked before they went to school. Tucker had cried a little because his pants were too big, but we got them adjusted and he was fine for school, that's why his eyes look red.

Cole started kindergarten a couple days before Labor Day. He is also in dual immersion and is doing well. He tells me the new word or words he learns in Spanish like Oso=Bear and Tigre=Tiger. He can already count to 40 in Spanish and he's made a bunch of new friends. We are working on being responsible. One morning he forgot to bring his backpack and as the kids were getting out of the car he asked me where it was. I told him it was his job to bring it and not mine. We had to go home to grab it and he was late for class. It's hard to get mad at him with that adorable grin and those dimples!

Blake started preschool after Labor Day. He is in 3 days a week at Sunshine Circle. It is our 6th year with the preschool. He has 2 teachers that take turns. Miss Jenny and Melissa. Aubrey had Miss Melissa before. They both have privately told me before what a great student Blake is. He is a wonderful student and Melissa told me that Blake is her favorite. That is such a great thing for a parent to hear! We've been on a field trip to Heehaw farm and half of Blake's class are our friends and neighbors.

Miss Melissa, Me, Blake, Tracy and Ryssa

Tucker had a birthday....Shout Hurrah!

Tucker turned 9 on September 17th. He wanted a friend birthday party this year and talked to me about it for months leading up to it. Usually during sacrament meeting. He'd whip out his journal and start writing down his plans and friend list. The friend list never changed, but his ideas typically did. Finally he settled on a theme. Legos. This boy of our goes from subject to subject and devours it. For those of you that know Tucker, you know its true. 5 years ago it it was animals, then bugs, dinosaurs, Skylanders, Pokeman, etc. This year all he wanted for his birthday were Legos and that's what he got - Legos. The movie, and Lego sets. Fortunately he has been very responsible at keeping them put together and in their boxes and bags. I'm sure someday we will have a random box or bucket of pieces, but for now, we aren't stepping on and cursing them. : )

I gave in and threw a party for Tucker. We decided we will do a family party one year and friend party the next. Of the original 7 kids that Tucker invited only 3 were able to make it. Tucker was disappointed, but we didn't let it damper the party, we had fun with the great friends that did come. One of my good friends recently did a blog post about a fun Lego party she did for her 5 year old and I tried to copy from it. Hers was much better, but the boys at our party didn't know that I failed. We frosted graham crackers and put M&M's on them to make them look like Legos. More food was eaten than created.

 We used spoons as a relay to transfer Tucker's favorite candy, candy corn, from one bowl to another without using your hands. We also guessed how many candy corn were in a jar and the closest winner won all the candy corn.

 Presents. Tucker loves Minecraft but we refuse to download it on the computer so his friend gave him some Minecraft toys.

 I attempted to make a cake that looked like a giant Lego. Susan, your cake looked much better than mine. Frosting Oreo's is not a talent I possess!

 The day before Tucker's birthday he cut his head open whacking it on a door handle. Rather than taking him in to get stitches, we pulled out the superglue and Dr. Dad fixed him right up. He had a headache for a day or two but is now feeling great!

Pinewood Derby

Tucker's First Pinewood Derby was held the day after his birthday. That made him a Bear. With our ward split early in the year he didn't get to do one as a Wolf. I am the Bear Den Leader in our Memorial Hill ward, so it was fun to have him participate as a member of our den. Cody helped him shape his car and Tucker was in charge of designing the car. He asked for all my paints and made it very colorful. 

Here it looks like Tucker is talking strategy with his buddy Laker.

 It was a night of pure excitement. I caught him jumping in excitement as a car, probably his, raced down the track.

 Only the men were allowed to place the cars on the track.

 Tucker took 2nd place of all the boys. He never lost a race, but because the races are timed, the boy that won had a car that raced faster.

 He felt great with the result because his best friend placed first. They were cheering each other on the entire time. After the official races were over, they raced their cars over and over and Tucker's car beat Kyle's once, so they both felt like winners! They both received the same prize and are happy!

This is one of the extra races the boys did at the end of the derby. Tucker's is in the middle.