Someone went swimming with the trout - and it's not who you think!

Dad heads back to school tomorrow to begin his 4th quarter. I can hardly believe we are 1/3 of the way done with grad school. This time around, the week between quarters fell on the kid's last week of school, so we pretty much hung around home.

Yesterday, we took a chance to visit some more of the nearby fun stuff that we hadn't taken time to see yet.

Multnomah Falls

I really don't think Abbie was hiding from the camera (she hasn't EVER done THAT!).

Then off to see the fish ladder at the locks (we didn't get to see any boats in the locks, darn).

I didn't have to stage this photo-they were really engrossed! I couldn't believe the size of some of the fish we saw!

Justin saluted and they all followed suit. It made me giggle.

Ty was in goofy Ty mode and was a little obnoxious - but I loved that he'd let me take photos of his goofiness.

hehehehehehe

Abbie and Justin in the 'pill box' at Bonneville Dam.

So goofy. It seems like not a week goes by without someone stopping us and telling us how much they love Ty and his personality. If it isn't something he's done during a weekly activity, then it is some well-timmed crack he's made at a meeting he has been in. I love that he is comfortable enough with himself and has the presence of mind enough to know when it is okay. He's pretty great.

As annoyed as Justin gets with Spencer sometimes, I have begun to pay close attention to just how much Spencer mimics him. They are two completely different people, but Spencer adores Justin. I hope that continues!

We went to the fish hatchery and saw Herman, the 10 foot sturgeon. Luckily, no one fell in there :)

So, we'd parked in the parking lot in the center of the freeway, hiked a short trail with sometimes a very steep drop off, crossed a very high bridge with sharp rocks at the bottom, hung out near the dam, and stood over a deep pond with massive sturgeon living in it. I am tired at this point. There is a specific reason I don't volunteer for field trips anymore. I get way too stressed out making sure no one is falling off any high ledges, or slipping into any deep ravines. By the end of the day, I've got a headache from counting heads and no one is having fun. Enter: David. The one who protects me from myself, and everyone else too.

So here we are, Abbie, Justin, and Spencer hanging over the edge trying to touch the trout in the pond below. I'm relaxed at this point. I don't sense danger, or maybe I'm just too tuckered from trying to alternately bite my tongue and not bite my tongue.

My cautious of all cautious children is actually trying to touch the trout, and when he gets one, he's totally excited. They're having a terrific time. They're laying on their stomachs and the pond isn't very deep. I'm feeling pretty secure. Spencer gets up and realizes there are some ducks in the little area just behind him. Now, my worry is more for the ducks than Spence. He is very excited about them. I kind of get the feeling that he isn't going to heed my suggestion to leave them alone. Just as I mention to Dave to keep a close eye on our adventurous red-head (because he is closer to Penner than I am), I realize out of my periphery vision that Justin has just tumbled off the wall right into the trout pond! So glad Dad was right there to pull him out.

(ducks are now forgotten - so glad he didn't take advantage of our diversion to go in himself)

Justin didn't think I was very funny when I asked him to do it again so that I could get a picture. I think it was pretty miraculous that his head didn't go under. He just did a somersault right off the wall, tucked his head in and landed on his rear-end.

Justin is our peacemaker doomsdayist. If something has gone wrong in his world, nothing can make it right. It is near impossible to cheer him up afterwards. Not sure how we did it, but by the time we got back to the car, we had him convinced it was an adventure. Maybe that would have been more difficult if his head had gone under. We made a big deal about when Abbie threw her flip-flops into the current at Bridal Veil Falls and Ty was about to go after them and take a trip down the Provo River. See why I'm a little paranoid?

Actually, taking a look at Spencer's position in that picture above, I think it was pretty miraculous we didn't have two soaking wet kids on the drive home. . .