My Personal Language. . .

You know how every family has certain phrases or words they use that have private or individual meaning?

Well apparently (my wife always says to me;  "when you say...It actually means...) I use many of those phrases and/or words and thought it might be useful for people so they can better understand me; 

Adventure: Anything dangerous, fun, exhausting, different, brings adrenaline or is fun.

Best Wife In The World: Lets me go on adventures, goes herself and lets me take the kids.

Vacation: Get ready for a workout, every minute we will be hiking, biking, swimming or exploring. There is no time to sit around doing nothing, (What some might call relaxation).

Relaxation: Biking, hiking, swimming or exploring.

Day Trip: Leave at 3 A.M., mountain bike, hike, canyoneer, or a combination, 20-100 miles (must do at least two separate trails or it is a waste)  then return home between 11-12 PM. Ex. Moab Hiking Trip: Leave 3 A.M. Hike; Delicate, Entire Primitive Loop, Professor Creek, Corona arch 27 miles total, home by midnight.

Easy Bike Ride: Aprrox. offroad 10 miles

Medium Bike Ride: 10-20 off road miles

Difficult Bike Ride: 20-100 off road miles

Adventure Bike Ride: No real map, I have only heard about the trail, and it is fairly long.

Yes: My response when asked if I would like to do an adventure ride.

Singletrack: Wide enough for one bike, what I like to ride.

Doubletrack: Wide enough for two bikes, it can ruin any ride very quickly.

Road Running: Satan's form of Exercise punishment

Trail Running: Not as bad as road running.

Wound: "Adventure Injury" received when being adventurous (it has many categories).

Scar: "Adventure Scar" - comes from good adventure wounds.

Whining/Complaining: What some do when they get an adventure injury - not tolerated unless a bone in sticking out of the skin then "some" is tolerated.

Someone I knew had that same problem and died the next day, so when you die, what should we do with your bike?: My response to whining or complaining about adventure injuries.

Some: Them - "oww this hurts (appropriate)" me - "That was a sweet fall and will leave an awesome adventure scar".

Celebrate: What we do when we get an adventure Injury

Doctor: 1- Who you go to for treatment of the best adventure injuries.

             2- Someone you go to when sick, so they can tell you "I don't know, it must be a virus."

Virus: Apparently anything that makes you sick with no explanation.

Into The Wild: My response when my wife asks me where I am going.

Cell Phone: The reason you go into the wild.

Camera: For documenting adventures.

The Average Man...: My response when asked about adventure related items. Ex; "Does your broken neck hurt?", "The average man would be screaming in pain, but I feel okay" /  "How was your ride?" "It was really good, but, "The average man" would have died."

Christmas tree hunt: 1-3 feet of snow, colder than 20  degrees, stiff wind blowing and everyone on snowshoes.

Walk Faster: My response to most people who have to walk with me. "A slow walk is no walk at all"  -President Gordon B. Hinckley to James E. Faust.

Blah, Blah, Blah: What I think when someone's story is boring or too long.

Reader's Digest Version: What I say when someone's story is too long.

We Are Leaving In Five Minutes: We really are leaving in five minutes, if you are not ready you will be left.

Easter Egg Hunt, Gillings Style...

GPS

7 Miles

8 Way points

168 Eggs and Even More Candy

The day dawned slightly threatening and cloudy, but nothing will make us give up our GPS Easter egg hunt...the kids wouldn't let us.

After we attended the Mountain View High School Easter Egg hunt, Dawn and I set out to place the Gillings Family GPS Easter egg hunt.  We are always a little worried that someone will find the eggs before we get back, but this year there was no chance, they were nicely hidden in the foothills of Orem canyon. The first egg is always hidden at the house, it contains coordinates to the next egg, which in this case was 5 miles away. On the way up we hit Macey's for a 25 cent hot dog lunch...healthy.

And so it begins...

ON average it takes 5-10 mintues to find the egg, they are not easily coaxed from their hiding places. Many times, we forget where we put them, that makes it even more difficult.

Like this one...

But when they find one, they get excited.

Everyone has a chance to lead, even the smallest...

The final location, very difficult to find and then get the eggs...

She was poked in the eye by a stick, but still got the egg!

The other kids left this one for the oldest.

After we went to the park and climbed on the rock fixtures.

And raced...

It was a little cold, but we loved every minute of it. You know it has turned out well when many of the children procalim that in some ways Easter is more fun than Christmas.

Easter Day 2011

Normally Easter is a day spent attending church and visiting family, however this year almost all of the kids were sick with a sever Bronchitis that in once case became pneumonia, so that was out. So we stayed home, it was actually very nice.

72 Deviled eggs, 72 eggs to decorate, 72 Cookies to decorate.

I must like the number 72.

The first round we did tie dyed Easter eggs, the kids quit enjoyed those...I think because they made and were a complete mess.

After dinner, while I was making the sugar cookies, the older three children taught the younger four stories about the resurrection...The tomb, Doubting Thomas, and Christ visiting the Nephites from 3 Nephi 11, in the Book of Mormon, then they went outside and using sidewalk chalk drew the stories they learned about.

Most of the pictures were of Jesus Christ under a rainbow...I guess I missed that one, but they loved it.

Next it was cookie time, they went crazy and then ate them. We have many, many left. We thought about taking some to neighbors... But hen I thought spreading Bronchitis is not a good thing.

Finally, their favorite part was decorating the monster cookies - go figure. We bought a kit at the store, but I think next years we will just do our own. What follows are the outcomes of that event.

I thin he had the favorites.

That is some sort of helmet.

She named hers.

As did she, but they were a family...two boys, one girl. I think that is how she sees herself. Notice the glint of cockiness in her eyes...

Dad and two kids, Dad has huge arms. He must mean me.

Who knows, but he loved it...his have faces on the back.

She could be the poster Child for egg decorating.

It was a blast just spending the day with the kids at home. No fighting...okay very little. They were all joking around and we even listened to the Rebecca Black Friday song...and danced a little.

Mountain View High School Easter Egg Hunt 2011

The Queen looks so skinny in this picture, I swear we feed her. She doesn't have an eating disorder either, she can shove it down with the best of them.

Normally I am not a fan of organized Easter Egg Hunts. In my past experience they are crowded, always very late starting (hard for a time Nazi), seem to bring out the worst in people (arguing, stealing eggs out of other's baskets, pushing little kids out of the way so their child can get something...it goes on) However, much to my surprise to day I saw none of that. It was very enjoyable, well organized and fairly close to starting on time.

The line looks long but it went very, very quickly. They opened the gates, we lined up around the track and it began.

Each participant was given a insulated bag for the eggs plus a smaller bag of coupons for free items. The atmosphere was very laid back and I saw parents making sure children other than their own were able to get a fair amount of candy.

My kids technique; run to the top of the outer hill and work your way down. It was a success.

The two oldest didn't participate..they just came to have fun, see friends. Another thing I loved was that some eggs had numbers inside which were redeemed for prizes later. Esther found one such egg and won cinemark movie tickets and a free meal at Iggy's sport grill.

We will definitely be doing this one again. It was organized very well, the kids were loaded with candy when we left (except for little man *second youngest* who pronounced he was too tired to hunt, and would not even pick up candy or eggs lying directly at his feet) and there was a general spirit of fun and sharing.

It was a great start to a long but very enjoyable day.

Like my new buttons?

That's right, new navigation buttons, look right under the blog picture. Click on one, they work, come on, just click one.

Those are what you get when you have bronchitis, a desire to learn html editing and PhotoShop, and about five hours free time. 

Funny thing, once you figure out the coding and the picture,creating them goes very quickly.

Locked in the bathroom...

The need has risen for some posts labeled, "fun with kids". These posts may or not represent the true meaning, if there is one, of "fun", but with a large family that word has an equally large meaning...

Let me illustrate....

Last night I was downstairs learning PhotoShop and some html editing, while all of the children, mostly of whom are sick, (three bronchitis, one pneumonia, one severe rash (no idea), two bad coughs) were upstairs watching one of the Harry Potters for what must have been the 100th time. Dawn was gone, so it was just us.

All is quiet...then about 8:30 we gather for scriptures and prayer...it goes like this.

Me- Where is youngest daughter *not real name*?

2 youngest girl  - Locked in the bathroom. (it locks from the inside)

Me- why?

2nd youngest girl -She took off her diaper and spread poo all over his bed (pointing to youngest *5* brother). She doesn't want to get punished so she locked herself in the bathroom.(she's four)

Me- What? Let's go clean it up.

Youngest son- *remember 5* I already did, its in the washer. (And it was, someone must have helped him) *I love, love, love independent children but those are different stories*

Me- I'm going to go clean her up. ( youngest girl was out by now)

2nd youngest daughter *7*- Can I ?

Me- No I want to do it! *Are you kidding, sure you can*

And she did...a very good job...bath and all.

This all happened in 1/2 hour.

Did I mention we have a huge 55 gallon plastic container full of cockroaches? Ah Yes, we are breeding them to feed the two bearded dragons.

See what I mean...FUN, and it really is, I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

Just a few months ago when we moved, I ran to the store to grab a few things and arrived home to see a cop on our doorstep.

He had our youngest *4*.

She accidentally let the dog out, and decided to Chase him, without telling any one. He found her a mile away, chasing our stupid cheagle. *fat half Chihuahua and half eagle*. But even more remarkable, she led the office back to our house. He was amazed.

Mmmm....

Bad parenting...maybe...no probably. But  I don't know any perfect parents. I think we all have bad parenting moments, if you haven't...you're a liar (but I mean that in a good way)

Or is it something more?

Nurture?

I want my children to be independent, atleast as much as they can. I teach them to think and act on their own. When a problem arises, I let them figure it out, or help them find a solution. If they want to buy something they talk to the people and make the calls.

Or Nature?

But, honestly, they are a lot like me when I was young; Playing with cars in the middle of a four way intersection, because I wanted to. Exploring on my bike in California. Jumping off a bike jump into a kid because he wouldn't move, sluffing school *89 times in one semester*, etc.  The list goes on *and on and on and on if you ask the right people*.

Families are fun, kids are fun... all the good and bad that comes with it. I think our family and mice is what we make of it, why not make it fun. We decide really.

The end.

A New adventure sport... lomation, Krill, Tier drop

For some time now I have been waiting to go canyoneering. I joined a group last year called "the brethren" but until now I have been unable to go on any trips. Last Saturday, there was a trip planned, and Guthrie and I joined them for a great day in arches.

The first route we did is called "lomation" and is located in the fiery furnace. Not many do this route unless guided professionally with a Moab guide, because it is like memorizing a maze. Lucky for us Steve, my friend who took us (and co-founder of the brethren) knows his way around inside there.

It was absolutely amazing. Imagine exploring and climbing around on rocks, fins, washes and then rappelling down into slot canyons. It was even better because the weather forecast, which was wrong, turned many tourists away from arches so it was in a large part empty.

We first made our way to the top of the fins, then rappelled back down into the canyons.

The first rappel in Lomation is done by slinging off an arch, cliff arch to be exact.

Robert on the first rappel in Lomation

Guthrie doing the second rappel in Lomation.

Heading down to skull arch then up to the Krill route.

This is the same shot as the previous picture, only from the side.

This is the guy who kept us all safe.

The rappel in Krill canyon into the "belly of the whale".

Me rappelling into "Belly of the whale".

Upon completing Krill, we headed to park avenue and did Tier drop. A steep climb, easy route finding and then three rappels, each increasing in size.

The last rappel on tier drop. Park avenue is in the background.

Well another sport to which I am addicted. Canyoneering is amazing, there is no other way to describe it. I love mountain biking because of the scenery, the speed and the adventure, along with the physical workout I get. Canyoneering is just as fun with it's exploring, challenges of route finding or getting up, over or through something coupled with the adrenaline that comes with rappelling. Now guess what Esther wants for her Birthday in June; a harness so she can go...

After completing the three routes, Guthrie and I rode Deadmans Ridge (Part of the Moab Brand trails), a new trail in Moab, on the way out. (What Moab trip could be complete without some biking?) It was only about six miles total so no big deal.

There will be more stories to come I'm sure. We are doing another canyon in May and at least  one in June. Not to mention, kayaking the Little San Rafael in May and a bike trip I'm sure.

Man what a state we live in...