Ramblings of a Stay-at-Home Mom: September 2011

As many of you know my twins, Daniel and Taylor started first grade this year. Since Daniel has Asperger's, his doctor said it would be benificial to have them in the same classroom for the first year of public school. I sort of had to fight for that because the school district doesn't like twins in the same classroom. Our situation is unique, so they obliged.

>Before this, I had home schooled my kiddos. After several years of that I realized it was too much for me. I'm not consistent enough or organized enough (shocking, I know.) to be a really good teacher. With the added task of watching my nieces and nephew everyday, home schooling became overwhelming.

Daniel and Taylor (Ethan too) were WAY excited for their first day! They waited in anxious anticipation until it was time to go.

We walked the first day because I needed to show them to their classrooms and help deliver supplies that didn't fit into their small backpacks.

When we got to their classroom I made them pause for a minute for a quick photo.

Once they got settled it became clear that it was time for me to leave. Surprisingly I kept it together and didn't cry.

I have to selfishly admit that it's really nice to have the house so quiet during the day. My nephew hardly makes any noise and is a very easy child to care for, so I definately feel the relief.

Now I have all this time... I should be able to keep the house clean and have a nice dinner on the table every night right????

Waterfalls are some of the most beautiful things in the world. So majestic. I love taking pictures of waterfalls. I love taking pictures of people with waterfalls. I never thought I'd be able to say I had a picture of me going OVER a waterfall though!

Eric and I went whitewater rafting with some friends (Lisa and George) twice this summer. Both times were some of the most exciting moments in my life.

I'd been whitewater rafting before, but it was on the Deschutes River. This summer we went to the White Salmon River. (Just north of Hood River on the WA side.) I can tell you, the White Salmon River is WAY better! They tell me you go over class 3 & 4 rapids and when the waterfall is open it's considered a class 5. That's pretty intense! (Believe me, I know!)

If you're wanting a high-adrenaline experience, this is a great way to spend your afternoon. We booked with Zoller's Outdoor Odysseys http://www.zooraft.com/ and I HIGHLY recommend them! They are very professional and highly experienced. They are also extremely entertaining on the river! They provide everything you'll need for the trip down the 42 degree river. (Wetsuit, life jacket, helmet and booties.) Including the FUN!

When we went on the first trip they told us we couldn't go over the waterfall because the water level was too high and it was too dangerous. I guess when there's a higher volume of water going over the falls, it creates a larger area of hydrolic suction at the bottom and you get "Mataged" until you drown. That didn't sound like a good time so we happily walked around the waterfall and watched our river guide pull the raft over the falls with a rope. We still had fun on the rest of the trip though. Enough fun that we were planning our next trip before we got out of the boat!

We watched the Zoller's website and Facebook Page until we knew they had opened the waterfall. We wanted to be sure to get to do that the second time around! We booked our tickets and made our arrangements.

All I have to say is that the trip was epic. Did you get that? E.P.I.C.

This is our boat... before...

Coming up on the waterfall our guide (Derek, nickname D-wreck) "parked" our boat so he could be the safety spot. He told the other boats when it was safe to go over the falls. There was someone up ahead giving him hand signals and he would pass that signal on. So we had lots of time to sit there and contemplate what we were about to do.

We watched boat after boat disappear into the unknown. We were close enough to hear everyone scream as they went over and hear the people on the shore cheering for them, but not close enough to know what had happened to them at the bottom.

Finally it was our turn. Derek took our "parking break" off and commanded us to "forward paddle" because you know, the momentum of the river isn't quite enough! This is where I started getting nervous.

There's a command that we practiced a lot before this point. It's called the "Get Down And Hold On". You basically... well... get down and HOLD ON! We paddled as hard and fast as we could until Derek gave that command. Then it was up to the waterfall.