Ireland's 14-Year Trip

 For Ireland, her 14 year trip started off well when she and Brent were bumped to first class on their flight from O'Hare to Rochester. She described it as "first classy" since she was given a glass instead of a disposable cup for her beverage. They arrived late and so picked up the rental (Brent opted for an electrical car) and went straight to the hotel. 

The next morning they slept in, had a hearty breakfast and Ireland introduced Brent to Bluey. Their first adventure was Chittenango Falls State Park which Ireland said was "very fire." There is a hiking loop including half with a nice, paved path like the picture below and half with rougher terrain. Trying to go easy on Ireland's knees, they just hiked the paved part up and back. It was glorious fall weather- sunny and cool with beautiful fall foliage. 

The falls are really pretty!

Several great poses from Ireland on the bridge:

I've said it before and I'll say it again- we are not a camping family but we are most definitely a hiking family! Look how happy these two are taking in God's beautiful earth!

They did a tour at the Whitmer Farm.

Then went to Dogtown which was predictably packed. They each got a junkyard split plate (half burger, half hotdog) which included macaroni salad and fries. It really does look like garbage but Ireland insisted it was quite delicious and she lucked out finding a spot to sit.

The weather wasn't so accommodating the next day which was rainy and cold. 

From this picture I can see Brent loaned Ireland his jacket.

At the Isaac and Elizabeth Hale Home they ran into the Nuttalls- a family who used to be in our ward. It's funny, during Liesel's trip they also made some random connections with people they ran into. 

The Harmony Visitor's Center has a small chapel so here Ireland pretending to give a talk.

Whitney serves her mission here and she talked about how people would see a bowl of beans and just play with them. She never touched the beans because she saw how much they were handled. Well apparently at this point in the trip, I called to check in on them and Ireland became completely engrossed in the beans while Brent chatted with me.

Maybe they're magic beans?

In Watkins Glen they stopped at Nickels Pit BBQ for ribs, wings, chili, fries and macaroni. Even looking at this photo again made Ireland hungry and she said the food was "quite fire." There were 3-4 sauces to try and Ireland tried them all.

On October 14 they got up early and drove to Niagara Falls. As the day wears on, the crowds wax in size, so Brent likes to check this off his list before that happens.  

Ireland even took off her poncho to get a good picture by Horseshoe Falls.

All that sightseeing builds up an appetite and no 14-year trip is complete without a trip to Buffalo to have buffalo wings! This time Brent tried a place called Duffs which they really enjoyed.

October 15 was all about the temple, Joseph Smith homestead tours and the Sacred Grove. 

Ireland tells me Brent was "asking a billion questions" of the missionaries and well, the man I know does get chatty when he's in his happy place. This is definitely his happy place.

While Joseph Smith was translating, the gold plates had many hiding places. Among them were under these hearthstones...

...and up in the rafters of this barn.

The Grandin Building where the first edition of the Book of Mormon was printed is a pretty special place.

Right across the street is a great pizza place. I was surprised to see two pizzas in the photo and Ireland said, "it was a deal and you know how much Dad loves deals."

In the evening they went to the Hill Cumorah where Brent put in a reservation to be driven up in a golf cart to spare Ireland's knees. I think he enjoyed a bit of a break from all the walking as well.

On their final full day, Brent and Ireland went back to Watkins Glen State Park now that the weather wasn't so rainy and muddy.

 Some parts of this hike are really high and Ireland was apprehensive about the lack of railing- worried about falling and cracking her head open. They could have hiked farther but Ireland was done. Brent went on just a little higher on his own while Ireland rested a bit.

With an achy knee, they headed back to the hotel where Ireland was happy to nap and watch Bluey. Brent took the opportunity to go back to the Sacred Grove and Smith Homestead one more time. My gosh fall in upstate New York is gorgeous!

After checking out of the hotel they stopped by mall. Ireland had not packed enough warm clothes for the trip and even though it was over, she got a New York hoodie to keep her warm on the plane. She also tried some ice cream at So Chill Creamery which ended their trip on a sweet note! 

In the end, Brent decided he wouldn't do an electric car on a trip that required so much driving. By and large they managed it ok, but there were times they had to just stop for an hour and let it charge. He cheerfully took it as a "live and learn" lesson. That said, he's already eagerly anticipating his next trip with Brigitta!

Brigitta's Cross-Country Season

In any family with many siblings, those kids develop a strong desire to have their own identity. For the girls, sometimes this is hard-won as they are constantly told how much they look like their sisters and there's a quiet expectation for them to behave similarly. Gita is extremely proud of her status as "the runner of the family." She was delighted to be given this label:

For the record, I'm no slouch.

For Brigitta, there's a lot riding on her running abilities which amounts to more than her split time. This is something no one else in the family has done and she not only wants to be her own person, she wants to be really good at it. Before one meet at Lippold Park, she told me she was really nervous because she was running varsity. Drawing inspiration from the book Strong is the New Pretty, I told her I wanted to take a picture of her looking like a total bad@$$. 

Those piercing blue eyes look ready for battle!

It took us a while to get this shot. At first, she was whipping around too fast.

Then she'd erupt into fits of giggles.

I mean, I like a smiling picture too!

And yes, she commandeered my Apple Watch so she could accurately time her runs.

Honestly, I'm not sure if this helped diffuse her nervousness about the race, but at least it distracted her for a bit!

I'm her #1 fan regardless of her time and so very proud of her for branching out and trying something on her own.

What I find so interesting is Gita told me she doesn't necessarily love running in the moment. It's not like she's coasting through all of this without struggling for breath or aching muscles. She pushes herself past all that and man I admire her grit.

Runners are a really special group of people that way. On the one hand, they are super chill- I'm guessing because they blow off any steam when they run. On the other, they are fighters and deeply loyal. Brigitta has made fantastic friends through both Cross Country and Track.

For this final meet of the season, I brought our large, red cowbell. That thing is so loud! Beforehand she called and asked where I was because there were so many people, she couldn't find me. I rang the cowbell and she said, "OK, I know where you are." They didn't go to state this year, but Brigitta had a fantastic season nonetheless.

HoCo

 Liesel ended up not going to Homecoming but Ireland and her friends decided to get ready at our house. By request I helped with dress straps and hair- there was such an air of fun and anticipation among those girls!

I'm continually impressed with the good choice in friends Ireland has made throughout her life. These girls are some of the nicest people on the planet. 

Ireland reported the dance was ok- the music wasn't the greatest- but she still had fun!

Family Photos

 We really only had one weekend to squeeze in a family photo shoot if I wanted to get Christmas cards ordered and in the mail by Thanksgiving weekend. The next option was a couple of weekends away and the weather in October in the Midwest is never guaranteed so we made it work. I played around with outfits and really ended up loving the light blue, navy blue, burgundy and grape palette. It's not one you see very often! My favorite outfit was the combo Liesel wore and she just thought it was weird. 

This is my favorite photo! Constantly re-arranging ourselves in a bunch gets old and I saw this concept on Pinterest and outright stole it. Have parents and kids a bit separated was a refreshing take.

This one turned out... okay I guess. 

None of the bridge photos worked. Some of us were in shadow and we were so small you really can't see our faces. It was a nice idea in theory.

Every year we have a massive melt-down during family photos. Brent is always inordinately grumpy (which is odd since he didn't have to coordinate the outfits or do anyone's hair or find stolen mascara to get ready for it!). The girls are masters at bickering- especially in tense situations. I lose it after the millionth whiney comment or someone who won't smile and is ruining everything and it just devolves into misery from there. This year I had a brilliant idea: what if the melt-down photo WAS the one money shot? 

We started with Ireland adjusting the camera and yes, she was legit crying. Brent was trying to place Sydney closer to the waterfall and she was fussing because she was afraid of falling in. He was telling her to calm down and I had lost it and told him never in the history of ever does it work to tell a girl to calm down. Liesel was looking adorable there on the top of the bridge but Gita wanted her turn and was screaming at her to get down. Yes I had planned to take a melt-down photo, but man alive this is a photo of a true Wuehler family melt-down. 

I did also get a cute photo of Liesel at the top of the bridge.

Gita even got one too!

That quilt I ruined came in handy because I didn't care if it got dirty or wet and it kept Sydney warm there in the end!

This walking shot was actually a challenge to set up as everyone was sick of the photo session by this time. I think we got it though and it's another favorite! We aren't happy so much as relieved it was over.

I had to request Minted to recreate a card that had been done in portrait mode be recreated in landscape but it was so, So, SO worth it! This is my favorite Christmas card to date - I don't know if we will ever be able to top it. 

Mission: Accomplished!

Ireland's Dance Team Season

Technically the season is not over yet- but for Ireland it might be. The swelling knees that has plagued her for years really hit a fever pitch this year. She's dancing a lot. Not just her regular dance load, but now she's taking pointe and then the intense CLCDT schedule on top of all that. We've had her seen by a bone and joint specialist, she's had an MRI, she's had excess fluid drained (Brent was there to hold her with those looong needles), we've done physical therapy and tried medication... all to no avail. As of right now, we are getting her in to a rheumatologist to see if they can do anything but that is not until mid-December and her coach needs to plan for competitions. In spite of it all, Ireland has had a fantastic time.

 One thing I love about dance team is they make sure to get a lot of photos. For homecoming, all the girls got a corsage and we gathered before school to take pictures of them all looking so very lovely.

Here's the entire junior varsity team.

Both varsity and junior varsity.

Parents were allowed to come to the pep rally to watch them dance. I thought I arrived right on time (when the email specified anyway) but all the parents were already there and seated. I wandered a bit, looking for a good spot when I found Liesel standing on the sidelines.

She told me where to look for Ireland and we watched her dance together. It was a fantastic pep rally! They had a couple of kids from each grade do a scavenger hunt. From the crowd they had to get a sock, a CLC hat, a pom pom (all the girls just threw them out onto the floor), a teacher, etc. Afterwards, the kids headed back to class while the band played and I watched as Liesel and her friends found Ireland and gave her a hug. I was so proud of how proud Liesel was of her little sister in that moment. 

One of my greatest hopes is that my girls grow up to be great friends!

Here are the photos from the session with Ron McKinney- I immediately made this first one Irelands profile pic on my phone. Look at that cascading, golden hair!

The freshmen.

Junior Varsity

Junior Varsity & Varsity