Oh Baby!

The purpose for our trip to Utah was to attend a baby shower for my nephew Jake...who is still a baby to me.  My sister Susan had been planning this shower for months for Jake and his girlfriend Sierra.  The day of the shower we helped set up and get ready for an outdoor barbecue/baby shower. The theme for the shower was John Deere.

The decorations and time put into the detail of the shower was amazing.  Everything from the forks (a.k.a. "pitchforks"), to the dessert table was amazing.  

Sierra's family made the cutest cupcake dessert as well.  It was almost too cute to eat...almost.  You can see the little candy tractors in the background that adorned all the tables.

I had started making my gift before I knew the theme, but I loved the way it turned out.  They needed diapers, so I made them a construction themed diaper cake. 

I also made a gift just for daddy to be.  It was from the F.I.A.(family intelligence agency).  On the front of the box was special instructions for daddy to head up a special operations mission called "Operation Awesome Dad".

Inside the box were different missions to complete.  The first was Operation James Bond Time.  Inside the envelope was a book and baby rattle.

The next mission was Operation: Diffuse the Bomb.  I put in some diapers, wipes, a garbage bag with a special  warning tag, and a nose clip.

The third mission was Operation Stealth Mode (a.k.a. sleep).  I put in a swaddling blanket, binki's, and a eye cover.  I thought it was cute that Jake said he didn't know what a swaddling blanket was.

The last mission was Operation Flaming Fire (a.k.a. Mommy and Daddy relations).  I put in some Iceberg gift certificates with a a tag attached that read:  Call Grandma for a babysitter and take Mommy out for a different kind of "screaming" night.

It turned out pretty cute, and just right for daddy to be.  We had a great time getting to know Sierra and are excited to see what baby Bogie looks like when he arrives in August.

It was nice that some of my Aunt's and Uncles made it out and we got to spend time with cousins.  We got to catch up a little bit with these Smith's.  Nathan who just got home from his mission, Bella who just started driving, and Amanda who just recently got engaged!  (I think another trip to Utah is in the near future).

We also had the best time playing with the Smith girls (Nathan had to leave for work before I got a picture with him).  These kids played all night.

It was such a fun party!  We were sad to leave and head home, there is just never enough family/cousin time!

Hiking Timpanogos

One of the things that I have had on my to do list with the kids was to hike to Timpanogos cave.  It is something I remember doing as a kid, and have always remembered what a cool experience it was.  Sadi did not want to go so Chase and I got tickets for the first tour of the day on Sunday.  I was rethinking this idea at 5 a.m. when we had to get up to go.  When we arrived up the mountain the sun was just starting to peak on the Mt.

We picked up our tickets from the visitor center and headed to the trail head to hear our warnings from the ranger about the trail.

The hike itself is on a paved trail going up the mountain.  Although the trail is only a mile and half it is literally straight up.  You climb 1,092 feet in that mile and a half.

I'm not sure if the altitude change had anything to do with the struggles I was having, but honestly this trail kicked my butt!  I could not believe when we reached the 1/4 mile marker...that's it?  It felt like a lot further.

The views all around us were breathtaking, and I was so happy we decided to go early as it was quickly becoming warm.

Chase was a trooper, he was charging up that mountain with no complaints or ever asking to rest (maybe because I had to stop several times).

We finally made it to the top!  Behind us in the crevice of the mountain was the entrance to the caves. 

Before our tour began one of the Rangers invited us into his cave office to check out a cave cricket (I neglected to get a picture).  They are completely white and are blind due to no light in the cave and so they use their feelers to find their way around. I had no idea they could live in there.  Once our cave tour began I soon found out I really did not have the right camera to take pictures inside and spent more time trying to get pictures than listening to the tour. 

The tour is about an hour long and takes you through a series of 3 connected caves(Hansen Cave, Middle cave, and Timpanogos cave).  We learned all about stalactites and stalagmites and how long it takes them to form.  We got to see this pretty "lake" inside Hansen cave, and got to experience how truly dark it is inside a cave when the lights go out. 

You really have to duck and maneuver around all kinds of things in the caves.  The actually have a formation called headache rock that so many people have hit their head on.  These pictures do it no justice.  The colors inside were amazing!

It was pretty cold and very wet inside.  Chase received the first "cave kiss" of our group which is when the ceiling drips on you.  He was also one lucky kid and was picked to lead the group through one part of the cave using the ranger's flashlight.  He said this was his favorite part of the tour.

He was disappointed when we made it to the exit and the tour was over.  We head out and down the mountain which was kind of hard too.  You would think going straight down would be easy, but man it did a number on our legs.

The whole way down Chase kept telling me how cool it was, and how it was totally worth the hike.  He thanked me several times for taking him.  We spent a little time at the river and then headed out for some lunch.  We stopped for burgers and fries....and a tub of fry sauce to douse them in.

 We totally earned it, and I didn't feel guilty about one bite.

Stayin' Cool

While we were in Utah the weather peaked above 100 almost everyday.  We had fun finding ways to stay cool.  The kids were really content to not go anywhere, in fact I think we could have stayed in one place the whole trip and they would have loved it.  They got out Aunt Susie's tiny baby pool and had fun playing with the hose.

Tori and I stayed cool in the shade of their backyard, which is so beautiful and feels like you are on a farm rather than in the city.

We spent a day at one of the splash pads they have there (I am totally jealous of this place and wish we had one like this).

The kids had so much fun shooting water guns,

 and being dumped on over, and over, and over.

 We played Grandma and Grandpa's old games and stayed cool in the basement,

 and of course we had to make our traditional trip to Iceberg for their "small" shakes.

It took Sadi two days to work on hers, and she still didn't finish it.  I'm pretty sure those small shakes get bigger every year.

Silver Lake

A few days after we arrived it was my Mom's birthday.  We talked about what she might like to do and finally decided on going up to the canyon for a picnic.  We decided on Silver Lake which is in big cottonwood canyon.  My sister and niece were also able to join us.  It was a gorgeous day.

Their are wooden bridges and walking trails that go completely around the lake.  It's a nice easy hike/walk.

The kids had fun exploring, and Chase and I even made some boats out of twigs and leaves and had a race in the stream there.

We had a picnic and relaxed and just enjoyed being in nature.  I think my mom had a really enjoyable day (at least I hope).

I know three people who had a great time...

Day with the birds

Although we came up to Utah for a specific reason, I decided to really make a trip out of it and have some fun with the kids and do some things we hadn't done before.  The day after we arrived we went to Tracy Aviary which is one of the oldest and largest bird parks.

I think it was recently redone, and it is beautiful!  There are so many bird exhibits to see.  We had fun just walking around and learning about all the different breeds of birds.

 Sadi especially like the flamingos.  I think they are her favorite bird.

 We had fun pretending to be birds,

and playing in their trees.   The park is pretty big and so many places to explore.

I think my favorite part was the bird shows.  Although it was hot, it was definitely worth sitting in the sun to see some amazing birds and their tricks.  Grandpa, Grandma, and Tori all joined us for the day.

I was surprised at how close you are with the birds, and they literally fly over your head...actually hitting you with their wings sometimes. 

Chase was one of the lucky few kids that got picked to go up on their "stage" and got to feed the birds right out of his hand.

He was so lucky that when we went to the second show he got picked again!  I was a little concerned when he got on stage and they had him put on goggles and a HUGE glove that went all the way up to his shoulder.  I was wondering what kind of a bird they were going to be showing.  It was a raptor...

It was a really pretty bird, and hard to tell from the picture above how big it was.  It's wing span was something like 6 feet.  Here he is flying in for a landing on Chase.

Chase was feeling like the luckiest kid ever.  It was a pretty cool experience, one I'm sure he will not soon forget.

Road Trip

Last week the little kids and I hit the road East.  We were heading for some family time.  It was a long, long road.  I was sure happy when I finally saw this sign.....

The kids did great, in fact one of the best road trips I have been on with them.  Although we did have to take some unexpected stops due to one car sick little girl.  At least she is really good about catching it in time, although it is not fun to worry about the "fun bag" spilling before you get to a dumping spot.

We were very excited when we finally arrived, and happy we were able to deliver this Father's day gift to my dad in person.  He is one great "pop"!

It wasn't long before the spoiling began.....

Aunt Susy gave the kids these huge treat boxes filled with all kinds of treats.  I'm pretty sure Sadi would have devoured the whole box that night if I would have let her.