Just what I needed

Parenting: Touching the Hearts of Our Youth

Stay-Cation

What a fun few days we've had. A little trip up to Idaho, dutch oven cooking in the mountains, camping, and a trip to Utah's Hogle Zoo. Aaron had a couple days off so we took advantage of our precious family time.

This is the fast and furious version.

Thursday. Drive to Burley, Idaho with my sister Susan and the kiddos. Stay with some of our Ragnar teammates. Reconnect with old roommates. Go to their fair. See a lot of very very very stinky pigs. (are there any other kind?) Eat the famous maple bars. Run into my college dorm mom of more than 12 years ago, and she's the one who recognized me! Couldn't believe it!!! Sleep out in the country. Look at the amazing stars and envy, the simple life of a small town. Wake up, drive back to Utah to hang out with Aaron. Pack up the kids again and head for the mountains for a delicious dutch oven dinner. Go for a beautiful walk and be thankful beyond measure to live right where I do. Get home, sleep in my own bed and sleep in in the morning. Heaven! Work all day on "projects" around the house. Put the kids to bed early. Wake up early. Go to my nephews homecoming. Try not to cry too much, but can't help all the amazing feelings that rush back while hearing him talk about the last two years of his life. Incredible! Have a wonderful lunch with my family. Rush home, put the kids down for a nap. Pack up the car to head for the mountains yet again for a campout. Find the perfect spot. Pray it doesn't rain. It does. A lot. Have some family come up for a dutch oven dessert. Lick the pan clean. So yummy! Breathe in the fresh air after the down pour. Say goodbye to the family. Clean the van out completely and watch a fun movie with the kids. Movie over. Kids in pajamas. Say prayers. Pray especially that no bears will come into our camp. (I was worried). Nervous about our first "real" campout with the kids. They sleep perfectly. Wake up. Build fire, make breakfast, and go for another beautiful walk. Clean up camp. Head home. Change clothes and go the zoo smelling like camp fire. Take our sweet little time looking at all the animals. Pack the kids up yet again. They are out in no time. Enjoy the quiet with my husband. End the night with an ice-cream cone from Thanksgiving Point. In my opinion, the perfect stay-cation!

Me, Jen, and Brooke. My first college roommates. Love these Idaho girls!

The campout begins










Hannah called these "fruit snacks"



Hogle Zoo

7 years ago today......

....I woke up bright and early. Got all dolled up, and waited for my Aaron to pick me up and take me to the temple. We may or may not have skipped into the temple. It was a happy day. Now, 7 years later we are still a happy couple.

And slightly more crazy.

What a Guy!

Aaron competed in his second open water 5k swim yesterday. Yes, I did get all emotional watching the swimmers finish the race. It's just so darn inspiring! It was a GORGEOUS morning at Deer Creek. Aaron did awesome, finishing one minute faster than last year. Finishing in 1 hour and 34 minutes, he wasn't impressed, but hey, if he shaves off one minute every year, in 20 years he'll really be able to compete! Just kidding Aaron, you are amazing and I am in awe every time I watch you do anything like this.

Tony Parkinson was his kyaker. He texted me half way through the race saying that he deffinately had the easier job.




Here's a couple random shots of the race.

This guy stood the whole time, for 3.2 miles. Impressive!

Totally Hooked....

....on gardens! Seriously, we are LOVING the fruits of our labors.

Super Fun Weekend!

Aaron's mom came for a visit this weekend. All of us have been looking forward to her visit for a long time. The kids squeeled with glee when they saw their grandma. (I say squeel because Nathan truly does squeel!) From the moment they got here to the moment they left, it was nothing but fun, fun, fun! Traveling in style, mom and Randy pulled an RV behind them on this trip and brought four out of the five dogs mom has. Hannah and Nathan LOVED taking turns walking each dog. We so enjoyed the nice weather that Utah has right now and took full advantage of walks, playing outside, and just visiting in the backyard.

Notice anything weird about Hannah's flower in her hair?

Hannah and Lexi







Grandma was a great sport (Randy too actually) to play barbies with Hannah and get into "voice character".



The last day they were with us, we went to their camping spot and played at Utah lake. The kids enjoyed every second of being outside and all the attention from grandma and Randy. Aaron enjoyed swimming in the lake to get ready for his open water swim this weekend. It was an absolutely wonderful weekend. Too short, but wonderful memories.



You know we had fun when the kids zonk out like this....