Family Trip to Bear Lake and Jackson Hole

Every year Aunt Diane and Uncle Layne run the Snake River and we always try to make it up there. So instead of camping we decided to rent a motorhome and hit Bear Lake and Jackson Hole all in one trip. Jordan and Austin had so much fun playing outside, roasting marshmellows almost every night, and just being boys and getting dirty! Here's our first day out on the road on the way to Bear Lake:


We rented a spot at the KOA so we had a place to hook up to power, water, etc.


Jared's mom and dad were going to be going through Yellowstone and thought it would be fun to stop and spend some time with the kids so they joined us; we played at the beach that day, the kids went swimming at the pool, and then we bbq'd and made s'mores later that night:



All that playing = some tired little boys:

Jackson Hole: We love Jackson Hole and we always like to walk around the shops check out the art galleries.
We had lunch at the best place in town: Bubba's BBQ; we also went to the National Museum of Wildlife Art.




We spent the next two nights camping down by the Snake River with Layne and Diane, and a huge group of their friends/family who come every year to run the river. My boys LOVED every second of it! Jordan told me that he never wanted to leave.












Layne and Diane went all out to make it fun for everyone; Layne is the master dutch-oven cook and Diane always has fun activities for the kids (like painting the rocks that the kids find down by the river).
My boys had so much fun playing with Grandma and Grandpa Larson, and camping with Uncle Layne and Aunt Diane and their grand-kids, and just enjoying the great outdoors with our family. Great memories.

Parks, Pools, and Parties

Happy 5th Birthday, Maura! Mike and Lisa Henry's little girl just turned 5 and they had fun party at "Jump on It". What a cutie, and she's already hooked up with her own set of golf clubs.



Some of the girls in my ward/neighborhood got together for dinner at Asian Star to celebrate Ashley Russell and Heather Kim's babies who are going to be here very soon! Lots of babies on the way around here (Cayden is going to have about 6 new friends joining our neighborhood in the next few months)

My kiddos at the park:




The kids at the pool:



I can't believe our summer days are numbered! Jordan starts preschool this week (M/W/F at 8:30 AM) and so we're going to have to really get into some kind of a routine. Ever since Cayden was born I've been out of whack and haven't had a set schedule so this week is the week. We'll see how we do and if I can really have everyone dressed and ready to go by 8:00 AM (am I crazy - how do moms do this??)

Cayden's Baby Blessing

On August 2nd we blessed our little boy; it was a beautiful day and we so appreciate all that came to be with us on Cayden's special day.
My baby boy:



My family: I tried to get one good family shot but the boys took off their shoes and Jared lost the shirt and tie and opted for something more comfy so this is as good as it gets :-) My extended family: Grandma and Grandpa (drove all the way down from ID!) Wayne and Lauried, Tiff and her cute little boys, and Sommer. We have such a great family and some cute kiddos!









I can't believe Cayden is already two months old! He's been such a JOY and we all love having this sweet little spirit in our home. My two older boys tickle him and give him kisses all the time and they are so sweet with him. Cayden has been my cuddly one (the other two boys... not so much); he loves to snuggle and let me just hold him. He has a very peaceful demeanor and he just seems to be calm even when our house full of chaos and noise (with the other two boys we don't have much quite time around here!). We all love this baby boy and he's such a little angel. It was a special day.

What have we been up to...

Here's a snapshot of what we've been doing these past two weeks:

Celebrating TEN YEARS of marriage to the love of my life, my best friend, the one person I could be with 24-7-365 and still want more... and the very best hubby in the world! I love my Jared more than anything and I fall more in love with him every day. Thanks Jared for 10 WONDERFUL YEARS. I love you babe more than you know and I feel like the luckiest girl alive. Thanks for choosing to share your life with me.



Jared took me up to Midway and we stayed at the Zermatt. I absolutely love Midway and it was a great get-away. Wendy watched my two older boys (THANK YOU WENDY!) and we took Cayden with us. I love nursing my baby but it would be nice to have a night away .. no babies! Next year honey, next year!

The next day we went to Park City for the Arts Festival. We seem to hang out in Park City quite a bit... there's so many fun things to see and do.

Playing in the backyard with friends (thanks Emily and Margie for coming over to play!)

Going to the Lake:




Playing over at Grandma's house:




Celebrating more birthdays (at Layne and Diane's):
Following my cute little baby boy around... just waiting for that perfect kodak moment:



Running the kids ragged:

This has been a fun (and busy!) month. July was packed with festivities (4th of July, Draper Days), my family came up to visit, Austin's birthday, our 10 year anniversary, planning Cayden's baby blessing, planning some boating trips, BBQs, swimming lessons, chasing little boys around all day long, etc. etc. It has been a BUSY month!