August Thoughts

Juicy sweet slices of red watermelon. Picking a sun ripened tomato and eating it right in the garden. Giant sunflowers & zinnias. Jumping in the blue water of Bear Lake. Laying in the sun and playing in the pool with my sisters. My birthday celebrations. Lazy Sunday afternoons. Eating breakfast on the patio. Hikes & cookouts up the canyon. Biting into a juicy ripe peach. Making peach cobbler. Snuggling with Matt & Felix on the hammock. Fishing in a beautiful stream with Matt. Trying to enjoy the heat, cause winter is just around the corner!

Pioneer Day & Swimming

Oh Pioneer Day! It's funny how it's a bigger holiday than the Fourth of July. Anyway, it's fun to get together for another day of family, friends, barbeque's & fireworks. We had a little party over at our place. We ate delicious food and yummy homemade Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream. We tried to watch the fireworks from our front porch, but a few too many trees were in the way. We could see them, but not as good as if we were down at Liberty Park. We just couldn't think about going down with all the crowds of people!

Felix got in the pool for the first time. He thought it was great. He acted like he had done it a thousand times before. He wasn't splashing, kicking, or crying...he just took it all in. He seems to do that during lots of new adventures. He is a very observant baby. We had so much fun spinning him around and taking many pictures of him. Matt wanted to dunk him, but I said no way...not yet. We want to take him to Swim Kids this fall so he can learn how to swim. Well, not swim...but to float on his back if he were to fall in the pool. Here are the pictures...warning, Felix is in the buff!!

Into the Mountains

My Internet has been down and I have been dying to post some pictures from our family trip to Montana. We had a great time! It was so gorgeous up in Montana and Yellowstone this year. You should have seen the wildflowers...amazing! We stayed in a great house in Big Sky, and then drove down into the park two different days. I can't even begin to explain how much I love Yellowstone. It's one of those places that has great energy and it just speaks to the soul. Thermal features are the best. I can't get over how that hot water, mud and steam is coming straight up from the center of the earth. We did some really fun hikes, and I mean we did a lot of hiking. Tour guide (TG for short) Kurt kept the whip out and we never stopped moving. We needed a vacation after we got home! Matt, Jared and Ben got in some serious fly fishing time in...I think it was a dream vacation for the three of them. Matt and Jared would disappear quite a lot.... We had the entire family there except for Ashlie and Peter who are still in Ecuador. We missed them so much!! It was a fabulous trip, thanks Dad!!

Happy 4th of July!! Sish Boom Bang!!

This 4th of July was a blast. We started the day off by walking over to the Liberty Park Cafe for a wonderful breakfast with my family. We had Felix's stroller all decked out with an American flag...we are so patriotic!! After breakfast, we got some things together and headed over to my mom's house for swimming and a BBQ. The pool is not heated up yet, but it was kinda nice to jump into cool water on such a hot day. Dad grilled up some chicken, and dang it was good. I just love eating fresh corn in the summer as well....lots of butter and salt please. We wanted to stay away from the crowds down at Sugarhouse Park, so we opted to walk down into the golf course for the Country Club firework show. It's a tradition to watch the fireworks while sitting on blankets on the course. You seriously almost get ashes on you cause your so close. Felix liked the display, we covered his little ears so the booms didn't bother him too much. I'm sure Sage and Leo were spazzing out with all the commotion!!

Bear Lake, June 2008

*I added more pics on my web album, so these are more than just Bear Lake pictures!
We had such a great time up at the cabin this year. Felix dipped his toes in the water and LOVED it. Not even a peep came out...we thought he might cry! Lots of reading, laying out, relaxing, eating, playing games and fishing were accomplished. My mom spotted a huge owl in the trees on the property, it swooped down and played on the beach for awhile. This is a list of some of my favorite things about Bear Lake...
1. Being with family
2. Good Food!
3. Playing crazy games
4. Raspberry Shakes
5. Crystal Blue Water
6. Beach activities...swimming, boating, playing in the sand
7. Cool evenings/mornings
8. Hawaiian shave ice
9. Coffee on the balcony
10. Memories of G-G

Fiesta Centerpieces

These were some fun centerpieces I did a few weeks ago. They were table decor for a fiesta party...so fun! I used sunflowers, gerber daisies, and different kinds of peppers. I love doing brightly colored centerpieces, and with the addition of fruit or veggies, it adds an unexpected touch.

Kitty Love Sage & Leo

These two are always lounging around together embracing. Life long friends and brother and sister!

Farmers Market

We had so much fun going down to the farmers market a few weeks ago. We love buying fresh produce (even though there wasn't much so early on). I love people watching, listening to the local music, purchasing yummy things and tasting samples. The new paved sidewalk is a very nice upgrade this year. Of course I like to walk the 'skid row' area on the outskirts of the park. They have some crazy crystals and mushroom shaped pipes for sale! Felix had a great time, he was silent and just watched the world go by. We bought this adorable pottery wall hanging of a little quail made by a local artist. I think I want to get the road runner to go with the quail for Felix's room. So cute!! There is a cute girl that has a booth of handmade organic chap stick and soaps. I highly recommend the chap stick....it's the best. I sent a tube with Peter to give to Ashlie down in Ecuador. If anyone ever wants to go one Saturday morning, give me a call!!