8 year anniversary to Deer Valley 9-3-11

This year for our anniversary, Ben and I went to Deer Valley to spend the day riding the mountain bike trails.  We had so much fun!  We took the ski lift up to top and rode down three different times.  The ski lift ride up the mountain was so pretty.  It was a great way to relax a little before heading down the mountain each time not to mention a great time to just talk to each other and enjoy the day together!  I was a little surprised just how physically demanding it was to ride those trials.  I wouldn't normally think that riding down hill would be that strenuous, but when I take into consideration that the trails aren't smooth and paved, yeah, my body did take a bit of a beating.  By the time we finished the third trail my wrists and legs were pretty sore and fatigued and I didn't think it wise to try a fourth run, but it was well worth it!!!  We had such a great time!  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Ben!  Thanks for making life so amazing, I love you now and forever!!!

Tyson learns to ride his bike 10-15-11

Tyson did it, he learned to ride his bike WITHOUT his training wheels!  We weren't sure if he would do it this year, but he surprised us!  He was a little scared at first, naturally, but he was determined and once he did it for the first time, there was no stopping him.  He just kept trying and trying and would ride further with each try.  He just beamed with excitement as he rode down the street for the first time!  The smile on his face and his excitement were priceless!  We are so proud of him!  Ben and I look forward to the day when he can join us on the mountain bike trails!

As parents it has been amazing watching Tyson and Karissa hit so many milestones!  We love every moment we have with both of them and often wish time would slow down a bit so we can enjoy the moments longer!!!  Way to go, Buddy!!!  We love you so much and are so proud of all you accomplish!!!

Mini Golf 9-5-11

Day trip to Mulligan's...what a fun day!  Tyson and Karissa were loving hitting their balls around.  We don't keep score at this point in time, we just have fun taking our time and letting the kids play how they want to.  Karissa liked to "try" to hit the balls in the holes but eventually she would give up and just push them in with her hand.  She had to lay on her stomach to retrieve each ball but she was playing the game her way.  It was a perfect day for it too, the weather was great!  After mini golf, Ben and Tyson went for a game of laser tag while Karissa and I played in the kids play area.  We all had a great time!

Karissa would get SO excited whenever she would hit the ball!

Tyson was doing so well!  Such a little man!

Trying to hit the ball in.

Retrieving the ball.

These three bring a smile to my face, I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

Camping Trip 8-25-11 (Smith & Morehouse)

 

Our first and only camping trip as a family for this year, to Smith and Morehouse!  We arrived on Thursday night and got our camp set up just before dark.  We were a bit uneasy about the idea being in bear country, but we were assured by the grounds keeper that they hadn't seen any bears that season but that there were raccoons around.  We made sure that we kept all our food in the car and kept our campsite clean and we didn't have any problems with those "little" guys.

 The weather was perfect, not too cold, which made it unnecessary for a campfire for warmth, but it just wouldn't be camping without one.  The kids like to sit in their little chairs and throw sticks in the fire.  It was so peaceful up there, up until bed time that is.  By the time we got everyone ready and in bed it was about 10pm.  We thought the kids would be tired and drift off pretty quick, but we were SO wrong!  Each child had their very own flashlights to use and yes, it's fun and cool to play with flashlights when camping, but that just made the two of them hyper...especially Karissa.  After, no joke, hours of trying to get Karissa to settle down and go to sleep Ben and I were exhausted.  I don't even know what time it was before Karissa finally went to sleep but it sure seemed like the sun came up shortly there after.  Needless to say our two night camping trip was cut to one night and it will be a while before we attempt another overnighter with Karissa.

 As we were eating breakfast the next morning Ben and I decided that we would do some hiking, come back to the campsite for lunch then pack up and head home.  We were SO tired but we all wanted to do some exploring so we hiked up to the reservoir.  Ben and the kids tried a bit of fishing but when that didn't work so well we all opted to throw rocks in the water.  Ben of course chose to throw boulders in the water to achieve maximum splash. After that we hiked back down to a creek just a short walk from our campsite and explored there for a while.  Once the kids were done with that we were headed back to have lunch and pack up.  It was a great adventure for us, no doubt about it! 

Our campsite.

I love these two pictures!  Tyson was such a great big brother helping Karissa walk up the hill.

Getting ready to fish.

We found some raccoon tracks!

It was so pretty and peaceful!

Karissa really liked drinking from the Camelbacks!

Auntie Elyse's visit 8-22-11

Elyse came out to visit us for her birthday this summer.  I was so excited to have her here and so were the kids!  We got to do some shopping while she was here and just spend some quality time together.  On her last day here we took her up American Fork Canyon for a picnic.  I wish I would have taken some other pictures of Auntie Elyse while she was here, but I did remember on our last day together.  We sure loved spending time with Auntie Elyse, we miss her!!!!

 

My beautiful sister, I sure love her!

Throwing rocks in the water, one of the kids favorite pass times...can you tell?

I love my sista!!!

Being silly with dad.

Baking Cookies with Karissa 8-16-11

COOKIE TIME!  She is just so darn cute!

While Tyson was at school one day Karissa and I decided to make some cookies using grandma's cookie press.  Karissa loves to help put all the ingredients together and, of course, taste test once everything is in.  (Truth be told that is one of my favorite parts too, :-))!  Karissa couldn't quite squeeze hard enough to get the press to work so I managed that while she picked which shape plates to use. The fun really began for Karissa when I broke out the SPRINKLES!!!  Can you guess which color she liked to use most...why PINK of course!  She was very meticulous as to where she put the sprinkles, making each cookie a masterpiece.  She had such a good time and I just love to watch her do it.  I even managed to just ignore the scattering sprinkles and just enjoy the time with my little girl!  Oh, did I mention that these cookies were VERY YUMMY!!!

She liked to press the sprinkles in to be sure they didn't roll off.

Sherman Falls Hike 8-13-11

We have really loved all of the hikes we went on this year and this one was no different except we got to share the day with some friends of ours, the Mathers!  We took a bit of a scenic drive getting to the trail head, but it was so gorgeous!!!  

Once we got there we made sure everyone used the bathrooms before heading out on the trail.  It seemed as though half the valley had the same idea of taking a nice hike because there sure was a lot of people there.  Tyson and Jackson had a great time exploring and Conner was such a trooper, he wanted to walk most of the way...Karissa on the other hand wanted to be carried most of the way.  It was a long hike, but the end was so worth it!  The water fall was beautiful not to mention refreshing! We took some time to just enjoy the beauty around us and re energize with a few snacks before heading back.  We had such a great time!