More in the Mountains

Apparently we just can't get enough!  We went up and attempted to take family photos today.  Here's something I would like to know- At what age do your children make it possible for you to take a decent family picture?  It sure was a challenge today.  The boys won.

Also, about 1/2 hour before we left to head up the canyon, Griffin decided to walk down the hallway with his forehead on the carpet and then came and showed me the lovely rug burn that was a result of such a fun activity.  So the picture below is a blooper of Griff and his rug burn.  It's all about the memories, right?

We Camped. Well, Some of Us.

Since we have been enjoying the mountains we decided to go hardcore and spend the night up American Fork Canyon.  Marc's sister Ashlee and her family had a trailer and found a spot next to it for our tent.  Marc and I used to spend a lot of our weekends camping (before we had kids), so we were anxious to give it a try with the kiddos.

This was the view outside our tent!

The boys spent lots of time throwing rocks in the river.   When they weren't at the river they were busy hitting each other.  Parker and Griff were butting heads a little this weekend.

This guy is always climbing on something. So adventurous!

Ashlee and brand new baby Alexander

Lukie and I staying warm by the campfire

After the campfire things got a little ugly.  I am a terrible mother and I brought Luke's milk but I forgot to bring a bottle.  Hence the night time routine didn't happen.   So after some tears Luke finally fell asleep... for an hour.  So at 1:00 a.m. Luke and I loaded up and headed home.  I wasn't gonna fight through this all night.  Poor guy didn't get his bottle and I was worried that he was hungry.  So on the way home I remembered that I left the milk back at camp so I stopped and the grocery store (1:45 am) and bought some milk.  When I got home I made him a bottle and he only drank one ounce before he fell asleep... guess he wasn't that hungry, just didn't like sleeping in the tent.

Anyway,  Luke and I got up the next morning and headed back up to camp to hang out and have some breakfast.
Griff was getting really in-tune with nature...

Luke was so proud that he climbed into this chair all by himself,

but not so happy after he face planted and got a mouthful of dirt.

And here is where we attempted to sleep.  Luke was in the pack and play and Griff was in between Marc and I.  

Griffin did not talk until 2 am like our last camping adventure.  He did talk for a little while saying,
"Hi Mom. Hi Dad. Hi Mom, you see dad?  Dad you see, Mom? I wanna snuggle you."  There was lots of rolling from one of us to the other and lots of touching our faces too.  But he fell asleep pretty quickly and slept right through Luke and I leaving in the middle of the night.


So all in all we had a great time and the trees were absolutely gorgeous.  The drive up to Tibble Fork could not have been more beautiful.  Thanks Brent and Ashlee for letting us hang with you!

There is Beauty All Around!

It's officially my most favorite time of year.  We have been enjoying the changing leaves and the cooler weather in the beautiful mountains that surround us!  This was our venture up to Squaw Peak.

This is Griff "Rarring at the Bears"

This is what happened when we asked Griff to take our picture... We didn't specify that we wanted our faces in the photo.

Here's the money shot!  Let's just say this is his artistic side shining through. Can you believe that sun flare? 

I sure do love this guy, notice Timp in the background

The following Sunday we ventured up American Fork Canyon and let the boys wander up the Little Mill trail.

You can never have too much eye protection, right?

Dear Time, Please Stop!

This is my new super short hair-do.  Still getting used to it.  Griffin asked me if I went to the Groomer to get my haircut. 

This photo  has my heart! I wanna run up and grab all those cute buns!

The Zoo!

Missy and Taylor ventured up and went with us to the Zoo.  Actually it was Missy's idea! We had a great time.   We had not been this year and I was excited to see what Griffin would think.  He was much more interested this year than last year so that made it much more fun!

Nuker didn't get the memo on not touching the glass.

I love this picture mostly because you can see how close Griffin and Luke are in size.

Classic Hogle Zoo shot

Luke didn't really enjoy the animals as much but he still had a good time.

There was a safety fair going on while we were there and Griff thought the fireman dog was pretty spiffy.  

So, the verdict was, Griffin enjoyed the animals, however, the most excitement that I heard from him was, "Is that a digger?  You see that big orange digger mom?"  Yep. 

Thanks Missy and Taylor for a fun day!

Cabin Sweet Cabin

We spent our Labor Day at my parents cabin up Fairview Canyon.  We enjoyed the beautiful drive through Spanish Fork Canyon where the mountains were sprinkled with red and orange leaves among the beautiful green pines.

This photo doesn't do it justice.  I was sitting in the backseat between two little guys and this was the best photo that I could take through the window.

These guys are my everything!

When we arrived the crew that had stayed the weekend were just finishing up breakfast.  Lucky for us there was enough delicious dutch oven breakfast left for us to have some!  After breakfast the girls (and Luke) took off for a morning walk to enjoy the crisp mountain air.

Luke, me, Jill, Addie, Mom and Missy
Timer photo--Sorry about the grass on your face Mom.

After the walk we headed down to the zipline.  Our little independent Lukie was testing out his walking skills on the uneven ground.

The Zipline is at the Fowles cabin, just down the road.  You have to go up this rickety little staircase, to the "balcony" to get to the zipline platform.

Those of us who were brave enough scampered out, laced our legs through the rope and took the leap of faith!

Griffin even went on Dad's lap and his commentary on the way down went something like this, "I'm scared, I'm ok, it's fun, it's cool, it's scary..." just like that, one right after the other.  I wish I could have seen his face.  I wonder if his eyes were even open?

And the award for the best dismount goes to-- Miles Beck!

When he wasn't busy eating rocks, sticks and dirt, Luke got his thrills from the swing on the porch of the cabin.  Grandpa was gracious enough to push him and keep him entertained for about 5 minutes!

My boys loved playing upstairs in the loft.  They played with this little cabin, climbed in the window and turned the light on and off 100 times.

After lunch we headed out with our little family for a ranger ride.  

This guy was so exhausted from his eventful morning and afternoon that he fell asleep on my lap.  I couldn't believe it considering that this is the noisiest and bumpiest mode of transportation around!

You can't go to the cabin this time of year without running into a few sheep.

Nothing like potty-training in the wild!

The nap didn't last long.  

Well, it was all fun and games until somebody got hurt.  Marc got a migraine on our way back to the cabin so we had to head home.  Darn those migraines!  They have interrupted many a family outing.  Poor guy just can't relax without getting sick.  

We really had a great time and I loved watching the boys play and enjoy the outdoors.  Thanks Mom and Dad for having such an amazing place for us to get away!  We can't wait to come again, hopefully before the snow falls!