Hike to Timpanogos Cave

It had been quite some time since we had made the hike to Timpanogos Cave, and so it seemed like a good opportunity give the children a real chance to stretch their legs and put their mad climbing skills to the test.  The Timpanogos Cave hike is beautiful, and the reward of exploring a cave at the end makes it all the more worth it.  Even the drive up the canyon to the trail head is lovely, so an activity like this is really a great way to spend your vacation days.  Isn't that right, Jason?

 No foolin' around.  This is some serious hiking.

 Brevin and Spencer like to lead the way.

 The boys have recently taken a liking to the game Minecraft.  If you are familiar 

with the game, you may understand why this trail sign caught their attention.

 Garrett spotted the entrance to the cave. 

 Here we are at the top.  Brevin is sporting a smile even though he 

was not feeling well and had to vomit at the "last chance" bathrooms.  

I'm not sure why Ella is doubled over as if exhausted.  She was carried 

up the mountain. Maybe she just needed to stretch her legs.

 After a quick check from the ranger to make sure the camelback

was not protruding too much, we got the go ahead to enter the cave.

 The Great Heart of Timpanogos

 After exploring the inside of the cave for nearly 

thirty minutes, we came out into the open air.

By this point in our trip, Garrett had had enough of having his picture taken.

This post authored by Amber

Day Trippin' Fishin'

Our family had talked about doing a weeklong camping trip to the Uintas for our summer vacation, but then Jason and I began discussing the idea of doing something different each day and including  an overnighter at a campsite we'd never been to.  As we explored options of activities we could do, I really took to the idea of "shaking things up" and adding a little variety to our vacation plans.  I'm not going to lie.  I was also sold on the idea of only packing and planning meals for a one-nighter as opposed to four.  Even still, our plans incorporated a day trip to fish in the Uintas.  We didn't wan't to give that up completely, so we packed up our gear, loaded up our van, and headed north for the cool, crisp mountain air.

We arrived early and set up on the banks of Washington Lake for our first round of fishing.  As always, we were not disappointed.  There was plenty of fishing action and opportunities for Ella to touch the fish just before they were to be released.  Aside from the bald eagle that kept swooping in for a dive, we were the only ones out on the lake, it seemed.  It was refreshingly peaceful.

Ella loves to cheer when anyone reels in a fish.  She loves to pet them, too.

 

Brevin and Spencer are becoming quite skilled with a fly and bubble.

When Spencer becomes restless while fishing, he tends to

 put down his pole for rock climbing and exploring. 

Brevin poses with a nice little rainbow trout that he caught.

While waiting on the shore, Ella keeps herself occupied by throwing 

rocks and banging branches against logs and boulders.

This trip was Garrett's first opportunity to try out the new 

Cars fishing pole he got for his birthday.  To say the least, it works.  

I think he brought in the most fish for the day with a final count of eight.

I just love the look on Ella's face in this picture.

After a fair amount of time at Washington Lake, we decided to eat some lunch before heading up to Butterfly Lake.  It started to drizzle a little but, but that didn't keep the fish from biting.

For a moment, Garrett thought he caught a fish, but he started to have a really 

difficult time reeling it in.  Jason went to free his line from what he thought was 

a snag.  Turns out, they were both right. They eventually brought in this tangled 

mess of moss and a fish!  I love the look of surprise on Garrett's face.

Well look there! I finally put down the camera to pick up a pole.

When the children felt they'd had a sufficient amount of time fishing, we headed back to the van and started our drive home.  We did stop off at Lost Lake for a brief time so Jason could get a few casts in.  The children and I stayed inside the van and watched a movie.  I may have nodded off a little, too.  It had been a full and satisfying day.  The best way to wrap it up was a stop in Heber City for a burger at the Train Station, followed by a nice, comfortable evening in my own bed.

This post authored by Amber.

The Boys of Summer

Warm weather, lush, green parks--nothing feels like summer quite like sitting on the edge of a diamond-shaped playing field, cheering on tanned children with sun-bleached hair.  There certainly wasn't a shortage of opportunities for Jason and I to do just that, with three boys involved in baseball and kickball this season.  I'll admit.  It's a good way to spend a portion of those lazy summer days.

Brevin participated in his second year of baseball in the Mustang league and was one of the older players on his team.  His coach often had him play first baseman, and he was able to see quite a bit of playtime action because of that.  His team, the Diamondbacks, had a relatively successful season and played into the post-season loosing in a close game in the semi-finals.

Garrett was able to start kickball this summer.  The main objective of this league is to introduce the children to the concept of base running and passing.  It is supposed to help with the transition to t-ball the following year, and it is very entertaining to watch.

It wasn't all spectating for Jason this summer.  He signed on to be the coach for Spencer's coach-pitch team for a second year.  All their practicing together really paid off.  As you can see from the pictures, Spencer was able to hit his pitches into the outfield nearly every time.

This post authored by Amber

Tie it Up

Brevin had been insistent about getting his own necktie so he could learn to tie one himself.  Jason was able to find one that was just the right length for him to learn with.  After a few practice rounds and some tips from an old pro, he had it down pretty good, and he was pleased as punch with his new found ability.

Father's day came around, and all of the boys received matching ties.  Spencer was given a regular tie as well (an upgrade from the usual zip-tie), so he was also in need of some one-on-one tie tying tutoring.

Now, don't they look sharp?

This post authored by Amber

"I'm Really Glad That He's My Dad"

Most of Jason's Father's Day was spent with each of our four children clamoring to be close to him, eager and happy to celebrate with him.  He sat through sacrament meeting with four Disney baby princesses carefully stuffed into his front shirt pocket as he listened to the three boys sing with the Primary choir about how he is their favorite pal.  Well, there's no denying.  We think he is pretty special.  Happy Father's Day, Jason!

At his request, it was fresh fruit and cinnamon rolls with 

cream cheese frosting from Shirley's Bakery for breakfast.

The children were all so eager for Jason to open his gifts.  I think

 it was because they knew he'd likely share his treats with them.

I love that in the picture above Jason looked so surprised, 

especially when he told me that he wanted the exact same thing

 we got for him last year: a superhero kit (free printables found HERE).

Par for the course.

This post authored by Amber

Cruisin'...Er...I Mean...Scooterin'

After months of research, pricing, and deliberation, we settled on a decision to purchase a scooter for Jason to use for travel to and from work during warm weather months.  Additionally, it has proven useful for taking children to activities, games, practices, or even just for going on a little joy ride.  The scooter made for a perfect Father's day/Anniversary gift, too.

Brevin gets his first ride on the scooter.

Spencer got to go for a spin as well.

Garrett was just big enough to get to ride.

Seeing everyone else getting a scooter ride made Ella 

antsy to have one also.  This was our alternative for her.

This post authored by Amber

Jason's 38th Birthday

Jason just "logged" another birthday, bringing his grand total to 38.  I don't know if I was not ready to exert the energy to come up with any ideas or if I was just feeling particularly lazy, but leading up to the day, I kept asking him what he wanted for his birthday or how he wanted to celebrate.  He offered very little in the way of party planning suggestions, but he did tell me that he wanted German pancakes with buttermilk syrup for his breakfast.

Well, up until three days before Jason's birthday, I was at a complete loss for what to give him or even what sort of cake to make.  I turned my attention to the internet, looking for ideas for gifts for men.  Most were power-tool related, so I decided I'd use that as a starting point.  I knew he needed a new cordless drill (I had used his recently, and it was on its deathbed).  I was also pretty sure our children had destroyed every decent tape measure he owned by playing with them, so I thought that a new one of those would be nice, too.  After I left the Home Depot with items that were all a bright and cheery yellow, I was struck with the inspiration to go monochromatic.  I created a spread of gifts and treats in hues of gold, to be displayed for Jason to come home from work to discover. It turned out to be a great last-minute surprise since I didn't have to wrap anything.  The final touch was a lemon-flavored ombre cake and a birthday greeting that referenced an inside joke that Jason and I have that originated from way back when we were dating.

It all came together so nicely, you would have thought I put weeks worth of thought and effort into it.  I do feel that the color of choice seemed perfectly appropriate, not because yellow is Jason's favorite color, but because it is mine, and I guess you could say Jason is my favorite person, too!

After Jason arrived home from work and got a glimpse of his "loot," he and I went on a date that evening to Malawi's Pizza and had a lovely time. 

When we arrived home, he was treated to the sweetest chorus of Happy Birthday (courtesy of our children) before we all ate a slice of cake with ice-cream.  We may have eaten some golden Oreo cookies as well.

Happy Birthday, Jason!

This post authored by Amber