Camping Fun

Mom & Emily

Kaya, Logan, Cassie, & Candace

This past weekend we went camping as a family with some friends and other fellow geocachers. We headed out to Potter's Pond in the Manti-Lasal National Forest. The kids really enjoy camping, playing in the dirt, exploring nature, and eating marshmallows. We had a fun time exploring the area and doing some geocaching. We had originally planned to stay for 2 nights and ended up coming home late the 2nd day. We weren't as prepared for the cold weather at night as we should have been and we knew there was a chance of rain in the forecast. We chose not to freeze another night and take the chance of getting wet. We lucked out and made a good decision to come home, since it DID rain, and it rained hard. We have a good tent, but lots of rain takes the fun out of camping. Logan even got to reel in a fish from the fishing pond. We happened to be walking by when a gentleman was in the process of reeling in the fish he just caught. He offered to let Logan take over. He was pretty stoked and enjoyed his first fishing experience. He wouldn't hold the fish for the camera though. He touched it and thought it was too slimy! Maybe next time... Aaron, Logan, & Kaya going on a raft ride to find the "Treasure Island" geocache on the island in the middle of one of the ponds.

Happy Birthday Logan!!!

Today is Logan's 3rd Birthday! Where has the time gone? Logan is 110% all boy - even if he is willing to play dress up with his sisters. He has good aim when throwing a ball and he loves to ride his bike and scooter. He can turn anything into a gun, sword, or any kind of weapon. His FAVORITE movie is Night at the Museum. He often pretends to be Larry Daley, wanting to dress like a security guard, carry keys on his belt, and he even pretends to carry around a manual. He has quite the imagination! For Logan's birthday this year he got a 2 wheel bike with training wheels. He can just barely reach the pedals but he manages and can ride the bike pretty well. He is very proud of himself! Logan wanted to go swimming for his birthday so we went to the community pool as a family and went swimming in the afternoon. We convinced Logan that Chili's would be a good place for dinner. (He wanted to go anywhere with a playground!) After dinner we came home, opened presents, and sang Happy Birthday. Logan is a good boy and is very polite. He can also be VERY stubborn and independent, but aren't all 3 year olds???
Happy Birthday Buddy!!!

Happy First Birthday Emily!!!

Today we celebrate Emily's first birthday. Emily enjoyed having Happy Birthday sung to her first thing this morning and by bedtime she could say something that sounded like Happy Birthday. I took Emily to get her pictures taken and then we went to the Salt Lake County Fair as a family. After the fair we went out to dinner and then headed home for cake and presents. It didn't take Emily long to realize that the piece of cake was all hers and it tasted GOOD! Emily kept saying, "Mmmmm, Mmmmm, Mmmmm". Emily didn't quite understand taking the wrapping paper off the gifts but she was sure excited to see a new baby doll in the first box. She is giving the baby "loves" in the picture. The next present had Elmo in it and she was just as excited to see her favorite red furry friend. She LOVES Elmo!! She was in heaven with her new toys and enjoyed the extra attention. Emily has been such a good baby. She is so sweet and full of smiles. Emily still doesn't have any teeth yet. She has 4 trying to poke through as we speak. It should only be a matter of days now. Emily is a full fledged walker too. No more crawling for this gal. She loves to follow around Kaya & Logan and especially likes to torment her brother by pushing the buttons on the TV when he's trying to watch something. She knows it gets a rise out of him and enjoys doing it. :) Emily says about a dozen words and understands a few signs. We hope she had a happy birthday!

Kaya's First Day of Kindergarten

Today is Kaya's first official day of kindergarten. She was SO excited to go this morning and couldn't wait to get there. Kaya met her teacher last week and had a one on one assessment. Yesterday the class had an unofficial day to learn where the bathrooms are, where to get dropped off, picked up, etc. We are so excited for the new adventure. Kaya is such a smart girl and LOVES being with her friends and going to school. I hope she always loves school and learning!

Camping 2009

We had the opportunity this summer to take a vacation with Aaron's family. We went camping for 4 nights in Yellowstone National Park and 2 night in Grand Teton National Park. We had a fun time exploring the National Parks and seeing all the sites. We saw TONS of wildlife and enjoyed spending time together. Here are a few of the pictures from our trip: The first family picture of the vacation as we entered the park. Aaron & Emily cruising around the campsite. Kaya showing us how good her s'more tastes! Logan enjoying a s'mores.
Our kids were so dirty by the end of each day but they enjoyed every minute of it! We visited Old Faithful.
(Don't mind the kids and their ice creams. It was HOT outside!) Our family at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Aaron and his sister Wendy posing for a Geocaching picture.
We did lots of caching on our vacation.
The whole family at the Continental Divide.
Kaya and Logan at Yellowstone Lake.
We did A LOT of walking/hiking to see the sites.
Family Photo at Inspiration Point in Yellowstone.
Our second camping stop was near Jackson Lake. What a beautiful view! The kids enjoyed playing in the rocks and swimming in the awfully cold water.
Emily LOVED being outside and in the dirt. She had so much fun being able to cruise around and explore. Nick, Wendy, Aaron, Steve, & Ryan went on a whitewater rafting tripThe family in front of the Grand Teton National Park sign.
The sunset on our way home from camping. What a beautiful ending to a fun vacation.

Happy Birthday Aaron!!

In between our vacations we celebrated Aaron's birthday. I took the kids to have their pictures taken in the 4th of July clothes. The 4th of July is one of Aaron's favorite holidays and I thought this would make a great picture. Aaron had to work all day but we met up for dinner at the Red Rooster Waffle Company and then came home for gifts and some yummy ice cream cake. We are thankful to have such a great dad & husband!! Hope you had a very happy birthday!!

Hawaii 2009

We had the opportunity to go on a family vacation to Hawaii this summer. Heather's parents hosted the trip. There were 9 adults and 7 grandchildren!! We stayed on the island of Kona for 6 nights and then flew to Oahu for 2 nights. We had a fun time and took hundreds of pictures. Here are just a few of them. Aaron took an excursion up to the summit of Mauna Kea. This is where they get snow in Hawaii.We celebrated the 4th of July while in Hawaii. Here is a picture of the 7 grandkids. Kaya was the oldest at 5 years old!

Pictured left to right: Ettoile, Preston, Damien, Wyatt, Logan, Kaya, EmilyWe drove out to Volcanoes National Park. Our family continued on and drove all the way around the entire island! We took an awesome walk through the rainforest down to a lava tube big enough to drive a car through. Aaron & I went on an ATV tour through the Waipio Valley. Mom & Dad watched ALL 7 grandkids while my brothers and their wives went on a zodiac tour at the same time.Kaya & I had the opportunity to swim with the dolphins at the resort. We did this with my dad and 3 brothers. What a fun experience! Kaya LOVED being so close to the dolphins. It was very hands on!
Our family attended the luau at the Hilton Waikaloa Village Resort. Logan refused to wear his Aloha shirt but we all had a good time watching the fun show. The kids REALLY enjoyed the fire dancer! These are my awesome parents that made this vacation possible!!This is a picture of the sunset at the luau. Our family visited Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor's Center. Aaron hiked up to the top of Diamond Head. What a view!! The kids and I stayed back at the resort and played on the beach. We made a stop at the Dole Pinapple Plantation on our way to the North Shore. Aaron & I took the big kids (and Emily) on a train ride. Logan was in HEAVEN!! On our way back to the hotel from the North Shore, we found "Kaya's Store"!! How fun was that? Of course we stopped to take a picture of Kaya in front of "Her" store.

Thanks to Mom & Dad for making this awesome vacation possible. Where are we going next?