24 Days Until Autumn

Yet, I awoke this morning to find snow covered mountains.

Okay, maybe they weren't completely covered in snow, but with it being still being August I think I'm safe in saying they are as covered as they are going to get.

With snow in the mountains and temps in the mid 50's the feeling of Fall is definitely in the air. I'm really tempted to bust out the Fall decor, place a few Autumn Spice candles on their warmers, bundle up with my bundled up girls, and enjoy some hot chocolate while watching football. Unfortunately, instead of being able to do all of that I have to finish packing for our trip this weekend, make a salad for an F.H.E. get together with some friends, finish the laundry and then some last minute shopping. And never mind the fact that temps will be back into the low 90's by this weekend.

Oh well, at least I got a taste of what I have to look forward to! I love Fall and can't wait for it to get here.

Family Fun at Flaming Gorge

This is supposed to be a annual event for our family, but it seems like we're only able to make it out every other year....if that. Last year Kinsie was only a few months old, so we opted out of going. That made us more determined than ever to get in on some of the family fun this year. The girls did awesome and having a new camping trailer certainly helped in making this trip enjoyable for us and the girls.

Instead of giving you a play by play of our trip I'll just break it down main categories and give you a little feel of the fun we had.
The Trailer
We finally got ourselves a trailer. We've been looking to get one since we've been married and with the addition of the two girls we figured now was the time.The trailer was great and it made the girls naps, cooking, sleeping, getting ready, and pretty much our entire trip that much easier and the girls just loved being in there. I always grew up "tenting it" and know it's possible to camp without a trailer, but I honestly don't know how we would have survived this trip without one. So, to all of you out there who camp on a regular basis with lots of kids and nothing but a tent...I salute you!

The girls enjoying bath time in the trailer
The girls enjoying playtime with daddy in the trailer--Kinsie kept pulling this face the entire time we were there while saying OHHHHHHHHH! She still does it here at home and I can't get enough of it :)

The Boat

We really only had one day that we got to spend on the boat, but that was probably all the girls could have handled anyway. However, Kinsie was able to go out with dad every morning to watch Uncle Kyle and Grandpa ski. They both loved being on the boat and did such a great job in spite on the annoying life vests.

Skiing
I'm a wimp when it comes to skiing in cold water. Actually, I just hate doing it. It's not fun for me at all, so this year I didn't even attempt to go skiing. I'm kinda bummed about it, but at the same time it's just not worth all the shivering. Luckily, Chad and I balance out each other very well. Where I'm not man enough to set foot in the cold water, Chad will not only go skiing in frigid temperatures, but will attempt to do so one handed. (BROKEN WRIST.....REMEMBER!)

Now, you may be thinking to yourself that skiing one handed isn't really that big of a deal...and it isn't. I think almost everyone who can ski has dropped one hand off the rope at one point or another, but have any of you ever gotten up while holding the rope with only one hand? Well, that's what Chad did and I think that's pretty impressive.

The Sights
We always manage to have a great time and we really enjoy all the activities that we are available, but I think my favorite part of it all are the sites we get to see. I never tire of how gorgeous it is at Flaming Gorge.
Whether it's sitting at camp and watching 2 doe and 3 fawns cross by...or seeing the tail end of some big horned sheep...or if it's simply watching Kinsie as she takes it all in...

I love being at Flaming Gorge!

To: Danielle From: Kinsie

A few months ago Kinsie's birthmom gave her a CD to listen to. The songs on the CD were all sung by her birthmom. This was one of them...



Tonight we gave this DVD to Dannie to let her know how much we love her. Words can't descirbe how much we appreciate all you've done for us...THANK YOU!

Looking back on July

Our month started off with a family trip to the cabin at Panguitch Lake. This is a trip we try to take every year since it's become something of a mini family reunion. Not everyone can always make it, but it's great to see those who can and this year was especially sweet because my entire family was able to make it out. We spend most of our time relaxing, playing games, eating food, riding the toys, and having fun. This year it seemed like Chad and I just spent the majority of out time playing "house" with our two girls, but in a way it was worth the 4+ hours of driving....right?!Since our family dynamics have changed so drastically in the last year and a half (5 new grandkids) and since everyone was there we decided to take some family pictures.

The Whole GangGrandpa and Grandma with the Grandkids

While we were there Chad had a little mishap with his bike which resulted in a trip to Cedar City, a couple of x-rays, and ultimately a broken wrist. He was a real champ and I have to give him some props since he was about 15 miles out and ended up riding his bike back to the cabin on his own (my brother was with him, but I don't know if I could manage to ride a motorcycle with a broken wrist). Needless to say that put a bit of a damper on the trip, but we were headed home the next day anyway. After getting back home and visiting two more doctors it was determined that Chad would need surgery to have a screw placed in his scaphoid.

Post surgery with the girls

The surgery went great and he's doing fine. It's been a pretty minor ordeal actually and the biggest stress has been the lack diaper changing on Chad's part! I've been going solo on the diaper changing for over a month now and since Chad will be in his cast until the end of the month it looks like I have a few more weeks to go. I keep telling him the next 8 months are all his :)

Our month ended with family pictures. This actually involved all of Chad's extended family, as everyone was finally back home from missions and almost everyone has had their babies. I haven't gotten the professional ones, but here is what I was able to capture with my own camera. (These were taken in the evening right when our girls usually go down for bed so they look a little worn out and it was hotter than a pistol, but all in all they did pretty good.)July is now over and we're looking forward to a new month that I'm sure will be full of new adventures. Hope you're all having a wonderful summer.