Where the deer and the antelope play...

Hello, camping! Last week we packed up the girly and headed south to Zion National Park. The weather was perfect and the ponderosa's smelled like earth. We set up camp the first night at Duck Creek in Dixie National Forest and settled in for a cozy night around the fire and a black sky so full of stars we barely needed a flashlight. Isla had Oreo's for the first time in her life and there is no turning back now. Ahh, the joys of camping when your a toddler.

Isla was in heaven with all the freedom she had to wander and explore in the rocks and dirt. Oh, funny story! After the long drive, we quickly set up camp and I made a b-line for the bathroom. While I was taking care of business another lady came in with a huge dog that she left near the sink while she went into the stall. Sure enough that huge dog thought he'd come introduce himself to me and crawled right under the door and into the tiny stall with me! Sheesh, it was...um...crowded. The lady was so embarrassed, but what can you do! He was quite friendly despite the complete lack of bathroom etiquette. HA!

Camping is reeeeally different now that I'm a mom. Still fun, but different. Remember when you were a kid and you'd play in the forest all day and then suddenly lunch would appear? And then you'd go on a good long hike, or go ride your 4-wheeler, and when you were super tired you'd come back to camp and the yummiest, hot, dinner would be magically waiting for you?

Yeah, your mom was making that happen.

The last two days of our trip we spent at a resort near the entrance of Zion. These little cabins held a queen size bunk bed and a pull-out couch and that's all. It was the perfect combo of comfort and camping and we were loving having a place for Isla to take her afternoon nap. I never thought I would say this, but I think this is totally the way to go!

Beautiful ZION!

Oh, yeah, and there was a pool area. It was soooo nice to soak our tired tootsies in the hot tub after all the hikes we did. Isla is a water baby for sure. Fearless! Swimming lessons are going to be a must next spring.

It was the perfect Summer farewell and gave us a chance to spend some awesome quality time as a family. It was weird to come back to cell phone's and internet and now were already planning the next trip back to all those delicious ponderosa pines and that midnight sky full of stars.

Happy Birthday to my sweetheart.

Those of us that are above the 30 year old mark know that it isn't the easiest birthday. So for my Kindle's 30th, I wanted to make it as fun and memorable as possible. Without her knowing I called all her obligations and cancelled because, with a little help from family, I had planned a surprise birthday weekend extravaganza that started with a date night to see Captain America. The next morning we dropped Isla off at her cousins house for some extended play time and headed off to Park City for a little relaxing and some fun. We listened to live music on the hillside at the Canyons ski resort, watched the sunset like lovebirds, and ate a fancy dinner at the Purple Sage. In the morning Kindle woke up to an in-room professional massage and then we celebrated by reminding ourselves to live life to the fullest by eating some french croissants for breakfast and doing the alpine slide and huge zip-lines at the Olympic Park Museum. It was awesome. By the end of that day we were missing our baby girl so we headed home to a little surprise party and some cake. We started the next day by celebrating Pioneer Day with an early morning parade, a nice long afternoon nap and then finished the day with Kindle's favorite: the rodeo and a great fireworks finale. I am so lucky to have such an amazing wife and friend to spend my life with. I love you Kindle. - Ben

The Summer Sizzle with Mustard and Catch up...

Hi Friends! It's July and we've been lovin' every minute of it. We've spent lots of time swimming, going to the zoo, watching parades and fireworks, and generally hanging out with our cousins. Here is the month in pictures...

For extra points, see if you can spot the tiger.

The 4th of July!! One of my favorite holidays. Hunstville is the best for old timey Americana. We started with a pancake breakfast in the park and then headed over to the parade. One float was full of cheerleaders from the local high school spraying everyone with water guns. As they passed by the house we were sitting in front of, the owner came out with his garden hose on full blast and doused them all. Hilarious. See what I mean? You'd never see that in a big city parade.

Waving the red, white, and blue!

That night we returned to Huntsville Park and set ourselves up for the fireworks. We ate sweet chex mix, now dubbed "Satan's Snack Mix" because the stuff is so addictive, played frisbee and danced the night away. Seriously, the DeeJay played music all night and it was like a huge dance party in the park. Then we got cozy and watched the magic of Isla's first fireworks. We were so excited to see her face light up with surprise, but after all that dancin...she fell asleep.

Hiking! Ben got brave and loaded up Isla in the back packer and we headed up to Waterfall Canyon. It was worth it. The mist from the waterfall was so nice and Isla was amazed at the sight of it.

Cuddling up to mom at a summer concert in the park. Love.

Every year on the Sunday before the 24th of July, Weber State hosts a summer pops concert and firework show out on the grass by the duck pond. It has been a tradition to go and picnic and listen to the symphony since I was kid. I look forward to it every year. This year was no exception.

Isla didn't like her glow sticks in a necklace.

There, fixed it.

Lil' E, however, likes his glow sticks any way he can get them.

Happy Summer!!