sunny getaway~

So a few weeks ago we headed down to sunny St.George for some r&r. It was a whole lotta good food, good company, and good fun!

We flew kites, swam in the pool, and went exploring Snow Canyon.

Oh, that red rock... get's me every time!Haven't you heard? Socks and sandals are all the rage right now. He insisted;)

Some serious exploring going on here~

Our kids are monkeys! They will climb on anything...

My sweet sister and her family~

Nothing beats popsicles by the pool:)

After a couple days with my family, we loaded up {pup and all} and headed off to stay with Gramy and Papa for a couple more days...

Which meant more swimming, more good company, and of course, more. food!

One afternoon we headed for the St.George airport to see the Blue Angels in action. Besides the massive wind/sand storm that shooed us all out of there in a hurry, it was a fabulous time!

Love my sweet fam, and these fun memories we are able to share.

I am so grateful for our families, and the closeness we share.

Always good times when we are together!

~xo

fancy shoes

The sis and I put on our fancy shoes, and spent a night on the town with the girls~ have I mentioned just how much this little gal of mine {big puffy} heart's getting all dressed up? We painted nails, curled hair, applied make~up{her daddy was giving me the look}... all in good fun, I reassured him. A girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do~ right?

Daddy snapped some pics~ and then we were off to meet our homegirls...

As the tradition goes, dinner and 'the ballet'... we love Ballet West's 'The Nutcracker.' Been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember.

Do you think they were feeling pretty special?

The dancer's were amazing, and so was our company. These girls are too much fun!

I don't know about you, but this holiday season has about sent me to the crazy house! We've been running non~stop, from festivity to festivity. Not to mention the late night cookie baking adventures, I do my best work sans kiddos sometimes;) All good stuff, but I haven't been this tired in a loooong time. Looking forward to wrapping up all of this hustle and bustle this weekend, some ski~therapy, and next week I am going to sit back and enjoy! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

loves.

~xo

Traditions

I love traditions. Some are ever-changing, and some are stuck like glue. Black Island Farm is a keeper, and has been a place of many fun memories for our family over the years. The other night was our annual rendezvous with Nic's family for some pumpkin-filled, hay-ridin', slippery-slidin', pig-racin', corn-tossin', donut eatin' good times...

It is so fun to see how our family has evolved. This year all of the kiddos were mobile, and everywhere! We had a heck of a time keeping track of them all:)

Ry-bug doin' a little slidin'~

Alie Jo and Ry-bug, some swinging action~

sweet Wyatt, love this boy...

Kade had a birthday party for his buddy Jarron at the farm, so we met him there and this is what we found. I've said it once, and I'll say it again~ I adore this group of boys. They are the best, and I am so grateful that Kade has them:)

Parker lovin' up on Bode~ these two are obsessed with Toy Story at the moment, and it is pretty much all they talk about. "To finity and beyon!" over and over, it melts my heart.

Boys being boys~ I promise it wasn't that long ago that Kade and Kole were the infamous Buzz and Woody in action. Ah, where does the time go?

Somethin' about a big sandbox full of corn kernels that just makes me feel like a kid again. Oh, how i love the fall...

It makes my heart happy to see my kiddos beaming with joy as they run and play with their cousins, footloose and fancy free. Nothin' better I tell ya.

Thanks to Gramy and Papa for yet another fun adventure~ you guys are the best!

Today is Halloween~

Jack-o-lanterns are in place, candy bowl is full, costumes are ready, and kiddos are out of school! It is going to be a good day, i can feel it!

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

~xo

Enchanted Woods~

Every year since Kade was just a beansie guy, we have attended the 'Enchanted Woods' at the Treehouse Museum. It is a fun tradition with my family that the kiddos look forward to every year. Thanks Mimi & Papa for this fun memory.

Kids come decked in their Halloween best to wander from station to station in hopes of a good story, and a treat...

Parker got side-tracked with the fishy's, and 'dude crush' on the right:)

Mimi & Papa~ sure love these two.

Kade as Boba Fett (from Star Wars), and Parke as Buzz Lightyear~ they are both obsessed, and it is pretty fantastic.

Sweet Halli and Dax...

the fam~

Gracie~girl and Ry~bug... Ry is a ballerina-fairy-princess, if you couldn't tell;)

Papa walking a couple of cutie's to dinner~

Austy and Kade~

Such a great time. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it is October. The end of October, nonetheless, and we are about to Trick-or-Treat! Where does time go??

In other news: We are nursing an injured doggy. Our sweet Koda was hit by a car the other night, on my watch... I was traumatized. But he is alive, and on the mend.

Been giving myself secret pep-talks, looking at the bright side, and counting blessings. I feel that life hands you times like these to learn something, grow stronger, and move forward in a positive direction.

Today is Saturday. We are heading to the farmer's market...

just a couple weeks of fresh produce left~ tear.

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend.

~xo

Some yum, and fun!

Once again it was raspberry days up at Bear Lake, so we all gathered at Mimi & Papa's cabin to celebrate and enjoy some festivities.

Papa and Erik chillaxin'~

Nic wonders why I take pictures without any 'people' in them:) I can't help myself...

there is just too much beauty in this world~

Some fun in the sand~ Dax, you angel.

That's my baby boy~ as long as he has a weapon in hand, he is good to go:)

Aunt Candace doin' a little face painting in preparation for the big parade!

Raspberry faces for the girls, and in light of the beloved Shark Week, sharks for the boys:)

Always love a good parade~

The next morning we were off to the carnival with one thing in mind... Toad's Roasted Corn. Oh. my. goodness, is it delish! So Papa bought a round of corn, we dressed them to perfection, and devoured our tasty treat!

My fav~ mayo (i know, weird but yum), parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, and a little garlic salt. So good.

A little snow cone action, grubedy grub, and sword fighting...

Rylie frolicking in the splash pad~

Cassie and Halli~bug

love carefree kiddos~

Krew wasn't so sure about the spash pad, but he's pretty darn cute:)

Let's just say, insane amounts of fresh Bear Lake raspberries were consumed.

The raspberry bread pudding was divine! Yummy recipe found here.

The kiddos spent endless hours playing and make~believing in the sand...

There was some water balloon shenanigans~

My dad ready to tear it up out there!

Me and my baby boy~ i love one on one time with my kiddos. I feel like I can get to know who they are as an individual, and they never cease to amaze me.

a little boardin'~

And Kade's first time wake boarding. He did awesome! and we were so proud of him for getting out there and trying something new.

Nothin' beats an ooey~gooey s'more after a fun filled day!

I think Kade burned up his mallow:)

Before we headed home we were spoiled with home made donuts. Candace was a machine whippin' those babies out, and they were unbelievably good.

With a raspberry almond glaze... c'mon!

We came home exhausted, but when I look back at the pictures, and all that we were able to squeeze into a few days I can understand why:) We love to play, and be together. Use our time wisely, and get our hands dirty. Make time for delicious grub. Enjoy and appreciate the life our Heavenly Father has given us, along with the beauty we are surrounded by. And that is exactly what we did. And it was goood times!

Until next time, Bear Lake...

~xo