In the Neigh.....borhood ;)

During our last trip to Provo, with the whole family, we stopped by to visit my Aunt Tammy. She was at the Nephi Fairground exercising and training her horses (much to Ava's delight). She had a new horse since our last visit. It's one of the prettiest horses I've seen. I think we all fell in love with it. If we were ever to afford a horse, this would be my choice. His name was "Reno."

Tammy has had Toby, the black one, since he was a colt. He's only been ridden by her and apparently wants to keep it that way..... lol

Tammy said Reno has only been ridden 9 times in his life and he's one of the smartest, trainable, and gentle horses she's had. She plans to sell him for a higher price.

I fell in love with Reno too.......

Ava was happy to ride in the saddle.....

I think they had a bonding experience :) 

Ava has a break from school next week; which means a nice, extended weekend. We plan on staying at Jon and Tammy's house to visit longer. Who knows where else the wind will blow us. Guess we'll see; and later I'll post ;)

In the words of the great Mr. Rogers, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." 

October Visit

My friend, Erin, and her kids (Xander and Te'a) flew out to visit her family's ranch. They currently live in Oklahoma, so we don't get to see them; maybe once a year if we are lucky. Jesse, her husband, had to stay and work. We made plans to rendezvous and catch up on the craziness of life. So, when Ava got out of school, we were eager to drive to Hidden Canyon Ranch.....

Xander and Ava wore each other out playing tag.......

The four little energizer bunnies: Te'a, Ava, Xander, and Isaac

It's amazing the chunk of time that passes in between visits with each other. But, when we get together.....it's almost like no time has passed; and we pick up where we left off! It's crazy! I miss this girl!

Xander took these photos of us:

Erin is due in mid-February with their third child. They will find out the gender very soon.
I eagerly anticipate ~ as do they :)

Next time we get together, it's going to be even more exciting ~ meeting the new additions to the family!
Can't hardly wait!

You can't make old friends,

not the way we've always been

~ Kenny Rogers

Crystal Peak 2013

With Bryan and other parkies on furlough, we decided to take advantage of a warm, sunny day and go explore. We hadn't been to Crystal Peak in a few years, so we decided to pack a picnic along with our gear and drive out. Adam, Mark, and Audrey went with us.

We stopped by a random hill covered with boulders. Bryan and Mark thought it was a great snake observing spot. Looked like the right habitat.....

Audrey's loud squeal confirmed that there were rattlesnakes there! lol
It was hiding under a rock, sounding off its warning. Audrey may be the key to finding snakes.....

We continued a little further on the dusty road until we reached Crystal Peak. There it stood, in all it's rhyolite tuff glory......

There are quite a few fossils here, so we decided to see what we could find. Also, Adam brought his metal detector to explore with. The kids had fun climbing the rocks, while the dogs ran through the trees.....

You know what makes a pregnant woman feel anymore larger? Looking at her shadow!
Here I am at 34 weeks!

Audrey took this photo of me, as I try to get into a comfortable position.
Unsuccessful...... Haha

Some examples of some fossils we found in the nearby limestone....

At one point, Ava yelled "Mom! Can you take a picture of me?!" 
Then, she posed.

Then, she grabbed Isaac and asked, "Can you take a picture of me with Isaac?" 
That was really cute...........

You may notice something different about Ava's smile. She lost another tooth! That makes number three.

The white rock (which was produced during volcanic activity) stands out against the surrounding limestone. It is porous and uniquely shaped......

From there to here, from here to there;

funny things are everywhere! 

~ Dr. Seuss

My Helpers

They have big steps, little feet; Emma and Isaac are great lil' helpers! They really wanted to go play. But, I bribed them to help me collect the grass that I had just mowed. We got the wheelbarrows and they eagerly started to work (which is especially helpful when I can't bend over very well). I made piles of grass clippings around the yard and they scooped and dumped all of them in my nearby planter box.

Today was a beautiful, warm day! They did get plenty of play time in afterward  ;)

 Job complete! You two make a great team!

You're hired!  I'll put you two to work while most of the rest of the country is on furlough!  
:D