Isaac Turns 8 !

Time just moves quicker (not really, but it feels like it), and we all get older. Our little man just turned eight! Say what?! We had a small get-together with friends and family. Bryan made another delicious birthday cake. Yummmm.

Our handsome Zig Zag  :)

This kid, most likely in a goofy mood ~ trying to get someone to laugh..... or say "gross!"  haha

He always gets a reaction from this trick...... inside out eyelids!

Willow's way of getting attention is to shower people with compliments, hugs, and kisses. She gave Isaac some love on his birthday, while he made lots of faces.....

The "making faces" became the thing/theme of the night as you can tell  ;)

Matthew and Ava (friendly) tickle tormenting Isaac :)

Isaac has wanted a mountain bike; specifically a bike with gears, for a couple of years now. Bryan and him took a special trip to SLC to pick this (gently used) one up. He also got presents from friends and family that include his favorite things: nerf gun (with bullets), legos, robots, hand-held video game, and treats. He got enough gift cards from family that he went online and ordered a keyboard! Now we need to start piano lessons back up after the holidays :)

* Thank you friends and family for sending wishes and gifts. It sure made his day special. 
Isaac, thank you for always reminding us not to take life too serious. 

We harvested a tree and put up decorations around the house to remind us that Christmas is coming. It's been pretty much confirmed that we will not have snow through December. The 50 degree high temps and dry spell will continue. It's been a challenge getting into the mood for Christmas. I feel thrown off haha. But, I'm looking forward to the break. We will have some fun doing local adventures. I'm also planning on relaxing in between the run-arounds :)

Jack Frost in the High Country

Bryan noticed that one of the bighorn sheep wasn't on the move. Possible mortality and necropsy?
We joined him on the adventure to find out. Our destination was rugged bighorn sheep habitat: Mt. Washington in the park. I always look forward to going here. It's one of my favorite places.
It's a gnarly twisted road to get to the gnarly twisted Bristlecone pines. There was some snow in the shade on the road. Normally, this would be impossible in December. I can't believe we were here this time of year! The weather had predicted nasty winds so we were prepared to have a challenge ahead of us on this hike.

View from the summit on December 2nd:

Bighorn sheep territory is not a walk in the park lol. Steep, slippery, and exposed to the elements. The gusts of winds were so strong we had to sit down. We knew the distance wasn't long but we had to work hard!

I have a greater appreciation for bighorn sheep, blue grouse, and other living things that tolerate this harsh environment. We were witnessing the winds that help shape the Bristlecone pines. It was slightly scary, but thrilling and amazing. Every minute it looked more intense.
I felt like a national geographic explorer that day haha.

My badass Biologist  ;) 

The mountain creating its own weather at 11,000 ft......

I would have taken more pictures and a video but we had to move quickly and I didn't want to take off my gloves!

We hiked our butts down a steep slope about 1,000 ft and found the collar! Guess there wasn't a deceased sheep after all which is good. It's also great to have recovered the equipment. Goal achieved. Do you see it camouflaged?

We were far enough down on the ridge away from the wind, which was a temporary relief. The temperature dropped dramatically. Then, it was like Jack Frost tip-toed through the forest and magically frosted everything in front of our eyes. Our hair included! Beautiful, but brrrrrr! Haha.

We hiked back as fast as we could, our lungs working hard for the thin air.....

When we arrived on the mountain it was 42 degrees. Two and a half hours later as we departed the mountain it was 7 ! What an experience!
When we got home the town's power was out from poles that the wind blew down. I guess it was out for hours while we were gone. We lit a toasty fire.
1.5 hours later the power came on and we finished the day with dinner and put our feet up and relaxed our muscles :)
So, I looked at the extended forecast and I think Old Man Winter won't be here at all for December.
This dry spell is throwing me off. We managed to put up our tree and lights so it would feel like Christmas. I'm starting to sing "Let it snow" in my head now. I might include a tap dance with it :)

Thanksgiving

On the last day of school before the break, Isaac brought home his Indian doll that he made. This was the last year to do them, because he's moving on to Baker School next year.

Between him and Ava making Pilgrims and Indians over the years, we now have six. The ginger pilgrim sure is original! They are all great. Helps create the holiday mood ;)

 My family was all able to come out for Thanksgiving. We don't all get together like this often. The kids always look like they grew a foot. Our family pictures didn't get organized, but I managed to get some photos of all 10 grand kids together! Pretty special!

We had a great visit. Ate too much food, as to be expected. I had to wear my pajama jeans for days afterward lol. It's always sad to see company leave but we made great memories for 2017!