The Perfect Anniverary Trip

Well, we got to celebrate our anniversary together on Tuesday and Wednesday. My mom and dad came and took care of the kids while we were gone. We just went some place not so far away and camped and 4-wheeled.

The wildflowers were everywhere and gorgeous. The standing water was attracting all these colorful moth/small butterfly things and as we'd drive by they'd flutter around us. It was magical. And.....while we drove on the 4-wheeler, I could focus on us - the two of us. I could help Garrett without distraction and we could talk without interruption, and it was fantastic.

A big thanks to Garrett who took care of trip - I got everything ready for mom and dad and the kids, but Garrett got the whole trip planned and executed. It was wonderful! Sorry no pictures, but the ones engraved on my heart.

2009 Camping Trip #1

Here's Garrett looking the car over and realizing - There's just no way all our stuff is going to fit!


Garrett set up such a nice camp. And the boys all got dressed up for the camping experience!


Here's Jacob too, with his bandana.

And all of them together!

Gabe was a little tired - We went on this little excursion before breakfast!

I love this picture - Jonathan, Gabe, Jacob, and Daddy!

Here's the boys by one of the views. They look like they're praying - I'm not sure why!

And here's us around the campfire as evening settled the first night (these pictures are not really in order).

It rained a lot, but we had fun. We tried to do some fishing, but our boys ate more of the marshmellows than the fish did. It was a great trip!

The Best Day of My Entire Life.......So Far

Today was so wonderful. We packed the kids up after lunch and went into a nearby National Forrest and hiked and played in the water and had snacks and sang songs and drove fast through all the puddles. It was fantastic!

Garrett makes everything so perfect by having all the perfect ideas - like letting the boys wear his hats - They love that! He had a back pack thing with water in it that astounded the boys and he let them practice with the compass and binocular. I just told him that we had to have a picture of him too - hence, the look.


Gabe and Jacob fell asleep on the way there. As you can see, they were wearing Garrett's hats already.

Jacob wasn't terribly thrilled with being carried on the hike - He's a lot happier here running around. Towards the end of the day, he was throwing rocks into a little creek and I started throwing big ones in the same spot at the same time - so he thought he was making some incredible splashes. He loved it until it was time to go.....

Here's Jonathan's enjoying a snack while his curious little mind studies everything! OH! And to his side is his backback with his play camera, binolcular, compass, canteen, etc. He never took a think out of the pack, but he felt so important carrying it all over.

I was just thinking during it all that it doesn't get any better than this.

Garrett found a nest of new little caterpillar's just moving around.

As you can see, the boys were amazed! Gabe doesn't want to get too close.

Here's me, carrying Jacob, with Gabe at my side.

It was just fantastic - A big thanks to Aunt Carla for the backpack child carrier she gave me when I was pregnant with Jonathan. We couldn't have made it without her. What a wonderful day! I feel so lucky to be the mom of this family. (In case you have very sharp eyes, there is a flower tucked into my bandana - which incidentally doesn't match, but the one that did is in the laundry - one more thing to do before I go to bed.....anyway, Garrett gave me this wildflower on our first little excursion today - He won my heart.....again.

And this was my favorite view - I know that the good days come and go and that there are many great things yet to happen in life, but this was the best day yet!

Definitely NOT ..........The End.

I'm Singing in the Rain!

It rained off and on yesterday. Encouraged by Cousins Rachel and Katie's movie clip where they use their umbrellas in the sprinkles, we let the boys enjoy the rain with umbrellas. Jacob thought it was a game, where you ducked under the umbrella and then, ran out into the rain.
This shows Jacob and Gabe playing under the umbrella.

And here they are again! Jonathan under the red, Gabe under the blue, and Jacob in the rain!

Summer Fun

This summer has been filled with lots of fun - playing in our little pool, digging holes in the back yard, having friends over, learning to bike (Jonathan) without training wheels, etc.

This is Gabe, doing puzzles - He loves them!

This is Jonathan building a jail, I believe.

Garrett changed his tires on the truck from the snow tires, to the regular ones. Jacob wanted to sit in them and Jonathan wanted to be part of the picture. Behind the tires is the most wonderful source of transportation on Earth. I love my bike!

Grandpa and Grandma Platt took Jonathan to the DI around new years, and they came back with the little orange doll for Jacob. He loves it, as you can see!

Well, we've been toilet training, biking, gardening, and (last night) playing in the rain. Nothing very exciting, but we're definitely staying busy.