Kids in a candy shop

My kids knew one thing about Park City before we went: caramel apples were in store. Noah, my little sweet tooth, talked about it constantly in the weeks leading up to the trip. I had told the boys about the trips up to Park City that their dad and I had taken when we were dating. We always came home with a caramel apple. The apples did not disappoint and Noah is wondering when we can head back. His (six and a half month pregnant) mother is too.

Jordanelle

We spent the morning at Jordanelle reservoir on Friday. The beaches were significantly smaller than they usually are due to the unusually wet Spring we have had. Isaac was in his element; sand, water, sticks and room to run. The temps were perfect.

My grandfather is a stone mason and Jordanelle was one of his biggest projects. He did the stone work for all the signs and shelters. Luke was completely impressed and wanted to tell everyone we met that his great-grandpa had done all the stonework.

Around the house in Park City

This vacation had all the makings of a great one; perfect weather, good homemade food, a place to relax, wonderful scenery, and, most importantly, amazing people.

The view from the back deck was incredible. We were able to see hot air balloons every morning as we ate breakfast and enjoy the sunsets as we wandered out after dinner.

Isaac has a habit of prolonging breakfast every morning. Being able to sit on the beautiful deck made this ritual a little more bearable for me.

The hot tub was a hit!

Cousin love

Enjoying Whitney's freshly baked cookies. If there is sugar around Noah is never far.

I have gotten back to baking most of our bread (this deserves an entire post). I made a couple of loaves before we headed up and the kids enjoyed toast with honey for snacks. You can also get a peek at the amazing house.

Park City Hiking

Here are the kids, all lined up with their shoes on and read to go. I love the little exchange between Ivy and Luke that I caught here.

Just up the road from the house that we stayed in was the trail head to a perfect hike. We took the hike twice. The whole trip served as a reminder of what a beautiful place I live in. Here's to a summer with many, many more hike with these little ones in tow.

Antelope Island

The Chicago Fredins just did a western tour. They stayed with us for a couple of days, then we all stayed up in Park City together for a long weekend and they finished off the trip up in Boise. It was a much anticipated visit and did not not disappoint. The boys were in heaven with all the attention from Grandma, Grandpa, Dave and Courtney. Jem also ate up all their dog loving affections. They are all the perfect house guests.

While they were here we visited Temple Square, they took a trip to Boondocks and we spent Thursday morning at Antelope Island. I did a terrible job documenting most parts of the visit. I'll blame Isaac, who is a little demanding while on vacation.

I did, however, get some good pictures of a few events. Here is Antelope Island.

10 years

We celebrated ten years of married bliss last week. We were all together with the Fredin side and Barb surprised us with this beautiful cake that she ordered from a local bakery up in Park City where we were staying. Because that's how the Fredins are-- thoughtful through and through.

Ten years ago I married the love of my life. We were babies, really-- twenty two years old. We had no idea what was ahead of us. And that's a good thing because it has allowed us to take each phase as it comes, enjoying the blessings and learning from the trials. So here we are ten years later with three beautiful boys and another on the way. We have a house in a neighborhood we love and a puppy to run in the backyard. It just gets better and better despite the bumps in the road.

I knew some of Nat's good qualities when I married him but most of all I knew that I loved being with him and that I couldn't imagine life (and eternity) without him. What I have come to know since we were married is how thoroughly good he is. He is patient to the core, without guile and wants, more than anything, to be a good father, husband and man of God. He knows my weaknesses and loves me anyway. He is an example to our boys and they adore him. He is unfailing loyal and dedicated to the well being of this family. He is capable. I love him completely. Now, more than ever, I can't imagine a life without this saint of a man by my side.

Here's to the rest of eternity with the man of my dreams!

Cousin Camp Week One

We had such a good time with summer camp last year that I managed to talk Emily into doing cousin camp (a name which makes Jakob cringe, he's working on coming up with an alternative). Our first week's theme was plants-- we made books, learned about root systems, photosynthesis, types of plants, labeled plants in our yards and took a field trip to the Utah house.

We're off to a good start. Next up: Dinosaurs!

Last Day of School

It seems like a lifetime ago when Luke started first grade. We had been in Utah all of one weekend, Nat was in Houston interviewing for a job and we still had no idea where he would finish first grade. I feel profoundly grateful to be here; settled into a house and neighborhood that we love, in a job Nat enjoys and that provides for us, down the street from my sister. I am so glad to be on this side of that adventure. Here's looking forward to a summer full of our last adventures before we become a family of six!

Jakob finishes fifth grade today.

Eliza's ending her third grade career.

Luke is done with first!

Ian finishes kindergarten and turns six all on the same day.