Sawtell Peak, Henry's Lake, Buffalo River Dam and the Dunes

This summer we've been trying to take little family trips just to get out and see the beautiful area that we live in. With the new baby and little kiddos we've had to make sure we're going adventures everyone can participate in. Earlier this year we went on our first summer adventure of 2012 to the sand dunes to let the kids out and they had a blast. We decided we'd make sure we'd take a few more day trips here and there and just enjoy the time we had together. A few weeks ago we broke away again and went to play out in nature again.

We started the day out by meeting up with someone who wanted to purchase something from us online. While we made the trade she told us about a fun place to go check out while we were up in Island Park. We decided to see where we were in our day and maybe make a stop at the location she told us about... if we could find it.

Our first stop was out at Sawtell Peak up in Island Park. Paul had found this road on a field trip he took with his biology class his last semester at school. Once he found it was a public access road he HAD to go check it out. When we first looked at the map it looked like it was going to be a lot harder drive than it was but it ended up being a perfect drive for the kids.

When we first started out I kind of thought to myself, "that's really where we're going?" and Paul just smiled the whole way up. We were a little bummed it wasn't a clearer day but it was pretty amazing to be up in the clouds like we were when we got to the top. It was FREEZING when we got up there because of the clouds but watching how excited Riann was because she got to "touch" them was priceless.

As we started up the mountain. There's quite a bit more mountain under those clouds.

Once we got up to the top and we were inside the clouds. It was crazy cold and there was still a ton of snow on the ground but we still got some pretty amazing views when the clouds would break.

The view from the top was amazing!!! The peaks and valley's on the other side of the peak were spectacular and the colors of the trees, grasses and flowers were beautiful. I wish the camera would have caught how vibrant everything was.

Just some of the view from the top.

When we caught a glimpse of the top of the peak from the bottom you could see a radio tower. When we first turned on the road going up the mountain Paul pointed to it and told Riann that's where we were going. When we got there we didn't realize it was going to be so big. We didn't know what to tell Riann it was so we called it a giant soccer ball and the whole trip around the peak she pointed it out every time she saw it. Later we found out that the FAA operates a flight traffic control radar station from the summit and that's what the giant ball was. They've got some pretty intense up signage up there. There's no trespassing into the actual building and up on the tower and next to all of the no trespassing signs there are pretty specific signs telling you how the building is patrolled and it lists the various ways you'll be shot or contained if you happen to be found trespassing. That being said the whole area around the building is open to the public and there is a lot of really cool stuff to check out.

The "Giant Soccer Ball"

On the way back down we finally got some breaks from the clouds and the views throughout the whole drive were amazing. There was still a lot of snow at the top because it was so cold and what you could see of the valley was awesome. Island Park is a part of the Targhee National Forest and out here you don't get many trees like we're used to back in Washington but the area out there reminds me a lot of "home" and it was wonderful to spend the day out in the green forest.

Some of the surroundings as we started going back down. This was all right at the very top once we rounded the corner from the tower.

Lots of the green forest and views of the valley.

There were tons of wild flowers still in bloom up the whole mountain side. Every time we stopped Riann asked me to pick her some. I love being out in the flowers like this. They're amazing!!

The photo on the left is the Google map Paul found of the road before we went up. The photos on the right are from the actual road on the way down. We couldn't get any good shots of the switchbacks from further down because the trees were so much thicker but you can see it was a pretty great road from the few photos we got from the top.

While we were at the top of the peak we saw Henry's Lake off to the North of where we were. I didn't realize there was a lake out in Island Park, I just thought it was all river. When we got to the bottom of the mountain we realized we had more than half the day left over so we decided to head on over to the lake and see what we had been missing out on. It was a beautiful lake and maybe we'll be able to hit it up next year, when the weather is a lot warmer. There wasn't much of a public access beach but once the kids are older that probably wouldn't be a huge deal.

Henry's Lake. They let us have a "drive through" pass so we could just check out the area without paying to actually use it. It was fun to drive through and see what the area looked like. We also circled around a few times to drive through a flock of seagulls. Riann and Colby loved that part the most.

After checking out the lake we decided we had enough time to go check out the dam that the lady we had met up with earlier in the day had told us about. It was a beautiful spot and there was a lot for the kids to check out. As a kid we would go visit my grandparents in The Dallas, Oregon and there's The Dallas Dam out there. I remember always having a fun time checking out the dam and playing around. It was fun to share a moment like that with my kids even if this dam was on a MUCH smaller scale than some of the other dams I've visited.

The Buffalo River Dam. This is what everything looked like when we first walked up.

Past the dam you can see down to the Snake River. It was gorgeous! We even got to see a few fishermen out "working".

Paul took the kids around while I hung out with Roslyn. She was having a grumpy moment from being stuck in the car all day. They really enjoyed checking out the water and walking up and down the fish ladder (that's the grate underneath them in the main shot). I just wish there were actual fish for them to see.

After playing at the dam we decided to make one more stop on our way back and let the kids get out and really play around in a place where we didn't have to worry so much about them falling off a cliff or falling into the water. We stopped at the Sand Dunes to let them play and stretch and just be themselves. I think they were grateful for the change to get out of the car and to have the freedom to plan on their own without Paul and I nagging them to "be safe".

Our kids LOVE the sand!!

It was a beautiful day while we were out playing. For how cold it was when we started off it ended pretty warm.

I decided after our first adventure this year I was going to try to get a photo of the car on every trip we made. I'm bummed that we didn't get a picture of the car at the top of Sawtell but as I was picking some flowers for Riann I was able to get a shot coming down the mountain. The rest of the photos are from the rest of the stops we made on our day out.

The top photo is from the down down at Sawtell, the bottle left is from the Buffalo River Dam and the bottom right photo is from the Sand Dunes. We had a couple come and chat with us while we were on the dunes because they couldn't believe we drove our car out on them. They had had some trouble with their 4-wheeler on the dunes and couldn't believe we were able to get a car out there. I love this thing!!!

Sidewalk Art

This summer the kids have had a lot of fun drawing all over our cement pad in our driveway. Riann got a couple of boxes of sidewalk chalk for Easter and her birthday and our driveway has because an art museum between her, Colby and the neighbors. It's fun watching her start to show interest in drawing things other than scribbles and people seem to be her new favorite thing. Late one afternoon, after nap time we were enjoying a beautiful day outside and Paul had just gotten home from work and Riann came running up to him yelling, "LOOK DAD!!! I DREW YOU!!!!" She is so cute!!!

Labor Day at Grand Targhee

Paul and I have been wanting to take a hike up to the top of the Grand Targhee Resort for a while now and with the weather being so nice the last few weeks and with the holiday we thought this would be a great time to go. We've done a few other hikes with Colby and Riann and they did great so we decided to go ahead and go as a family. We knew we wouldn't have time to do much hardcore hiking, and that wouldn't have worked with the kids, but because they have a chair lift to the top we thought we would enjoy a scenic day and just go. After getting everyone ready we headed up to the mountain and had a fun trip getting out there. The kids were happy and didn't mind that it was a little bit of a drive out there. We've been having bad fires in our area so we were a little worried about there being too much smoke in the air but it ended up working out just fine. Once we got out there and above the smoke it really wasn't too bad.

We had a great time while we were out there. We brought up a picnic lunch and sat at the base of the mountain and ate. The kids loved eating outside and watching everyone come and go on the lifts. Once we were done eating they were excited to get going so we packed all of the stuff we weren't going to be taking up the mountain back in the car and got on our way.

On the right is the main entrance to the resort. On the left the main lift up to the very top!!

I don't like the lifts by myself and even less with the kids but they enjoyed riding all the way up to the top. We had to split up because they only allow 4 bodies per life and even though Roslyn was attached to me they needed us to go separate. On the way up I was in front of the kids and they had a great time riding with daddy.

Going up and all around.

The view from the top is absolutely stunning. One of these days Paul and I will hike up to one of the other peaks you see in the distance but we'll probably have to do it without the kids because I heard they are pretty heavy duty hikes. Paul has been up to this spot a few times snow boarding but it was really cool to get to go with him and see it for myself. This area of the country is so beautiful!!

The amazing view from the top. Next time we'll do some actual hiking around.

The kids had a great time at the top, even though we didn't let them wander very far. We were right on the edge of a VERY steep ledge and we didn't want them to get too close. We had a great time resting and just enjoying what was around us. There was so much to see up there and it was just wonderful to feel the peace of being out in nature.

Riann and Colby "playing" at the top. They didn't get to go too far because it was steep on all sides of us but they had a good time digging around. You can't keep these kids out of the dirt!!

Pictures from the top. We had a great time. God's creations are AMAZING!!

Rainn taking a picture of me taking a picture of her. She thought it was pretty silly. I didn't crop anything on the picture she took of me. She did the zooming all on her own.

The photos Riann took of all of us on her camera. She's getting good!!

All of the signs from the top. Apparently, as you can see from the sign on the bottom left, we weren't supposed to hike down the direction we went. Didn't see the sign until we got back to the lift... oops.

All of us at the top. Aren't those mountains amazing?!

On the way back down we stopped for a few photos from the valley. There was still a lot of smoke down there and we wanted to get a couple of shots showing where we had been and what you could see throughout the day.

All of the fires have been out to the west of where we were and we didn't think it was too bad when we started out that morning but as we got closer we could see that the smoke was settling into the valley pretty bad. The picture on the top is of the mountains on the way in. It was really hazy. We had gotten some breezes while we were up there. On the way back it had cleared quite a bit and that is shown with the picture on the bottom.

The kids had a great time and were happy and had a lot of fun just playing around with each other. They love being silly and making each other laugh and Paul and I really enjoy watching them play together.

Being silly on the way home. Riann and Colby just HAD to put their feet out the window after a long day of hiking and Colby had the sun in his eyes most of the way home, so we gave him Paul's hat to block it. He chose the most effective way to get the sun out of his eyes. I think he did a pretty good job.

Here are just a few of the beautiful pictures we got of the mountains and of our hike. It was so great to spend the day outside in such an amazing place.

I've said this before but I could take pictures of these mountains all day long. They are beautiful and I'm so glad I finally got to see them up close. Next time we'll get much closer!!

Paul's Instagram edit from the top. I LOVE this photo!!

Paul has a panorama app on his phone and he used it to take these photos. If you go to the links they are also interactive.
http://360.io/72PFAZ

They're pretty amazing.
http://360.io/vdtaKk

We had a fantastic day. It was so fun to be outside together and have just some us time. It's been a while since we've gotten that with Paul working so hard and just having finished up with school. Days like this don't come along very often and we're so glad we took time out of our week to just be together. We got a lot of amazing pictures and had a fun time building memories that you just can't fake. This was a good day!!!

Celebrate Youth

This year we got to participate for the first time in the "Celebrate Youth" program here in town. I didn't know this was something they did every year and we were excited to go check it out. We'll defiantly have to give ourselves more time next year so we can do more of everything. The kids had a great time doing all of the activities and collecting goodies. We were hoping it hit up the bouncy house but they closed it down earlier than we thought they would so we missed out on getting a chance to climb in. Next year we'll do better. This program is for all of the youth in the Madison and Fremont school district boundaries. It's almost a kick of to school program and local community organizations come out to tell the community that they are here and how they can help. Then they have a huge raffle and dance for the older kids at the end. I wish we had known about it in previous years. It's a lot of fun to be a part of a smaller community that puts on events like this for free so the kids can just enjoy being out while getting to do something different from our daily routine. Below are some pictures of the fun activities they got to participate in.

Riann doing an obstacle course to win a prize.

Colby and Riann had to toss their fishing poles over the curtain to "catch" a prize.

In this one they had to scoop up the ducks, I think they got to pick two, and whatever number was on the bottom of their duck was the number of prizes they got to pick out. I think this was Colby's favorite, he went back numerous time to pick up more ducks, even though he didn't get more prizes, and he was very excited about his "bracelets".

They gave the kids milk with their "sack dinner" and Colby LOVED his chocolate milk. He hasn't been able to drink it very often because he has a similar chocolate allergy to what Riann had but we can give it to him in small doses and he was in heaven tonight!!!

Fun "Family" Pictures

One of our first adventures out together after having Roslyn was to a health and beauty boutique here in Rexburg that a few of my friends were hosting. Our Saturday morning was open before I had to work and Paul had been working all morning so we decided to try braving town with the three of us and do something different. On our way to the boutique we drove through a neighborhood that was having a huge garage sale. I didn't plan on stopping and picking anything up but I wanted to see what was out there. I just happened to pass by one of the homes that had a table with a bunch of random items on it and I saw this huge pink sun hat that I thought Riann would love to play with at home and at the park. I had also been keeping my eye out for costume items because I've been trying to build a dress up box for the kids and thought it it would be fun to have it for that. I backed up and asked her if she wanted me to go see how much it was. She was very excited and said she wanted it. I figured spending a dollar or two on something like that would be fun and probably worth it for the right price so I got out of the car to check it out. Fortunately for us they were actually wrapping up their sale and the table we were looking at was full of things they just wanted to get rid of and everything they had set was free!! I picked up the hat and looked over the rest of the table thinking I should see if they had something for Colby too. Right under the hat I was getting for Riann was a simple cute "Newsies" style hat and thought that it would be cute on Colby so I grabbed that too. After checking out the rest of the sales on the block we headed over to the boutique to see what was going on.

When we got there things were a little crazy because I had borrowed my neighbors double jogger and while I was so glad I had it to pin the kids down the room the boutique was in was a little cramped and we took up a LOT of space. Everyone was so nice though and helped us get through the tight spaces and they all had a fun time cuddling Roslyn, as she wasn't the happiest baby about being out and around town during her nap time.

As we looked around, I had forgotten that one of the vendors at the boutique was a local photographer who was doing a photo booth. When we finally got to her booth we thought it would be fun to get a few pictures. She had a couple of props in her booth and of course Riann got into them before we even introduced ourselves. As soon as Riann spotted the boa's they were around hers and Colby's necks and she was ready to go. After talking with the photographer and getting her the information she needed to send us the pictures, and sign up for her give-away, we got our pictures taken. They turned out GREAT!!! I didn't think we'd get pictures this good but she did a fantastic job. I just wish I would have thought to have her take a picture of Roslyn separate. Oh well, they're doing another boutique in a few weeks and I'll make sure to get it done then. Haha.

Here are the photos we had taken. Don't I have the cutest kids ever?!

Riann, age 4.

Colby, age 19 months.

All of use together. Roslyn, age 1 month.

It ended up being a pretty fun day, all stress considered. I wish we would have had more time to check everything out and even to have made a few more stops that day but we did have a good time. The kids loved being out and it was nice to change up our schedule for a day. I'm excited to take them out and do it again soon.

**All photos were done by Aly Willis

Cookies with the Kids

The other day the kids and I decided we would make a treat and since I can't eat chocolate right now, because I'm breastfeeding Roslyn, we decided we would make some kind of white chocolate cookie. I've been working over in my mind some kind of cookie with Craisin's for a while now and since we were looking for a snack I decided we would try combining the two. We decided to do oatmeal Craisin and white chocolate chip cookies and they were wonderful!! I didn't have any battery left on my camera so I had to take pictures on my phone, sorry they aren't that great but I'm glad I documented the afternoon because we had a lot of fun.

All of our ingredients, minus the salt. I forgot about it until it was time to actually add it to the cookie.

My little helpers.
Colby didn't realize what we were doing until after we got started and he wasn't too happy to be put in his chair before he figured it out.

Adding the good stuff!!

After mixing I gave each of the kids a beater. Colby wasn't sure what to do with all of his cookie dough.

Riann knew right away what to do with hers and she enjoyed it... a lot!!

YUM!!! I love cookie dough!!!

Getting ready for the oven.

And they're done!! We had a fun time playing with the recipe and I can't wait to try something new later, but for obvious health reasons we're gonna have to hold off on that.

The kids and I had a great afternoon and I'm glad they're getting better at baking with me. I think we'll have lots of fun doing more treats and different kinds of treats now that they can help me more. After we ate dinner and enjoyed a few cookies for ourselves and then ran out and delivered the rest of our cookies to our neighbors. We considered it an impromptu FHE and it ended up being a GREAT night. I love it when we get to play together!!

New Side by Side's with all 3 Kiddos

Apparently I was terrible at taking pregnancy pictures this time around. I knew that I had missed the ones at the very end because we didn't plan on going to the hospital when I did but I didn't realize I had missed the month or two before that. I'm really bummed. But I did have a few fun photos to match everything else. I gave Paul the responsibility to take most of the pictures of Roslyn at the hospital this time around but forgot that he didn't really know what pictures he was supposed to take so there are a few that don't match but were still close enough to make them work. I was a lot of fun for me to look back on these pictures and remember the kids as they were. It seems so long ago that Riann was this small and I can't remember her even being that tiny. I'm grateful that I have the pictures to prove it!!

This picture was set up because I was trying to seem who Roslyn resembled more. They are all pictures of the kids at about 2 months old. Everyone who commented on Facebook said that from the nose up she looked more like Colby and from the nose down more like Riann. It's funny that they all have the same nose. They may all look like Paul but at least they have my nose!! When I do Roslyn's set of 12 pictures for her first birthday I'll have to do a side by side collage of all 12 months for each of them. That would be fun to look at!