Dirt!

The days are getting colder and we're trying to make the most of the last weeks of summer. Jake's day-off means it is time for an adventure!

We loaded up the 4-wheeler and drove up to the Mesa-Falls area where we knew there was a good trail. It was the old train track that goes all the way to Yellowstone, though we didn't go near that far. I strapped Denym to me in a front carrier and let him enjoy the ride as well! Dad was careful not to go too fast and Mom made sure he was secure.

After a few hours of exploring trails, I told Jake we should find a place by a river to eat lunch. Not long after I made the request, he pulled into this perfect little nook that even had a picnic table! My man delivers!

A few sandwiches and snacks, then I decided to wade in the water a bit. Super cold, but I was feeling spunky.

Dad kept himself busy by catching grasshoppers and then throwing them to the fishes.

 

For some reason the ride back was REAL dusty, and those of us in the back (Denym and myself) came out of there covered in DIRT! I had him almost entirely bundled, so I got the worst of it. It took many a baby wipe to get me looking human again before the drive home.

 

Also in July...

July 7th
While Jake enjoyed a night out with the boys, me and my palsy Karrianne had a little R and R session at my place. (That's Rest and Relaxation, but it sounds cooler and much more like an event when abbreviated in such a manner.) Sadly, we took no pictures because we were obviously REAL busy. She mostly came up to snuggle my chubsy baby I am pretty sure, so we'll add a picture of him.... I might could dig one up. I don't know though... I hardly ever take any of him. ("Are you pickin' up my sarcasm? Cuz I'm layin' it on pretty thick.")

 July 13th
We went to visit Grandma Susan at the cabin. Jake had meetings on Friday so we high-tailed it up there on Thursday night and planned a glorious weekend getaway around his mandatory work shenanigans. It didn't quite start out glorious, as both of us fell ill with a nasty 24 hour bug on the way up. I thought I was just over-the-top carsick at first, and we made several several emergency stops along the drive, but it soon became apparent that it was more than motion sickness. We finally made it to the comfort of the cabin - although I was sure I would die before we reached the safe haven :)  Jake didn't get it too bad until the next morning, and we were both pretty much over it by the following afternoon. Strange little devil bug. So Jake made it to and through his meetings, then we commenced our enjoyment of the canyon trails.

Susan picked us out the perfect little hike that led to... I believe it was called "Lake Solitude" up by the ski resort. It was just right so I could carry baby boy, get a small workout, and still enjoy the surroundings. The weather turned a little drizzly, but the coolness was refreshing and who doesn't love the smell of rain?

 I am pretty sure Mr. Denym was born to be an outdoorsman. He was so happy the entire time - even in the rain; Looked at the trees in wonder, took a little snooze, ate a snack up at the lake, and watched the ducks with Dad.

 July 24th
Pioneer Day, and Hyde Reunion of sorts. Landry's family couldn't make it up this year because of their new baby, and Jake had to work - but everyone else made it. 

Our float wasn't very fancy this year, but hey, we got one put together! We are pretty much the only family who does one anymore so I guess you could say that we are the entire parade in and of ourselves. Yes, there are some four-wheelers, horses, an occasional buggy or truck, and then us. Ta Da! Don't worry, we go around the circle twice to make it longer. And stay tuned for next year, cuz we have a cute idea already cookin'.

All the other traditional activities commenced shortly after the parade; Chicken chases, tug-o-war, barrel races, dunk tank - although we did miss the egg toss this year. Someone forgot to bring eggs! Oh the horror! However, a new thrilling challenge emerged - The 5 person 6 legged race! Wowza. We were told it was hard to complete, let alone do it quickly... of course we couldn't resist such a dare. Many tried, most failed, and the Hyde sisters rose victorious! Go us!

July 28th
Time for the famous Preston night rodeo! We saw some mutton bustin' hilarity, some barrel-racing skills, some crazy bull-riding cowboys, all while enjoying the smells of caramel apples and cotton candy. We took some friends with us to share the experience of said ruckus - as well as the joys of the farm. When we all went out shooting I let Denym come along... He pretty much had HUGE eyes the whole time.

In other news
We have really enjoyed going to the Drive-In movies just outside of town. Summer nights under the stars while baby is sleeping make for awesome date nights. I just feed the little guy in the privacy of our very own pick-up, then bundle him in a snug bed of sleeping bags, and adjust the volume to promote uninterrupted snoozing --- (which I imagine are all very difficult things to do in a movie theater)  The first time we saw Ice Age 4 and Brave. Next the double feature was Bourne Legacy and Spiderman. We were hoping to see Batman in this setting, but it was playing with Borne Legacy... which we didn't care to see again. BUT, I still say Drive-In Movies for the WIN!

Island Park

Jake spent the 3rd week of June in Texas for a business meeting - but when he arrived home on the 14th our weekend began! We would be celebrating my 27th birthday, and Jake's first Father's Day!

He arranged for us to stay 2 nights in a cabin in Island Park. We were pleasantly surprised by the size and coziness of the place!

We had made this same trip for my 25th birthday, but had stayed in a smaller hotel-type cabin. And this time we brought a baby along! But it was the same great outdoors ---

I took this picture during our stroll down by the river - I put Denym in a little front carrier so we could hike for a bit. We had fun looking at all the cabins, and saw a bald eagle.

Both nights we went to a dinner theater. We thoroughly enjoyed the prime rib as well as the shows! (The first was The Three Amigos and the second was Homeschool Musical.) We were again impressed by the couple who own the place and what a good job they do.

While we were there we decided to go on a Paddle boat ride - Fail!  The current was just too strong. We ended up trading our paddle boat for a canoe - which also kind of failed because Jake was trying to oar on both sides while I held Denym up front and could offer no muscle power. He did a pretty good job of it, and was awfully nice to put such an effort into it for me, but ultimately that only lasted a few minutes as well. So much for our high adventures on the river! 

We took a jaunt over to Big Springs where you can view an old cabin and lots of fish from a little bridge.

 This is a place we visited while we were dating - Check out this old photo I found of us there:

 Has it really been 8 years?

There were tons of seagulls there just lining up to steal the fish pellets that people were buying to feed the fish. It was funny to see some of the kids trying to think of good ways to get the pellets past the birds and down into the water.


 
 We saw a guy across the way who was going to great lengths to get good pictures of the seagulls, and figured he was probably pretty good with a camera. So Jake asked him to take a picture for us. Awww, our family of three on a mini-vacation.

It was a beautiful couple of days and a trip that has probably earned its place as a family tradition.

"Camping"

One day, the last week of April, while driving in the car, with the windows rolled down, and casual conversation ensuing..... we realized something. We have had nice weather for weeks, and we still have not been camping! What gives?

Then we considered the state I was in; That is, being a rolly-poly pregnant lady. I am all for being adventurous while 9 months pregnant and was excited --- Yet, I couldn't see myself enjoying sleeping in a tent. But, But, But..... we LOVE camping. So we decided that we would find a "camping spot" somewhere close, set up camp, have a fire, and then go home to our bed and call it camping.

And find a spot we did! Just before Twin Bridges Park,  on the Archer Highway, about 15 miles from our house, there was a nice little dirt turnout. We went where it led and there was a BEAUTIFUL little opening in the trees right by the river. 

We pulled out our gear, and blazed our own little trail until we found just the right view. Jake got a fire going right away and I got the hotdogs ready.  

The sound of the river behind us and the sun going down, made for the perfect outing. So pretty and peaceful, we just breathed it all in - along with some lovely campfire smoke. cough cough.

Before I knew it I had eaten 3 hotdogs!!! (A fact which I later came to regret, while hovering over the porcelain throne) We had just finished eating when a big truck pulled up not far from us. A guy came out and informed us that we were on private property, he was now closing the gate, and he would appreciate it if we could pack up. OOPS!  We had no idea it was private land, and although he was pretty nice about it, we totally got kicked out for trespassing! hahaha.

"BabyMoon"

We went on a Babymoon. It's kind of like a Honeymoon only it's that trip you take before you become parents. Truly inspired genius, that's what I call it.

This last weekend Jake surprised me with a phone call and basically said "Let's go to Yellowstone tonight." Well allrighty then! It took some last minute schedule adjusting and honestly I was a bit frantic at first, but I was all about it! I called up my wonderful sister who has a Worldmark Timeshare membership. It just so happens that we could get a pretty good deal through her for a condo in West yellowstone for two nights. Sweeeet.

So before you know it, we were on our way and I was star struck happy. (Not just cheerful or extremely pleased, but star struck happy folks.) Jake really needed the break from work stuff, and I could certainly appreciate some rest and relaxation. Props to him for a PERFECT idea.

 

 It basically covered Babymoon, Valentines Day, and a badly needed vacation all in one weekend.

The first night we picked up a few groceries, ate at Big J's, then arrived at our destination. We made ourselves right at home, and watched a feel-good redbox movie: "Reel Steel" while eating apples with caramel dip!

Next morning, you guessed it.... sleep! But the room got pretty bright when the sun came through the window and prevented us from wallowing in bed for very long; which was probably a good thing.

We got up and went to "The Running Bear Pancake House" for breakfast. It was DeLIGHTFul. The smell of and warmth of the place was oh so cozy on a clear, but very cold day. I had one very large and scrumptious buttermilk pancake with a bowl of fruit on the side. Jake had french toast with eggs and bacon.

Next on the agenda (and the highlight of my stay, although it be a little silly) was SWIMMING. Oh the glorious weightlessness of the pool! I found overwhelming contentment when I immersed myself and did not have to carry the full pressure of the belly. Jake spent his time in and out of the hot-tub and almost took a nap on the lounge chair - but I drifted about in the big cool pool for the entire hour and a half. Back floats mostly, but also some lovely leg lift, and hip stretching exercises. Jake did venture into the cool pool for a bit of time, in which we invented some entertaining water sports with the floaty toys that were provided. But then back to the hot-tub he went. I will forever remember his graciousness in letting me swim as long as I wanted!

Quick shower, and on the next grand adventure: The Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. oooooh neat! We weren't sure it was going to be worth $10 each to go inside, but we were wrong and so glad we went! The best part was it was a two day pass so we went back the next day for more! Here are a few of the pictures I took: 

Grizzly Bear playing in the snow

Wolf relaxing after chewing on some bones

 I was kind of amazed and a little freaked out how close we were able to get to all of the animals. There were secure fences and trenches between us and them, but there were times when we were only about 6-8 feet away from these guys. I am still not quite sure how I feel about it- but what an experience.

Wolf sniffing out the food the rangers had buried

HUGE Alaskan Grizzly Bear

At one of the indoor museums, one of the ladies showed us some animal skulls and different skeletons. There were some kids there who were mesmerized and it was fun to watch them handle the bones. I really enjoyed seeing all of the videos of wolf pack behavior, and learning some new things. For instance, I had never really looked at a bear paw. They had one in a case and although it seems trivial, I was intrigued that it was not like a hand with an opposable thumb. Did you ever realize that all 5 of their toes are on the top, and then they have sort of a pad down on one side that kind of resembles another toe without the claw.

I guess I always thought it was like a dog or cat where they only have the 4 pads on top. Hmmmm.

Back at the condo we relaxed for a bit before venturing out to window shop. A lot of the stores were closed for the winter, but there was still plenty to see. Good thing the candy shop was open for me! Just walking in the place was kind of magical. We indulged in a little slice of fudge,an assortment of hard candies, and some amazing chocolate covered macadamia nut clusters! Almost everything did close early though, with the exception of restaurants --- Drat, I guess we'll have to go in and eat :)

We found an awesome mom-and-pop place called Old Towne Cafe - where we ordered the biggest, most delectable Ribeye and Tbone steak that was ever cooked to perfection. I didn't get a picture, but my plate kind of looked like this:

Except my steak was BIGGER if you can believe it, and I got a mound of heavenly mashed potatoes instead of the baked potato shown - as well as steamed broccoli rather than this veggie mix. We dug a little deep in our wallet for this one, but really really worth it. No seriously, one of the best 5 meals I have had in my life.Yum yum, a thousand times yum - Could be pregnancy talking, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed it any less. And I ate the entire thing, including sides, and every scrap I could scavenge. I don't have a lot of room in my tummy because the baby is pretty big now, so I don't know where it all went!? I think Jake was totally attracted to how piggish I was ;)

And after all of that, as if we weren't stuffed to the brim, we still went and got hot chocolate at the gas station. The perfect treat in the freezing night air. We took it back to our room and watched a few episodes of whatever was on T.V. Awwww, snuggly warm relaxation.

I'm just gonna say I had a ______ time. Insert into the blank "That perfect one word that no one knows yet." Yeah, I know,  it was just Yellowstone.... weird. But those were some serious good times, and we found it to be glorious! 

Camp KA-RA-RI

"Oh what do you do in the winter months, when preggy is feeling blah....Do you fish in the pond, or take time to bond, at a girls camp called Ka-Ra-Ri!? Is that what you do? So do we!"

Okay, so you probably don't don't do that, but just so you know - It comes highly recommended.

It has been quite some time since I spent some time with friends... I mean, besides my husband and without him there. I guess it is because his charm is all I really need in this world ;)  And really, I have never been known to take part in slumber parties, girls night, and the like. But guess who coordinated and hosted this event at her house!?

.... yup, it was me.

It took place on the last Saturday in January, and began when the three of us (Karri Warren, Karrianne Harris, and myself) met up at Olive Garden in Idaho Falls. Soup, Salad, Pasta, and Breadsticks - YUM.

Then on to my house where I had set up "camp" in our basement. Why indoor camping you ask? Well, I don't really know where that came from, but it sounded like a good "themed" get-away to us!

We settled right in and true to a "girls camp" experience, things got rather eventful rather quickly.

I had set up a pond (actually my blue snuggie spread out in a circular fashion) which contained a variety of paper fish. With staples in each fish, and a magnet on the end of a fishing pole, we proceeded to take turns catching these little fishies.Each one had an "Activity" on the back,  and so the pond decided our fate and the order in which we did things at camp. And oh the delights they had in store for us.

At this point, I think I will let the pictures speak for themselves - as I am found speechless and don't quite know how to explain:

Sticker Tattoos

Belly Dancing Lessons

Stand on your head while singing a camp song

Paint a mustache with yogurt and lick it off

Suck your thumb for the next 5 minutes

Hey! Macarena!

Switch pants and sing Karaoke!

 You can call us spastic, crazy, juvenile, and strange for that is how we felt --- but it's not all that strange to need a good laugh now and then, right?

So after we had completed each of our tasks (including making friendship bracelets, marshmallow target practice, decorating pillow cases, and kissing a poster???) it came down to two final fishies. It was Karrianne's turn and then mine. Since, I was the one who wrote on the fish, I knew one of the things that was left that no one had caught yet. I really did not want to be stuck with it at the end, so I hoped and hoped Karrianne would fish it out...... and she did! whew!

SMASH AN EGG WITH YOUR ARMPIT!

Who knew it would be
so painful and hard to do?

And finally, in agony, the deed was done!

Somehow Karrianne managed to get the large majority of super unfortunate tasks - must have been in honor of her Birthday! It wasn't really her birthday, but only a few weeks away and we figured it was close enough:

Mmmm.... Oreo pudding dirt cake with gummy worms!

There was some late night "girl talk", and a little clean up before we crawled into the tent for the night. Sleep Sweet my friends.....

Commemorative Pillow Case

 Morning came pretty fast, and of course we slept in, so when we finally got up and going we had Crepes for brunch! Oodles of fresh strawberries, some nutella and powdered sugar. Mmmmm, delish! I was a little preggy sick for a few hours after, but I can't tell you how good I felt in spite of it. It does a person good to be surrounded by those who we trust this much:

 Thank you THANK YOU friends for coming to camp.

"The life given us by nature is short, but the memory of a life well spent is eternal."

Hunting Season

October 15th was upon us once again as people everywhere (mostly scruffy men folk dressed in fluorescent orange) took to the mountains.

Jake was among them (although he was one of the handsome, not-so-scruffy men folk), and within a few short hours was successful in harvesting a little buck. He spent the whole weekend with "the boys" and enjoyed some manly time.

I myself did not buy a tag this year, but instead went to visit my roots in Star Valley. The drive up there is unbelievably breathtaking in the Fall. This is Palisades Reservoir that is located about half way between our house in Rexburg and where I grew up in Fairview:

 It was evening when I arrived home, just in time to have a nice big bowl of my Mom's chicken noodle soup for dinner. Mmmmm.

Early the next morning my Dad set out for the hills and waited for the sun to come up and the deer to come out. He was also successful on the hunt! Getting a nice elk to put in the freezer.

In the mean time, my younger sister and I went on a four-wheeler ride (in our pajamas) up in the wide open spaces behind our house:

It felt really good to be home, out in the fresh air, and doing something silly:

Credit for this photo goes to ShaNae :)

Hope everyone had a safe and happy hunting experience this year! Now that the wild game is quartered and hanging in our garage... the REAL fun begins. Yikes.

Married to a 30 year old!

He will probably kill me for phrasing it like that... but I can't help it! It is a strange thing to think that I am married to a 30 year old man.

Thirty --- isn't that when you are all grown up and married and have a house and a job and you like music that is outdated . Whoah, it fits!

Or does it? 

 After careful thought I have found a myriad of reasons why Jake does not fit into the "old man" category.

1- Frequently watches cartoons in the morning - while eating his bowl of cereal.

2- Still loves to skip rocks - and does so whenever there is anything remotely resembling a body of water.

3- Very easily entertained - Give him a can of shaving cream to play with and he's good to go!

4- Can still be bribed with ice cream - especially with the right toppings.

5- Throws a bit of a tantrum if he has to go to the doctor.

6- The pretty girls still look his way - I would know. 

7- Makes little boy jokes - you know: poop jokes, fart jokes, butt jokes, and of course burp jokes.

8- Requests Maccaroni-n-Cheese for dinner on a regular basis.

9- BB guns, firecrackers, whoopee cushions, comic books, and don't forget his awesome slingshot!

10- He can get away with taking off his shirt while mowing the lawn - without causing the neighbors to be repulsed by old man saggy wrinkles and what not.

Besides, does an old man do this on his birthday? 

 Or how about this?

He's lookin' pretty youthful.

We had a very adventure filled weekend in St.George to celebrate this milestone - and though one might argue that it was a retirement community, we didn't exactly hang out with that crowd.

We were able to meet up with his older brother to do some hiking in Zion's National Park.

Joshua and  Kansas

 Found some sweeeeet picturesque waterfalls, canyons, and caves to explore.

Jake and I in the narrows

We also ate at a fantastic chinese restauraunt, Spent a little time at the pool, and basically had a few days to follow his every whim. And he passed the test by mostly choosing adventurous things. Not the usual things one would expect an old man to pick. (See photo album for further proof of said adventures)

So as much as I  love to give him a hard time about this 30th birthday thing (see picture)...

  ...I just cannot in good conscience call him an old man quite yet.

Hey Honey, 

Thanks for turning 30 before me. 

Here is to staying spry!

Love you like crazy