Last Cabin Trip of the Summer

We were so sad that this was the last trip for the year! We painted the cabin a light brown color.
The forest service decided that Red was not forest friendly! It had been red since 1968 when it
was built! Funny, how all of a sudden, red is no longer suitable! Joshua also helped cut down a huge dead tree that was looming dangerously over the cabin roof.  Using a chainsaw is always fun, so that was a nice bonus to the weekend!  My Mom, Dad and Joshua floated the
Green river on the usual strip. My Mom usually stays with the kids all day and I float, but lucky for her
pregnancy and fishing weren't mixing well
this trip. She is always so great to let me
go, so I am glad that she finally had a turn.
The kids stood on the bank and cried as they
drifted down the river. (Caleb is crying right
now as we look at the pictures and he is
remembering that he
couldn't go in the boat!)
They don't really understand
that a 6+ hour float is too long for them.
Adalyn willbe old enough next summer,
and she is so excited.

So, the kids and I went back to the cabin, and
locked ourselves out (because someone gave us
the wrong key). We went to the beaver ponds
and got skunked because we were out of floatant
and fishing with flies. Luckily, I was able to push
one of the kids through an open window and
start dinner. And, always a great way to end a day
at the cabin- the group returned home with fresh trout
to cook! YUM!

Shae and the twins came for a visit!

Shae (Joshua's sister) and her twin girls, Emmie and Kenzie, came for a visit this summer!  They drove all the way from Texas.  Of course, we toured around...Discovery Park, Tucanos, Temple Square, Bean museum, and the waterpark!  We had a great time and miss them so much already!

Caleb and his Aunt Shae

Adalyn LOVES all animals!

Caleb is a little unsure.

"Can I take him home??"

I think the reptile show was a little shocking! 

Look at those twins...they are soooo cute!

We had a blast at the water park!  

Aren't they cute, all lined up?!

One of the days that she was here, we visited temple square.

Ethan wanted me to "take his picture with Jesus", at the visitor's center. 

I can't believe she is in 1st grade!

Well, of course she loves first grade!  She has a great teacher and has made lots of friends.  She is now the "leader of two clubs" at school and enjoys telling the other girls what to do on the playground.  They make bird nests out of grass and mud and sell them to other kids at recess!  

More from our Idaho trip!

This is me...getting baby hungry with my ADORABLE nephew Kaden!

We were so fortunate  to spend a few days with Joshua's parents this summer.  They live so far away, that it is a rare occurence to spend time with them!  We had such a great time, visiting with them in Idaho.  It was hard to say goodbye!

Caleb and Papa

We dared Nana to run through the sprinklers.  Well, she happily obliged!  She was soaked and had as much fun as the kids!

The kids had a blast wrestling with Papa and playing freeze tag with Nana!

Candied Pecans!

This morning I made those yummy candied cinnamon pecans that they have at football games and the mall.  They always smell sooo good and are hard to resist.  They are so easy to make, I thought I would share the recipe.  You can make them with other kinds of nuts also!

Sugared Pecans!!

3 c. nuts (peanuts, whole almonds, pecan halves, etc.)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. water

1/4 t. salt

In 12 inch skillet over medium heat, bring nuts, sugar, salt and water to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until syrup has caramelized, and the nuts are well coated, about 12-15 minutes.

Immediately spread coated nuts onto buttered large baking sheet. Bake in 300 degree oven for 10 minutes; stir. Bake 10 minutes more; stir. Cool on rack. Store in airtight container. Makes 4 cups.

CINNAMON SUGARED NUTS: Add 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon with sugar.

It's a boy!

Well, it is not what most people thought it would be... but we are having another boy!   It is for sure, as you can tell!  We are so excited and working on building our own basketball team.  We cannot wait to see what this little guy will be like!    

He looked perfectly healthy, so we could not be happier! 

Tomorrow is the big day!

So, tomorrow,  I have the ultrasound....finally!!!  This will be my first one for this pregnancy.  We have prayed for a healthy baby, and Adalyn has prayed for a sister!  I cannot wait!  I will probably not sleep tonight.  I know that all of you are as anxious as I am...okay, probably just my Mom and sister in laws and my neighbor Peyton.  My Mother in law was anxious last week, but has been distracted by hurricane IKE messing with their city!  Thank you to all of you that voted on the gender.  73% of you said it will be a girl and 27% said it will be a boy.  I will post the ultrasound outcome....tomorrow afternoon!

Wow, definately worth it!

We made it!!!! Okay, I pretty much thought I was going to die, or have my lungs collpse, the whole way up...but all those people were right-it was worth it! Here are my parents.

These are my cousins walking across the lake on a log. Before they did that, we all sat and watched others do the same thing. We were really hoping that someone would fall in. It would make for a good show.
The hike down was sooo much easier. We even relaxed enough to spot wild raspberries growing along the trail. They were so good!

It turned out to be a really fun day. It was rewarding to complete such a challenging hike...especially being pregnant. I am excited that I have fulfilled my exercise requirements for this pregnancy. You can look forward to lots of pictures of me lounging around after this : )

The Hike to Hanging Lake

Here are the Priers, Preparing for a "leisurely hike to a nice lake".
Here is me, and Adalyn, quite unsuspecting of the challenge to come!
"Um, where is our nice dirt path?"
This is us, resting. We had to stop and rest about 57 times. The trail, was an hour and a half of uphill rocky climbs and ledges. So much for our nice dirt path up to the lake! The weather was great and the scenery beautiful. Everyone that we passed on the way up, gave us an understanding smile and said "it is worth it, keep going". My Mom was about to give up and go down, when we came upon a very elderly, hunched over man using hiking poles to climb the mountain. My Mom said, "okay...if he can do it, than I can too!" My Aunt Lisa, was in great shape. She is an avid tennis player, and she couldn't even wait around for the rest of us! She did awesome! Adalyn was at the head of the group for a lot of the way. I was even worried about her, but I guess I forgot how much energy kids have.
My Dad was great. He stayed back with me- the prego, and my Mom and Uncle David. He too is in pretty good shape. He runs a couple times a week to stay fit.

Okay, On to the goal: Hanging Lake!

Weekend in Colorado

Adalyn and I were able to take a mother-daughter trip to Colorado. We went up to Beaver Creek with my parents to join my Aunt Lisa, Uncle David and their three kids; Kyle, Kevin and Lexie. They had a very nice condo on the side of a very beautiful ski resort. We had a blast! We started the trip off with a feast. We grilled salmon and filet mignon. We had specialty breads, organic risotto, grilled pineapple, salad, and much more! This was followed by a dessert buffet, with specialty cakes, tarts and brownies. We always eat like kings, with the Priers!

Exciting thing this week!

This week, Joshua put his hand on my stomach and felt the baby move! It was his first time to feel it move, and he finally believes me, that there is a baby in there, and I am not just eating more and gaining weight because I want to! We are both so excited and a bit nervous. These kids all want to come down so fast, it is hard to get things in order before another one arrives! We love it! We love kids, and if it were up to me, we would have ten (at least today, ask me tomorrow and I will probably change my mind!)

Our nephew's baby blessing

Joshua's brother Kyle and his wife Paige, blessed their darling baby, Kaden, a few weeks ago. We were able to go up to Idaho for the blessing and to visit them and Joshua's parents for a weekend. We had such a great time. It was good to see them all and stay up past 3 am, most nights!

The picture on the right is Brother Mann, Kyle, Joshua's Dad -Gary, and Joshua.

Waterpark fun!

We have really great neighbors at our new place! They are always inviting us to do fun things. We always have a blast with them and the our kids are even in the same class at school. Thanks for a fun day in the sun!