6th Annual Trip to Island Park

One our favorite vacations each year is our trip up to Island Park, in Idaho. We go with our friends the Yospe's. This is our sixth year going up with them to their families cabin and each year we have gone it has gotten more and more fun! This year we took a couple days to go into Yellowstone, rode four wheelers went hiking and played games. This is a vacation that is actually relaxing. (Doesn't sound like it but we are able to do as we please.)

We saw some wildlife this year. Things we had not seen up here before. We saw a fox who had her den in the sage brush and she had four little babies. They were adorable. Then up at a place called Big Springs we saw a muskrat. They are kind of creepy looking but cute at the same time There were people next to us feeding the fish in the water some bagels and the muskrat got some and he laid on his back and ate the bagel. It was kind of cute.

" Mini Darth-Vader"

This year we got to take Hayden on the four wheelers for a long ride. There had been so much rain that most of the trails were like rivers and there were no rivers big mud puddles. So put a big garbage sack around Hayden he looked so adorable. We all laughed for a few minutes.

Lincoln, Hayden and Spider-man (aka Calder)

One of our day trips to Yellowstone we went to the Artist Pots (I think they were called that.) The boys had fun running around.

"Don't I look so awesome".

We love four wheeling. There are so many trails to explore up in Island Park. This particular part of the trail was all water. So much fun. There is something so thrilling about going through a big pile of water and mud. Except if you fall in the mud. All of us were together on a trail and our intentions were to be gone an hour or two. It turned into a four hour trip. We got twisted around, so as we were taking a trail it came to some more water which did not seem like a big deal because we had been going in and out of water all day. Brent was driving and Hay and I were on the back. I was already so tired and hurting from holding Hayden while he slept for and hour on the four wheeler that I was so ready to get back to the cabin. Brent proceeded through the water and .......yep he hit a sink hole and we all immediately fell off and in to the cold muddy (who knows what animals have been through) water. I am trying to keep Hayden above the water while my feet are stuck in the mud and Brent is try to save the four wheeler. All in all it we survived and so did the four wheeler. Once we got our the mud on the other side of the trail there was a sign that said NO ATV through here. Whoops! They should probably have the sign on both side of the trail. 45 minutes later we found our way back to the cabin.

We went for a hike in Yellowstone to a place called Fairy Falls. The funny thing to me is that I did not know their were too many hikes in Yellowstone because as a kid we were stuck in the car the whole time. This hike was fairly easy, (well for me because I did not have a Hayden on my back in a backpack.) but the end results were great. We had a such fun time as we always do. Thank you Yopse's.

Floods in Murray Park

I think it was the first summer we moved to Murray, 2004 that I remember walking the park one day and noticing that water was getting really high. Soon enough the water was so high that it covered the walkway on the bridges. I thought wow that is a lot of water for the river. My mind has changed now since the small flood in Murray park at the first of June. I had been at the park the Thursday before it flooded and I saw how fast it was going and saw how much snow was still in the mountain and I immediately thought of the time when it covered the bridges. I had a feeling that it might happen again but had no idea it would be this much.

You can't tell in the picture but one of the benches that is by the river is mostly covered.

Here is a bridge by the Murray Pool.

This is parking lot by the outdoor Murray Pool.

This is the part by Parkside Elementary. Part of field at Parkside was flooded as well. Sunday night Brent received an email from our Stake President letting him know that people in the community were going to start sandbagging because their were homes at risk. So Brent went out as soon as could. I know that a lot of people showed up to help out. Brent did not get home until 2 a.m. I know that they got a lot done and helped out a lot of people. This little event made me think about what a great community we live. Even though their are wars going on, and people fighting wickedness all over the world, the one thing that I realized is that if someone or something was in trouble it is good to know that people will come together and help out.

Hayden's 2nd Birthday

May 14th (yes I know that was two months ago) was Hayden's 2nd birthday. I know everyone says that time goes by really fast but they were not kidding. WOW! Two years old I can't believe it. Before I know it he will going to kindergarten, then driving, then dating and .................I don't want to think about the rest.

So I was not going to throw hayden a big birthday party because I figured he is two and he is not going to remember it any way, but the closer it got the more I wanted to throw a party. Hayden is a big ELMO fan so I made him and Elmo cupcake cake and cookie monster cupcakes.

He also got some Elmo ballons and Elmo party favors for his cousins. Not to big of deal but fun enough and not too much work for me. We had his party outside with more grass in the backyard then we ever have had. In October we got a sprinkler system put in and put grass in the back. And if you have ever seen my backyard you know that we had a lot of dirt and a lot of weeds and thank goodness we don't have that problem anymore. A week or so before Haydens birthday we also purchased a playset for the backyard. It was quite the chore putting the things together. (That will be blog post for another day).

For the Haymans birthday he recieved a three wheeler bike from his cousins and Aunts and Uncles on my side, a wagon and some clothes from Grandma and Grandpa, a mower, Elmo microphone and clothes from Grandma Funk and from cousins and Aunts and Uncles on Brents side he got a alot of sand toys. Oh yeah and from his Uncle Ty and Aunt Lyndsay he got Donald Duck stuffed animal that talks. (He also is very hooked on Donald and now Donald sleeps with him every night.)

Brent and I are very lucky to have such a great loving happy little boy in our family. We thank our Heavenly Father daily for the wonderful blessing he is in our lives. We love you Hay!

REDEMPTION

Alright it has been almost a year since I last posted a blog. I never had much success with journal writing so I started to blog a little bit. Then decided as I read other peoples blog I am just not a creative writer, so I stopped blogging. Well now it has almost been a whole year and I have not written down anything about life in the last year. SAD! So here I am making my redemption and I am going to try to be better about the important things in life and that is not catching up on missed episodes of GLEE and the BACHORLETTE.

Here is my disclaimer: my blog will not be a creative blog, funny in anyway to anybody else but myself. So nobody feel like to you have to read my blog I am just going to try be better at writing my personal history. So here we go.................