Daddy-daughter camping trip

Bryson took Eleyna up to Snake Creek in Midway for an overnight camping trip at the end of September. (Hunter and I enjoyed a quiet night just the two of us for the first time since she was born!) They slept in a tent and everything. The next morning Bry cooked breakfast and took Eleyna for a ride on the fifty. She loved it!

I thought it was so neat of Bryson to plan this and execute it all on this own.

Holly and Rowen

Good friends make life so much more enjoyable! Lately, we've been able to spend some time with two dear friends, Bryson's cousin Holly and her son Rowen. Our activities have consisted of lap time at the Orem and Provo libraries, and trips to the Bean museum and Thanksgiving Point. I love hanging out with Holly! We have a lot in common, but my favorite thing is probably our shared love of good books. Holly is very understanding of my need to do things at a certain pace because of Hunter and accomodates me so that we can get together. That means a lot to me. At the Bean museum the kids got to feel different animal skins,
see pictures of animals,
and even meet a friendly lizard. Hunter was the only one brave enough to actually touch it (with some help from mom).
We saw lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

On our visit to Thanksgiving Point's Farm Country the kids got to go on a pony ride. It was a little scary at first but by the end Rowen didn't want to get off.
Eleyna didn't want to touch the saddle for some reason so I had my hands full making sure she stayed on the pony during her ride.

Thanks Holly and Rowen! We sure love you guys.

Fishing at Tibble Fork

Before it got cold, we went on a family fishing expedition to Tibble Fork (up AF canyon). Jon and Sarah came with us. We love hanging out with them! They are so fun and sweet with our kids. Eleyna was in heaven playing in the mud and picking up rocks. The girl loves rocks-she may have a future in geology.
Sarah and I just talked while the boys did the dirty work of fishing. It was so fun.

We almost gave up hope of catching anything. Then, right before we left, Jonny got a bite! Yea!

Funny face

Over the last few days, Eleyna has started making a new face. It seems to appear when she is concentrating on something.I'm so glad we have her to make us laugh!

Kindred spirits

Make a Smilebox photobook

Sometimes when you have a special child, you have some pretty special friends too. April, Caleb, and Mitchell~ we sure love you guys!

Flu bug

The dreaded time of year is upon us...

Thanks to everyone who made this stay a little brighter,and got Hunter to smile despite his illness.

We are so relieved to have our little man back at home.

Reunion on the farm

See that tiny little girl in that great big tractor? Yup, that's Eleyna.

Basically since the dawn of time, the Rassmussens (that's Bry's mom's side of the family) have held their yearly family reunions on Grandma and Grandpa's potato farm just outside of Rexburg. Summertime visits to the farm make up some of Bryson's favorite memories from childhood. A few weeks ago we packed up the kids (again!) and drove up there to spend the weekend with the Rassmussen clan. It is always nice to visit with family you don't get to see very often, but the unanticipated highlight was watching Eleyna go hog-wild with happiness. There was neverending open space to play, rocks and sticks to pick up, motorcycles and dune buggies to ride, tractors and tricycles to climb on, and on and on and on. Plus, two of Bry's cousins have kids almost exactly Eleyna's age to play with. She did not want to come home to our boring house! It was pretty chilly up there for August so Hunter had to hang in the house with me most of the time. Hunter and Grandpa Rassmussen are special friends and they fell asleep together on the couch one night. So precious.

Eleyna can't wait for next year!