Thursday, August 27, 2009

My 200th Post! And UT Pics

It's been two years since I started this blog, and this is my 200th post! That's a lot of rambling on about mostly (totally?) inane things, I fear. But thanks for sticking with The Curti!

I just logged on to post more pics of our second trip to UT this summer. We spent a total of about five weeks up north, and missed most of the blistering AZ heat (yah!!). Sure makes it bearable to live in Arizona when we are able to get away to our "summer home" (aka my parents' basement in Orem)!

Apparently when you upload pictures, it loads them in reverse order, so you're seeing our trip, only backwards :). Kind of like when we used to watch home movies in reverse, right? My sis Kristin and I always got a kick out of watching ourselves run down the hall and do cartwheels, then set the projector in reverse and watch it all backwards. I still laugh at that!

The kids with G&G Stastny outside the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. We decided at the last minute to go to the Open House, so the kids got to walk through it before it's dedicated. So beautiful! I think they really liked it. I did anyway, and that's what matters :).

Me and my mommy outside the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

The boys and their sparklers on the 24th of July in Fairview, UT (which, by the way, has the most fun 24th of July EVER).


The big kids and their dad ran the Fairview City Pioneer Days fun run. Jarad ran the 5K and the kids ran the mile. Here are the athletes after the finish.

Emma pushin' it for the finish line. Go girl!


Fisher has the fastest feet ever. This is the same run he does to first base in baseball. Gives it his ALL!

We planned a "fishing" trip up in Fairview canyon. I'm not sure which lake this is, but there were no fish at all.

There were worms though.


And the kids decided it was a swimming lake, not a fishing lake. So all the cousins went quasi skinny dipping. The four three-year-old twins (Jarad's brother and his wife have twin girls the same age as Case & Tess) went all the way down to their birthday suits (I'm not posting those pics to protect the innocent), but everyone else stayed somewhat modest. They had a blast!


Fairview City has a kids' rodeo just before the 24th of July. The kids get to go out into the rodeo arena to chase the animals. If they snatch money off a goat, or if they catch an animal, they get to keep their loot. Tess was SO excited about it all. But the second the gun went off and the kids started racing around the arena to catch the goat, this is what Tess did. Being the great mommy I am I stood in the bleachers, laughed and snapped a bunch of pictures before sending some of her big boy cousins out there to rescue her. What a city pansy!!


Fisher after eating s'mores made with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Don't knock 'em till you try 'em. But beware, your face might just end up looking like this.

This is Lake Blanche and Sundial Peak. Jarad and I started the six-mile roundtrip hike around 4:45 a.m. so we would be able to see the sun rise. We didn't quite hit the lake in time for sunrise, but the early morning light and the glass-still lake were really breathtaking. It was so worth the early morning trek! Probably one of my favorite days on this trip.



The morning sun hitting Sundial Peak as we approached the lake.

Jarad and the kids at Stewart Falls just above Sundance at the peak of the Alpine Loop between American Fork Canyon and Provo Canyon. The whole time I was hiking this trail to the falls I kep thinking "how in the WORLD did I ever ride my mountain bike up this thing?" I need to get back on that horse for sure. Beautiful hike, but the twins couldn't hang. We had to carry them the whole way down.

Case and his hiking stick on the way up to Stewart Falls.

Our first day back in UT was gorgeous. We broke the kids' hiking skills in on a quick jaunt up to Bridal Veil Falls. I tell you what, my perspective on these hikes changed a bit from being a fit 20 year old to a not-quite-as-fit 37-year-old mom of four. Mostly because every steep part gave me visions of one of my twins going tumbling straight down the mountain! Oh, and then there's the part about the hikes seeming a little longer and harder now, but we won't go into that...

3 comments:

Dana said...

those are some fantastic pictures and great memories you all made on the trip. Thanks for sharing and I may have to try that smore/peanut butter cup treat.

Jamie said...

What beautiful pictures!

Alli grins said...

What INCREDIBLE pictures! You may need to add some of these bad boys to a Christmas card collage! I love that your kiddos ran the mile and loved it and your hikes look like heaven. I miss you all and hope you get some cooler weather soon:-)