More Practice...

I am taking a little beginner photography class, so here is some homework.....

Meadow Lake

A few weeks ago we went camping to a place called Meadow Lake. We went with Reed's Parents, his brother Casey and his new wife Cindy, and his sister Katie and her 4 boys. It was such a beautiful place! The campground was in the middle of these rocky mounatin peaks that jutted out of the ground. And there's a pretty little lake that you can fish. The water was so clear that we sat there and watched the fish swim over to the bait and bite...so fun! This was the first time Macie had been fishing, other than ice fishing, and she loved it! It also has a pretty hiking trail, and down the mountain a little ways there are some old mines. We got to go in one that was still safe, and it went clear back into the mountain...very dark. I thought Macie would hate it, but she didn't....she kept saying it was fun. I, on the other hand, did not love being in there for very long. We also went down and explored the little ghost town of Gilmore, but I left my camera in the truck:(

It looks like this was taken at night, but it's actually the sun coming over the mountain in the morning.

The little lake and mountain.

Mountain.....again.

Me, Macie and Grandpa Jody fishing.

Macie and Grandma Donna.

Grandpa Jody, Macie and Reed fishing.

I tried to get a picture of the mountains in comparison to the camper to show how high they are.

Macie and Grandpa.

Another of the sun peeking over the mountain.

Lead Me With Strong Hands

My sister-in-law posted this, and I absolutely LOVE it! It's been my thoughts exactly the last few days! I love my husband so much, and I am so grateful that he thinks this way. He leads our family with love and direction from Heavenly Father, and we depend on him more than I can say. I am so grateful he holds and honors the priesthood, which has helped us so much. I feel so blessed to have this in our home, and it has brought me a little miracle just this week. Reed's been out of town off and on the last couple weeks, which really gives me a chance to reflect on everything he is and does.

I know our kids feel the same about him. The other day he was able to come home for a night just to sleep, and when we woke up to the alarm radio, Macie was in our bedroom, and she pulled him out of bed to dance with him.....so precious. As I was listening to this song, she put her arms above her head and twirled around in her little tutu (that she refuses to take off) for the whole thing:)

Everyday........

These are just some pictures of everyday things that I think are cute and want to remember. Even though I complain sometimes about Tantrums and messes and sleepless nights, I really do love being a mom. I am so LUCKY and THANKFUL that I can stay home and raise our little kiddos. And I also have the BEST husband....by the way:)

Macie is doing great with Branson lately. She really LOVES him! She's always playing with him and trying to make him smile. It's so fun to watch them interact.

Macie in her bubbles, which she LOVES. Thank you Katie;)

1st time in the jumper, which he now loves. He actually probably spends too much time in there.

Sometimes I notice that I haven't heard the jumper for awhile, and this is what I find when I go check on Branson....

This little guy LOVES to eat his toes, especially when he has no clothes on. I don't know why having no pants on would make a difference, but it does! When he is naked, he goes straight for the toes.

This is Macie's scowl...she does this a lot:)

His sister likes to put these pink glasses on him.

He puts up with a lot, and is such a good baby. I really don't know what I'm going to do if and when I get a fussy baby. I've been so spoiled with my babies!

Branson's 1st Haircut!

Ok, so this was like a month ago, but here is my baby's 1st haircut! I probably should have done it when he was born because it was over his ears and neck....but I was scared:)

The "Before" picture, he is such a happy kid!

Cutting his hair...I have no idea what I'm doing. Luckily it didn't turn out too bad!

Macie...doesn't she look old?!

This is the "After" picture.

Another "After."

Canning.....2010

I didn't get a whole lot of canning done this year. But I was able to do about 20 quarts of peaches, 15 quarts of green beans, and 14 quarts of apple pie filling(so delicious)!

Camping...

We only had time to go camping about 5 times this summer...quite a bit less than last year. This camping trip was up past Ashton at Reed's Uncle's property. We went with my parents and my younger sister, Sonja.

The lake was really low when we went, but me and Sonja wanted to go on the paddle boat. So Dad helped us trudge through knee-deep stinky mud to get it out on the lake. But.....it was too windy, so after Sonja and I were completely exhausted, and the boat not moving more than a few feet, Dad helped us get the boat back in......through the disgusting mud....in his SOCKS:)
Macie dragging Grandma around....she thinks she's the boss.
This is the little private lake. Very pretty, but way low right now.
This is a picture of my dad's feet after he helped us with the boat, haha!
Reed and Branson.

Zoo...

We went to the zoo a few times this summer, and Macie really liked it. She loved the monkeys last year, but not so much this time.

Watching the otters.
Branson Baby....t was really hot, so his cheeks are all rosy.
Looking at the wild dogs...I think.
Watching the lion...
And here's the Lion...Macie's favorite part of the Zoo!