Austin's 4th Birthay/Utah adventures!!!

Happy 4th Birthday sweet boy :). I was so happy to see your excited expression when you saw your awesome Star Wars cake!

Austin's Birthday was celebrated with Josh's family this year, as it fell on the same weekend as our summer Utah trip! It all turned out so perfectly because his one Birthday request this year was to go fishing for the first time! And where better to do this than in Utah! I have been sooooo excited for this new adventure because I have so many happy fishing memories from my own childhood and this is something I could share and experience all over again with my own little boy :). He also requested a Star Wars Birthday cake which we had made especially for him at the local bakery in Morgan where we were staying! Like I said, everything just worked out so well :).

Morgan you ask? Well, Josh's Aunt Linda owns a large lodge/home in the mountains of Morgan, UT and Josh's Mom worked it out so we could rent it for a week and spend our LaFeber family vacation there this year! Morgan was beautiful, peaceful, relaxing, adventurous, basically everything you could ask for in a vacation. Oh, and this gigantic lodge was perfect for large groups of people so we fit our family, Nick & Jenn's family, and Grandma and Grandpa Ronnenkamp with plenty of space to spare! Tony and Stacy's family didn't make it this year which was really sad, but hopefully we will get to see them next year.

Weds. 7/12/17: The first thing we did as we arrived into the Northern Utah valley was stop at the Bountiful cemetary to see Papa Art :(. It still stings that he isn't with us anymore and all those tears came flooding back once again as we sat at his grave sight and encouraged the kids to tell  him what we have been up to lately. He was such a huge part of our lives. Josh talked to him daily, if not multiple times a day. He had his own bedroom in our house because he came to visit about every two weeks. And he was always the center of our summer vacation plans because "Gampa's house" was the absolute best! I miss that house so much. I miss the memories made there. I miss it all.... It hurts me that Austin probably won't remember much about his greatest friend who spoiled him with horsey rides and trips to the park (no matter how hot it was outside). And it hurts me even more that Evie was only 4 months old and won't have any memories of him at all.... I sat there reminiscing in my mind all of our happy memories with this great man while our children picked little white flowers in the grass and placed them on the grave. Austin, of course, had to find all sorts of awesome sticks to add to the collection which I knew was making Grandpa smile as he sat there beside us. The veil felt so thin at that moment.

We love you Pops.

beautiful innocence....

Afterwards, we wanted to make a sad moment happy so we went to Costa Vida for lunch and topped it off with cookies from Parson's Bakery. Both places held happy memories for Josh and I from when we lived with Art in Bountiful and it was fun to share it with our kids.

Once we were nice and full, we headed to Layton to pick up Grandma and Grandpa Ronnenkamp for our big fishing expedition! We decided to go to the Ogden fish hatchery because Austin would be guaranteed to catch a fish there and since that was his only Birthday wish, it would have killed us to let him down. Oh what an experience it was! The pictures say a thousand words, but I just can't say enough of how excited he was and how happy it all made me! The boy ended up catching 3 fish!! And Evie even caught one too (with grandpa's help)! Austin could have stayed out there all day long catching fish, but Evie was done after the first one. She preferred to pet it and poke it with sticks and then entertained herself with feeding the rest of the fish in the water with Grandma :). After we had caught our 4 fish, we paid 50 cents to have them cleaned and gutted which was an awesome experience all of its own! The kids were fascinated as they discovered what was inside the fish and even got to see it's heart still beating! Austin has been fascinated with anatomy ever since and I am constantly finding him sitting in a corner reading my college anatomy books and looking at all the pictures hehe :).

Teaching Austin how to cast the line.

One of the most exciting moments of both of our lives!! My baby boy catching his very first fish!!! Look at the size of that trout!

After that, he was a Pro!

Look at the size of that one!

AND THAT ONE! 3 fish! He caught 3 fish!

Baby girl taking her turn.

Petting her first catch :).

Feeding the fish with Grandma :).

Just look at that smug face :). He was so happy!

Getting the hook out of the fish's mouth.

Evie continuing to pet her fish, this time with a stick! haha :).

We love Grandma!

I love these people so much! This day was a dream come true for me :).

Watching the lady gut the fish!

Yummmm..... fish guts.

Evie and Grandma were little pals this whole trip :).

Beautiful.

Such a wonderful experience!

Next we headed back to Layton to get everything packed up and then took our party to Morgan! We got ourselves all set up in the room and spent the rest of the day relaxing, jumping on the trampoline, pushing the kids on the swing set, and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa on the wrap around porch while we watched the deer grazing in the front yard. It was so perfect and much needed! As Josh and I were jumping like children together on the trampoline I felt the stress of life slip away.... all was well and we were so happy :).

Mom and Dad goofing off and letting loose!

Seriously, I was laughing so hard! Josh was bouncing me soooo high!

That's about as close as Josh will ever come to touching his toes haha!

Our little gymnast!

Sitting in rocking chairs on the wrap around porch while the children laugh and play. PERFECTION!

The swings were a big hit!

Thurs. 7/13/17: The next day Nick's gang showed up and the kids had a blast playing together! Cousins Brandon and Macy were the favorites (also the closest in age to our kids) and it was so nice to just let the kids play and not worry about them. Every once in a while there was a scraped knee or a disagreement, but Josh and I were able to spend a lot of time reading and relaxing outside on the porch. Yesssss!

Totally in my element! Sunshine, grass, and a baby on my lap :).

Oh my sweet boy, Mama loves you so much!

Picking little white flowers....

Aunt Jeri (Grandma's sister) stopped by to do some gardening and the kids had a great time helping her! She took this picture before she left :).

Evie having a stare down with the deer!

My sweet boy always looking after his sister.

And don't forget the Pace's popsicles!

Little buddies :).

Blowing bubbles! Always a fan favorite!

I loved that the kids could go out whenever they felt like it and jump on the trampoline. The freedom of the quiet countryside is so refreshing!

We ate every single lunch outside on that beautiful porch overlooking the gorgeous scenery!

I love this photo. Picking wildflowers with my baby. If she's not literally sitting on me, she's never too far away!

Wrestling with my boy in the grass! SO FUN!

And then there was the quiet moments we had to read outside and eat ice cream. Once again, PERFECTION!

BBQ for almost every single dinner! YESSS!!

Fri. 7/14/17: Uncle Nick brought his awesome new boat and we spent all day Friday out on the water at Pine View Reservoir. We swam, wake boarded, ate a picnic aboard the boat, and swung from a rope tied to a tree into the water. We even swam to shore and spent some time playing on the sandy beach. Evie, of course, loved playing in the sand while the shallow water lapped at her feet. Meanwhile, Austin was all in, jumping and splashing; swimming to his hearts content. Both kids had life jackets on the entire time so I wasn't worried about him. It was such an extraordinary day and we came back to the lodge EXHAUSTED and kissed by the sun :). Austin, our little albino child, had a sunburn around his eyes for the rest of the trip where I wasn't able to apply sunscreen and reminded me so much of a little racoon hehe! Evie just got even more tan like her Indian ancestors....

I love my Mother in Law so much! And I loved watching her let loose and have a great time on this boat! Her dance moves were hilarious!

I just want to eat those cheeks!

I can't believe how big our nice and nephews are getting! This is Kate! She's turned into such a beautiful young woman!

My little sailor was in heaven on this boat. I have the cutest video of him bopping his head to the music and having a great time!

Tubing with Grandma and cousin Macy!

Playing in the water while the big kids swing on the rope!

Just look at that view!

Daddy attempting to wake board! haha!

Man down!

Aunt Jenn and cousin Macy rockin' out!

Such a stud. I love this man!

The breeze felt like FREEDOM!!!!!!

Cousins. How sweet is this?!

Evie deciding it was time to kick this party up a notch and do some skinny dipping! That'a girl!

Eventually the sun and fun took its toll and exhaustion took over.... :)

The whole car ride home..... :)

Sat. 7/15/17: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!!! We were still tired from our previous day at the lake and wanted Austin to be able to spend the day enjoying his presents, so we spent the day at the lodge while the rest of the family spent a second day at the lake. It was actually really nice to enjoy the peace and quiet while we watched the kids spend hours shooting army guys with Austin's new birthday nerf guns :). The day started off with a Birthday breakfast of bacon and maple syrup per Austin's request. The rest of us had some eggs and pancakes along with that haha. I couldn't believe my eyes as I sat there watching him happily eat his bacon that my baby is now 4 years old..... After that, it was present time! Austin got to open all his presents from Mom and Dad out on the porch and Evie was more than willing to help ;). He was so happy to find out that he had gotten just what he asked for! Guns with lots of bullets! He was in little boy heaven and so was Josh haha. He had just as much fun as Austin shooting those army guns down! :) I had to pick up the birthday cake from the bakery that afternoon and brought Austin along with me. We bought pizza and a 7 layer bean dip/chips for his birthday dinner and the birthday boy also got to pick out some special treats of his own. He happily ate them in the car while we drove through the mountains with the windows rolled down. It was such a happy moment for me. You don't want your kids to get any older, but it sure is fun to watch as each year unveils who they are to become :).

The birthday boy enjoying that bacon!

Our quiet breakfast before the presents ensued!

It's present time!

Evie was a great helper :).

It's go time! haha!

Shooting army guys ALL DAY LONG!

Daddy playing along :).

I love how his tongue sticks out when he's really concentrating! haha!

Teaching Evie how to hold a gun. Isn't he the sweetest!

After all that fun, my baby boy asked if we could cuddle and eat cookies. Of course I said YES! How many more moments like these will I get?!

Once everybody made it back, we had a huge water balloon fight with hundreds of water balloons! It was so much fun! Obviously I got very few pictures because of the water/technology factor but it is a happy memory I hope to always remember. Austin was in heaven as he squealed and ran away from cousins pelting water balloons at him. Then we ate a yummy dinner and followed it up with cake and ice cream! Austin acted shy and reserved while we all sang Happy Birthday to him, but I could tell he was loving every second of it :). Then it was present time! We all gathered in the living room to watch our little man open all his gifts from his Grandparents, Cousins, and Aunt & Uncle. I almost cried when he asked me if we could start off with a prayer. I can still hear his sweet little voice say, "Mom should we say a prayer first or somefing?" haha! The way we were all sitting on the floor as a family must have given him the impression that this was a family home evening or something! Or maybe he was just really grateful and wanted to thank his Heavenly Father for this special day? Who knows. But it was sweet and so innocent, and once again I found myself feeling a burst of pride at what a masterpiece he is becoming.

It's water balloon time!

I don't know who had a better time, Austin or Uncle Nick! haha!

Grandma trying to escape! HA!

Birthday dinner time!

Lots of food and lots of fun!

Just look at that face!

The family Birthday photo. I can't believe how fast our babies are growing!

Let there be cake! (Austin and cousin Brandon)

Evie was a big fan!

AND MORE PRESENTS!

WOWWWW!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and enjoying each others company while the kids ran around wild and free with their cousins. Then, once the sun had set, we went outside and built a fire in the fire pit to roast S'mores while the kids once again ran around wild, but this time with glow sticks! It was the perfect way to end our perfect vacation and I felt a huge twinge of sadness at the thought of going home the next day....

Every time Mom attempts to sit down, I suddenly become the human jungle gym!

No rest for the weary!

YUMMMM! S'mores!

Fireside + chocolate + beautiful night = Greatest night ever!

Evie was all about the chocolate. She kept stealing all the chocolate bars off the table before people could finish roasting their marshmallows hahaha!

Just look at this beautiful home! How amazing would it be to live here permanently?! Aunt Linda is one lucky lady!

We will miss this yard...... greatly.

Sun. 7/16/17: We packed our bags and began the long journey home after Grandma Janis loaded us up with a big tasty breakfast! It was so sad to say goodbye to all our family and the beautiful Utah mountains. The kids were exhausted from all of their fun adventures and slept a lot of the way. Meanwhile, Josh and I had a nice long chat about our future and how we REALLY want to live somewhere where our kids can run wild and free more often. Where and How it was to work/happen was a complete mystery to us but we came up with all sorts of ideas. Our current home is beautiful and full of so much warmth and love, but it lacks space and a big back yard for our kids to be kids. This has been frustrating because I love seeing who they become when they are put in wide open spaces, but what can we do? Our jobs are here in the city, our life is here in the city. Where could we go? We didn't know but we made the decision that it was time to start looking. That decision was confirmed for us the second we got into Las Vegas. The high speed energy that hit us was depressing. For the past 4 days we had been able to slow down, physically, mentally, and emotionally. And here we were, back in the thick of it. The stresses of survival were back upon us and the quiet solitude of the mountains suddenly felt so far away. The kids were happy to be home though, Evie especially. She's still too young to be away from home for long and she was quite excited to be among all of her special things again.

The 2017 LaFeber Family Photo! Hopefully we will have Tony's family in it next year!

 
Happy Birthday sweet Austin.... we are so proud of who you are becoming and the beautiful spirit that you bring into our home. Without you, we wouldn't know the true meaning of adventure, or reckless abandon. You are such a good example to us and such a good big brother to your sister. Mom and Dad love you more than you will ever know. :)