Yellowstone

Okay, I am finally doing a little bit of catch up.  And this is mostly just pictures.
This summer we were able to go with all of my family and spend a week in Yellowstone.  It was so much fun.  I grew up going to Yellowstone all the time, so it brought back a lot of fun memories.  And it was fun to share it with my kids and husband. 
Isaac in front of a pool.

 My parents rented an RV, and so most of us all piled in there to drive around.  The boys spent their time in the little loft above the driver.  They thought it was the best thing in the world. 

 The rest of us just sat where ever there was a seat.  Annabelle did enjoy watching out the front.

 Uncle Wayne was our navigator for most of it. 

 This was at Old Faithful, waiting for it to start. 

 Old Faithful going off...

 The kids generally found ways to amuse themselves when we were stopped. 

 I think this was in front of Castle geyser, but I could be wrong. 

 Isaac as usually was very interested in the map and where we were going.

 This was at the mud pots.  If you've never been, the mud pots really stink!  So the boys were demonstrating to us how bad they stink.

 One of Yellowstone's waterfalls.

 Notice Isaac's chin?  He tripped while running around a tent and cut up his lip and chin pretty bad. 

 Naps were not a very real possibility, so Emily was tired often. 

 This was at the bottom of a very long hike.  It wasn't so long in miles, just in vertical drop.  There were lots of stairs to climb back up once we were at the bottom.  It was very pretty down there with a great view of the waterfall though.  Brandon was a trooper and carried Emily both down and up.  Isaac did pretty good too.  He made it most of the way.  I only had to carry him a little bit. 

 Phillip and Claire enjoying the view.

 One of the pools. 

It was so fun to be able to go.  Yellowstone is such an amazing place, so full of the wonders of nature.  If you've never been, I strongly suggest you at some point in your life make the trip.  It is well worth it.  And doing it with family is so much the better. 
(Side note:  Art and Sierra and kids were also there, I just didn't get any pictures of them for some reason.  Probably because they opted for the less crowded option of their own car, so they weren't around when I had the camera out the most!)

Our News

Well, this is our big news.  The due date is April 11, 2012.  We find out the gender in a few weeks.

Wedding

Warning- this is mostly just pictures.  But we were able to go up for Brandon's brother's wedding in September.  So here is a sample of the pictures that we took. 

Coming out of the temple...

 I love this one of the boys.  It is very fitting of their different personalities.

 The poor boys didn't know where to put their hands.

 This was at the reception.  The kids loved going out on the boat with Dad.

It was so fun to be able to go and be in the temple with them and to share the day with them.  Bronson is always a favorite at this house, and Lara just fits right in there too.  Isaac is so excited to see them at Thanksgiving!  We are excited for them to start their life together!

Chip

Well, despite some initial doubts, we do still have our dog.  I think Brandon is even secretly starting to like him.  We'll have to see on that though.  But the kids are sure enjoying him.  And he is starting to settle down, which is a big plus.  So here are some pictures of his growth over the last few months.  He is definitely not a puppy size any more. 

This is Emily trying to feed the dog.  It is one of her favorite things to do, though she has progressed to just putting it in his bowl one handful at a time.

 Our hike we took him on when he was still tiny. 

 Again, Emily feeding him.

This is one of his favorite sleeping positions.  It makes me laugh every time.

 Isaac is in charge of feeding him, and making sure he has water.  Isaac takes this job very seriously.

 He and Isaac are becoming fast friends.

 And yes, this last week he went to the vet for some surgery.  Try explaining that to your 4 year old.  It was fun...  But Chip actually did really well.  We only put his cone on at night when we can't supervise him.  But otherwise he hasn't had any problems.  The first day, he was very tired, and he did throw up in the house, but after that he has been really good.

 His toys do not last long.  He rips them to shreds.  But he sure enjoys playing with them. 

There have been times we've questioned our sanity in getting a dog, especially a puppy.  But overall, I am very glad we did, and hopefully from here on out it just gets better!  He is really a very good and smart dog, so we got lucky. 

Dancing

Dancing is a popular past time around here.  This was taken a little while ago, but it is still dang cute.

Isaac's Birthday

Even though it was almost two months ago, Isaac did have his birthday, and he did really enjoy it.  We just had some family and friends over and had cake and ice cream.  In case you can't tell, he wanted a monster truck cake. 

He really enjoyed all of his presents, if you can't tell. 
A little about Isaac...  I can't believe 4 years has gone by already.  Isaac is a very sweet, tender little boy.  He is always telling us he loves us and trying to do things to help.  (Though they aren't always so helpful)  He loves to read books, color, draw, and play with cars/trucks/trains.  He also loves to watch movies.  He would watch them all day long if I let him.  He is a very smart boy, and he is very well behaved.  He is also a little shy.  When we went to Oregon for a wedding, he went to his Primary class on Sun, and apparently was very good, just didn't want to be singled out in any way.  He just wanted to stay safely in his seat. 
But he is such a joy to have in our family.  He has his moments, and isn't the perfect child, but then, who is?  He is the sweetest boy imaginable, and we wouldn't trade him for anything.  We are so proud of the little man that he is becoming, and are proud of the good choices that he makes.  We love him and are glad he's a part of our family.