Big Cottonwood Canyon

Our last night together as a family Brent got the urge to break in our dutch ovens and with it being super hot we thought a drive up to one of the canyons would be a relaxing evening. (I'm already tired and I haven't even left yet! Good luck on the 24 hour airplane/train ride to Germany with a 2year old, Caroline!) Anyway, it was cool and yummy and there were plenty of rocks to entertain Reed. It was a perfect way to spend time with dad before we leave for 5 weeks.

The chocolate peach cobbler was a hit.

It's going to be hard to be on the other side of the world for weeks, but Brent starts school tomorrow so he will have plenty to keep him busy. Plus, the garden is just hitting its stride it seems so that will keep him on his toes too.

Europe-here we come!

August - so far

In just a few days, Reed and I are going to Europe with my mom to visit family and some dear friends. It's going to be crazy and fun so I thought I'd get what we've been up to this month up before it gets forgotten in all the excitment of our big trip.

We had (another) huge limb fall off one of our trees. Brent was cutting up the bigger pieces and adding them to our garden perimeter and Reed busied himself collecting all the small leftover sticks. When we were all done we realized Reed had stacked all the sticks into a pile and was "warming" his hands in the glow of his little "firewood". We all sat around it and ate imaginary roasted marshmallows. Silly guy.

We tried Bountiful Baskets for the first time a few weeks ago (we also split a basket once a few months back to give it a try) and were very impressed with the quantity and quality of the produce. We showed up a little early and they needed help sorting the baskets so we volunteered. Reed thought it was great fun and keeps asking if what we're eating is from "the baskets" (it usually is!).

We went to Brent's sisters for a BBQ and Reed drew a chalk campfire.

Reed thouroughly enjoying a jumbo roasted marshmallow at Aunt Karens. Do you notice a theme this month?

Reed getting into character for our upcoming excursions.

Aunt Karen is loaning us a portable DVD player for the incredibly long flight we have and various train trips. We gave it a test run and Reed wasn't so sure about the headphones. He was holding them on so I got a hat to help the situation while a figured out some that would work better.

July

July was full of fireworks, family and friends!

Sparkler's and Pop-It's were the favorites. I'm sure he'll get harder to please as he gets older, but for now the cheap and easy stuff works just fine!

This was the first year (out of the last 3) that Reed really noticed the fireworks. I don't know if it's a Utah thing (yay 24th of July!) or a fireworks-are-legal-here thing but the whole month of July from dusk 'til about 11 pm we would hear fireworks almost every night. At first the noise outside scared him, but we showed him some fireworks on youtube and he got really excited and was always wanting to go see them or do them. He was a little aprehensive of the at-home ones at first, but them couldn't get enough of them. We did some for the 4th and some for Brent's birthday and a few leftovers on 24th.

My mom came for a week and this is the only picture we have to prove it. Opps. I've been a major slacker in the picture taking department for the last few months. We had a great time with Oma fit lots of fun things in during the week she was here.

One of the things she helped me with was getting my last stained glass window up. I had to take it up to the stained glass window store because it needed loops and new zinc border to get it in hanging shape. That drive combined with a 2-year-old and an antique window didn't sound like a good idea. Now it's up and beautiful in the morning sun that comes into out kitchen. I love it!

We went to Cherry Hill with aunts and cousins. Cherry Hill is a small water park with miniature golfing, ball pen, climbing wall and batting cages, etc. Fun for kids. Brent was able to take a half day and meet us there later in the afternoon. Reed had a blast and after 8 hours there we practically had to drag him to the car!

Going around the lazy river (the only warm-ish water in the whole park) was his favorite.



Minature golfing - the idea was a little beyond Reed, but he had a great time putting the ball in the castle/windmills etc. and finding where they all came out.

He had an hour long nap and woke up rearing to go again!

We've enjoyed a few free outdoor concerts (part of the Twilight Concert Series) in Salt Lake over the last few weeks. Reed came with us the first time and there were lots of other kids there, but we left during the opening band because Reed was already done (missed the Decemberists). Last week Brent and I went on our first -yes FIRST- date since Reed was born. We went and saw Edward Sharpe and the Magnectic Zeros. It was really fun to get out just the two of us and eat an uninnterupted dinner and listen to music. It felt like back when we were just a couple and living in the bay area, enjoying the huge variety of local shows. But after a few hours of that we missed Reed and left the concert early to see how he was doing (it had been 4 hours and we've rarley left him for more than a few hours).

We capped off the month with a family BBQ and Reed was given a cousin's outgrown ride-on John Deer tractor and covered plastic sandbox. He loves them. The driving/steering thing will take a little work, but if we put him in the right spot on the lawn he can just go in circles and loves it! I love the sandbox because he'll be in there for at least an hour digging and building things and I can get so much done in the yard when he's entertained and can see me. Everybody's happy.

Happy Summer!

June

This post should really just be titled "Father's Day" because they are practically the only pictures I took all month!

Reed was so excited to give Brent his presents for Father's Day that we actually opened presents on Friday (right after Reed and I secretly wrapped them and Reed ran straight upstairs to tell Brent he had surprises for him and to come quickly and open them. We didn't have the heart to make Reed wait until Sunday)

Reed helping Brent open his presents. He was so excited he could hardly stand it! It was really sweet that he was so excited to do special things for his dad. I know part of it was that he is finally understanding the whole giving/getting presents thing, but he was genuinely excited to do something special for his dad.

Day 3 of our Father's Day weekend (on actual Father's Day) - making brownies for Daddy!
Reed resuming his position to watch me do work outside. We're putting finishing touches on lots of different projects (inside and out!) but will try to get a post put up soon to show you our progress!

Bluff Fort

We recently took a trip down to visit Brent's parents and had a great time being with them and seeing the surrounding sights. This trip really made me appreciate this new state I live in. It's beautiful!

We staying the twon of Bluff, which is on the San Juan River with towering bluffs all around (it's were it got it's name, I'm assuming!). It is really quite beautiful. Maybe I was able to appreciate it more because the weather was perfect and the heat wasn't making me miserable. It was hot enough for me in the 80s given the wind, dust and lack of shade but the scenery all around was amazing!

As I mentioned in my last post, Brent's parents have been volunteering at the Bluff Fort in Bluff, Utah for quite some time. They work not only in the visitor's center but also around the fort where ever it is needed. Brent's dad has been helping with electrical needs on the fort and while we were there Brent helped his dad get the last few cabins wired (so they can do things like vacuum - you wouldn't believe the dust clouds that kick up and then blow right into the cabins!).

Reed's crying because he didn't want his picture taken. Before this picture he was running around laughing and having a great time. We all gathered construction debris from around the fort and surrounding area and Brent and his dad took a load to the dump. Each day we would go out sight-seeing and be back in the afternoon to lend a hand where needed. We planned on being down there for the whole week, but Reed was not sleeping well at all, which meant that Brent and I were sleeping even less so we cut the trip short a few days and headed for home - and some sleep and yardwork!

There are many cabins that have to reproduced at the Bluff Fort, but the Barton cabin is the only original cabin (out of 40 or 50 that were built at the time) from when the fort was established in the 1880s. I took many pictures on this trip, but I had to copy a few picture off the internet because I did not have a single picture of the fort or Bluff!

While the Barton cabin may still be standing it is roofless and windowless and floorless. It is fun to see how the old pioneer cabins were constucted, added on to and just the different techniques they used. They've put a metal roof over it to help protect it.
This is Brent's great-great grandfather, Joseph F. Barton, whose cabin still stands in the Bluff Fort.

Reed's farovite thing (next to Grandpa's Rhino) was the covered wagons they had around the fort for people to sit and pose in (they have pioneer dress-up clothes, but we were to tired and dirty to worry about taking an official picture).



We went for a Rhino ride with Brent's parents along the San Juan River and stopped for lunch at these Indian ruins called River House Ruins. They were really impressive and the fun thing about these is that you could actually walk around IN them. We went to the remains of the Barton Trading Post in Rincone right on the river but Reed and I opted not to get out of the Rhino because there was a HUGE long snake sunning himself on the rocks. Eek! It was really neat to go and visit all of these places and learn the family history stories behind them. I'm proud to be a Barton!

Then we went on to San Juan Hill, the last major hurdle for the Hole in the Rock pioneers that settled Bluff. I cannot imagine getting a wagon up that hill. We hiked up the hill and across the top of the ridge to a beautoful overlook of Comb Ridge, the San Juan River and surrounding areas Reed was a trooper and walked/ran the whole way up and didn't have to be carried until the last 10 minutes or so. It was amazing! It threatened rain all day and sprinkled on us at the biginning of the hike, which I was so grateful for because the moisture and cloud covermade it a perfect day.



We went to Hovenweep National Monument and hiked the loop trail around the rim. Again reed did great but didn't understand why we could run around among these "broken house" (ruins). Between Hovenweep and River House Ruins I actually preferred the little out the way River House Ruins. Anyway, we had a picnic lunch here before driving on to:

Four Corners National Monument

Valley of the Gods - gorgeous. Reed had a little nap and due to the lack of shade we opted to just see it from the car.

The river is way down there and does some crazy winding through this part of the country, earning it it's name - Goodesnecks.

Upper San Juan/Goosenecks overlook

More overlook - Reed had woken up so we ran around up there for awhile to let him stretch his legs before - more driving!

On the front of our Utah Mapbook there is a picture of the crazy road. I alsways thought "why wuld they build a road like that and who would use it!?" Well, turns out it is a picture of the Moki Overlook, the road we took to get to Goosenecks. Yikes. Been there done that - it was a little scary. I don't have a fear of heights, but when it comes to high, windy, narrow roads...

Enjoying the view at Goosenecks. We had a picinic lunch while we enjoyed the view of the Lower San Juan River/Goosenecks. It's really crazy that the river has erroded the land in layers and made such deep canyons.

At the end of every day we were filthy and exhausted. It was so much fun though and the perfect time of year to go - not to hot, but dry enought that it wasn't muddy. I look forward to going back!

May

I was looking at a picture of our yard from May and couldn't believe that just one short month ago it looked like this:

I'll post soon on all the work we've been up to!

Brent finished our little red trailer! We've already used it to take away a load of grass (we're digging up a significant portion of the grass in our backyard infested with the dreaded Quackgrass) and hauled home a ton (literally!) of mulch for along our back fence to keep weeds down and moisture in.

Daddy's "helper"

Reed has found his place in all the yardwork that has been going on. When he gets tired of being out there with us he'll announce "my need my camping chair and little table and cheese torilla". Whatever works...

More cheering from the sidelines

Bountiful had a chalk art show on Main Street near our home and Reed had a blast. This was his stance as we moved from picture to picture. It was bright and he wanted his sunglasses, but then decided it was easier to see the pictures with them under his chin. He didn't want to take them off, the chin was the way to go. 2-year-olds... He had a great time finding all the swords, dragons and fish.

Always lining cars up.

I picked up Brent from work one night and we headed up to Little Cottonwood Canyon for dinner one night. We had hot dogs and peach cobbler. We enjoyed the cool in the canyon, the rushing river and the lush scenery. Reed had a great time running around and was especially excited about cooking food over a fire. With full bellies we headed home. We stopped at Brent's sisters who lives in that area and Reed was saying he didn't feel good and was being really clingy. I thought he was just deciding to be shy, but a few minutes later his hot dogs came back up all over their back patio. Yikes. I was so embarrassed. Fortunatley we weren't inside their house at the time or in our car. Gross.


A happy Reed before "the incident"

Our big event in May was a trip to Bluff in southern Utah for a visit to see Brent's parents. They have spent quite a bit of time over the last few years volunterring at the old fort there and helping in any way they can. Their help is needed and they are doing great things. Brent's great-great-great grandfather was one of the original settlers of the fort and the Barton family cabin is the only original cabins still standing! It was nice to visit with them and see the place that they've been spending so much of their time. Reed had a g reat time "camping" and playing in the dirt and rocks, but he especially loved going for rides in Grandpa's Rhino (it's basically an ATV golf cart)!

Reed with Grandma and Grandpa in the Rhino

I'll do a seperate post about our trip later so I can get this post up!