Boo at the Zoo, and lots of Friends too!

It's that time of year again...Boo at the Zoo is in full force. It runs for two weekends and the Monday-Wednesday before Halloween this year, but I figured I wanted to get the kids there before the weather got to cold...Good Call! So we went this past Sunday. I thought about Saturday but the temp was 54...and Sunday's forecast was 67. So Sunday it was! We were super excited to go, because the Penguin Exhibit just opened. And even more exciting was the fact that all of our friends wanted to come along too! We saw Roman and Ryder Hilton as they were leaving. But we spent most of our time there with Macy and Colby, Tatum and Mason Gray, and Camryn and Cayde White. The Fawer's were there with us too, but we must have lost them at the end.

One of the highlights of the trip was the corn bin. They had a big sand box full of corn for the kids to play in. It had shovels and buckets and all sorts of goods. Well, Bug was wearing her Gold Tom's and a mom saw one and grabbed it. I quickly claimed it. And then realized she didn't have the other one on. After stepping in the box, I realized that the box would probably swallow little children's shoes. It was like trying to walk in quicksand. So three other grown women and myself climbed in and started digging for the lost GOLD TOM, in a box of yellow corn. It was literally like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Thankfully it only took me about 5 minutes to locate the lost shoe. I'm glad there are no pictures of that.

 

Anyway, the kids had so much fun looking at all the Halloween décor, and checking out all the carved pumpkins. Not to mention collecting their treats. I hope this is a Halloween activity that we can enjoy for years to come!

P.S. Hattie didn't get to come, she was down with a GI virus that eventually caught up to her big sisters too :(


NLCS Game 2

And so the tradition continues...The Cardinals are in the playoffs AGAIN! And of course we are thrilled. They are our team. The one team that we BOTH cheer for. Going to games has become our "thing"... it certainly helps that we had only been dating for about 8 weeks when we went to our first one. But Mitch was locked in as a fan after he attended the NLDS, NLCS and a World Series game when they won it back in 2006 and now there is no looking back. I love that he shares in my love of this team!

So we were super excited when my dad offered us his playoff seats for Game 2 on Saturday, October 12th against the Dodgers. Especially since they were in his new seats. Section 138, 9 rows up from the field. Rookie Pitcher, Michael Wacha, was set to take the mound. He did not disappoint. It was a pitching duel right down to the end. Jon Jay hit a sacrifice fly so David Freese could score the only run of the game. Final score Cardinals 1, Dodgers 0.  We love a good RED OCTOBER...Go Cardinals! 

Antelope Island

Lauren and I...hadn't seen her in 17 years...she's still amazing!

On our last day in Utah, we decided to take the girls to the Salt Lake before heading to the airport. I have an old friend from High School that lives there, and I was so happy that she was able to meet up with us. Lauren, and her young daughter Claire joined us at Antelope Island (I never saw a single antelope).

The girls had fun, running around, taking in the scenery and posing for the camera while Lauren and I caught up. It had been 17 years since she moved away from Charleston, but we picked up right where we left off. It was so wonderful to see her and next time we go back I will be letting her know for sure. It would be wonderful to meet the rest of her family.

We started at the visitors center where you could read on the history and the science of the Salt Lake. I didn't because I was busy talking to my friend. But after that we headed down to the beach. As we walked towards the water the girls got more and more excited. They couldn't wait to put their feet in it. I think they were crazy. It was a high of 50 so that water had to be COLD! But they didn't seem to mind.

After they finished playing in the Lake, we said our Good-byes to Lauren and Claire. Then we found a picnic area to sit and have lunch. It was the perfect way to end our trip...and of course we had to do a little more posing...this time with flowers. We made it to the airport and had uneventful flights home. It was nice to finally be sleeping in our own beds. Thanks for the memories, Utah! Until we meet again.

The Gondola

The Sunday after the wedding was probably the nicest day we had had so far in Utah. It was gorgeous. Temps were in the low 50's by early morning and just kept climbing. And the sun was out which made it all the more lovely...just look at those colors in the mountains. Mitch had suggested that we take the Gondola up the mountains for something to do, so that's exactly what we did.

The girls thought it was so cool. They were all giggly with excitement the entire way up. They thought it was crazy that people were taking their bikes up the mountain with them. They didn't really understand the concept of trails. And when we got up there they had a lot of fun just running around. We thought it would be chilly when we got up top, but it really wasn't. There were people zip lining to the bottom, and they were very curious watching them. It killed some time, and the views were breathtaking...good call, Daddy!

The Party

After the ceremony, there was a cocktail hour while the wedding party finished up pictures. Then we headed into the stables, yes stables, for the dinner. It was decorated beautifully. The tables were covered with succulents. And the food was pretty good too! And even though it was about 49 degrees outside, Bug could not be persuaded to wear her sweater or coat, sigh. We were very fortunate to have a babysitter...a friend of Ryan's found her for us, and the girls loved Jessica and she was a God Send helping with all three of my little ladies.

After the dinner, and Mitch's best man toast, things wrapped up in the stables and we headed outside (yes, outside) for the dance party. It was in a big canopy/tent ring...and fortunately they had lots of propane heaters set up. It was still cold, but the girls found lots of ways to stay warm. First there was the smore's bar...genius. And delicious too! Leah was super excited to have a real cowboy (ranch hand) help her make hers. Then there were hay bales set up around campfires where you could sit and get warm. Later on in the evening, Jessica sat around the campfire with a sleeping Hattie attached to her chest and that same "cowboy" covered them with a sleeping bag. Then of course, the surest way to stay warm when you are outside in the 40 degree weather is to dance, dance, dance! Our girls seemed to be the life of the party. They were right in the middle of it all. And I think most of the party goers enjoyed their antics. We closed down the bar, ha! And then they were all fast asleep in the car before we got off the ranch property!

The Wedding Party

Notice the pointed toes!

Look at this good looking bunch of people! After the ceremony as they were doing pictures the girls were so adorable. They couldn't wait to get pictures with Ryan. Then when they were doing pictures with the whole group, Bug was being a ham, and kept kicking her toes up...especially when she was hugging Dexter the ring bearer. I wish I could keep them this precious and little forever.

The Wedding at Red Cliff Ranch

It was a beautiful day at Red Cliff Ranch in Heber City, UT for the wedding. The temperature wasn't great, a chilly 54, but with the sun shining it wasn't too bad! We had to get there early since the girls were in the wedding party. So we met them at 2. The house at the ranch was full of the wedding party. Girls upstairs and boy downstairs. There was  lot of food and beverages and everyone was anxious to get started. We hung out downstairs for the most part. The girls wanted to be with Mitch and Ryan.

Shortly before the ceremony started we headed up the hill to the ceremony location. As you can see from the photos...it was an absolutely beautiful setting. There were live musicians playing songs that Ryan and Carrie chose for the guest. And it was decorated perfectly. The ceremony was officiated by Carrie and Ryan's friend Sean. He did a wonderful job personalizing the ceremony. And since Ryan is Jewish it had the perfect mix of Jewish and Christian elements. I couldn't help but get a chuckle out of the yarmulkes and cowboy boots.