The Pie

We joined Nels's sister Kierstin and her husband Tom, and Nels's parents for dinner at The Pie up in Salt Lake.  It was Tom's birthday so we were happy to help celebrate.  

Kira was too cute while we were getting ready.  She loves wearing her big pink bows and pink sunglasses.

I just love her smile.

The Pie was downstairs.  Our kids just love stairs.  So up and down, up and down they went.

Our selfie...

And I got the sign in there.

The last time we ate at the pie was a year or so after we had been married.  It was fun to go back.

We ordered way too much food and then ate way too much.  But we had a fun night out.

Stewart Falls Hike

One of our big outings in August was a hike.  A long hike.  I got it into my head that it would be wonderful for our family to hike to Stewart Falls.  The hike ended up being about 2 miles to the falls and 2 miles back.  Each way took us about 2 hours.  There were a lot of people on the trail and Kira did not like that.  About 15 minutes into the hike Kira said she was tired.  She is pretty stubborn.  She would literally not move unless we picked her up.  We tried bribery, walking ahead without her and other less kind ways to convince her that she loved walking.  None of it worked.  So I carried her for a good hour and a half.  Anyways, here's some pictures...I'll write more too.  Because we did have some good moments.  :)

Isak and Nels standing at the beginning of the hike, happy and ready.

People here are so nice and offer to take family pictures all of the time.  I rarely have to ask anymore. haha.

The views were gorgeous and I loved the scenery.

One of many breaks.

Isak was a true champ.  He walked 85% of the time!  We rarely had to carry him.  He was pretty amazing.

We decided Kira was too hot...yes, I overdressed her.  So we took her pants off.  That helped a little.

We made it to the falls!  We actually talked about quitting several times, but we continued forward knowing the view of the waterfall would be worth it.  And it was.

We found some of the only shade on a steep hill.  Love Isak's grin in this picture.  We all thought the PB&J sandwiches were the best food in the world.

I tried to get a picture of Nels with the kids by the waterfall.

These were the best ones.

My turn...

We spent some time throwing rocks into the creek.

Way fun!

Nels pulled out his little Leatherman tool and used the scissors to cut Kira's pants into shorts.  Much better.

More rock throwing.

Pretty trees.

Our hiking shoes...

Cute little feet.

Isak's are cute too.  :)

Selfie...Kira wanted to be included too.

About the last 30-45 minutes of the hike, Kira finally got into it!  Yay!  She found big rocks to stand on and sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" a few times.

Both Kira and Isak enjoyed jumping off rocks and tree roots.  Kira also became a lion and chased Isak and Daddy down the trail.  Then Isak would be the lion.  Isak and I found trees that had fallen over.  Isak would say "sad" whenever we saw one.

We took breaks on tree stumps and ate snacks.  We talked and laughed...on the way back.  It's funny, our circumstances didn't change...we were still hiking...but our attitude and perspective changed from being miserable and complaining to having fun and enjoying ourselves.

See Kira's big grin as she made it to the end of the hike.  :)

We made it.  All 4 of us.  I think we will stick to shorter hikes in the future though.

Here are my shoes.  One is darker because my foot slipped off a tree branch and into the creek when we were crossing it.

At the end, the kids took turns climbing up the stairs and singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Then they would jump down the stairs.  We were all very tired and dirty from our hike.  After some much needed showers and bathing, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner at Texas Roadhouse.

Hiking Stewart Falls was Definitely a Memorable Adventure.  :)

July Wrap Up

Happy New Year!  Can you believe it is 2016??  2015 was a very busy year for us.  It will be interesting to see what 2016 brings.  

Well, back to catching up.  :)

Wrapping up all of July with these random pictures.

Here's what our house looked like with all the boxes the movers plopped down.  So July 3rd, my birthday, was the day the unpacking began.  

Luckily, the kids were awesome.  When they would start to get fussy I would just open a box of their toys and they would play and play.

They ate a little lunch on the balcony.  I got the kitchen and lots of toys unpacked the first day.  

We unpacked a lot and we were all very happy when it was pretty much done.  Yes, I still have one or two boxes left.  But it's definitely livable now.  My mom sent me these napkins from our wedding 12 years ago.  I took a picture to remember it.  

4th of July.  We spent it unpacking.  Nels's sister Kierstin and her husband Tom came to visit us and made us tacos for lunch.  At night after the kids went to bed, Nels and I ate a bowl of ice cream on our balcony and watched the fireworks.  

I bought the kids 4th of July outfits, even though we didn't go anywhere.  

They discovered how much fun it is to "help" me with the dishes.  They love water and dumping water out of cups.

They got to eat popsicles in the garage while I swept out the pods so they could be picked up...the pods, not the kids.  :)  

One morning I actually made myself a yummy breakfast.  Orange juice made in the Vitamix, raspberries, and a egg, cheese, canadian bacon english muffin.    I took a picture because it doesn't happen very often.  :)

Cute boy eating pizza at my sister Kari's house.  My sisters and I all got together at Kari's.  We ate and played and went swimming.

Then we went to an outdoor play that Kari's kids were in.  Here's Isak and his cousin Tyler waiting for the show to begin.

Here's me, Kira and cousin Abby.  It was a fun night.

Our first Sunday in our new ward.  Our friend from Charlotte gave Nels a blue shirt and made him promise to wear it on his first Sunday.  Most people at church wear white shirts and ties.  So Nels stood out.  :)

One day we made bracelets with pipe cleaner and pony beads.  Kira is so cute.  She made one for herself and then made one for her friend Charlotte.  Kira loves big bows and flowers in her hair.  She picks them out.  :)

Isak made a bracelet too and then made one for Daddy.  

Getting used to the new house.  Kira played on the stairs for a good while with her Minnie's.

Kira woke up early one morning with her horsey and blanket and sat on the stairs.  

This is what it is like to try and relax with twin toddlers.  :)  haha.

They just want to make sure dad is comfortable.  

And last picture...we went to story time in the park.  It was the last one of the summer.  I am looking forward to doing it this summer though.  They had singing and dancing and of course they read a book.  

And that wraps up our busy, fun July!