Two weekends ago we took a road trip to Southern Utah for a few important birthdays. Jack's cousin Alex turned one! He had a birthday party in the park in Springdale and it was a beautiful day out. Jack was particularly interested in the box to one of Alex's toys. Then Mark turned 50. We had a great party for him and Brooks was very helpful in pointing out the high points of his gifts. It was blast to be around everyone and Jack had lots of fun.
Jack is at an exploring age. He loves to get into everything. This morning he was up sitting on the dishwasher door going through the silverware. He sometimes seems like a little whirlwind going through our house. He is so fun and understand what I ask him to do. They say babies are like little sponges and it is true. He knows all of his body parts and points when I say them.
Fall weather is unpredictable in Salt Lake so we recently took advantage of a beautiful weekend and hiked to Dog Lake. It was about six miles round trip and took a little longer than we had anticipated but Jack did pretty well. He rode up in the hiking backpack and we enjoyed snacks by the lake while we watched all the dogs frolick around the lake. The hike back down was not quite as smooth. Jack was tired and probably hungry and did not want to ride in the backback nor did he want his dad to carry him. So I hiked back down carrying him most of the way. On the plus side it was a quad and bicep workout!
We just spent a wonderful five days in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was a blast. We hiked, whitewater rafted (not Jack), ate at some great resturants, and explored the area. Our good friends Chase and Carrie live up there and we got to meet their kids, Reese and James, for the first time. Our condo was in Teton Village and had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a kitchen. Mary came along and it was the perfect size for the four of us. Jack did so well! He slept great in his play yard and was perfect on the drive there and back - it took about six hours each way with stops. We loved the Tetons and I saw a moose. We also saw Ospray, which look a lot like Bald Eagles and make their nests on power poles. It was a great vacation and we can't wait to start planning more!
