The Zoo!

 I haven't been to the zoo in about a year or so, and was so impressed with all the changes that had been made.  I felt we were able to get so much closer to the animals, and their exhibits were much more larger and more like what they would experience in the wild.  Our favorites were the gorillas, tigers, leopards, and rhino, and we were so close we could almost touch them, if it wasn't for the glass.  All our kids love animals, but I think little Kensley had the most fun looking at everything! 

The Witches at Gardner Village

 

Taking advantage of this beautiful fall weather, I wanted to go and check out the witches on display at Gardner Village.  This is another favorite activity of mine to do in the fall, and the boys have fun looking at all the silly witches they have around.  We met my sister there with her kids, minus Maddox who was in school.  We ended the tour with a special treat from the bakery, a ghoulish brownie and pumpkin cupcake!

Fire in Herriman!

We came home from the cabin relaxed and ready for another week, when we see that our mountain behind our house is on fire and our neighborhood is being evacuated!   We had a few minutes to sneak into our house and I was able to grab a few belongings before heading over to my sister's house.  How do you grab a lifetime of memories in just moments?  I didn't have time to think or reflect, and was just on automatic mode, grabbing my hard drive, home videos, and clothes for the boys.  As I drove away from my house, I honestly thought it was the last time I would see it standing.  The funny thing is, I was okay with that because in my backseat I had what was most important to me, and that was my two boys!  Everything else was just "stuff" and could easily be replaced.  Fortunately, our house was saved and we were able to return home the next day.  Thank you Jen and Scott for providing us with a place to stay.   I am so blessed to have family and friends to step in and help and offer support in a time of crisis, and am so lucky to have a home to come back too!

Weekend at the Cabin

We spent last  weekend up at the "Vincent Lodge", enjoying all the beautiful fall colors and relaxing!  We invited G-ma Trudi and her dog Lilly to come up with us, and we all had a great time.  We went four wheeling, spent some time at the Smith and Moorehouse reservoir skipping rocks, had great food and wine, went on nature hikes, and I searched all over hoping to see a moose that lives in the area.   We did have some deer come up to the cabin, and fortunately didn't run into the bear that had been seen around there the previous week!  Thanks you guys for letting us use your place, next time I might just stay up there and hibernate for the winter!  Little did I know what was waiting for us when we got home...!!

Fall on the Farm

While Logan was off track, I tried to fit in as many fall activities with the boys as I could and one of the places I love to go to every year is Wheeler Farm.  I love all the history there, and the scenery is beautiful!  I still remember going there when I was young and feeding the ducks and geese, and taking the hay wagon around the farm, and they still have the same tree house for kids to climb up in!