Catch-up with pictures

So, having a new baby hasn't left much time for blogging, but I do want to get some pictures up of our latest doings.  Putting the pictures up will make it seem like we've been out having adventures all summer.  In reality, we have mostly just stayed home, but I don't often think to take pictures when we're just doing normal family things.  There are a few though.   Here are some of the latest adventures:

Our little baby "Gem" is getting big so fast.

Photo by my friend, Jodi

My friend, Jodi, took some beautiful pictures of Gem at 3 weeks:

Getting bigger...

So is everyone else:

Ray loves to sing to his baby brother (can you tell what song?)


He also loves to sing to a pretend audience (the kids filmed this and there's not a lot of singing, but it's adorable still):

Bazinks explaining one of his "set-ups":

While I was home recuperating after having a baby, Rock took the kids on some outings:
Hiking with friends:

And camping:

Baby Gem and I got to go to camp Kiesel with Spice for an Activity Days activity.  Gem did really well and we had a good time.

Rock rode in a couple of century rides and we came and watched him finish one around Utah Lake:

My sister-in-law, Michelle, was in town for a month.  I got to have her at my house for a week!  It was so wonderful getting to talk and laugh with her.  I miss her and her little boys very much.  I also miss my brother who was also in and out of town during that time.  We did some fun things while they were here including letting her teach us how to paint.  Rock came home a couple of times to find painting supplies all over the table instead of dinner :-)  We also went to a few other places including several hikes like Cascade Springs:

We all had fun at the Tracy Aviary together too:

The day Michelle had to leave, we went to her mom's house and rode horses and ATVs.  Ray sort of half-giggled half-cried when he was on the horse with me, but he loved the ATV with his dad and grandpa.

Later that week, the kids had a piano recital:

Spice playing "Dreams Come True"

Bud singing and playing "Honeydew" (you can't really hear him singing though).

Bud playing a song he wrote that he titled "Bo, bo, bee, bop"

Spice playing a song she wrote that she titled "Arabian Dance"

Bud has been having fun going to the football games with his dad:

A couple of weeks ago we went to Yellowstone.  Here are a few of the hundreds of pictures we took there :-)

The cabin we stayed in.  It was a 30 min. drive to Yellowstone, but the cabin was perfect.

Waiting for Old Faithful:

Finally, it erupts:

Geyser walk:

Ranger-led tour of Black Basin:

Hike to a lake:

Eating s'mores outside our cabin:

The first time we saw a Bison, we stopped and pointed it out to Ray.  We got in the car and started driving and up ahead was a Bison on the road.  He walked next to our car right by Ray's window.  Ray looked perplexed and then said, "Huh." in an interested way.  He loved seeing the "Bi-tn" and the "Melk" (Bison and Elk).  All the kids loved the wildlife.  We watched a mole did a hole, saw a bald eagle flying overhead, spotted a coyote,  and, of course, saw Bison everywhere:

On the way to and at the falls:

Mud Basin (we called it the stinky hike):

Having a picnic (Ray stepped on some bear poop)

One of my favorite hikes was to the base of Tower Falls.  You can't quite go to the base anymore, but you can go to a river area by it.  The kids threw rocks into the river and played in the sand.  We got ice-cream when we got back to the top which also made it very nice.

We were exited to see a herd of Elk and one of them bugled.

The inside of our cabin as we were getting ready to leave:

Mammoth Hot Springs:

Norris Basin was another of my favorite hikes.  We had so much fun talking and laughing through this hike.  It even rained on us for a little bit which was nice because most people had deserted the trail and it felt pretty secluded and smelled wonderfully (except when you walked by the steaming pools ;-)  )  It felt so good to be together:

That pretty much catches up on things.  I'd like to write about more than what we've been doing, but I think I've ignored my kids enough for one Sunday.  Maybe I'll post again soon (although I don't foresee having much more time than I've had lately.  Babies sure do take a lot of time!  I'm loving it though).