reindeer and light-show

We took the boys to see the reindeer at Thanksgiving Point last week.

This ice sculpture had just been carved too and the boys loved seeing it. 

Too bad we missed the demonstration! 

After we oogled the reindeer we saw signs that Santa was there for pictures!

So we forked out $4 (half off for TP members) and waited in line for our turn.

I have to admit it was pretty funny watching all of the scared kids...

Ollie was the nervous one in our family and Linc was the first one who ran up to Santa and told him that he wanted Yo Gabba Gabba toys. 

The boys loved that Santa gave out cherry candy canes.

We ate dinner in the cafe and as we were heading out we saw signs for the drive-through lights.

Loved red & white trees in the parking lot!

We paid $4 to go through (again, half price.)

The boys were not disappointed in the light show!

We had a fun night on $8 plus food!

{Thanksgiving Point}

Reindeer

Nov 25 through Dec 23 

Mon- Fri 6-10 PM, Sat Noon-10 PM

or for more info go HERE.

temple square lights

I love how the trees at Temple Square drip with billions of lights-

it's a magnificent sight!

I can appreciate the time it takes to put up a few lights.

(I do the trees, Adam does the house.) 

We visited the Saturday after Thanksgiving-- opening weekend! 

(With the rest of Utah.)

It was cool and crisp out but no snow yet, so it was a perfect night to go. 

Our yearly tradition.

P.S. Can someone please set up a hot chocolate booth somewhere near the temple? 

That would be nice. 

provo river falls- the uintas

The gorgeous Provo River Falls.

 Three tiers of waterfalls, little pools of beautiful clear water and

layered rocks all surrounded by green pines- an amazing combination!

We were staying in Midway, so we decided to head over through Kamas and into the Uintas to do a little hiking. Aren't these rocks amazing? This fun little canyon between Midway and Kamas surprised us with it's beauty.

grand tetons day 2

On our second day in Jackson, we decided to drive into the park to see more of the fall colors and the amazing mountain peaks.

But first we started off at Bubba's- who knew a BBQ 

place could have such a delicious breakfast menu?

Bubba's is famous for it's biscuits and I followed Abby when she took the top biscuit off, slathered it with jelly and ate it first, and then ate the bottom egg and cheese open-faced. Delicious. I've been to Bubba's for lunch too. You've got to go if you're in Jackson!

The plan was to go on another little hike before the forecasted storms came in.
The skies looked friendly enough. (I love a Wyoming sky!)

grand teton national park

 Our friends invited us to stay the weekend at their condo in Jackson (Jackson Hole) Wyoming last weekend. The condo looked right out on the Teton mountain range, and was right next to the Grand Teton National Park. I could not get over it's beauty! It was so rugged at the top. And how lucky were we to be there during the fall color show?! We loved it. 

 My favorites were the little splashes of color against the green pines. 

 Abby and Rich were our tour guides and have been everywhere around the park. They took us on this little hike. We didn't quite make it to the lake before we needed to pick up our friends from the airport. We are pretty slow with our curious boys. Who knew Wyoming could be so fabulous? (Really- as a kid driving through the endless miles of sagebrush and flatlands, I had no idea.)

saltair

Saltair

 We took the big boys to their very first concert at Saltair last weekend. 

I was just as excited to get there early and explore the beach and The Great Salt Lake.

I wanted to see the salt flats... 

I found out these weren't the dry white beaches I envisioned, but still neat to see.

 I thought it was very cool looking- and had my sis snap a 

picture of us... little did I know it (the sky, the crazy beach, the cool finds) would get even better. 

wild salt-loving plant

wasatch mountain state park

 We were in Midway for the weekend and decided to spend Sunday afternoon at the pond at the bottom of Wasatch Mountain State Park. It was so beautiful and perfect! And it was just the tip of the iceberg. You can explore the mountains, golf and camp if want too. We had fun relaxing at this peaceful place. 

 The pond is right next to a golf course, and right next to the mountains. 

There are well kept grassy banks, picnic tables and a fun playground for the kids.
Can you believe how beautiful it is?

wheeler farm

Some things I liked about Wheeler Farm (It was my first time there):

the birds roaming the grounds that the kids could follow
the huge, shady, grassy area perfect for a picnic
the little (yet long) stream for the kids to play in
&
it's free!

Walking around the grounds to see the goats, tractors and
barns are fun for the kids too- if it's not too hot. 

rocky mouth waterfall

We decided to hit another waterfall on our last weekend of summer vacation. We went to Rocky Mouth in Sandy, and it was even cooler than we thought it would be. And being close by is always a plus.  The funny thing about this waterfall is that you park at the bottom of a neighborhood and then walk up the street to find the trailhead- nestled right in between two houses. How cool would that be, to have this hidden waterfall-- the whole mountain actually-- right behind your house?! I'm totally jealous. 

So, first you park in this little parking area off of Wasatch Blvd- (complete directions below.)

These stairs take you up to the neighborhood. I loved these stairs and think they would be super cool for a family picture or something. 

hidden falls

hidden falls

We decided to invite the little Swalbergs on our date last Saturday. We started out at Lone Star Taqueria for some amazing fish tacos and chips & salsa...We dined on the patio while the boys played on the grass next to us taking bites here and there.  

Next, we drove up the road to Big Cottonwood Canyon. We told the boys we were going to discover some secret waterfalls like Indiana Jones. They were giddy with excitement and kept asking things like, "Are we the first people to ever discover them?" and "How come nobody knows where they are?"  

Hidden Falls is the perfect name for them- no marked trail head, weird parking spot, crossing a busy road, etc. It was just a short walk to the falls, but the details are a little tricky... see the end of post for directions.

But find them we did.

summer at silver lake

Adam had the 25th off for Pioneer Day, so we went up to Silver Lake. Adam has never been in the summer, although we snowshoed in last winter. 

What I love about Silver Lake is that it is a super easy walk around the lake on boardwalks mostly. People take strollers and it's wheelchair accessible. But it also has little places off of the trail to explore and climb. We had fun, and even ran into some of my favorite neighbors growing up- the Spencers. 

We saw lots of people fishing, and one person was walking out with a chain full of fish- so I guess the fishing's good too. 

This amazing flower field was right by the parking lot!

the boardwalk

Blackridge Reservoir- Herriman

My friend Ann organized a fun getaway every Wednesday of June and July. It was great and I'm sad that it's over for this summer! Last week we went to Blackridge Reservoir- a neighborhood lake at the top of Herriman. It's a manmade lake and small like a pond. Someday it will have lots of trees and shrubbery, but for now it's just a nice, clean, sandy beach with cool water, bathrooms and lots of garbage cans to keep it clean. The boys had lots of fun playing, and I had fun talking with my friends.

Be sure to bring some shade and toys for the kids to float... and maybe some lifejackets if your kids are into swimming. And always bring more food, snacks and water than you think you need- swimming makes the kids HUNGRY! You might want to get there early as there is limited parking for now. I'm pretty sure my kids thought we were in California... a mini beach vacation just up the road!

Blackridge Reservoir:

15000 S. Ashland Ridge Dr. (5390 W) Herriman, Utah

Directions from Bangerter:

Turn West onto 13400 S. (1.4 mi)

Turn left onto Monarch Meadows Pkwy (.5)

Continue onto 4800 W (.5 mi)

 4800 W turns right and becomes Juniper Crest Rd (.9 mi)

Turn right onto Emmeline Dr (.2 mi)

Take the 1st left onto Ashland Ridge Dr (.3 mi)

You are there!