Hunting....

ELK

I joined Matt, my dad, and my sister-in-law's brother, Mike, for our traditional yearly elk hunt at Strawberry. Griff had other commitments that weekend, so he couldn't come. :( We had a great campfire, and I made a yummy, if a little burned, dutch oven cobbler. Click HERE for the recipe - it is SO good! My dad and I forgot to get tags until they had already sold out, so we slept in and then went on a long ride opening morning. It was so beautiful and relaxing. I have hiked (and I mean REALLY hiked), hunted, and fished this area since I was 12, and I think the area around Strawberry is one of the prettiest on earth! Next year, I am going to make sure I get a tag though. :)

ANTELOPE

Jack's First Hunt!

My dad drew out for an antelope hunt in WY, and I really wanted to go with him. Griff and I have been putting in for a few years, but have never drawn. So Dad, Matt, Wesley, Jack, and I loaded up in Matt's truck and off we went. We glassed a ton of antelope in 2 days, and my dad ended up taking a great 14.5 in antelope! Jack and Wesley were so good, too. It was fun to extend our hunting tradition to include the next generation. Can't wait for those little boys to get bigger. :) Thanks for sharing your hunt with us, Dad. We sure had fun!

The first pic of Jack making a horsey noise. He blows raspberries for horseys and pants for doggies. And he even says doggie... "doggoo!"

A Happy Anniversary

Griff surprised me for our 3rd anniversary and took me on a Las Vegas getaway! I tried to plan something trivial for the day after our anniversary a few days before, but Griff told me we had other plans. So I was expecting something.... maybe a night in Park City, I thought? Then I got home from work at 10pm on Tues night, and Griff told me to pack my bags for a warm anniversary escape. We dropped Jack off at Griff's parents the next morning and flew to Vegas. (Thank you SO much Randy and Cindy!) We stayed at the Luxor on the strip, which was fun. We spent our time walking around, lounging by the pool, eating yummy food, and even went to KA (my first cirque show - AMAZING!). We had so much fun. And it was so nice to enjoy swimsuit weather for a couple of days. What a sweet, fun husband I have! I love you, baby!

A Happy Halloween!

Halloween was pretty exciting at our house this year. We had a last minute get together with friends at our house...

Chewbacca Jack, Jen, and Pumpkin Bella

Pumpkin Bella, Smooshed Froggy Finn, Chewbacca Jack, and Monkey Nash

We had a yummy brunch together, but the most exciting news was...

Hillary's new ring! Chris proposed earlier that morning! Perfect since Halloween is Hodi's favorite day of the year. We are SO excited for her!

Hillbilly Shelby, Witchy Mindy, Guenivere Hillary, Princess (as in the Frog and the Princess), and Jen

After the party, we visited both of Griff's grandparents and then headed to Griff's parents to go trunk or treating at their ward. I should have taken some pics of their professional pumpkin carving skills. They had Bob Marley, Spongebob, and lots of other cool designs.

My little family

My mom gave me the cutest witch's hat.. I put together a good last minute costume with it, but I plan to make a really great one worthy of such a great hat.

Jack with Grandma and Grandpa Christensen

Getting ready to stroll around the trunk-or-treat.

Cowboy Chet

Cinderella Kara, Cowboy Chet, Chewbacca Jack, and Tinkerbell Anika

We ended up at my parent's house for some Witch's stew (chili), Bones and Blood (breadsticks and marinara sauce), and Bubo Tuber Pus (guacamole). Oh, and I can't forget the cockroach clusters (chocolate covered nuts) and caramel apples for dessert. My mom always does such cute things for Halloween. She used to serve soup out of a pumpkin when we were little, then we would either have homemade donuts or jack-o-lantern pizza after trick-or-treating. She usually does a Halloween party one night in October complete with Halloween Bingo, Halloween stories/movies, and lots more Halloween food. She is the best!

Devil Wesley, Grandma Sterzer, Jack

Matt, Amy, Wesley, Dad, Mindy, Griff

Washington Forests.. and the Park

While we were visiting with Brittany's family in Seattle, we went on the most beautiful nature walk. The forest was absolutely breathtaking... dense green lush foliage, dark rich earth, and grey light from overcast skies made me believe things like woodland fairies and Big Foot might really exist in a place like that and we might never know! Next time we visit Brittany, I am bringing hiking boots and camping equipment to really experience those beautiful forests.

Here are a few pics of a morning spent in the park. We miss our Gabe!

Logan Matthew Sterzer

I have a new nephew! Well, kind of. Logan is actually a month old now! :) I went shopping for an hour with his mommy today, and I when I got home it dawned on me that I hadn't posted about him yet. Logan was born to Matt and Amy on October 5 at 3:43pm. He was 6 lbs 12 oz and 18.5 in long. He is absolutely adorable. These pictures were taken about a week after he was born. Just looking at them makes me want to hold him! What a sweetie pie...