a recurring theme

During our annual trip to Logan to see the leaves changing, I remarked to Adam how many pictures we have of the boys throwing rocks into bodies of water.

So I thought I would dedicate this post to our recent travels and the fact that our boys love rocks and water, or according to Isaac:  specifically throwing rocks ("ra!") into water ("wa-ee!").

We went to the ward campout up near Eden.  Isaac was soaking by the time we left (I wasn't about to sleep without a mattress with my belly like this).

We had a neighbor friend visit and play in the mud hole we have where the birdbath was.  Isaac was pretty upset I wouldn't let him take his diaper off along with his clothes.  Bath time!

Possibly becoming one of my biggest pet peeves EVER, forcing me to remind myself to choose my battles!  it's not a big deal!  there are so many worse things to get upset about!  But still I find myself calling to the kids if I realize it is too quiet to "get away from the sink!"

And here we are in Logan.  We went a bit early to see much color, although had the chance to see foliage on a later trip to Pocatello to see Grandpa Ronald and his wife Zelpha for her 90th birthday.

Isaac will go for big rocks, who knows why.  Jackson dragged the branch out of the water, who knows why.

Lily got into things, which normally doesn't happen.  She wasn't too happy with Jackson who would rather be by the water than exploring the spooky forest and secret hideouts with her.

Maybe this is what Jackson was hoping for?  In any event the boys were pretty excited to see the splash.

Labor Day weekend Adam said "let's go to Jackson Hole!"  And if it had been two weeks and $1,000+ in car expenses later, I would have said no.  As it was, I said yes.  We went through Priceline and expected a basement room next to the janitor since this was an incredibly nice resort.  Lily sensed as much, and wanted Adam to take her picture while she 'posed' for him.

Because it was a super short trip since we left after Relief Society, we didn't see a ton.  But I was very determined to use our National Parks pass we bought at Zions in July.  (Didn't see the government shutdown coming....)  But the Visitor's Center was awesome and the kids were enthralled for quite a while.

The next day it was raining pretty hard, so even though we had wanted to do a few small hikes with the kids, that was a no go.  Lily whined for the entire 45 minutes from our hotel to the Grand Tetons.  Jackson of course wanted to get going with Dad right away, rain and all.  We ended up at Jenny Lake, which was a short walk from the car.  The kids loved the bear tracks.

"Why the heck are you taking pictures and not carrying this slow boy??"

The water was pretty warm, and the kids were in heaven!  Even Lily, who was pretty cold in just her sweater (the cold season fight begins....), but is obsessed with rocks so ultimately thought it was great to have such a beautiful selection of pebbles.

 Sidenote:  Lily painted a few of her rocks with nail polish, and sold one at school for $1.  Crazy.

The only downside to how much fun this activity is, is the fact that you have to leave sometime.  No fun carrying a slightly muddy and wet boy who is kicking and screaming because they aren't ready to leave.

Here are some random shots.  By our cute balcony.

Jack thought it was awesome we were at a place with his same name.

Breakfast!  The aspen trees were the perfect touch.  Such pretty sounds.

The view was incredible - not awesome with a toddler obsessed with climbing, but still incredible!

The semi-hot tub was perfect since it started raining.  The kids were so happy with a pool their size and they were all taking turns jumping in.  Isaac is a crazy water baby.

Our room.  Adam started a log fire for the kids to watch as they fell asleep.  We felt really bad for the childless couple next to us (and any people in the building, really), since our kids were, well, kids.  They were good listeners and not crazy rowdy - but still loud.

And along with fall comes Adam's softball games.  The kids had so much fun running around, back and forth to say hi to Dad, then come ask me who was winning.  And the sky and mountains are so amazing this time of year.

One more from Logan:  with Aggie Ice Cream at USU!