Yellowstone

We visited Yellowstone this past weekend while we were in Idaho. The day started off rainy and overcast. Jenny had only packed shorts & sandals for everyone and worried about being cold. But, by the end of the day, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. We tried to do the whole park in one day. Most of the day was spent on the northern end looking at all of the waterfalls and mountains. I informed the kids that we were inside of a volcano and it really had them curious and confused. They couldn't figure out where the lava was. I love Yellowstone, but Rebekah thinks the thermal sites smell like daddy. What is that supposed to mean? The thing we heard the most from the kids was "oh no, not another waterfall." The kids thought the mudpots and geysers were more exciting. Regardless, we had fun, and the kids loved seeing all the animals (which I thought there was a lack of). We ended the day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here are a few pictures:

Knight Family Reunion

With Jenny spending the week at Girl's Camp, I had to do this one on my own. That was no small task.... Dad and three kids camping in the wild. This year, we were high in the mountains between Manti and Price, Utah. As always, it was fun, and the kids had a blast. The things they enjoy most, like playing in the dirt, no baths, & eating with your hands.. etc, are the same things that wear out their parents. But, hanging out with the family and cousins makes it more than worth it. Next year, it is my family's turn to plan the reunion. Between the rain, and chasing kids all weekend, I can say that I was worn out when this one was over. I am just now recovering from the weekend. Here are a few pictures:

Manti LDS Temple

Austin playing ball with Grandpa Barrowes

Rebekah and Hazel on the Quad

Cousins at play

July 4th

Nothing special happened at our house on the 4th. It was the first time in ten years I have not worked the holiday, however, so that was nice. We woke up early Saturday (8 AM is early for me) to catch a parade, only to get there and find out that it was cancelled for budgetary reasons. So we ended up hanging out at the house doing pretty much nothing. We had a few fireworks to fire off that evening. Rebekah and her class put on a Independence Day show at school, and she did a great job.

How can you not love them?!!!!

Ever have one of those days when you wonder what you were thinking when you decided to be a parent? I know you have all been there. Luckily, children do amazing things each day to remind us how much we love them and how lucky we are to be trusted with these sweet little spirits. Well, I didn't have a bad day today but there have been recently. I was just looking at some pictures and decided I had to post them - like I said, How can you not love them?!

Vacation !!!!

For quite some time, Jenny and I have been planning our vacation to Colorado. It finally happened, and we just got home. It was a good time. Initially, we invited my parents, my sister Vanessa and her family, and the Able family, good friends of ours. Matt & Heather were the only ones to commit to it at that time, so we began planning. About two weeks before departure time, we found out my brother, Spencer, was going to be in the states from Hong Kong and wanted to come along. This re-ignited interest from Vanessa and Dave, as well as my mother and youngest brother, Bryce. Also tagging along was Daisy, our 13 year-old neighbor/babysitter. In all, we became a group of 23 (13 kids under ten, four of them 2 yrs old)


We found a great place to stay on Frying Pan Creek, near Basalt, Colorado. It is called Taylor Creek Cabins, and consisted of one large cabin, which we were able to reserve. By a stroke of luck, Spencer and Grandma Norma were able to get a smaller cabin in the same area due to a late cancellation. This gave us lots of room for kids to run, and beds for the adults. Kids got couches and floors for sleeping. It was a beautiful cabin, secluded, with a creek running through the property.

We packed a lot of events into a few days, and everyone had a good time. Some of the highlights included a bicycle ride along the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon, touring Glenwood Caverns, riding an Alpine slide, river rafting the Roaring Fork River, and a scenic drive to the Maroon Bells and over Independence Pass. Rebekah made her first attempt at river rafting, and by the end of the run, decided it was "boring." The guide did let her "drive" the boat a couple of times so I guess she is ready for some white water. Rhett tried his hand at fishing, but on his first cast, launched Matt's fishing pole into Frying Pan Creek, and that was the end of that. The kids ran & ran & ran and all had a good time, wearing out the grown-ups in the process. All in all, the trip was a success, and we are now experiencing the duldrums of a return to daily life - having all of the neighborhood kids show up by 10 am this morning to play.

Here are a few more pictures.

Austin.

Just using this post to show a picture of our little jokester, Austin. He is a fun kid with lots of energy, but even this little guy eventually runs out of gas.

The day after

Jenny's surgery went well, and she is now recovering here at the house. She is not terribly comfortable, but is happy for the pain killers the doc prescribed for her. This will probably be her roughest day, and she is pretty sore. Our neighbors and friends have been a big help already.