Utah: Part 1

If I had to describe this year's trip to Utah in three words or less it would be mud, mutts, and fireworks. There was, of course, so much more than that, but those were definitely some of the major highlights of the trip. 

In the past our Utah trips have been challenging.  They weren't really vacations in the relaxing form of the word.  David would spend most of his days working on the cabin and my day was spent chasing/entertaining a toddler.  Noah was little and unpredictable; I kept having these visions of him tumbling down the stairs or falling out of the loft.  Last year, Noah never wanted to nap and was then super cranky by the end of the day.  Not exactly as relaxing as one would like.  This year, for the first time, Noah was well behaved, I didn't have to worry about him on the stairs, he found things to play with and didn't have to be entertained 24/7 (well, for the most part), and I found myself not wanting to leave and get back home where things were easier.  The weather was glorious, especially toward the end of the trip when it rained every day and cooled down into the mid 60s and lower 70s.  Even though I have always known that one day the Utah property would be ours, I never felt that way until this year, and it made me feel happy and grateful that Noah will get to grow up in this beautiful place.  

Ok enough of the sappy stuff.  

First of all, my child is just silly.

But sometimes he melts my heart.

It was a lot dryer this year due to the unusually mild winter they had.  Normally, this field behind the cabin is sopping wet and can only be walked through if you're wearing rubber boots.  There are natural springs all throughout it; it is really beautiful and super green.  But, because it was so dry, we were able to take the quads and the dogs exploring.

And of course the first thing Miley did was dive right in the spring we use for water.  Nice.

The cabin is directly behind and the beautiful pink cliffs make up our amazing view.

One morning I found this little mouse who had gotten stuck in a bucket during the night.  So, I put it in a safe place, away from the dogs, so Noah could see it when he woke up.  I know you are traditionally supposed to kill mice but this little guy was so cute.  There was no way.  Noah picked out a special place to let him go.  It was cute.

Can I just say a couple of things here.  First of all, I am obviously not smart enough to take the lens cap off the camera before I start filming.  Secondly, could my child look more homely in this video??  Dirty and what's with that hair???  #momfail

One of the major highlight of the trip was Noah's first real horseback ride.  Our awesome neighbor saddled up Peaches and took Noah out on the trail.  When they returned Noah was riding all by himself.   He was a little afraid of riding Peaches last year but this year, he fell in love.  Peaches is a big horse but Noah didn't seem to mind at all; he was all smiles, and I actually got some great pictures.  Now I just have to get him asking his Daddy for a horse and perhaps my life-long dream of having one will come true too.  One can only hope.  

After he rode he had fun playing with the neighbors dog, Spud, and our neighbor's many grandkids that were there visiting.  One even found a horned toad, which of course thrilled Noah.  This was the first time Noah had even been willing to hold a lizard, and as you can tell, he wasn't too sure about it at first.  

I have lots more pictures to share.

Keep an eye out for Utah: Part 2 coming soon.