28 June 2011

Utah for the weekend

28 June 2011
Eric and I decided to take our 2nd roadtrip in a row this past weekend so we could meet our newest niece, Claire Olivia Nelson. It was a quick trip but well worth it.

Claire's parents, Patrick & Natalie recently moved to California so it was nice of Nat to have the baby in Utah just so we could more easily visit. :)

Eric's sister Andrea and her family are also in Utah so we got to stay with them the first night...

Shortly after we arrived, our bro-in-law, Curt, made us a yummy dinner (Andrea was at a Sister's Retreat) and then we got to watch Savannah strut her stuff on the stage with her baton twirling team.
Saturday morning we watched Marielle's last soccer game
Then on Saturday afternoon we met little Claire. Isn't she precious? She is a tiny little peanut (born 5 lbs 2 oz). 
Look how small she is next to Eric's big foot.
Can you believe she just had a baby?
Later that evening we had a fun little BBQ with the Harwards & McDonalds, and I finally got to see my adorable niece Autumn! She's such a happy baby.
Autumn with her Uncle Eric
And of course, sweet Ava. Here she is with her cute cousin Jackson.
This was the first time we'd seen Ava in a year. She had just gotten up from a nap so she was a little shy at first but warmed up really quickly.

This girl has the best laugh!

She loves her Uncle Eric...

Even when he squishes her.
I bought her love with gummy bears

Snuggling with Eric while watching Aladdin on Sunday morning.
Kisses!


20 June 2011

Au Naturel Hot Springs

20 June 2011
Eric and I had an interesting little roadtrip yesterday. We decided to drive 2 hours north to check out the cabin we have reserved for the Nelson reunion in August. Midway, we decided to stop at some natural hot springs. Turns out, those hot springs were a little more "natural" than we bargained for. After hiking our way up to the hot springs (maybe 15-20 mins), Eric and I were both a little winded when suddenly we spotted them - yes, the hot springs, but also 2 old, round, bare bums. Luckily, we were still a good distance away. There was a group of 8 or so people, most of which, graciously had swimsuits on, but for some reason, it's always the older, chubbier men who have no reservations about these things. They quickly gave us a friendly greeting, and we tried to play it cool and respond with a nice hello and wave while keeping our eyes on the trail. Unfortunately, these hot springs were on the "to do" list for a late night family reunion adventure. Good thing we checked them out beforehand because, as it turns out, they're not so family-friendly. I would rather our year for planning the reunion not be memorable in that way.

By the way, don't worry, I didn't snap any creepy pictures of the senior skinny dippers. I did take a few of the beautiful scenery nearby, however...

Mile Marker 4

Eric likes to dress for his surroundings


Hiking our way up to the hot springs


Here we are at the top of the 3rd level hot pool.

A fox we spotted in Tamarack.


Some nudity, some wildlife, and some beautiful scenery. 2 outta 3 aint bad.