Big Springs Hike

Yesterday we decided to go on a little family outing... Abby successfully fought through another bout of croup early in the week and had been cooped up for too many days.  Kristen and I both came down with a little bit of a cold as well, but we thought it might do us all good to get outside for at least a few hours.

We headed up Provo Canyon to the Big Springs trailhead and hiked up about 3/4 of a mile before Abby had had enough of being carried.  She got down and started "hiking" up and down the trail, tumbling now and then, but mostly being very entertaining - and impressive on that uneven ground, I might add... :)

We took a few pictures and enjoyed the cooler weather and decided that we'd had enough success with the hike, so we headed back down in time for Abby to get just a touch cranky before we got to the car.  Practically perfect timing!

It was a really fun afternoon, and a lot of fun discovering Abby's natural gifts as a hiker.  Looking forward to more outdoor adventures with her in the future - at least we know she LOVES being outside!

Portraits of Abby, Round One

So, we've been meaning to get some nice shots of Abby since she turned one...  Turns out that she really wasn't in the mood to sit still today, but we had some awesome natural light coming through our sliding glass door this morning, so we tried.  There will be a round two...  These took some heavy editing, but show potential.  Good thing I have such cute models (who are also really patient)! :)

Timpanogos Hike

Yesterday morning Jon and I decided to take the one-year-olds on a hike.  Holly just had their second boy a week ago, and Kristen was catching up on some school work, so they were unavailable - and disappointed they couldn't come...  The kids have both done really well in the past and LOVE being outside and together.  We started from the Timpooneke campground (I first saw this camp labeled as Timpanooke and have had the hardest time changing my mind about it...) on the north side of Timpanogos and just hiked up a couple of miles.  There were TONS of people on the trail and quite a few of them were trail running to the top - bunch of crazies - just my style!

The picture is at Scout Falls - maybe a mile and a quarter up the north side.  Abby loved the whole experience and even got in a super deep nap on the way down.  I had to slow down and walk carefully so her little neck wouldn't get too sore from the bouncing.  Jon (and especially Chase) both enjoyed it, too.  I think we've decided that unless we want to be self-labeled has-beens, we need to get out and do stuff outdoors a LOT more!