Fall Break - Getting to Yellowstone!

The girls (meaning Claire) eventually succumbed to sleep, and they slept good! I however, didn't, so they woke up rearing to go while I slept in a bit. The girls had fun playing on the toys in the garage. It made me wish we had better access to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

After thanking Ann for her hospitality, we loaded up and drove the 2 hours to Yellowstone. We planned the trip over the perfect weekend, because the Fall leaves were absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I got to sit in the back of the car and admire the view while Greg drove. It was the best.

On the road again.

We made good time to Yellowstone and got there just in time for Lunch. I had packed a tote full of food, so we found a fun park to let the girls play at while we made sandwiches. It was a beautiful day!

We still had a few hours until we could check into our hotel, so we decided to buy our pass into the park and go exploring. I always knew Yellowstone was huge, but I guess I didn't realize how HUGE it really is! We did a lot of driving Thursday, and the girls were champs! And we still had a lot of area to cover over the next couple of days.

We saw some Bison.

And walked around a lot of hot spots.

They were absolutely beautiful!

I think my favorite of all the stops was the Mud Pots. There's something so mesmerizing about watching them bubble over and over ... 

We learned Sofi doesn't appreciate the smell of Sulphur.

It was so cool to read the history behind everything and how a new hot spot will be found whenever an earthquake happens.

We were near Old Faithful at the next estimated eruption time, so we booked it over there. Unfortunately we literally missed it by minutes, but it was cool to walk around the yellowstone Hotel. The architecture was incredible!

Quincey eventually succumbed to a nap. She's such a trooper!

Yellowstone is beautiful!

Claire was so excited to find a pool named after her Beanie Boo.

We've learned on our many travels this year to always bring the girls scooters - you never know when you'll need them. Like, for example, when we decided to walk to dinner. It was so much more convenient trying to keep up with the girls than making them keep up with us. Score!

We stayed at THE BEST hotel! They rent bikes [for free] and give out complimentary S'more kits every night for you to roast at their firepit. It was a fun thing for us to do each night, and we were able to chat with the other tourists.

What a day!

Fall Break - Staying at Aunt Ann's

 Greg had never been to Yellowstone, so we planned to go over Fall Break and had so much fun!

We left Wednesday and Greg's Aunt Ann graciously let us crash in her basement that night to break up what would have been a 5 hour drive. Her house was so much fun - our girls were in heaven! Her basement was set up to be a Grandkid Playground and her garage was full of toys, not to mention the hot tub and giant backyard with a fun playground. She also had a beautiful Idaho view with an endless expanse of stars. I casually told Greg that I could live there ...

Can you believe those stars?!

See if you can spot the Big Dipper.

A beautiful evening for a hike

The Fall leaves were absolutely BEAUTIFUL this year! We hiked up Farmington Canyon and it did not diasppoint! We left a little bit later than expected, but the weather was beautiful and so was the view. 

Chasing the sun! It made for a beautiful sunset.

She makes everything more fun!

Thank you 10 second timer!

I love Claire's squishy faces.

Claire living life [literally] on the edge. I'm afraid one day her luck's going to run out.

We tried to get a cute picture of the girls in the Fall leaves. This is the result 😖

Baby giggles are the best!

Conference Weekend

The weather continued to be absolutely beautiful into October. Greg woke up super early on Saturday to get a morning ride in to see the sunrise and fall colors before the Saturday Morning Conference Session started. He almost made it :).

Ready for conference!

The girls both had some really funny quotes. I'm still not sure what prompted Sof to say this, but it made me laugh pretty hard.

Meanwhile on top of a mountain ...

The view was 100% worth it.

Quincey continues to be Claire's #1 fan

It has become a tradition of ours to go hiking on Saturday between sessions. We loaded the girls up and did the short hike through the backyards in Fruit Heights, it's a personal favorite. The girls always mumble and grumble about having to hike, but once they get out into nature they perk right up. It's the strangest thing.

Cuties!

Our neighbors cut down their tree and left a totem pole. The girls enjoyed climbing up it.

Back again for the Sunday Sessions.

It had been a long while since the Spjute's had gathered for a Sunday Dinner, and it was our turn to host. Greg smoked 2 very delicious meatloaf's on the smoker, and they were an instant hit! It was so fun to have everyone gather to eat out on our new deck. It was fun to gather and catch up, while being surrounded by good food. It was also fun to see the cousins all play together. It's fun to watch the kids interact, despite their age differences.

This conference was really good. I felt the Sprit, and had a question answered, which reaffirmed to me that God is aware of us, individually. If we have answers, He will answer them in His own time and way. I hope my girls can come to know that for themselves someday.