We started our vacation at the Pines Ranch in Kamas, UT. Matt's parents have a cabin there, and they went to a lot of effort to make our stay wonderful! They dragged Matt's old crib out of storage, baby proofed the deck, cut cardboard to cover the windows in our room so Aaron would sleep better, and even bought some children's books and a new high chair! We felt like royalty with all of the effort they went to! They do not have grandchildren of their own yet, but they adopted Tori and Aaron, and Tori and Aaron adopted them right back! Tori had so much fun hiking through the mountains at the Pines and in the Tetons holding "Grandma" or "Grandpa's" hand. In my opinion, a kid can never have too many grandparents!
After a few beautiful days at the Pines, we drove to the Tetons and spent a few days there. We were able to do some amazing hikes and see some of the most beautiful places. I went with Melenie and Matt one morning to see the sunrise at Oxbow Bend, and loved the beauty and tranquility of the place (once I was able to get past the million and one photographers who were there!). After a few days in the tetons we headed back for a couple more days at the Pines, stopping in Jackson Hole for lunch and some tourism on the way home.
Back at the Pines we spent the last couple of days just enjoying Melenie and Matt and Grandma and Grandpa. Matt is adopted, and he has recently met his biological parents and his half-brothers and sisters. Some of them came up to the Pines on our last day there and we all hiked to an amazing Aspen grove above the cabin.
For the last two days in UT, my friend Camella picked us up from the cabin and took us to her house in Salt Lake for a visit. I had not seen her in a few years, so it was great to get the chance to catch up and for our kids to see each other. Dominic and Tori were babies together at Wymount, and it was fun to see them get reacquainted.
Overall, this was an amazing vacation, and a wonderful chance for us to visit with friends and family who we don't see anywhere near enough! We're adding on 50 pictures here...which seems like an obscene amount, but when you go to a place this beautiful, with kids this cute, and with a sister who's a photographer, that's just what happens! I narrowed it down from a few hundred, so this is actually not bad! :)
Tori and Aaron outside the cabin at Pines Ranch
This was a beautiful hike we went on near the cabin. The only downside for me is that when you crest at the top (and this is the beautiful view you get!) you start a descent that is along a pretty narrow trail with a sheer drop off on one side. Not a big deal...unless you are me and you are a klutz to begin with...then you strap a toddler on your back in a hiking backpack who thinks it is fun to violently throw himself left and right...and then you add Melenie's dogs running at breakneck speed back and forth between your legs up and down the trail! Thankfully Grandpa was holding onto Tori's hand for me...not that she was scared at all...she has her Dad's fearless genes!
Tori and Grandpa...she was never more than a few feet away from him. It was really cute.
I loved this tree for some reason...something about the dark bark against the autumn colors...it was so beautiful up here...breathtaking.
Again, not sure why I was so struck by this little tree framed by the aspens...something about the way the sun was hitting the smaller tree just made it almost glow.
Two of Tori's favorite things...Grandpa and an ATV!
Goofing around and making dinner...gotta love the apron from the 70's!
While we were making dinner, Grandpa took Tori outside for some baseball...I seriously could not get over how wonderful Pete and Ellen were with the kids...they are wonderful people.
Tori and Aaron with the Tetons behind them
Same shot without the cute kids
We stayed in a cabin on one of the many lakes in the Tetons...Melenie and Matt took Tori down to the lake for a lesson on rock skipping.
Tori loved to shaddow Uncle Matt too.
On our first night we were in the Tetons, Mel, Matt, Tori, Aaron and I went to this beautiful place along a river for some sunset shots. I think that's Grand Teton in the background. There were a bunch of photographers there trying to get these amazing shots with the mountains and trees with their reflections...it was so quiet...like a museum. My kids became pretty unpopular when Aaron wouldn't stop screaming and Tori threw a rock in the water, which caused ripples in the reflection...serious death glares from the photographers!
Sunrise on Oxbow Bend with Mt. Moran in the distance. I loved how the morning mist hovered over the lake...so serene.
Once the sun came up, the whole scene just lit up with these brilliant gold fall colors. My sister is an amazing photographer, but no pictures can do this justice. It was stunning to witness.
We took a boat ride across a lake that day to take a hike up a trail that passed some beautiful waterfalls and led up to a lookout point. As we were getting off the boat, someone spotted this bald eagle and it was a frantic rush as all of the photographers rushed to get the best shot. Matt got this one, and I love it. Bald eagles are just so majestic.
My beautiful Tori. She had so much fun on this trip. I was worried that she would get tired or have a hard time on some of the steeper climbs, but she was fearless and had more energy than any of us! She literally ran up all of the trails until we told her she had to wait, then she would climb up any rocks nearby that she could find and perch there pretending to be a mountain lion. It was hysterical to watch. At one point she climbed a rock formation about 30 feet up, pretty high for a little kid...like I said...Daddy's fearless genes.
Tori next to one of the countless beautiful spots on the hike
Tori at the big falls
Tori, Aaron and I at the falls
After the falls, the hike got steeper and a little more challenging, but it was completely worth it when this was the view that greeted us at the top.
Mommy and Aaron taking a break once we reached the top of the hike
Tori, Aaron and I at the top
Same spot with Tori, Grandma, and Grandpa
Tori loved this little chipmunk (of course, it is an animal and it's little...two of her favorite things!) I had to include a picture!
I think this is Grand Teton in the background...loved this part of the hike.
Tori playing in the lake waiting for the boat for our return trip
We saw a lot of wildlife while we were in the tetons...mostly elk and moose and a beaver on the river. Matt even saw a bear in the parking lot while the rest of us were inside checking in to our cabin. Melenie was so sad she missed it...she wanted to see a bear so badly! I was okay with missing the bear!
This is a beautiful shot my sister took...I wasn't there for this one, but I love pictures of old barns, so I had to include it.
On our last day on the tetons we did another hike along another lake...Tori was in heaven again! Melenie had to snap some more pictures!
It was another beautiful day, and the reflections in the lake were amazing!
Pictures don't do this portion of the hike justice. It was beautiful in the morning sunlight to see all of the fall colors.
More breathtaking views
Melenie, Aaron and I
Tori wanted to explore these rocks and Grandpa followed her out...those two were almost completely inseparable.
Do I have beautiful children or what?? This rock just seemed to beg for a photo op!
I think this might have been one of the only times I got a picture of the four of us together, but I love this one!
Tori picked a "bouquet" of the beautiful fall leaves.
This was back at the Pines Ranch when we hiked to the Aspen grove. I loved the sunlight streaming through the trees. Aspens are one of my favorite trees. I love the contrast of the white and the dark on their branches, and the fall colors only made them more beautiful!
Love this shot
This was the view at the top of this particular hike...again, the picture just cannot do justice to how gorgeous and how vast it was.
Another shot with my Seester
I think that by this point, Tori was tired of posing for so many pictures! She loves to make funny faces, though, so we were able to wrangle one more out of her!
A river that runs right next to the cabin...it was so peaceful to hear and watch the water run over all of those rocks!
This was just an amazing vacation. I loved the chance to see my sister and her husband and her family. I wish I had the pictures from my computer...I lost all of my pictures with Cammie, and it really was fun to see her again. We took the kids to Temple Square, and even on a tour of Brigham Young's house. I wish I could take this same vacation several times a year...only with my husband with me next time!
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