Cedar Breaks

We went to a lesser known Utah attraction: Cedar Breaks. Of course there were more beautiful red rock formations, as usual. We think that Sadie's spirit really connected to nature on this trip. We always caught her off by herself, surrounded by nature, just pondering:

Trying to squirm away for some more meditation.

simply amazed at nature's marvels

a moment to reflect

explaining sedimentary and volcanic geological theory to aunt Kelli. Way over her head.

This is the first time we took Sadie above 10,000 ft without an ice pick and oxygen mask

Zion National Park

Some people say Zion is when we are of one heart and one mind.  I think it is anywhere that falls in a two-hour radius of Salt Lake City, excluding Ogden (duh).  However, after catching some of the wild excitement of watching girls soccer at the Utah Summer Games we were able to swing down to the other Zion: Zion National Park.  

Hiking up the first part of the Narrows was even more exciting than 3 hours of soccer that end tied up 0-0.  The water was chilly, but our hearts were warmed in the company of our family and loved ones.  And Sadie learned to climb and hike a little bit, too.  

After the Narrows we went absolutely nuts by attempting Angel's Landing.  Of course Ashley had to be pregnant, which made grown men feel like weenies when they saw what she accomplished.  It was maybe 5 miles or something, but very rewarding.  Sadie was too chicken to go out on the steep and narrow path with us, but she loved seeing an owl and learning to yell and hear her own echo.

Rafting the San Rafael

After graduation and the cruise we packed our bags for good, left Richmond (trying not to cry, but Ashley did) and moved to Utah for some fun with family and friends.  We had a nice time visiting family, and Sadie got to know her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  We were real residents of the Beehive State for 4 whole weeks, so it was just like our old college days.  But we barley had time to relax because we were so busy having fun doing exciting things.  Including....

Sadie's first rafting trip!

We took a trip down the San Rafael river with Mark's family. If you know Marks dad (you may or may not; I don't know)...anyway you know how much he loves "red rock" and southern Utah. That was the theme of the whole summer: Red Rock. Well the San Rafael river snakes through some gorgeous red rock canyons. It is a slow river so we were able to take Sadie down it. I'm not sure she loved it all that much. It did take about 7-8 hours to get down it. That's a long day for a little one, and she was not impressed with the life jacket she had to wear, and maybe not even impressed with the red rock (but don't tell Grandpa Olsen; he'd be heartbroken).

Fell asleep on the river.

We made it to the end

After we went and saw Utah's version of the Grand Canyon

Potty Training: not so hot

So far potty training has not been that fun. We will literally sit in the bathroom for hours singing songs and reading books. The result-NOTHING! I think she is afraid to let it all out. She started to go a little bit one time but then stopped as soon as she realized she was going. Or maybe it was the fact that I was cheering and shouting in excitement... that might have scared her a bit. Oops. But it makes for some cute pictures. I think she looks so cute in her big-girl underwear.

Silly Little Angel

A couple of weeks ago I put this blanket around Sadie and I told her she looked so cute, like a little angel. So for the next hour and through out the day Sadie kept saying, "angel, angel" and tried to wrap the blanket around her. She kept giving me these little posing faces. I guess she knows how cute she is.

PS- Mark thinks that even if she is cute like an angel, she still looks a little bit like an old Russian babushka.

5 big ones!

We did it, we made it to the big number 5. Happy anniversary to us! 

P.S. We still love each other after all those years 

The dealio

To let you all know, after a long but very fun and adventurous summer, we are finally in our new home in Florida all together again as a family. After graduation and the cruise we spent a whole month in Utah, then a week in Cali all together, and then Mark was off to officer training. I stayed another month in Cali with my family, husbandless. We are so happy to all be together again in our own space. A big thanks to our families for dealing with us all summer long. 

We only have about 8 weeks left until baby number 2 arrives. Then Sadie's life changes forever and she no longer has me at her beck and call. I will get pictures up of our crazy summer asap. As for now we are loving living right by some amazing beaches and soaking up the rays. 

Oh yeah... and Mark started his job as a dental resident.  So far it is training meetings, briefings, and in-processing, but they will see patients soon. 

Cute little Sadie 

 and my ginormous belly 

A Covert Op?

Bloggers, Mark here. I guess it's been a while. I guess Ashley has had to carry the weight of the blog herself the last few months. Why? Where have I been? Why was I M.I.A.? Why was I A.W.O.L.? Why was I O.F.F.L.I.N.E.? If you know me, then you probably know where I was. On the other hand, if you don't know me, you probably don't care. I was at a classified government facility participating in top secret military training for an undisclosed length of time. I've said too much already. Let's just say say that I am back now and you, the public, can sleep safely at night knowing that your freedoms are safe and your precious traditional way of life is secure. You're welcome.

an ol' buddy from the service

I found that my old sideburns got in the way of my situational awareness

holding up the nation's walls

Of course, what you don't see is me sitting around in an auditorium listening to lectures for several hours every day. I guess the whole experience kind of turned me into a trained killer.

but I still missed my family :(

Cruisin'

While in Virginia we made some great, life-long friends. We decided that when the boys finished school that we would all go on a big good bye cruise. We cruised to Nassau, Coco Cay and Key West. We had lots of fun eating, snorkeling, swimming with sharks, playing sardines on a huge ship, dancing, karaoke, mafia, kayaking and lots of goofing off. We miss you guys so much. When's the next cruise?