Smiling Mount Ben Lomond

Can you see the smiling face that appears on Mount Ben Lomond when it snows?

Lets zoom in a little bit...  Now do you see it?

OK, how about now :)

Lunch at Snowbasin

Lesa and I went to Snowbasin for lunch on Saturday.  We went to the lodge and bought a foot traffic ticket to be able to ride the gondola up to the Needles Lodge.


Here we are gaining 2,300 feet in a gondola to the Needles Lodge at 8,700 feet.

It felt warm up in the sun.  It was nice to get out of the smog down below.

 

This is the view at the top of the gondola line.

 

Inside is was warm and crowded.  You get your food cafeteria style and it was over priced, but that is to be expected.  We both went for the cheese burger and found the only empty table.  After a few minutes a table by one of the windows became clear so we moved over to that one.

It was quite crowded as you can see from this picture just outside of the doors at the top of the ski slope.

Here is the view from the outdoor eating area at the lodge.  

 We were amazed at how many really young children we saw skiing by us.  There were a couple Bradley's size.  

Time to head back down.

On the way back down the mountain.

Lesa wasn't happy about it but I got a picture of us while going down!  

It was a fun new place to go.  We ended by stopping at Vintage Cupcakes on 24th street before heading home.

December Recap

We spent the day at the Discovery Gateway and Bradley tried out his skills at flying.  After a quick flight around the Salt Valley he touched back down like a pro and we continued our explorations.

I had to go up to Alta for work and they have received a ton of snow as you can see from the car in this parking lot!

We went to the Christmas Carol at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse.  Bradley got a chance to meet Santa after and was sure to let him know that he wanted Mater and Mcqueen for Christmas.  He talked with Santa but wouldn't look at him directly.

OK, so this one wasn't taken in December but I think it is too cute to leave out.  Our usual battle with the leaves was interrupted by the two little guys who kept crawling on the pile.

Daniel rocking out in his room.

 

Another picture from Bradley's birthday party.

For some reason Bradley keeps wanting to fall asleep on the floor instead of his bed.  It took us a while but we figured out that he didn't like the sheets we put on his bed.

Lesa decided to re-paint the kitchen.

Here you can see the old blue colors with the new brown/gray as Lesa did the edges first.

Here is Bradley and Daniel exploring a cave on Christmas Eve.  I used the flash so it looks pretty bright but the only light is Bradley's head lamp.  Don't worry he was hooked into the rope with a carabiner locked onto his belt loop.

Here are the boys checking out what Santa brought them Christmas morning.  Dave, Kim and Kyle came over and it was fun to have them around Christmas morning.

2010 went so fast we can hardly believe it is over.  It is true that time goes faster each and every year.  If we blink to slowly 2011 will be over next!

Um, Yes Please!

While perusing one of my friend's blog, I came across this offer from Shutterfly. Um, yes, please! I would love to order some Christmas cards! I've sent Christmas cards since we had Bradley and had something to talk about, but this makes it so easy, and they have some really great designs.

They have folded cards like this,

Or this,
(I must have a thing for the black and colorful font. Rest assured, there are other designs too!)

But if you don't want a folded card, they also have flat stationery cards with Oh So Many great designs. I happen to love these Christmas tree ones.





Oh the possibilities. I'm not sure what I'm going to choose, but get excited. One might be coming your way! But don't stop there.

If you are not in the market for Christmas cards, never fear, Shutterfly is here. (I know that sounds cheesy, but Wonder Dog's catch phrase is so . . . catchy, and it fits, right?) They also have other great gift ideas if you are looking for just the right personalized gift this year.

You could go for a handy mug. I would cover mine with pictures of my cute kids, but that is just me.
Or, a personalized calendar?
How about this ornament? It's so simple and sweet. I'd almost just stick with the cute sleeping baby picture in the sample.

There really are a ton of ideas. You should just head on over to Shutterfly and check it out. Just make sure you have a little bit of time to peruse everything!

Lately

Here are a couple of pictures of our recent happenings.

First, Daniel got glasses. He is growing up fast anyway, but these specs age him at least three years if you ask me.


Next, we celebrated Bradley's birthday on Saturday. Here he is blowing out his candles.

You do not need to adjust the color on your screen. Yes, that is PINK frosting. I tried to steer Bradley toward the chocolate, but he would have none of it. He wanted Pink. He's 4 and opinionated. What can I say.

Antelope Island

For the past few years I have camped at Antelope Island in the Fall.  It truly is an ideal time to camp there as the bugs can be overwhelming in the warmer months.  If you have any doubts just ask me about the time I got over 500 mosquito bites.  Yes, I am serious about the count!

 

Click here to view map

There are two spots to camp at.  The first is Bridger Bay Campground and is great if you are camping with an RV or with a small group.  If you are coming with a group the White Rock Bay group areas are better and will cost you less.  You can reserve most of the camping spots before going out.  Be sure you make it on the causeway before the gates close or you will be locked out.  For more information click here.

The sunsets can be spectacular from Antelope Island.  I usually have a good camera with me on my camping trips but didn't bring it this time and I am kicking myself for that.  As you will see below we had some amazing photo opportunities.  Luckily I at least had my phone with me!

 

 

We were few in number but it was still a successful campout.  When we reached the edge of the Great Salt Lake there were mosquitoes everywhere.  We were a little nervous that they were going to eat us alive but were pleasantly surprised that once out on the Island there weren't any in sight. 

As we approached our camping area we saw some bison hanging around.  I tried to get a picture with my phone.  

It was a little cold but we quickly built a wind break using some tarps, poles and one of the picnic tables.

Soon the campsite was filled with the smell some great hamburgers.  They were filled with cheese and I think bacon.  I can't remember for sure but they tasted good. 

While we were hanging around we noticed the sunset was starting and the view was amazing.  I was sad I had decided to leave my nice camera at home and only had my phone to take pictures with.  Oh, well below are some of the better shots.

In the morning it was cloudy and a little wet but we didn't really get much rain.  

There was a little drizzle during the night but nothing too bad.  It got down in the 30's that night but never below freezing.  In the morning we hung out around the fire until we decided it was time to head out.  Another year's tradition accomplished with camping at Antelope Island.

Family Pictures

Lesa wanted to get some family pictures.  We thought we would give it a try with the camera on a tripod and using the timer feature.  We drove up 29th street, walked about 50 feet from the parking lot and found a bright yellow tree.  We setup the tripod, camera, kids and started the timer.  We told the boys to look at the camera and smile...click.  What are the chances that the first try would work out so well?

Since we had a little extra time we tried to get a few more and here are some of the better ones: