Fathers Day Adventure! Addy and I created a little book for Daddy that contained maps, reservations and information on the two day adventure we planned for him. We went to Escalante, UT and stayed in a log cabin at Escalante Outfitters. I did learn that a queen size bed is too small for Daddy, Addy and Mommy. We had a great breakfast in their cafe on fathers day. Fresh eggs from the chickens that live on the property. Saturday night we went to an award winning restaurant called Hells Backbone Grill http://www.hellsbackbonegrill.com/ They have been written up in tons of magazines like Sunset and the New York Times Travel Magazine. They grow all the food in their garden and the meat is from local farmers in the area. Daron had an enchilada that had tumbleweeds in it. And he liked it!!! Fresh food makes such a HUGE difference in flavor~ They of course don't use pesticides etc. so Addy played in grass and we had a few ants visit us on our outdoor table. No worries though and it was pretty entertaining for Addyson.

Hells Backbone Grill in the background - Addy on the pesticide free lawn!

Devils Garden http://www.exploreutah.com/explore/monthly/reports/rpt9805/triprpt.htm

Goat cheese from local farmers, dried apples and apricots from the area and
black pepper crackers. Yummy. The feral cat that hangs out on the porch appreciated the full flavor of the goat cheese too!

Addy in her bug hunting gear.

Daron and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary on June 18th. We celebrated at the Rocking V Restaurant in Kanab. It is tradition. We have celebrated every anniversary there.

The conservative town must have gotten to me. I now have a swim suit with a skirt! Yikes.


I made homemade Ranch dressing tonight to go with our local buffalo steak and salad.
•1 tsp. vinegar
•1 tsp. garlic salt
•½ tsp. salt
•1 tsp. fresh pepper
•1 tsp. lemon juice
•1 cup Greek yogurt
•½ tsp. mayonnaise
•1 tsp. fresh parsley
•2 tbsp. grated Parmesan
•1 tsp. water
•½ tsp. lemon zest
•½ tsp. Dijon mustard

It turned out pretty good and if you like garlic in your Ranch then I would suggest grating some fresh garlic in as well. I have been trying to buy local meat and vegetables and boy it sure makes a huge difference in taste. We finally got a gourmet store here and I bought organic pasta, Greek olives (yum), Havarti cheese (many of the cheeses are made by a guy in Seattle) and fresh tomatoes. This combination made a wonderful pasta lunch. Daron even enjoyed it. It is amazing how much flavor a local home grown tomato has.

Addy and I were walking the other day and we saw a huge tow truck towing an old RV. A family of four got out and I told Addy that their "bus" as she calls it had an owee. Later that evening she asked me about it and I told her we would walk by and check on it. 6:30 rolls around and I forgot all about it. She of course did not. "Can we check on the bus with the owee?" Wow. So she got in the baby jogger with DAddy Elmo (of course) and checked on the bus. Well the RV had the family in it making thier dinner. I thought for a split second about knocking because she was SO concerned about this darn RV I mean "bus". Anyhow, I convinced her it was feeling better and doing good and we headed home.

Play-doh with Aunt Sasa, Uncle Dan and Uncle Robert! What fun! Elmo was with Addy ever step of the way to Florida.

Well, Grammy and Grandpa's visit came to an end after 10 wonderful days. We loved having them here for a long overdue visit! I think we owe a visit to the Hill country now. Addy would love it! Grandpa made us from hand a new Jake Atarondak chair, and Addy got another hand crafted item: a Baby bed for Elmo and her. Too Awesome!! I was able to celebrate my 37th birthday with the ones who made it happen, and again, my mom and dad were far too generous in spoiling their favorite son. (hear that Jason?) Here are a few pics of all the fun we had...

Mothers Day 2010

It is a beautiful day here in Utah and I have enjoyed a relaxing day. Yesterday Daron's parents, Addy, Daron and I went on a hike in Snake Gulch and were out for five hours. Needless today we aren't hiking! Daron and Addy gave me a beautiful card and a silver ring in the shape of an eagle feather handmade by the Navajos - LOVE IT! Paula and David gave me two sterling silver beads for my Pandora bracelet - LOVE THAT TOO! We took Addyson to Isabella's for a play date and they had fun going up and down the rock stairs out back and playing with the dogs - especially the little one!

Molly (Audrey and Sams Mom) bought Addy some butterfly wings. SO CUTE!

Addysone and our buddy Kim at the all you can eat buffet.




Addysons first camping trip.

She LOVED camping. She loved setting up the tent, sitting by the fire, running around with Isabella, walking around the campsite, visiting the horses and being in the tent. She went to sleep at 9:30 which was terrific but then she woke up at 1 a.m. and whined/cried an hour then slept for two hours and cried/whined for two hours. I moved into the truck with Addy to spare some of the campers. So despite no sleep it was quite the adventure for her. The best part was when a couple from Colorado walked their horses up and asked if the girls wanted a ride. They were competitive long distance riders and had a WONDERFUL horse named Rocky. Addy is used to being around horses since our neighbors have them so we though we would give it a try. She didn't bat an eye. She rode that horse while holding onto her bottle. Her buddy Isabella was funny - she grabbed the reins!

Isabella & the chickens

Well Addy has gotten to the stage where her friend will come over and they will giggle and laugh and run around in circles. It is really cute. Today I watched Isabella who is one of Addys closest friends. Addy pulled two popsicles out of the freezer and said "Addys and Isabella's" Isabella wasn't even here yet and she was already setting aside a treat for her. When they got here they had lunch and Addy said "This is for the chickies" so she and isabella took the leftovers to the chickens. Unfortunately this was new to Isa and she must have thought that it was ok to pick up the food and eat it. I had to pull a dirty noodle and green bean out of her hands. The girls went in the chicken coop to check for eggs (this can be a very messy chore since they don't realize how delicate eggs are). I heard giggling and laughing and then both appeared with hay in their hair. Oh goodness.
Last night Isa and her parents came over for dinner and we pulled out the kids table. It is tiny but appropriate! Our friends Matt and Travis from Seattle are in town - they own a local motel and we had lunch at Best Friends. Addy took turns sitting on their laps and eating. It was awesome for me to eat with both hands!
Dad and Addy sporting their University of Texas jerseys.

Addy planting herbs and veggies with Dad. Bindi the cat visits with the goldfish.

Addy and I went hiking with our friend Travis. Travis lives in Seattle and he and his partner own one of the local motels. He was able to sneak away from work to join us (and to carry Addy) on the hike. He is much taller than me so I think she enjoyed having a great view of the canyon.