Labor Day Weekend

 We spent Labor Day weekend at my sister and brother-in-law's new house in Mendon and had tons of fun spending time together. The main reason for the get together was to attend my nephew's baptism. He was the first grandchild in the family to get baptized, and we were so proud of his decision.

When I was getting ready I walked by Caden's room as he was getting ready to leave. How cute is this picture? He looks so grown up!

Family pictures after the baptism

We also took some family pictures while we were there

Individual family pictures of all my siblings and their families:

Love that cheesy smile of Logan's, ha ha. "Cheese and crackers" turns into that grin.

Since I was very pregnant in these pictures we knew we wouldn't be taking any serious individual family pictures. So we thought we would have a little fun...

This is the best one. We really hoped it could be good enough to go on awkward family photos, but after spending time on the website, it didn't quite make the cut. Just look through a few pages of this and you'll see why.

We also went on a hike in the Wellsvilles before we went home after a great weekend. Thanks Brittney and Ryan for letting all of us take over your house for a few days!

Our Babymoon

Barrett and I wanted to do one last vacation with just us before the arrival of our baby. We decided to stay close to home and spent a weekend in Midway at the Homestead Resort. It was a great weekend!! August was a crazy month, so we were lucky to find a weekend where we could get a away from life and relax.

This was the room we stayed in. After dinner the first night, we walked around the Homestead grounds and saw the crater. All this time living in Utah and I didn't even know the Homestead had a famous crater!

The first night we went to a Mexican restaurant called Tarahumara and the food was great! If you're ever in Midway it is worth the stop. They have a salsa bar that is fun to try out.

The next day we found some awesome boutiques in Midway and bought a lot of stuff for our baby's room and living room. We will definitely go back up there again to shop for home decor. We also found a cool used bookstore.

That afternoon we went golfing at Wasatch Mountain Golf Course.

Surprisingly, I was still able to swing a golf club. But I was really tired by the end of the round. I wanted Barrett to take pictures to document that I really did tee off with a big belly :)

The picture doesn't capture the real beauty, but the weekend was gorgeous up there. The leaves were just barely starting to change.

That night there happened to be a free Peter Breinholt concert at the Homestead right outside our porch. So we brought out our chairs out and enjoyed the music.

We went hot-tubbing that night and drove home over Guardsman's Pass the next day to see more beautiful scenery. It could be awhile before we get a vacation with just us again, so we feel lucky we were able to squeeze it in before our new arrival!

So I realized that I haven't really said much on the blog about our baby. We definitely notice and acknowledge all the changes and have done a ton to prepare, but I haven't done well journaling the progress. I also wasn't big about sharing all the week by week photos, but people are asking to see some, so I decided to just put some of the progression of belly shots throughout the pregnancy.

Week 6: The first belly shot we took the night we found out I was pregnant. I don't think there is anything to see there yet, but I remember trying to convince Barrett that I noticed my stomach getting bigger. I can't even imagine ever having a stomach that small anymore.

Week 19: About halfway through, just before we found out we were having a girl

Week 23: Now you can start to see baby

Week 28

Week 37: This what I look like now. With the busyness of baby showers and getting ready for the baby, we had a long delay between belly shots, ha ha. 

We are SO excited for our little girl to come! We have 2 1/2 weeks until her due date, so she really could come any day! Because of my mom and sisters going early, and many other stories of friends not feeling prepared for an early arrival, we have been prepared with the essentials for a couple of weeks. And now have just had time to gather more stuff and get everything ready. Now we will wait until she is ready to come and look forward to this next chapter in our family! (And yes, I will post pictures of our nursery soon...)

Lake Powell

The last family trip before Isaac's mission: Lake Powell. We had a great time with Barrett's family! It was a much needed, relaxing vacation. Here are some of the fun pictures to document the trip.

We barely made it out of Salt Lake (went as far as Pleasant Grove) and one of the tires on the trailer went flat. Luckily we found one tire store open that early in the morning and quickly went on our way again.

Then about 20 miles outside of Nephi the other tire on the trailer went flat, ha ha. This was our refuge for over an hour right by the barbed wire fence while we waited for another tire to get fixed. Luckily we left early in the morning or we would have gotten to Lake Powell in the dark.

Riding in the boat, kayaking, and wave running was about all I could do, so I tried to get on this as often as possible.

One of the activities I couldn't participate in: cliff jumping. But I got some good pictures.

I hadn't been to Rainbow Bridge before so we all went on the short hike to go see it.

Barrett, Isaac, and Porter "boy band" wherever we go, so I thought I would document it.

I don't really know what Barrett is doing in this picture...

Or in this one.

Another activity that I terribly missed: tubing. Next time...

Just wanted to post some landscapes of beautiful Lake Powell.

Elder Isaac Taylor Yates

 Two weeks ago today, Barrett's brother, Isaac, left for the MTC. It was both sad and exciting for him to take this next step. He will be serving in the Mexico, Mexico City South Mission. We will miss him very much! But we have already loved reading his letters! I just wanted to share a few pictures from the big day.

30 things to do before I turn 30

Awhile ago my sister posted about 35 things she wanted to do before she turned 35 and I loved the idea! I love setting and accomplishing new things, so for my birthday I created a 30 before 30 list. Each time I cross something off I will take pictures and post about it. Here it is:

30 before 30 list

1.   Go on a backpacking trip

2.   Dye hair brown

3.   Take cooking classes

4.   Complete Spanish Rosetta Stone

5.   Sew a “quiet book”

6.   Buy a piano

7.   Visit 2 places in Utah never been to before

8.   Climb Mount Timpanogos

9.   Find 3 new ways to do hair

10.   Figure out decorating style and implement throughout house

11.   Read President Monson’s biography

12.   Go on a trip outside of the United States (even if just Canada or Mexico)

13.   Do a session in the Bountiful temple

14.   Stop working full-time and start teaching piano

15.   Use every dish and cooking appliance we got for our wedding at least once

16.   Read Your Musical Child by Jessica Baron Turner and The Art of the Piano by David Dubal

17.   Swim laps for exercise

18.   Buy a cute, unique watch

19.   Plant a vegetable garden

20.   Go on a romantic, formal date with Barrett

21.   Make a patchwork quilt

22.   Go on a long bike ride

23.   Organize Itunes

24.   Go rollerblading

25.   Visit the Grand Canyon

26.   Buy a house or have plans to buy a house

27.   Play another piano/organ duet with Barrett

28.   Find a hat that fits my head

29.   Spend a day with no plan or to-do list (not on vacation)

30.   Learn about a topic never studied before

June and July

 Barrett's Ragnar Team

Barrett ran Ragnar again with the same team and ran the same legs. Barrett's parents, sister, and I were able to see him come in on his last run.

 Waiting for Holladay fireworks on the 4th of July

 Both sides of Barrett's extended family had reunions and we had a ton of fun doing all the activities! Sadly, the only picture we have is this one from Rocky Mountain Raceway. But with the Yates we played frisbee golf, had an outdoor movie night, and played games. With the Taylors we celebrated the 4th of July, golfed, and went to Rocky Mountain Raceway. It was fun to spend time with family!

 My 25th birthday

 The numbers are a little confusing.... but the 2 and five stars are for my age and the 6 is for my nephew's.

 Barrett always outdoes himself when he makes presents for me. He gave me these two decorations for the nursery.