Avery's Second Birthday in Hollywood

Avery turned two!

We decided to celebrate in real Hammond style by going on a trip.  Todd had to be in LA to record an album with his band the Statuettes, so we decided to go early and make it a family birthday trip!

On our way down we stopped in Zion so I could trail run up Angel's Landing.  What an intense run!  It was more like a fast hike :) 

Todd and Avery hiked up together (my stomach was in my throat seeing Todd climb up the chains with cliffs on either side of him and Avery in his backpack!)  I backtracked a bit to be at the top with them, then backtracked at the end of the hike to meet up with Todd and Avery on their way down.  It was a fabulous but very slow seven mile run. 

We drove to Vegas and stayed in a gross hotel for the night. The next day we made it to the beach!!! I was hoping to get some surfing in, but, um, it was a little crowded in the water.   

 

And this beach was too rocky to swim. And Avery was a little overwhelmed by everything.

So we enjoyed the views for a while and later found another beach for a sunset dinner. Dinner turned out to be one of the most incredible dining experiences of my life! We were in a restaurant on a pier that rocked as the massive waves crashed below us. It was cold and brisk but heat lamps made it perfect. Best sunset of the entire trip!

Before dinner we walked along the pier and watched the surfers and paddle boarders catch big waves. 

What a lovely evening.

The following day we drove to Malibu Beach and met up with the Dartons, our long time friends we don't get to see very often!  We spend the next 2 days at the beach swimming, surfing, and boogie boarding.

The Dartons plus Avery:

After Avery watched Evelyn run around and play she got much more comfortable with the beach.

  

 

Wetsuits with swim suits rolled up underneath are so hot right now. ha.

  

Avery napped in her stroller (thank goodness!!!)

 

Avery just loved Evelyn and really took to her right away.  These girls had a blast together.

For Avery's birthday party we celebrated in style on a Hollywood rooftop.  See the Hollywood sign? 

We bbq'd and sang happy birthday with cupcakes. 

Then we had a glow-stick dance party with live music!

The girls ran around and danced the night away together.  It was adorable.

For our last day of the trip we went to the science museum. We got to see a space shuttle!

Here's a picture of it before it was launched.  At the museum it was humongous and in a warehouse to see.  My camera could only get a picture of the front window, it was so big!

 The ice wall

And then it was time to say goodbye...  Avery has been asking for Evelyn since we left. I hope the Dartons move back to Utah soon. :)

Night Sky Party

A couple weeks ago it was announced in the news that Utah might see the Northern Lights around midnight.  A few friends and I went out to the Great Salt Lake to watch for them.  I want to do this annually, during meteor showers and such.  It was really cool!

We didn't see any Aurora Borealis, but we did see some strange "northern" lights!

And we had a lot of fun painting with light.

The troopers:

Trail Running

I had no idea I was a trail runner.  I've been too afraid to do it alone for all these years, so I've plugged away hours on a treadmill in front of a TV. 

Afraid no more, I'm tackling these mountains (trying to avoid rattle snakes) an loving every minute.  Especially with the Autumn colors.  Is there anything better than being surrounded by orange, red and yellow?

Teaching Skillz

I've been teaching friends and family to get their hands dirty and do some wood working projects!  It's been really fun. 

 Teeter Totter

Porch Swing

A Painted House

We hired a company to paint our home exterior.  They repaired a bunch of trim and refaced our columns.  We love the new look!

Before:

After:

We love living so close to the mountains.

Jackson Hole

My parents went to Jackson Hole a few weeks ago and had a spare bedroom in their Condo, so they invited us up for the weekend!  We arrived late Friday night, and my parents took Avery ALL DAY Saturday so Todd and I could spend the day together.  I had forgotten how freeing and wonderful it is to spend time alone with Todd.  It was awesome!

We started the day with a 9 mile trail run through the Tetons.

Then we took a 2 mile hike to a climbing wall. I was too tired to climb, or even take any pictures. But Todd did some sport climbing. Afterward, we stopped at a market in town for some food and drove back to the mountains for a phenomenal sunset dinner. The scenery was out of this world!

Yummy food:

Horses, Tetons, and all.

No filters, it was simply this beautiful. :)

We went back to the condo for a quick shower, hot tubbed, then walked through the little shops in Jackson Square. It was lovely. The next day I got up early to catch the sunrise on the mountains. There was mist in the valley, it was haunting and beautiful.

Sunrise was spectacular.

Storm clouds rolled in:

And the rain made a double rainbow over the mountains.

My parents left early. Thanks Mom and Dad for the unforgettable weekend! Todd, Avery and I spent the rest of the morning around Jenny Lake. It rained a bit and was really nice to be outside in the cool weather.

Avery loves throwing rocks into water. Unfortunately she got her throwing arm from me (and my Mom) and isn't very good at it :)