Hike in the Fall Colors

Fall is a great time of the year in Utah. It's definitely my favorite season here in Utah. As the temps drop, the leaves burst out in color in the mountains. With an approaching storm next week, I thought I would take advantage of a perfect fall afternoon and take Tyler up Big Cottonwood canyon to check out the fall colors. Yesterday, we drove up to Guardsman Pass and took a little hike.

It was perfect, colors were vivid and the weather was awesome. Tyler wanted to get down from the backpack to test his new skill.....walking. But I was the mean dad. :) Tyler seemed to enjoy the hike, especially the part where he fell asleep in the backpack (check out the next to last picture below). It was hilarious, because all of sudden, he was quiet behind me. Then I felt his hat hitting the back of my neck. I had to use the camera to take a picture of him behind me, to make sure he was asleep. He was out cold, with his head moving all around as I walked down the trail. I guess it was too much fun for him. It was a very refreshing hike atop the Wasatch Mountains.

The last picture is from today, with Tyler wearing his Michigan State hat and U of U jersey. A special thanks to Charles and Nancy Wing for Tyler's MSU hat, which Tyler loves. My boy looks great in green and Tyler actually keeps this hat on his head. But he's a Ute at heart.

Visiting the Healing Field

With today being the 8th anniversary of 9/11 and it being such a spectacular day outside, I decided to take Tyler down to the Healing Field not too far from our house at Sandy City Hall. Each flag represents a person who lost their life in the 9/11 attacks.

This was my first time visiting the field and it was truly amazing to see the field of flags. It definitely made me reflect on those thoughts and feelings from 8 years ago. And I thought about having to explain 9/11 to Tyler years down the road when he can understand. I know after 8 years, those emotions and thoughts are still fresh in my mind. It's a shame we forget how we felt that day on a daily basis now. I hope I can convey to Tyer how that infamous day in American history affected me.

But for today, Tyler loved walking around, in and out of the beautiful flags, and playing in the green grass. Being a "new" walker, Tyler still struggles with his balance and his forehead is a testament to that. Notice when he walks, he keeps his hands close to his chest to maintain his balance. This is what Aubrey & I call the "chicken walk". He's such a cute kid!