Hiking, Cousins, and Corn Hole

Brian's brother Carl and his family live in Fort Collins, CO. It had been way too long since we had spent time with them so we road tripped a couple hours east into the Rocky Mountains. When we arrived Ryanna got busy playing right away with her cousins Lydia and Cynthia. Today we made the hour drive to the Rocky Mountain National Park for some hiking and a picnic. Ryanna loved every minute of the hiking and sights. She especially loved the water falls and chipmunks. Quinten wasn't sure how he felt about being in the backpack but did well overall and even napped on Brian on the walk down. We hiked a little over a mile up a trail to Dream Lake which was gorgeous. The only downer was how busy the trails were and the picnic area at Dream Lake. It was hard to even get a picture without someone walking into it. We all had a great time and I'm hoping it translates into kids that sleep ALL night long tonight. We arrived back in Fort Collins late in the afternoon and learned how to play Corn Hole followed by an Independence Day themed BBQ.

Quinten and Mommy ready for some adventure!

Lydia was SO excited to bring out the cake decorated as an American flag, made with blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream. DELICIOUS!

Corn Hole is a game that is popular in the midwest. Emily is from Kentucky and Carl from Ohio. Basically there are two boards like the one above placed 27 feet apart. Each team has 4 bags that look like bean bags that are filled with corn. The goal is to throw the beanbag onto the opposite board. If the bag lands on the board you earn 1 point. If it goes through the hole near the top you earn 3 points. First team to 21 points wins. We had a great time though it got a little competitive at times. I've never played horseshoes but apparently it is like horseshoes but a lot less dangerous considering there were children running back and forth the entire time we played. This made for great backyard fun. I bet if you google it you could purchase your own set somewhere online. :)

Quilt Raffle

Love and support for the Baumgarten family has come from all over the United States and even other parts of the world. Several months ago I received an email from Helen Smith, a long time family friend of Josh's parents Pete and Lyle Baumgarten in Virginia. She is by profession a longarm quilter and planned to make a quilt for baby Eliza. At the suggestion of a friend she also decided to make a quilt to be auctioned in a raffle as a fundraiser and got to work on it. I received the quilt this week and it is GORGEOUS!! I can only imagine the hours of hard work and love that went into making this one of a kind quilt. Thank you Helen for your Christlike service and love for the Baumgarten family. The design of this quilt is the perfect representation of the people who have, in their own ways, reached out to Josh and his family. Thank you all!

WHAT: Quilt Raffle

WHEN: At least through the month of July

WHERE:  TBD. The quilt will be displayed somewhere locally in Vernal. We should know for sure where that will be by July 1st or 2nd. More information to come.

DETAILS: 1 Ticket for $1.00 or 6 Tickets for $5.00

I need your help! A raffle is most successful when many people are involved in selling the tickets, spreading the word, and offering places and events for the raffle to be set up. So, if you are looking for a service project to do with your kids, your church youth group, or for yourself please join in helping.If you have resources that will help make the raffle a success please offer them! If you have any idea for upcoming events where the raffle could be set up please share! If you own a business and you have a spot the raffle information can be displayed please let us know! With such a beautiful item being raffled I know that together we can make this a success. Please contact me!

CONTACT: Kristin Baldwin, cell: 801-225-3946, text: 435-239-3881, email: kristinsbaldwin@gmail.com

Do you know anyone with MS?

My beautiful friend Toby was diagnosed with MS at the age of 21. She and I lived on the same floor of the dorms our Freshman year at BYU. I have so many fun memories with her including her introducing me to avacados/guacamole - my favorite! She was and I'm sure continues to be the life of any party. When I heard she married her boyfriend Jake from Freshman year I was beyong happy for them. I knew they would make an amazing couple and family. She learned a few months after having her first baby that she has MS and over the next few years had three more beautiful children. She recently traveled to Costa Rica for a relatively knew treatment that hasn't been approved in the US yet. Her blog describes her journey and is so inspiring. If you or anyone you know is interested in the story of someone with MS who has found amazing results from a new treatment please visit her blog!

http://www.mamawithms.blogspot.com/

Summer Days

Bri and I decided we needed a get-a-way so....we bought a FANTASTIC patio swing for our backyard. We figure an hour a day of relaxing outside over the course of a long hot summer will equal the psychological benefits of a tropical get-a-way. Makes sense right? And a swing on clearence saves us a few thousand dollars. :)

We LOVE Aunt Kayla!!!

I am the luckiest sister in the world. I have 4 hilarious brothers and the smartest, sweetest, funniest, most AMAZINGEST sister ever to grace the planet earth. Not many people are blessed with a little sister at the age of 16. She'll turn 11 next month and I'm honestly amazed at her maturity and wisdom for someone who most would still consider a child. Ryanna and Quinten absolutely adore her and so do Brian and I. We're trying to convince Kayla she should stay ALL summer. Unfortunately I don't think it is Kayla we have to convince.....hehe. We went to the Vernal Temple this morning for a fun photo shoot to remember this wonderful time having her visit.

SWAGGER WAGON

Kayla is staying with us this week which is AWESOME! We were watching America's Got Talent yesterday and saw this little 11 year old kid who was a "rapper" - this kid said he'd been rapping for 8 years making him 3 when he started. Come on, give me a break! So we decided to make up some raps as if we were Ryanna. Here's a little taste:
My name's Ryanna - WHA!
Allergic to Peanuts - TRUE!
I got my Soy BB
I got my Soy BB
I got my Soy BB
Soy Butter Bread - WORD.
Anyway, the video above is from my cousin's blog and it CRACKS us up. It's hilarious! Here's a shout out to all you mini van parents out there.

Flower girl or royal mischief maker??

My cousin Mal got married last Saturday and it was a beautiful day. A year ago she asked if Ryanna would be the flower girl and after giving a full warning that Ryanna's personality type might not be a great match as a flower girl she insisted she didn't care how Ryanna acted and that she would love her to be the flower girl. Well, if you can't tell from the pictures Ryanna was adorable and the picture perfect flower girl.....until it came time to actually do the job. She was scared and didn't like all the people staring at her. I tried to coax her along but in the end it ended in a royal meltdown. I ended up throwing a few handfuls of flowers while Ryanna rolled on the ground screaming. It was classic for sure and provided some entertainment. After the ceremony was over she insisted on picking up every single flower petal I had thrown on her behalf. "They don't go on the ground" according to Ryanna. Thankfully my cousin was so sweet about it and said it was perfect and adorable and she got a kick out of the whole scene. I just love her! She even had a whole bag of presents for Ryanna that Ryanna loved. So if you have a wedding coming up I suggest you make sure your flower girl is at least 5 or you just might end up being the flower girl!!

We are having a great time with my family!! Look at that rowdy bunch. :)