Nature is Free

Well sure, National Parks cost money, and sometimes if you live in the city you have to drive out to nature, but really this beautiful natural world is pretty much free to roam. 

We love to go out and hike, explore and observe. There are so many beautiful things to see and you do not need money to see them, just the will to go.

Elanor and I are back in Utah briefly and Tyler had quite a few days off, being President's weekend. On Valentine's Day, it was 60 degrees here (crazy, right?) but we decided to enjoy it and went up to Little Dell Resevoir for a dinner picnic and some exploring.

Silly girl.

A beaver dam.

On Monday, it was a little cooler but we still wanted to do something fun outside. We decided to go to Little Cottonwood Canyon and walk up the stream. We anticipated some snow (though there should have been 5-6 feet), there was a little left over snow, but it did start snowing while we were up there! I love snow. We brought lunch and hot chocolate, which made the experience so pleasant!

We brought snow boots for her, but she would not wear them! Luckily, the snow was so hard that she did not sink through at all.

Slipping and sliding on some icy snow.

We love going on these adventures together and are so excited to add a baby into our family fun. I am getting really excited at this point and can't wait for her to come! Only about  nine weeks to go!

Also, I don't mind sharing name ideas, so here are some of ours (feel free to comment on which ones you like best and why):

Rosalind or Roseline

{we would also probably call her Rose}

Anja 

{pronounced An-ya--it is a Scandinavian name}

Alice

{Elanor really likes Alice}

Olivia

{unfortunately, it is the number two most popular name in the the U.S. right now}

Hermione

{I do love this name, it is a Shakespeare heroine name, as well as very obviously being from Harry Potter}

Thoughts? Any other suggestions? We have had a hard time picking a name this time around! I also don't like naming a baby until I see her, since I think how she looks/feels can determine a lot.

The Weekly Photo

We had a a picnic up at Little Dell Reservoir on Valentine's Day. It was so lovely to be with my two most favorite Valentines.  Elanor had a lot of fun finding several beaver dams on this stream!

More pictures coming tomorrow!

The Weekly Photo

Sorry, I was so late getting this out! I have had a busy couple of days. 

I also do not have any really "good" photos from last week. I have some funny ones, cute--but blurry ones, etc. I really wanted to get a good Valentine's Day picture, and I tried, but failed.

This little miss is looking so proper and fancy in her lace dress on Valentine's Day.

 It was a good day though. Tyler could not be there all day or night (poor guy), but still took the time to get Elanor and I each a bouquet and little treat, plus he made chocolate covered strawberries. We played with friends, had a tea party and spent some quality time with my favorite little girl. We did not see Tyler much on Saturday either, but I made a fancy Valentine's dinner and dessert for him before he went to work that night. On Sunday night, work was canceled and he did not have work/clincals on Monday, so we took full advantage of his day off and took Elanor skiing and then we went on a date that night. It was wonderful to actually see the guy. I miss him, but I know he is working hard and would really rather be home. Valentine's extended the whole weekend and into Monday, which was rather nice.

Skiing on Monday, more pictures and videos later this week!

Valentine's.

We had a lovely Valentine's Day. The most important part about Valentine's is to be with the ones you love and I sure love Tyler and our little girl.

We started the day by seeing Tyler off to work (he had got us each flowers, chocolates and a balloon for Elanor) and then I made some heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast.

Then, Elanor and I made some Valentines. 

Elanor loves stamping, can you tell?

Elanor in her Valentine's outfit. I forgot to take a picture before her nap, so her hair is a bit messy, as are her clothes.

We went out to the Beehive Tea Room for a little "tea party" at lunchtime since Elanor had been asking for one. We had cucumber sandwiches, soup, petite fours and shared a pot of herbal chocolate mint tea. Elanor loves tea and drank 3 cups of it! It was an adorable little place and I am so bummed that I forgot to bring my camera...

We then came home for a nap and afterwards we went over to a friends house to play and decorate cookies. During Elanor's nap I was busy making dinner and dessert. I made Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon with some mashed potatoes as well. If you are like me, and don't drink alcohol, nor do I use it in my cooking really, then you can do what my mom does for this dish. She uses more beef stock than it calls for to make up for the liquid in the wine and then adds a half cup of red wine vinegar. Yes, I am well aware that red wine vinegar is nothing like wine--I mean, it is vinegar----but, the vinegar in the red wine vinegar really goes well with the meat. I think the vinegar actually makes this recipe taste better. I have also known people who substitute grape juice for the wine or you could just buy cooking wine too if you don't mind. Sorry for the ramble.

Whatever the case, it was delicious.

I am lucky enough to be able to eat dinner with these two:

 Later, Tyler and I enjoyed this delicious dessert:

 Chocolate Decadence with a raspberry sauce and freshly whipped cream. I am going to post this recipe on here soon, it is of course one my mom always made for Valentine's Day.

While we ate our scrumptious dessert, Tyler and I watched a wonderful little movie called "Romantics Anonymous".  

It is a French film about two people who have anxiety, are chocolate makers and fall in love. It is very funny, quirky, and adorable. I highly recommend it. I think the translation of the title is not exactly correct. The girl in the movie attends one of those help groups and in the movie they call it "Emotionals Anonymous"--emotional meaning anxiety, not being in control of your emotions, something like that...I am not really sure. Whatever the case, it is very cute and you should watch it.

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day!