Fishing and Football~

If there was anything Justin missed while living away it was annual fishing trips in the fall with the Madsen men, and football season with his dad and brothers. And I know these are the things he looked forward to most in the fall with our return to Utah. 

Growing up, the boys would take a trip down to fish lake each year with their grandpa and uncles. They haven't gone in a while just because it has been hard to get everyone together. 

They were excited to make it happen this year, and I know Justin was so excited for the opportunity to go. 

The scenery is gorgeous. 

It was fun to be back, picking up this lost tradition. 

Jared and Scott caught the most fish. Justin reported that he caught one fish the entire time! Apparently, this means nothing to a true camper, because despite his lack of fish, or lots of rain, it didn't not put a damper on the trip or the memories. 

The same could not be said of Uncle Steve's snoring, however. :) 

These guys are huge BYU fans~

Feeling so lucky they get to attend a few games this season. 

Just is devoted to college football, there are probably not many things he loves more!! :) 

The guys usually head out early for a bite to eat, and then spend the rest of the night screaming their voices away for their team. Good old fashioned male bonding time. :)

I am always so happy to see him go and do the things he enjoys.

Utah's Hogle Zoo

My mom made it a point this summer to get the kids together with their cousins as much as we could. She was kind and generous to take us on such wonderful outings together. 

The zoo changes yearly it seems, and so it had been a while since we had seen all that it had to offer. 

I give the park points for the impressive renovating. It looked very modern, and there were a lot of interactive activities for the kids, but unfortunately, I have to give those poor animals a double thumbs down. It was actually pretty sad to see them in their captivity looking so utterly board, lifeless and miserable. I am positive our kids did not seem to notice what we as adults picked up on, because I know they were completely content being together running around to each exhibit and having so much fun. 

This was a two mini van, and triple stroller kind of day for my mom and I. We had all the kids plus the babies. All of them behaved fabulously, and it truly was a wonderful day spent enjoying the last bit of summer.