Cord's B-Day on L-Day

It's pretty cool to have a birthday on a holiday.  No work.  No school.  Good sales.  It's good stuff.  For Cord's birthday this year we planned a big family hike.  Almost everyone in the Dennis clan was able to join in on the fun.  I made a nice big breakfast in the morning to fuel us for our hike.  We met up at the trailhead for Indian Trail at 9:00 AM.  Everyone was ready to rock and roll.  The hike is 4.6 miles so I was a little bit nervous about the kids getting tired.  But, I shouldn't have worried.  They were amazing hikers!  Gage led the pack the entire time.   I only caught glimpses of him throughout the trek.  Ollie was daddy's pack buddy.  I am glad Cord is strong and can carry Oliver on his back!  The girls chatted with their cousins and enjoyed everyone's snacks.  All of the cute kids just played and talked and hiked up the mountain without complaint.  The weather was perfect.  It was really just a nice three hours on the trail.  I love being out in nature with my peeps.

Grandma and Gage were the head of the pack!  Cute little hiking buddies!

 All the grandkids with Mom minus Graham (who stayed home with Art) and Pepper (who wasn't in the mood for a photograph.)

I spy a few Indians...

After the hike, we all continued up Ogden Canyon to eat lunch at The Oaks.  We had all worked up hearty appetites.  I like eating outside right by the river.  It was such a beautiful day!  We had to wait a little while to get seated because our group had 26 people.  But, eventually we got to relax and enjoy our food.  Birthday's at the Oaks are the best!  It is one of my favorite places for birthday's because they give you a giant hot fudge sundae.  You can pick any Farr's Ice Cream and then they smother it with awesome hot fudge and whipping cream.  It even comes with a cute little cherry on top.  Cord was nice enough to share his treat with the kids.  It didn't last long enough to melt, that's for sure!

That night, Dax and Monica came by to give Cord a birthday gift.  It was a harmonica!  Cord has been wanting to learn how to play so he can take the instrument backpacking.  He was excited about it.  Cord played the Happy Birthday Song as his first official number.  We even got to hear a few duet's between the brothers.  It is nice to have so many great family members to share special day's with.

Cord is such a great man.  He is so focused on our family.  He dedicates his time to making good memories with us.  He works hard at his job.  Cord's new boss loves having him around.  It is so fun for me to hear about how much the new office people appreciate Cord's many talents.  I am proud of him.  Cord is athletic.  He pushes himself to constantly improve in his physical abilities.  He is the Strava King.  He hangs up at the top of the chart with the professional mountain bikers.  It is amazing.  Cord is smart.  He is responsible.  He can also let loose and have fun sometimes.  The kids love to wrestle with him and play tag in the backyard.  He is an awesome soccer coach.  He takes coaching seriously and is dedicated to teaching the cute little boys on the team proper soccer skills.  They are going to be unstoppable!  Gage is so happy to have his Dad as the coach.  And I have to add that he is really handsome!  I am happy that Cord is my best buddy and am glad that he had a Happy Birthday!  33 is a great year.

(Cord and I at his friend's wedding a few weeks ago.  He is a cute date!)