Emma at 5 months

EMMA BELLE 

Emma is FIVE months old today! Time flies by and yet I can hardly remember what life was like without her. She has CHANGED so much from month four to five. Emma is so ACTIVE and WIGGLY these days; constantly MOVING. She’s our on the go girl. She has been developing her own little PERSONALITY which is so fun to watch. We love her wide, ear to ear SMILE and her infectious LAUGH. She is truly a HAPPY baby and we LOVE her so. 

A few things about Miss Emma at five months:

© Emma’s favorite foods are PEAS, AVACADO, RICE CEREAL, & SWEET POTATO.  And Emma loves to EAT. 

© Emma usually DISLIKES SWEET foods like pears, bananas, and peaches unless they’re mixed with veggies. 

© Emma puts everything IN HER MOUTH right now. Toys, her hands and feet, and basically anything she can get her hands on. 

© She’s learned to ROLL from stomach to back this month. 

© She weighs just under SIXTEEN POUNDS and is in the NINETY EIGHTH PERCENTILE for her HEIGHT.

© Emma is so close to SITTING UP on her own. She can sit up for a few seconds before she needs support. 

© Daddy calls her “MISS BELLE”. Emma loves DADDY and gets so excited when he comes home. 

© Emma likes to stay busy and is our little TRAVELER. She tends to be happier on the days that we go places. She doesn’t like to sit still. 

© Emma loves WATER. She loves BATH TIME, the SOUND OF WATER, and WADING with mom and dad on FISHING TRIPS. 

© She has started to REACH UP to touch our faces when we hold her and LEAN HER HEAD into our shoulders. 

We love FIVE MONTH Emma. She is SWEET and SASSY,  SLEEPS all night and SMILES all day, and is a LIGHT to everyone around her. Sam and I have enjoyed watching her GROW but keep saying how much we wish she would slow down! Every couple of weeks we say “I love the stage she’s in right now, I wish she would stay like this for a while.” But we’ve loved every part of her life so far. She’s BEAUTIFUL inside & out. 

We love our EMMA BELLE. 

Welcome Fall!

I love fall.

Fall means pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and fairs. It means fall leaves and cooler weather. It means caramel apples, pumpkin cookies, apple cider, and hot chocolate. It means scarves, hats, boots, and cozy sweaters.

For the Fetzer family, fall also means fall fishing season, when the brook and brown trout are spawning and filling their bellies in preparation for winter. It’s a wonderful time to go fly fishing as the trout are particularly hungry, the weather is cooler, and the leaves on the trees surrounding rivers and lakes are lit up in vibrant hues of orange and red.

This week, we started our fall fishing season off with a day trip to a beautiful spot on the Sevier river. By “day trip” I do mean an all day trip. It’s funny how day trips take an entire day of preparation now that we have a third wheel. Planning the meals, packing the bag, planning wardrobe, etc. For such a tiny person, Emma sure requires an awful lot of stuff and I have learned that it comes in handy to be over prepared.  I spent Monday getting things ready as we planned on leaving as early as we could on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday arrived and as soon as Emma was fed and dressed, the car was packed with fishing gear and snacks, and Daisy and Emma had been loaded in, we were on our way. The air outside was cool and crisp. Fall air. A perfect day for fishing.

After exiting the freeway, we traveled on a smaller, windy road for some time. We met up with the river and drove alongside it for several miles. The leaves, while not fully transformed, were beginning to turn. The drive was beautiful. I kept my eyes directed toward the window and watched as we passed mountains, trees and deer.  The journey itself is often my favorite part.

We arrived at a beautiful stretch in the river that looked promising, so we pulled off of the road and began assembling the rods.  Sam looked at the water and noted skeptically that the river looked a bit too high. I, ever the optimist, ignored the comment excitedly thinking of all of the fish we were about to catch, even imagining that I might hook into my biggest brown to date. I woke Emma and lifted her from her seat. After feeding her, changing her diaper-not once but twice, and bundling her up, she was ready to go. Sam double, triple checked that he had everything that he needed in is pack (as he always does). I took the first turn with Emma in the chest pack and also carried the lunches on my back in a small back pack. We stopped for a quick picture, propping the camera on top of the car after setting a timer.

 It’s a little blurry-but I love it!

Off we went on our fall fishing adventure. As we walked down to the river, Emma excitedly kicked her legs and giggled. That girl lives to be outside. The first thing we had to do was cross. Sam was right; the river was a bit high which made it tough for my 5’2” frame to wade through the water carrying a wriggling baby and a pack full of food. I put my hand on Sam’s shoulder as we crossed to keep my balance. Daisy, who despite being part poodle is a mountain dog at heart, swam alongside me bravely to the other side of the river. Sam took the first hole, tossing his giant streamer hopefully into a ripple near the right bank. Nothing. He continued up a ways and still nothing. We waded forward and I threw my hopper to a few holes with no luck.

Emma and I stopped to eat lunch on a rock after a while and watched Sam (who couldn’t be bothered to stop). Daisy stood on the bank, staring intently at Sam, waiting for him to hook into a fish. At one point, she got tired of waiting and swam out to him, only to realize that she couldn’t touch the bottom where he was standing. She paddled back to shore. Daisy has always loved the water.

We waded on. At one point, the side of the river we were wading through was littered with small rocks that had come from a rock slide off of the mountain above. This made it particularly difficult to wade and at one point I lost my footing and bashed my knee into the side of the rock covered bank. At that point, I was a bit frustrated and we decided it might be time to make our way back to the car and find a new spot to fish.

Sam and I had been to a place that wasn’t far from here before and Sam suggested that it would probably be lower water and easier to wade there. So, we climbed in the car and headed towards a new spot where we hoped we’d have better luck. I was grateful for the break and glad that Emma had a chance to nap in the car. I enjoyed another scenic drive along the river. This time we wound around The Big Rock Candy Mountain on our way 

Once again, we unloaded the car, strapped on our gear, and pulled Emma out of her car seat. She wore an ear to ear grin as I helped Sam get her into the pack. I sometimes worry that our trips will be too much for Emma but, she surprises me again and again. Her eyes beamed with nothing but excitement as we walked down toward the river.

We tried this new area. Hole after hole after hole, no luck. Nothing but a couple of nibbles here and there from smaller fish.  Daisy trekked through the bushes beside the river and became covered with burrs which took several minutes to untangle out of her fur. When Emma became hungry again, I sat on a log on the side of the river to nurse her. It made me think of how it must have been to nurse a baby in the pioneer days. These days we have special pillows and covers and sit comfortably inside with support under our arms and behind our backs.  It was a much different experience with my feet dangling over the river, awkwardly holding Emma, while ants crawled across my lap. She fell asleep to the sound of the river, so I held her there with her head laying on my shoulder for a short nap. As I sat, I thought about how lucky I was today to be sitting in this beautiful place, enjoying this time with my family. My best friend, our daughter, and our puppy all together and doing what we love to do. I love days like this. I offered up a small prayer of gratitude and squeezed Emma a little bit tighter.

Well, I didn’t catch my biggest brown that day. In fact, we didn’t bring in a single fish all day. But, as Sam quoted on the way home “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.” We were both happy to have had the chance to get out and wade through a beautiful river while enjoying the fall air and the turning leaves.

The rain started just when we hit the road and Emma looked curiously out the window as it pounded the side of the car. As we drove home, Emma quickly fell asleep in the back seat  and Daisy curled up on my lap while Sam and I planned our next fall fishing adventure-there are many more to come.

Welcome fall!

The Best of Cedar City

When I moved to Cedar City almost four years ago, I was absolutely convinced that I would hate it here. I was sure that the people were all hicks (sorry to my Cedar City friends! I was just being a snob!) I was certain that there would be nothing to do and that I’d be bored out of my mind. It turns out, the people here are wonderful and there is plenty to do. Sure, I miss having lots of places to eat out and more options for shopping but, I’ve fallen in love with this area. Let me share with you (in no particular order) a few of my favorite things that I have discovered and learned to love right here in little old Cedar City:

#1. Kolob Canyon: Just fifteen short minutes south of Cedar City, Kolob Canyon is well worth the trip! It is a small piece of Zion National Park and offers several different hikes and views along a scenic drive without the amount of tourists that can be found in most other areas of Zion.  The red rock is beautiful and I especially love going in the spring when everything is green and lush or in the fall when the leaves are turning.

#2. Festivals and Events: They call it “The Festival City” for a reason; art festivals, July Jamboree, The Groovefest, The Renaissance Festival, Sheep festival, Pumpkin Festival and the Christmas in July Festival. Look on the calendar at any given month and you will find some sort of festival, fair, or community event. Sam and I have attended some awesome car shows, parades, art walks, and events during our time in Cedar. It’s so fun to walk through the Main Street Park and look at booths with handcrafted goods or to go see the old, restored cars and talk to their colorful owners. Attend a community Easter egg hunt in the spring, paint a pumpkin in the fall, watch middle aged men make fools of themselves onstage during the Groovefest,  Watch the Sheep Parade(literally a parade of sheep) once a year, and get your face painted on the 4^th of July. There is ALWAYS something going on in Cedar City.

#3. Cedar Canyon: I can’t tell you how much I’ve grown to love this canyon. Taking a lazy Sunday drive        through the canyon is enough on its own but, there are also endless places to hike, camp, fish, and picnic. Grand views, waterfalls, rock formations, and wildlife everywhere you turn (Sam and I have spotted deer, squirrels, chipmunks, snakes, birds of all kinds, foxes, and more.). The Cedar Breaks Wild Flower Festival is a MUST see in July.  Colorful wildflowers paint the mountainside in breathtaking purples, oranges, pinks, and yellows. In the winter months, there are places to cross country ski and it’s the perfect place to go pick out a Christmas tree to chop down and bring home.

#4. City Parks: Cedar City has some seriously great city parks. Park Discovery is one of the best. Huge play area, sand pit where dinosaur bones can be discovered, and a little rock amphitheater. It’s the perfect place to play hind and seek. There is also a large field and picnic area to be enjoyed. The Canyon Park is another favorite. It’s a beautiful place to walk and the trail through the park continues up the canyon for several miles. A small stream runs through the park-perfect for dipping your toes in on a hot summer day or for little ones to splash around in. There are also several BBQ areas and a nice volleyball court to be enjoyed.

#5. The Utah Shakespearean Festival: Two seasons a year of exciting plays put on by a professional theater company. People travel from all over the country and even the world to little Cedar City just to see these plays. There is a rotation of Shakespeare’s own as well as several other great plays and musicals to be enjoyed each year. I have never been a huge fan of Shakespearean plays but I have enjoyed a few of them as well as other great plays put on at the festival like Les Miserables, To Kill a Mockingbird, Sense and Sensibility, and South Pacific. Catch the green show before the play starts and meander through one of the themed gift shops.

#6. Centro Pizza: You CAN find fine dining here in Cedar. Centro Pizza offers delicious, thin crusted pizza cooked in a wood fired oven. The pizzas are topped with unique toppings such as fig, pancetta, grapes, arugula, prosciutto, and goat cheese. All of the ingredients are of the best quality and fresh! Many of them are even grown locally. Start with an order of the rustic bread with balsamic and olive oil for dipping. Yum. Oh! And, two words: Nutella pizza. Nuff said.

#7. The Food Truck Roundup: On Wednesday nights, somewhere in Cedar City gathers several unique food trucks serving deliciously unhealthy foods and desserts. Sam and I love the Rock N Eggroll for dinner (crispy eggrolls served with fried rice and teriyaki chicken) and Waffle Love or Bites Donuts for dessert. Yum yum. I suppose it’s a good thing it only comes around once a week! (Though, the trucks can be found scattered throughout Cedar City during the week.)

#8 Farmer’s Markets: Twice a week, once on Saturday morning and once on Wednesday evenings, there is a farmer’s market here in Cedar City where local farmers sell organic fruits and veggies, homemade jams, locally made honey, artisan breads and more. It’s a fun environment and you can find some delicious, fresh foods every week grown by the wonderful locals of Cedar City and it’s surrounding areas.

#9. SNOW!: I know to some of you the snow doesn’t sound like a good thing. I admit, the first year I was here, I hated it with a passion. However, with time I have grown to appreciate it’s beauty. The fact that it’s cold and you have to scrape your car off in the morning is greatly shadowed by the many wonderful things snow brings. Snowmen, snow covered mountains, cross country skiing, tubing, and snow ball fights. Brianhead is just a short distance away and while I don’t ski or snowboard myself, it’s something that can be enjoyed by many in the winter here thanks to the snow. After a snowfall, many people can be found sledding down the big hill outside the local high school. Snowshoeing, watching the snow quietly fall at night with a warm mug of hot chocolate, and waking up to a blanket of snow on Christmas morning. It’s truly magical and one of the things that makes Cedar City great.

#10. Historic Downtown Main Street: While Cedar City is no Park City in terms of it’s Main Street shopping, Downtown Cedar city is a nice place to walk and look around. There are great deals to be found at Poser’s Place and The Main Street Book Store, yummy treats at the old fashioned Bulloch Drug Store and The Grind, a recently remodeled dollar theater, and several other gift shops and restaurants. At night, the street is lit by a beautiful display of twinkle lights and at Christmas time it’s almost blinding. The shop owners, while quirky, are friendly and you can often find some great deals and unique items as you wander. (P.S. Centro Pizza is right around the corner.)

 .....

Well, there you have it. Just ten of the many things Cedar City has to offer. I barely touched the amount of places there are to hike, bike, fish, and camp in the area. Cedar City is surrounded by beautiful mountains and with those mountains come so many fun outdoor activities. Sam and I have been on so many different trails and still have so many that we’ve never explored. A short drive to one of the several canyons in the surrounding area will lead you to endless outdoor adventures. You’ll be amazed at the diversity of it’s beauty.  And the best part? All of this outdoor recreation comes without the crowds of people you would find in northern Utah.

Cedar City is beautiful and home to some of the kindest and most interesting people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. We love it here. Please come and visit any time!

Hendrickson Lake Adventure

On Friday night Sam asks if I want to go fishing on Saturday. “Sure, sounds fun! Where do you want to go?” He replies, “well, Katy and Mike are going to Hendrickson Lake with the boys tomorrow and said we could come with. It’s kind of a tough hike in but, I think we can handle it.” I'd never been but, I figure, if Katy and Mike are bringing their 8 year, 5 year, and 6 month old boys, surely I can handle it-no sweat. We decide to go.  

Boy was I in for a surprise.

On Saturday, I excitedly prepare snacks, Emma’s food and bag, gather water, and get ready to load the car for our little adventure. We hit the road towards Parawon Canyon. Connor, my 8 year old nephew, rode with us. Connor is probably the sweetest 8 year old kid on the planet. He patiently entertained Emma in the back seat. I thanked him for helping her and he proudly exclaimed “I know how to make babies happy. I can always make my baby brother Cooper smile”. Connor, who was recently baptized, is a wonderful sibling to his two younger brothers and is such a thoughtful little guy. I remember when I babysat him as a toddler and he repeatedly thanked me for everything I did. “Thanks for making me dinner Natalie, thanks so much for coloring with me Natalie, Thanks for wiping the counters, thank you for taking care of me”. What kind of a kid says things like that??

Anyway, about an hour later, we arrived at the trailhead of the Hendrickson Lake hike.

Katy and Mike met us there with Cooper and Caleb. We got the kiddos ready to go and started up the trail. I should have known what it was going to be like from the first step. When I looked ahead of me, the trail was headed up on a steep incline. The path didn’t change much from that first step but, my pace sure did. I started out quickly and excitedly walking, ready to get to that lake and do some fishing.  After ½ a mile, I was slowing down significantly, trying to catch my breath and wiping the sweat from my brow. Sam kept saying “I think the lake is just up this next hill”. Five hills later, he’d say the same thing. It reminded me a little bit of when I was in labor and the doctor kept saying “You’re so close! Just a couple more pushes!”  We went another mile like that-It felt like we were climbing straight up and I could feel my heels starting to blister in my fishing boots. I finally had to stop. I sat down for a few minutes. “You okay?” Sam asked. I said between breaths “If I had any strength right now, I’d hit you!”

FINALLY we made it to the top of the hill. I started out in the lead and ended the hike last. (Connor later pointed out to me that I had finished in 8^th place.) I wanted to use the fact that I had recently had a baby as an excuse but, my sister-in-law Katy had her baby just two months before me and when I arrived at the lake, she already had her rod out and was fishing, looking perfectly well rested. I spread a blanket out on the tall grass and lay there with Emma for a while to catch my breath. Once cooled off, I was able to take in my surroundings. The lake was beautiful! The quaking aspens were showing the slightest hint of fall and you could see their reflection in the water below. Sam quickly caught a nice little brooke trout. We enjoyed a couple of hours of fishing and relaxation before we decided it was time to head back. (We didn’t want to do that hike in the dark!!)

                                                     this girl...She just melts my heart. 

Of course, the downhill climb was much easier! However, there were new problems. My heels were so badly blistered that it hurt to walk and I was slipping down every gravelly hill we started down. Connor was my hiking buddy on the way down as Mike and Katy were behind with the other two boys and Sam and Emma were way ahead. At one point, Connor and I took a wrong turn and hiked down a really steep hill in the wrong direction. In order to get back on the path, we either had to climb back up the dangerously steep hill to try to find the original trail, or go off the path on a slippery looking area that would connect us to the actual trail. If we were to slide on this spot, we would slide down the hillside and be in real trouble. I was worried, especially about Connor. He said, with great faith “Good thing we said a prayer before the hike. Don’t worry, we’ll be safe.” We carefully made our way on the slippery edge toward the path and made it safely, just as Connor knew we would.

We got down to the bottom and met Sam and Emma at the cars. Connor was pleased with his 3^rd place and kindly suggested that we BOTH were in 3^rd place even though I had come down the trail just behind him, probably to help me feel better about getting 8^th place on the way up. Just when we got to the bottom, the migraine started. I spent the drive home with a pounding headache, extremely car sick, and stopping every few miles to throw up on the side of the road.I was extremely happy to crawl into bed and turn out the lights as soon as we arrived home. I think that might be my one and only trip to Hendrickson Lake-no matter how beautiful it was or how good the fishing. Nevertheless, it’s a story to tell and was an experience to remember.

Pink Bows and Fishing Boots

2 kids in love, the cutest little baby girl, a dog named Daisy, and a whole lot of pink bows and fishing boots. That about sums up my life right now. Sounds simple. Nothing to glamorous but, to me, it's a dream come true. I am writing this blog to keep a record and share the events of this big adventure we call life. It's also a place for me to write about the things I am learning as a young wife to a fly fishing addict and new mother to my sweet baby girl, Emma Belle. Maybe someone can learn from my mistakes or successes along with me. To anyone who's interested enough in my little family to read this blog, welcome!

Here's my story....

Boy meets girl: 

Sam and I met when I was 15. His best friend was dating my best friend (No they're not still together.) We had an immediate connection and exchanged numbers within a minute of meeting each other. We were friends for a lot of high school and started officially dating my senior year. After 2 1/2 years of dating, we tied the knot. We were married in the St. George, Utah LDS temple and had a perfect, summer wedding on June 11, 2011 followed by a blissful honeymoon to Hawaii. We are best friends and I'd rather hang out with him than anyone (even after almost 10 years of friendship, 2 1/2 years of dating, and 4+ years of marriage) We do everything together but especially enjoy being outside. Fly fishing is our thing. We also love hiking, cross country skiing, and just being outside enjoying beautiful nature. We love road trips and travelling, trying new things, and good food (Who doesn't love good food??) That's us in a nutshell.

 Sam taught me to fish. This is one of my first ever fish, caught on 

a trip to his family cabin while we were dating. 

Wedding day. June 2011.

Honeymoon in Oahu, Hawaii. Here we are at the temple.

Adding a puppy:

To be honest, we acquired Daisy before we were even married. That wasn't the plan, but I've always been kind of a "spontaneous shopper". We went with Sam's mom and Sam's sister to pick up their new puppies (who were from the same litter). I knew that there was going to be one puppy left and I had expressed some interest to Sam who quickly shut down the idea. "We are NOT getting a puppy until after we've found an apartment and gotten married!" Sounds very responsible. Sam is a responsible kind of a guy. (Unfortunately for him, I'm not really a responsible kind of a gal.) He refused to bring any cash, a debit card, or check book with us and swore that we would NOT be coming home with a puppy. We were just along for the ride. When we got there, Sam's mom, Mary, pulled her puppy out of the box and Sam's sister, Jessie,  pulled her puppy out of the box. I slowly approached the box to see the sweetest black and white puppy I have ever seen peeking out of the box with her paws on either side of her face. I immediately burst into tears. I think I was overwhelmed with love for her and sadness at the fact that I couldn't take her home with me. Long story short? We got the dog. (There's a tip for you ladies trying to convince your husbands that you need a dog: Just cry. It worked for me.) Daisy is now 4 1/2 years old.  She's a Cocker Spaniel/Poodle mix. She loves to watch TV (her favorite movie is Spririt), she can dance, shake, give hugs, high five, roll over, "karate chop", and sit. Daisy is named after my favorite flower and our wedding flower. She's made her way onto all of our family Christmas cards and into our hearts. She is not just a dog. She is a family member and we love her.

Then comes a baby:

Emma Belle Fetzer. She came into this world almost 2 weeks late at 8 lbs 10 oz, 20 1/2 inches long. She had a head full of beautiful, dark hair and eyes wide open. She was-and is-breathtakingly beautiful. She is now 4 1/2 months old and we can't imagine life without her. Every parent thinks their kid is the most special kid in the world but, really...she's the most special kid in the world. :) Emma is filled with life and strength. I can't keep up with how fast she grows, changes, and learns! She likes to hit every milestone ahead of time which makes me so proud and a little sad all at the same time. She is a light to everyone around her and I have witnessed her sweet spirit brighten many a person's day. She is a little chatter box, makes the silliest faces, and is constantly smiling. Emma is an incredible little traveler and is honestly happiest when we're on the go. She has visited 4 states, seen 3 national parks, and joined us for many fishing trips already in her short life. I'm sure she will be the subject of many of my blog posts as she is the subject of every picture I take, every conversation I have, and the big event of my every day.

So, That's us and this is me. Pink bows and fishing boots. I'm excited to start recording some of the events in our lives as we learn and grow together. Thanks for reading. 

Fetzer Family, 2015