We decided to kill three weeks of a pregnancy by leaving for the family reunion early and spending a couple of weeks in Utah. The road trip was longer than my back enjoyed, but the kids did well and we had a great time. It helped that we stayed in a hotel with water slides, which prepped the boys (all of them, including Mike!) nicely for Cowabunga Bay!
We had to stop in Lincoln to see our old stomping grounds, good friends, and pick up LaMar's donuts! We loved seeing Marcy and Julie! Julie was so kind and let the kids each make their own pitcher/bowl of Kool Aid. The kids thought it was so cool, she's much more accommodating than I am!
We arrived Sat. night, just in time for the blessing of my brother's new baby on Sunday! It was a great way to start the trip.
Amelia loves baby Nellie! She wanted to hold her as much as possible! Doesn't Whit look amazing, such a good mama!
Mike was able to join us for the blessing and grab a quick bite to eat, then he was off to the airport. He was so nice to drive us out and then go back to work (someone has to pay for these vacations, right?). He flew back two weeks later for the reunion.
These boys adore their big cousin Noah!
Let the fun begin! We had two weeks of playing with April and Whit and families, catching up with old friends, visiting all our favorite spots, eating at all our favorite places, etc. We started with a trip to Wheeler Farm. We could have just played in the stream and then headed home and the kids would have been content. They had so much fun playing in the water!
We were in Utah for Pioneer Day, which is just as big, if not bigger, than the 4th of July! We celebrated by making hand carts in the morning out of cardboard, small wooden boxes, felt, etc. The kids had a great time with our cute project, I wish I would have taken pics. We then spent the afternoon and evening swimming at Glenn's parent's pool and having a BBQ. We considered going to the big parade downtown, but thought this was a much easier, low key way to celebrate our pioneer heritage.
The kids really wanted to see a fireworks show, but it just seemed like too much to take them to a city production. Lucky for us, almost every firework is legal in Utah during the 4th of July (maybe they should reconsider this considering all the fires they have!) and a few of April's neighbors broke the bank with the firework productions they put on! How convenient to hang out in the front yard all jammied and ready for bed while watching fireworks!
Amelia wasn't quite sure, she thought the fireworks were loud, but she hung out on the front porch and snuggled with her mama.
This picture could have been taken any day we were at April's! I grabbed The Ladybug Game as a last minute idea and it was worth it's weight in gold! These kids played at least once a day!
We also hit Bridal Veil Falls with our cousins. It started a little chilly but quickly warmed up and the kids had a great time climbing the waterfall and feeding the fish. We had a picnic lunch on the way back down. This was one of our favorite and regular outings when we were in Utah for school!
I loved catching up with a few old friends! I wish I would have been more diligent at taking pictures. April and I had so much fun catching up with Torrey while our kids played at the park. It was so fun to see Torrey and her sweet baby Hadley. I also got to visit with the Wildes as well as Ada and Holly, but forgot to take pics.
Amelia was pretty little when we left Utah and I don't think she fully understood the glory of Aunt April's house. When we were living in Provo, April's house was a second home to us. The kids played all sorts of creative play, April and I usually baked something, and it was heaven. After spending two weeks with Aunt Opie, she gets it! She loves her aunt and talks all the time about going back to stay with her!
Case in point, here is April making chocolate chip cookies with five kiddos!
I love me some Suzanne! Suzanne was such a sweetheart and drove down from Idaho so we could spend an afternoon together! We had a lovely chat over lunch and then did some shopping. I miss this girl, such a dear friend!
Mike is always telling me that maxi dresses make me look bigger than I really am. This picture helped me understand what he's been saying, but I'm posting it anyway. I was so happy when Mike rejoined us in Utah!! Don't get me wrong, we were having a fantastic time, but I just love having him with me! Once he returned to Utah, we got a babysitter and the four of us went to dinner and then got frozen yogurt. It was such a great evening, great discussion about life, about working harder and being better people. It's hard to believe that ten years ago we lived on the same block in Orem while Glenn was the only one with a full time job and the rest of us were finishing our undergrads. A lot changes in ten years!
Look at all these kids ready for church, such cuties!
Of course we had to go to BYU! We let the kids each pick out something from the bookstore, we went to the candy counter, and we found the Y on the mural of Provo. Again, things we did all the time when we lived here.
She's such a big girl, especially with her new Nikes.
I felt like I was so great about taking pics, but I feel like I missed so much! This is picture overload, but we were gone for two weeks! I'm especially sad I didn't get a picture with me and April together. April was so good to have us! I'm not the most energetic and helpful person when pregnant and she knows that, yet she still let me come and spend two weeks at her house. She definitely pulled more of the load and was so incredibly good to us. A shout out to Glenn as well! Company can get old after two weeks, but he was still patient and good hearted with me and the kids when all was said and done.
We went straight from BYU to the opening evening of our family reunion. Another post to come as I try to catch up before this baby arrives! This is the kind of nesting I can handle. The shelves I want to build in the basement are on hold because there's not enough energy to match my project, but in the meantime, stay tuned to the blog!
