family pics

I totally forgot that we did family pics with Kent's family while we were in Utah!  This is the best of our immediate family.  No tears=best. 

The kiddos used up all of their smiles in the extended family pic so at least it turned out!

and I'm considering making this pic the one that goes up in our house. Because honestly- this is what our life is really like. Both kids are whining and begging to go and play with dirt and climb the mountain.

Maybe it's because my little guys look so cute dressed as cows- but this is one of my favorite freebies of the year!  you dress like a cow and basically get whatever you want to eat for free at chic-fil-a!!

Or maybe it's because the polynesian sauce and chicken nuggets at chic-fil-a remind me of wandering the mall as an awkward junior high student on saturdays with friends.  Plus- their food really is very very good!

The kiddos love meeting the giant cows every year, too.  And it doesn't hurt that we have two children's cow costumes already! 

the rest of our trip in a GAZILLION photos.

The real reason we went to Utah:

I was dying to try out a new dessert cafe in Orem (The Chocolate)and taste their cazookie. It did NOT disappoint.  Totally worth the 184 dollar plane ticket. 

Kent and I went to his 10 yr high school reunion (which was really fun- especially since I didn't get to go to mine last year) and then we went out to 'the chocolate' for dessert.  

We had so many child free days/ nights and I really needed it.  Thanks again to everybody who took our kids for us :)

On the actual fourth we had a splendid water party/brunch with the Millers.  the food was so good! and the boys had so much fun with all of their cousins and second cousins!

 And then that evening we went with my fam to see the fireworks.  It was really windy and pretty darn cold!  Zeb and Ike loooooved the fireworks and loved being entertained by his aunts and uncle Clair.  Ike loves his uncle Clair!!

 

In our attempts to keep Zeb warm- he ended up looking like a ragamuffin!

And finally- on our last Sunday we had a giant cousin party to celebrate us coming out - Shannon and Jason moving away for med school - and Steve and Hailey finsihing Steve's PhD and heading out to Chicago!

I love this pic of Jack and Zeb tackling the rock wall!  Zeb looks so grown up!

I took 400 pictures in Utah- luckily you only have to see about 30.   Hopefully I can wrap our trip in these last two posts!

Wednesday I went up to girls camp to spend the day with my mom and sister! I love the mountains and the drive was beautiful.

I also absolutely love girls camp! I don't get to go with my ward this year- so it made it nice to spend a day with my mum and sis at theirs.

 Here I am with mum waiting out a crazy lightning storm and finding out that laney had her baby!  Oh- and I only took one long sleeve item with me to Utah but I needed it alomst every day. That's why it appears that I am wearing the same things every day of my trip.

Kent stayed behind with the monkeys and helped his sister move into her new house.   He has moved  A LOT of people in the past month!!  

The rugrats also got to try out sprinklers for the first time at my parent's house!  Ohio doesn't really do sprinklers but they were an integral part of my summer days so I'm glad the kiddos got their fair share while In Utah.  Zeb begged to do it every day!

 The next day we spent at BYU's finest (free) museums.  First stop was the Bean.  One of my favorite places on BYU campus.  I had most of my senior year classes in the museum and some of my lepidopterans are in this amazing mosaic!!

Ike's pointer finger nearly fell off after the museum. He LOVES to point.

And our second stop was BYU's paleontolgy museum. 

Lots of big dino bones-

 and fights over fossils. 

 

Kent definitely knows the way to my heart! I only need a few things to make me really happy- and great food, cool weather, being outside, and NO KIDS are all on the list! Monday afternoon he planned a surprise trip away from the kids for a night. The kiddos stayed with his parents and didn't miss us AT ALL.

We went shopping and out to dinner- and then head up Provo canyon to Midway-  a quaint little "swiss" town near Park City.  We stayed in the most wonderful bed and breakfast called- "The Blue Boar Inn".

I made kent take a picture next to the Blue Boar.

And I got one next to the deer.

This was the view from the Inn!  We stayed in the "Charles Dickens" room where they had chocolates on our pillow and a little cheese and fruit tray to enjoy!  We went swimming at the Homestead mineral pools and hiked up the crater.  The next morning we ran up the canyon part way along the golf course.  It was beautiful and chilly!  I really really do love crisp cold air.

I can't even believe the breakfast we had.  It was the BEST french toast I have EVER had in my life. Homemade cinnamon swirl brioche french toast, whipped hot chocolate, and homemade fresh granola. Kent had some crazy nice steak, eggs, and potatoes.  I'm salivating just thinking about it.  The Inn is part four star restaurant so I told him we MUST go back for breakfast sometime.

Later in the afternoon we met the kiddos and kent's parents in Heber for lunch at the "dairy keen" where they've got running trains running along the top of the restaurant and toy trains to play with.  The boys were in heaven.

Ike just kept saying "woooow! woooow!".

It was soooo nice to have a break from everything! Thanks, kent!

home again, home again, jiggity jig.

Things I must do now that we are back in holy toledo:

1. despoil my kidlets afters eight days of lavish attention from oodles of family and friends. is this possible? any suggestions?!

2. re sleep train the family. The rugrats went to bed at 11 last night- and that was AFTER a long travel filled day. At least we all slept in until 9:45!

3.  somehow try and adjust to this hellish humidity. Just when I was all acclimatized and not so terribly miserable- we go to the lovely land of dry crisp mountain air-  and then return to temps in the 90s with the heat index above 100.

4. unpack, unpack, unpack.  There's nothing worse.

5. Re-regulate to not having Kent with me every second of every day!

6. and lose the fifteen pounds I gained because of constant eating!!  I already miss the good food- but at least now I won't be tempted so much!

It's going to be a rough week- but the trip was worth all of the hassle of coming home!  It was one of the nicest vacations we've had to Utah in awhile.  The time went by so fast and we loved every second.

Our first few days were full of food and family.  

 I'm not sure where mum is in this picture- but it's a good one of the fam.  We got a new little point and shoot camera while we were there- and I think that I like it.  Most importantly it's drop proof, dust proof, and totally waterproof (up to ten feet). I'm not very kind to little cameras so I thought I'd try for an indestructible one this time!

Bottom row- my little sisters Metta and Daysa- and standing up is dad.  Everytime we went out to do something I kept looking for Laney and Tayor.  We all missed them a lot- especially since she went and had her baby while we were there!

Ike found a ball within minutes of our arrival to Nannie Annie's house!

 And Zeb found the trampoline. He had been talking about it for weeks before we left.

I can't wait for a nice backyard to relax in and let the kids run wild in!  I also can't wait for my very own lawn to mow!!  My dad got a riding lawn mower and I was a little disappointed.  I love mowing the lawn but I don't do the riding thing. Zeb was not disappointed at ALL, though.

Our first night in town we went to the Lehi Roundup Rodeo.  It's been awhile since I've been to the rodeo and I loved it.  Especially since Lehi is full of real cowboys. It was quite the fashion show!

Zeb was EXHAUSTED and tried to fall asleep a few times- but he must have enjoyed it because it's the one thing he keeps bringing up day after day.   There were some motorcycle stunt riders that performed and had him wide eyed (and ear covered).

 Here's a really nice picture of auntie daysa! She watched our kiddos a gazillion times- thanks days!  I think Zeb must get his quasimodo eye from her.

And here's my little monster.  He got quite spoiled by attention while we were there and he's already had multiple meltdowns when I'm slow to respond to his requests here. It's going to be rough.

we're home!

We are finally home and EXHAUSTED!!  and while we were away- Laney had her baby!  She wasn't due until the 11th of this month - but she had a baby GIRL on June 30th.

Welcome baby Milly!!

 My favorite part of the birth story is that when the doctor had Taylor tell Laney the gender of the baby (they didn't know beforehand) he said, "Henry has a little brother!" and the doctor said- "maybe you should check that one more time".