I am in love with that first picture of my kids! I could just eat little Cole-Cole up! Anyways, while in Utah we obviously took a trip to the BYU Bookstore for some clothing. My mom and I also headed up the canyon one day and met my aunt and uncle way up in the mountains (past Heber, past Kamas, almost to Wyoming). They were staying at a cabin that we always used to stay at when I was growing up. I always love visiting there because it is so removed from civilization, and I have such good memories of vacationing there as a kid.
The gate we always used to ride on.
Thankfully we didn't see any deer while out wandering around. We did, however, spot a big brown moose while we were eating lunch. We were out on the patio of the cabin and right in front of us a little ways out was a moose. It was pretty great.
The cabin is not big. It thankfully now has a bathroom. I honestly can't believe we used to stay there with so many of us, especially with the only facilities being an outhouse.
My Uncle John and his brother were nice enough to help my girls do some fishing. Luck was on their side and they caught several fish. The kids loved it!
Cole enjoyed throwing rocks into the river.
Such good memories! The next day we met up with lots of Jake's family for a breakfast at IHOP.
That night we had a pre-wedding dinner at Rodizio's. I think it's safe to say that I definitely didn't lose weight on this trip.
Jake came back in town on Thursday, which was a big relief. The single parent life is not for me. We only broke one plate at dinner so I guess it was a success. The great thing about Brandon's family is that there are tons of little kids so we fit in great!
Friday was wedding day. Everything seemed to go about as well as one could hope for. The sealing was in the afternoon which was actually kind of great. We got to sleep in and take our time getting ready.
Jessica was a beautiful bride, wearing her mom's wedding dress with a few alterations.
We really love Brandon and are so excited to have him in the family! The reception was outdoors and turned out very nice. The highlight for the kids (or maybe I should say for Jake) was the ice cream cart with all-you-can-eat ice cream bars.
Black maybe wasn't the best choice for a summer wedding, but honestly I was not having much luck finding something I loved. And with a growing belly, you kind of have to be selective. I already had this dress and had only worn it like once so it was the best choice.
The girls love Aunt Jessica! Watching the cows (always a favorite past time of small children)...
Elle took a little tumble over a cord at the reception, hurting her shoulder, which kind of ruined the rest of her night. Doesn't she look happy??
The greatest part about these trips is getting to spend so much time with family. It was fun to have Jake's cousin Adam there, and also great to get to know Billy a little better. My parents are so kind to allow us to take over there house and the pool/ping-pong tables get a lot of use when Jake's family is in town. We loved getting to see everyone!
So now the trip is over. We are home, counting down the weeks until school begins. I honestly can't believe it starts so soon. The summer has flown by. Best parts of the trip? Probably Disneyland and getting to see family. Being there for a baby blessing and a temple sealing are always special events. And when you live so far from family, you really treasure the time you get to spend together. The jury's still out on whether or not you can call a 3-week road trip where you drive across the country with 4 small children, single parenting it half the time an actual vacation, but overall we had a really great time. Did the kids have difficulty sleeping at times? Yes. Did the car get old? Of course. Did Jada get carsick and barf? Yuck and yes. Did Jake get two speeding tickets? You better believe it. Was I sick the entire trip with sinus issues? Unfortunately so. Would I do the trip over again? Yes, yes, yes! You just can't expect everything to be smooth sailing on a trip like this, especially with so many little ones, but the memories we made will last forever.
