Utah Trip

We took a trip to Utah October 23-November 7 and it was GREAT!!!  Richard was with us for the first five days and man oh man, did we pack those five days full of things.  It was wonderful.  

We were able to see so many people we love, show off Rachel, and of course, enjoy grandparents and just about the best uncle around.  

Here's our trip in pictures...

Little known fact about Richard:  he loves to shop.  The first place we visited in Utah was this sports store.  I teased him the entire drive about this.  I honestly couldn't believe that he only had five days in Utah and this was to be his first stop.  Well, I definitely ate my words.  This place was amazing, and in the end, I was the one who wanted to stay.  They had a ferris wheel, aquarium, shooting range, a fudge shop, and more that I am forgetting.  Richard informed me as we were leaving that there is a Scheels in Appleton, WI... I just might have to make the drive.

We met "Big Marshall", his wife Marietta, and new baby Ernest for lunch at Cafe Rio.  Yum, yum, yum.  Great friends and great food.

Our next stop was Price, Utah to visit Richard's younger brother Joe.  Richard and Joe hadn't seen each other in over two years and I had never been to Price before so it was a must on our bucket list.  Their two kids are just within months of Marshall and Bridget and they always have grand fun together.  Wish we lived closer.

 The next day was Provo where we met up with Richard's parents.  We all enjoyed a nice lunch together. 

 

 Next stop was BYU.  No surprise there.  By this point our kids were incredibly exhausted.  We had planned to walk all around campus, but they wouldn't have it.  We hit the bookstore and called it good.  

After that I took the girls and drove back up to my parents' house while Richard and Marshall stayed with his parents for the BYU game.  Marshall perked up for this and had a GREAT time.  And BYU won so that made it even better.

Next on the docket was to pay a visit to some dear Milwaukee friends.  We miss the Irion family terribly, but we are so glad they are in Utah, very convenient.  All the kids picked right up where they left off in June.  

 No perfect picture with seven kids...

We were also able to attend my cousin's wedding and reception.  

At the end of those five days we were quite exhausted.  Marshall and Bridget were sick of being toted around from place to place, so we took it easy for the next couple of days.  We played with toys, raked leaves, let uncles do the entertaining, and watched a massive yard re-construction.  It was thrilling.

After re-cooperating we hit up a pumpkin patch.  It paled in comparison to all the Wisconsin pumpkin patches, but the kids still had a good time.

I got together with a cousin for a morning.  Our kids had fun playing together.  Mallory taught Bridget all about the art of dressing up.

We also went to the Treehouse Museum in Ogden.  I've been hearing about this place for years and it lives up to all the talk.  Very fun.

Can't forget about this little girl; it seems she is rarely photographed.

My sweet Grandpa treated my mom and I to lunch one day. 

I got a night out with some of my dearest friends.  We go way back, all the way to the 5th grade.  You cannot tell, but Lora (on the left) was seven months pregnant with her 4th baby!  And Mary's baby is younger than Rachel and almost twice the size.  Love it!

Our last day there my mom and I took the kids to Temple Square.  I have many memories of visiting this beautiful place growing up.  I get especially homesick every December when I think about the beautiful Christmas lights; I must admit, watching them string the lights on this afternoon got me a little teary.

I got some good time in with my Grandpa Yancey while I was there.  He is such a sweet man and 87 years young!  He is still such a go-getter and so great with my kids.  Love him.

As a side-note, you may notice I have curly hair in the last several pictures.  One afternoon my mom decided to spend a good hour curling my hour.  It lasted for three days; I loved it!  Now only if she would move here and do that for me on a regular basis...

Not pictured are visits with more cousins, another great evening out with old college roommates, and one more visit with the Irions and other MKE friends.

This trip was good for my soul, and for my kids.  We are so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives...even if they all live in Utah. 

Family Pictures

We had some family pictures taken the beginning of October.  I absolutely love some of these shots, despite the fact that getting a five year old, two year old, and a two month old to cooperate at the exact same moment is a CHALLENGE!  Rachel slept through the entire thing and we woke her up at the end to join us in the family pictures.  It wasn't until days later that I realized we never got any of just her or any of all three kids together.  Oh well!  Forgetfulness basically sums up my life right now.  

I love this picture.  All four of us are completely in love with this little girl.  She is the only one in this house who is adored 100% of the time by every one. 

Too grown up.

If only they were like this all the time...

Once Bridget warmed up to the camera she became incredibly expressive.

Love this guy.

So glad I have these four.