Utah Summer 2013

I had my doubts about the ease of our summer sojourn to Utah.  Our trips have been so easy recently since the kids are big enough to play with their cousins and not be totally thrown off their rockers by the shift in their routine and sleep.

Enter Finn. Now it seemed like we would be starting over in the kid traveling department. So with excited anticipation of seeing family and a fair bit of fear, we made our trip.


This was my very first trip that I didn't bring my camera.  I knew my hands would be full of Finn so my phone was going to have to pick up the slack. And it did.  Not very well, especially indoors, but these will have to do.

Aunt Wendy discovered a Darth Vader head and light saber in her basement.  Thank goodness she thought twice about throwing them out, because they made a certain little boy very happy.

I texted my sister Chandra as we landed in Salt Lake, lamenting the fact that while I was now 1000 miles closer to her in Idaho, it was still too far away.

That night she replied back that she was actually in Utah, too!

Such a happy opportunity had to be seized and we spent a lovely morning at her brother in laws house in Bountiful before they headed home.

Finn made his introductions,

and we gathered all the cousins for a picture.  If I'd had a wide enough angle, you would see Max off to the side, being a toad, arms crossed and back turned.

Kind of, exactly like he is this picture from our trip down to BYU campus.

Ava couldn't be lured away from her cousins, so we took the boys to Provo for our stop at the bookstore for some new shirts and chocolate covered cinnamon bears.

Spending time with the cousins is a highlight.  I know I've said it before but my little girl nieces, on both sides, near Ava's age are some of the sweetest girls on the planet.  How we got such drama-free, sweet hearted girls all in the same family is almost a mystery because I've started to believe they are an endangered species.  Ava can tell the difference because she spends a week totally free to be herself, laughing and playing, and we hardly see her.  Every visit Dan and I say this same thing.

And we had a new cousin to meet! At 6 weeks apart, Finn and John will be running around together in not time!

Charlie was so generous with all of his fantastic toys.  

I tried to talk him into teaching Max how to spell but Max is a stubborn student.  Surprising, I know.

  Max and Greta are especially cute together.  Playing and talking and making up stories.   

Since our visit last Christmas, Grandma Linda and Grandpa Don sold their house in Sandy.  We were all a little melancholy for it, especially Dan since he grew up there, but our stay in Midway was great.  The weather, the grass and the views in the mountains were extra pleasant.  

We went to the neighborhood park one evening and every time I turned around I had to take the same picture, it was so beautiful.

So here is some time lapse photography for you.  Ten minutes apart.

The kids started climbing on this gazebo and as I look back at them, I really want to save this one for them to recreate when they're 30.  Have you seen those? Where adults recreate family photos from their childhoods?  I think this one would be great...

Can't you see the adult version of this?

There are some enjoyments in life that are inversely  proportional to the amount of small children you have to do them with.  Swimming is one of those things for me. 

We went a few times, but must say, I was more than happy to sit on the side lines and take pictures of this little wiggle worm.  

  As the week wore on I felt guiltier and guiltier until I gave in and decided Finn should have his chance.  He liked it alright.  

But after a few minutes we found ourselves back on the lounge chairs smiling and taking pictures, which is pretty much our specialty.

And while we're talking proportions, it is clear after uploading my pictures that there is some major DIS-proportion in the amount of pictures of Finn. I can't help it though. I feel it is my duty. He is so easy on my eyes. 

 

 

We took a trip to South Fork Park in Provo Canyon.  That place holds a special part in our little family's heart because Dan and I were coming there before all these little babies were even a twinkle in our eyes.

And it wouldn't be a trip to Utah without a visit (or three) to Cafe Rio.

The baby slept great, the kids had fun, we loved seeing our family! My expectations were totally exceeded, enough so that we really wished for a few more days.

This is Ava the day after we got home.  Missing her family.

She might have been the only one with tears on her cheeks, but we all knew exactly how she felt.