Summer 2009

We are now about 2 weeks away from having our baby and I really want to get this blog a little caught up before that happens. So this post is going to be a (hopefully) brief synopsis of our fun summer we've had.

I had to go through all of our pictures to jog my memory about everything, so if there's anything we did that we didn't take pictures of, I'm sure I'll forget to include it. Sorry!

For Memorial Day we decided to go down to Utah to visit our good friends the Stettlers, who live in Grantsville. We've been trying to get together with them for a little weekend getaway for forever but haven't been able to do it, so we just decided to go stay with my parents for the weekend and spend Saturday with the Stettlers. We started off having a yummy breakfast at their house, which we had never seen yet, and then took all the kids to Wheeler Farm. They all really had a blast, though the tour through the old historic farm house was a little rough. The Stettler's oldest son did just fine, but four kids under the age of four in a don't-touch-anything-because-it's-an-antique setting was a little stressful! Then that night my parents watched our kids and we had a really nice adults-only dinner where we were really able to chat and catch up with each other.

We had to head back to Idaho on Monday, but we were able to spend that morning with my parents and my sister at a park near my parents' house, just letting the kids play and throwing a ball back and forth. So relaxing!

About the second week of June we had our own little family vacation that we've been planning since January to Redfish Lake, near Stanley, Idaho. We borrowed our friends' tent trailer and went camping, fishing and sightseeing. It was kind of cold and rainy, but all in all it was so much fun! We saw quite a bit of wildlife, an old historic ghost town, an old gold dredger, went hiking and fishing and ate a lot of smores! It was so fun being together as a family!

The kids just had a blast fishing! I think it was their favorite part. We finally found a really great spot where we just caught one fish after another at the Dredge Ponds.



The end of June we went back down to Salt Lake to spend the weekend with my family at my brother-in-law Jason's family cabin, and to go through the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple open house. My mom and grandma were able to go with us to the open house, so that was really fun. My parents live in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple district and were actually extremely involved in putting on the temple celebration with the youth, too. I love going through open houses, and Tommy and I both feel like it's a really good thing for the kids to be a part of as well. The temple was just beautiful!!

The sun was shining in our eyes as we tried to get a picture, plus the kids were totally restless and ready to just run around, so this was about the best family picture we could get!

The next day we went to Jason's family's cabin with my sister, him and my parents and spent the next couple of days there. My brother's family was going to come, but got sick. We were all so disappointed! We pretty much spent the next couple of days just hanging out, four-wheeling, and playing games. Tommy had an absolute blast four-wheeling and so did the kids, other than when Zach had a bug crawl down his shirt and bite him four times while he was riding! He's been freaked out of bugs ever since, poor thing! We also had a pretty fun event-topper the last night we were there when Lindsay and Jason pulled out rock band, and we all got to play. My sister rocks on the guitar, but I think the highlight was my mom playing drums and my Dad singing "American Woman" like he was really on stage! It was hilarious! So fun!

I don't really remember much about the Fourth of July other than that we went with Tommy's family to the Melba City fireworks show that night to watch fireworks. The kids, of course, had a blast with all their cousins, and Libby enjoyed watching the show, but Zach could have cared less. All he wanted to do was just run around everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE. Little stinker!

Idaho doesn't celebrate the 24th of July like Utah, but I did do a little pioneer sharing time in Primary, so we had to get out some of the pioneer clothes. The kids really got into it for a couple of days. So cute!

The next major thing we did (or at least that we have pictures of and that I can remember) is Tommy and I took two days to do a little anniversary trip back down to Logan, Utah and Utah State, where we met. We did a few reminiscent things, like drive by our old apartments where we first met, and our first house that we lived in after we got married, ate at the Bluebird Restaurant and Cafe Sabor, and then a few new things like staying at the University Inn, going to the Martin Harris Pageant in Clarkston, and going to the Opera at the local opera house there. Tommy planned everything in secret, and I only found out a few days before where we were going and what we were doing. It was so much fun, and so nice to just focus on us as a couple, for a few days! I really love this man!!!

Okay, so apparently the swelling in my legs and feet have now reached my face, because every single picture of me this month I just look chunky-monkey! Gotta love pregnancy, right!

And here's a picture of Tommy's family (the guys at least) at the Nightfire Nationals drag races. Yes, Tommy was there, too-he's the photographer. He had a lot of fun, and the kids and I had fun at Trisha's house with all the girls. (Yes, Zach was a little outnumbered, but he didn't seem to mind too much!)

This last week, my sister was able to come up and visit for a couple of days. She couldn't stay long but she said she wanted to see me all big and pregnant before I had the baby. We didn't really do anything exciting other than just hanging out, but even that was a ton of fun! There's nothing like just spending the day with your sister! Here's a few pics of the kids with her little boy, Jack. Zach had just come in from outside, so that's why his face is a little red. Jack did pretty good with Libby holding him, but Zach was a little less than gentle, so that's why he looks a little nervous there!

Last Saturday was Tommy's birthday-his 30th! So we had a fun weekend celebrating that. On Friday his dad took him to the go-cart races place (I don't remember what it's called, but it's the really FAST ones) and they really enjoyed that. Then that night Tommy and I went out to dinner at PF Chang's where I had secretly arranged to have his family all there, too. I think he was surprised! Saturday morning we just celebrated at home with the kids, giving him his cards and presents, and then we headed to Black Canyon Reservoir with the rest of his family to go swimming and boating the rest of the day. It was a lot of fun!

Well, that about finishes up this post. If I've forgotten anything I'll try to add it in later, but most likely my next post will be a few last big-tummy pregnancy pictures and then the birth of our new baby! We are all super excited! And I am very excited to not be pregnant anymore!!