Our quick trip to Utah

Our trip to Utah was a fast but a well worth it trip. We left Kansas around 4:30 PM on Wednesday the 12th of August and drove straight through to Utah until 8:30 AM the following morning. Let's just say we were both really tired the whole night, but by the time we got there we didn't really feel like taking a nap. That probably wouldn't have worked anyway because our kids were wide awake because they got to sleep most of the night. An 18 hour drive is not recommended to anyone, not very safe and and not very sane. We got to stay with my good friend Melodie Webb and her wonderful family. It was nice to stay in their basement and be able to come and go when we pleased. It was also nice to catch up with her and her family.

This picture was taken at one of the rest stops in Nebraska, I think it is so cute!! Here are our cute boys posing for a picture. In Nebraska they have little things like this for kids to play on at every rest stop on I-80. It is very helpful for the kids to get some energy out.

Once we got to Utah we called all the family and let them know we were here and then decided to meet up with them for all the cousins to go swimming at my parents hotel. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins and grandma and grandpa and Uncle Jared and Aunt Steph, while Chris and I went to buy him a dress shirt. It was a nice little break. We then went to get Chris' new work truck that he was getting to bring back to Kansas. We met everyone for lunch at Chesley's house and spent some time there resting and doing whatever. We then met up with Beth's(Brett's soon to be wife) family at Liberty Park and had a BBQ for dinner.

This is everyone that was there that night. All of my family and there families and most of Beth's family. It was fun getting to know them. They are from Georgia, so we won't get to see them too often.

Beth is so good with the little ones, here she is climbing up the hill with James and Evelyn, it was pretty cute. James latched onto her pretty fast and did not like to be without her or Brett very close. Especially at the wedding reception. He wanted Brett or Beth to be holding him the whole time. Which of course did not happen so he was very upset most of the evening. He was just very tired and had been drug all over the place, I didn't blame him for being such a pill.

Here are the cousins wondering around the park playing together. I wish that we could get them together more often. Even though I have all boys and my brother has all girls it is still fun for them to play together. Hopefully someday we will live close to them and they can grow up together.

James and Evelyn played a lot together, Chesley followed them around the Parks and took pictures of them, it was cute to go back and look at all these pictures of hem just copying each other and following each other.

Eveyeln wanted to hold his hand, but I don't think that James was into that, so he kept pulling his hand away.

Here is the birthday cake that my brother Jared made for Brett. All my brothers are very big Star Wars fans, so this was fun to have. We were going to have it the night of the BBQ, but Brett did not have a grooms cake so he wanted it at the reception the next day. (Brett got married on his birthday)

Here are my adorable nieces waiting at the temple waiting area for the sealing to end

James thought he was a pretty good babysitter for Ruby, he was trying to help out as much as he could. He loves Baby Ruby!

rocking her-

Strolling her-

talking to her-

patting her head-

Cousins waiting in the waiting area together

While the happy couple was taking pictures we got a few pictures around the temple as well.

Cute uncle Blake hanging out with Ann

We had lunch in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Top at the Garden Restaurant. This is downstairs next to the big statue of Joseph Smith.

Great Family Photo!

We left Utah Saturday morning, so we were only there for about 48 hours.

It was nice to all be able wo be there for Brett's wedding, I am really happy that Chris was able to make it work with his schedule.

We did get to do most of things that I wanted to do. I really wanted to go to the Salt Lake Temple with Chris, and that did not happen, but I did get to go to See's Candies and IKEA.

My third and final wedding of the Summer

My adorable little brother Brett got married this Summer at the Salt Lake City Temple to a beautiful girl named Beth. It was a wonderful wedding and I am so glad that me and my whole family were able to make it together. It was a long, long drive but we made it there alive. 17 hours straight and we didn't leave until 4 pm. Chris and were trading off every hour so we could keep our eyes open. It was no the smartest or the safest thing to do, but sacrifices need to be made sometimes. (The picture of my family at the top was taken at their reception in Utah)They are such a 'Breth' of fresh air, aren't they?

('Breth' is Brett and Beth put together, if you couldn't figure that out on your own:)

What a cute couple! He is such a cute, handsome young man, and she is so beautiful.


I don't know why these turned out so small, but one is their engagement picture and the next was their wedding day, I thought they were cute.

I love this picture of the wedding party on the stairs at the temple!

We had lots of fun dancing at their reception, we are so glad that my parents bought such a nice dance floor for all these receptions we had this Summer.

This picture is so Brett:)

I wish I had more pictures, but I did not take very many and my mom has not yet sent some to me, so this is all I have for now. But I wanted to get them on here before I moved on with my life, I am still a little over a month behind, but I am getting there, just a few more posts to go and I will actually be caught up- I guess, if that is possible.

We love Poudre Canyon

Isn't Poudre River beautiful?

We had such a good time visiting Poudre Canyon on one of our visits to Colorado this Summer. I know it was awhile ago but I had to put it on here because we miss the mountains so much. Poudre Canyon is about 30 minutes from Fort Collins and it is Beautiful!!! We went up there so we could have a picnic with Chris' family and Chris and his brother Nick wanted to get in some fly fishing before we headed back to Kansas (no fly fishing here). I love this picture of Jame and I, he was so darn cute. Actually all three boys were so darn cute on this trip it was a gorgeous Sunday evening and none of them fought or caused problems, it was a perfect night. Grandma Becky and James exploring around the shore.

We had some yummy watermelon that James just loved and he ate most of it.

Cute Smile!!!

Nick was helping Mikey cast a few times. Mikey tried it a few times and then I think he got bored and got back to diggin' in the dirt and throwing big rocks in the river.

Chris helped Shawn cast some and then left Shawn to do it on his own for a little while, I think Shawn was happy to be doing something else that his daddy loves so much, those two are inseparable these days.

James loved throwing rocks into the river, he did it for quite awhile. We would give him a pile of rocks and then he would just throw them all in and want us to get more, I think he finally figured out that the rocks were everywhere and he could get them on his own.

He and the boys had fun digging in the sand and dumping water into it and playing with the toys grandma brought.

Sitting down to get a bite to eat before they go back out on the water.
We lucked out on this spot that we found, we had looked at several other spots and Chris doesn't like a lot of people so he kept going up the river to look for something a little more private, well we found the perfect little place with nobody there and a great sandy beach area for the kids and a great spot for them to catch a lot of fish. I guess Chris is the only one that caught fish that night.

Chris caught a fish and tried to get James to touch it, he did not like that at all!

The boys are so strong they are about to throw that huge rock into the water, can they do it?

Yes they can!!!

Cute boys in the mountains, I wish we could go there more often. Hopefully soon...

What a day.

I guess this one will be short and sweet, but I just had to put in how much of a handful a two year old can be. I went to Sweet Tomatoes a salad bar place, for lunch with a couple of friends. I of course had James with me, and right now James is not eating much at all unless it has 5 tons of sugar in it, but anyway he is very two! I was not expecting him to eat anything there so I brought him a cheese tortilla and of course he would not eat that the we got him mac and cheese, would not touch it, we let him try jello for the first time and he did not like it, but insisted on trying it several times and spitting it out. All I wanted to do was talk to my friends and enjoy a nice lunch and he did not want me to do that. He did sit in his high chair while he ate his brownie and ice cream, and he actually ate that without making a huge mess. But as soon as he was done he was all over the place. He wanted out of chair and he was screaming so I thought he could sit next to me on the bench, not exactly. He was climbing over the bench and on top of the bench and trying to climb over the wall and he was throwing my change everywhere and pushing his drink out of the way and screaming a lot!! I have such a head ache still and he has been asleep for an hour and half. I should be taking a nap myself but the other two kiddos are about to walk in the door and give me an even worse headache having to deal with doing their homework. The Joys of motherhood. Don't get me wrong I love my boys very much, just some days are better than others and some hours are better than others:)

My Second Summer Wedding

My Sister Chesley and her husband Blake were sealed in the Denver Temple on July 18th, 2009. It was so neat to be there for that and see them so happy. This is them coming out of the Denver Temple. It brings back a lot of memories, because that is where I got married/sealed and I have this same picture. I just love the smiles on their faces!! Her dress is so beautiful and so is she of course:) Here is the happy couple in front of the Temple. There was a lot of construction that day at the temple, so it made it hard to get a good shot of the Temple with them in it, but my mom did a great job with the pictures.

My BEAUTIFUL twin sisters!!

The bridal party, this is our silly picture, my brothers are such goof balls.

This is special agent Jenny with her sidekick James Parks.

My adorable nieces Ann, Evelyn and baby Ruby

Here is Chris at the grill where he feels most comfortable at big events, heaven forbid he have to talk to people. Just kidding honey, I love you!

My adorable son in his tuxedo that we bought for him to dance in for everybody. The problem was that he was having a really bad night and he would not get on the dance floor with out screaming, so the cute tuxedo that we spent way too much money on wasn't really used, does anyone know of someone that needs a 2-3T tuxedo, it is for sale. He really did enjoy the food.

My oldest Shawn trying to light the candles in the pond, I don't think that they would stay lit very long, so he wanted to keep doing it, a boy with fire, what can you do? Shawn and Mikey's friend Kurt is in the picture next to him. Those boy have so much fun together. I am so glad that he lives next door to my parents. They spend a lot of time together when we go visit. Kurt wishes we still lived near by so they could play more often. He is a great kid.

This is one of the only pictures we have in his tuxedo that he wasn't upset in. it is pretty cute with him holding the fruit kabob.

Mikey, cousin Zach and Shawn hanging out at the table while we are setting everything up for the reception.

This is the cake topper that my sister Lissa made. My sister Chesley and her husband love to go rock climbing, so this was what she wanted on her cake. Lissa did a great job!

Yummy Chocolate Cake! Chesley loves chocolate!!

Their first dance, so sweet!