Summer Trip to Utah! Part 1

We had a fun-filled vacation with family mid-July.

1. Heather and Ben came to visit!

Two weeks before we went to Utah we had three houseguests--Heather (Bryce's sister), Ben (our 15-year-old nephew--Kim's son), and Daisy (Heather's golden retriever). They drove all the way from Houston!

Katie was terrified of Daisy at first, but they became BFFs!

Heather and her "stop-calling-this-dog-a-giant" companion, Daisy.

Daisy was super playful and especially liked nuzzling Ben to death.

The boys went to a stake dance. I asked Ben if he met any cute girls and he said, "Yes, but I don't plan to contact any of them because long-distance relationships rarely work out." Indeed!

Heather left for a week in Utah with her parents while I kept Ben. Tyce absolutely loved having his cousin here--the two of them got together with some of the neighborhood boys for video-gaming and movie watching and had a great time. Ben endured pestering by his little cousins--particularly Cameron. He and Mary got along great, as usual. I like that he won't back down to her demands--they played chess together and their negotiations on who got to be what color was as much a test of strategy and will as the game itself.

2. Ute Stampede and Rodeo!

We drove to Nephi, Utah, for a family reunion. Bryce took the twins, Mary, and Katie in the minivan and I took the two teenage boys in the car. The music was loud but tolerable--we listened to a lot of Weird Al, a cappella groups, and Ben's favorite group, Weezer. At one point I was singing loudly and Tyce asked, "Who sings that song?" I told him and he said, "Let's keep it that way." O no you di'nt!

We camped out at Judy's brother's house--Uncle Steve--for the parade down main street. The kids gathered up lots of candy, pens, and other small things thrown from the floats. The strangest thing they got were lighters--as in cigarette lighters--with a business name on them. Those were quickly confiscated by the adults.

Nephi is full of Bryce's extended family--cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd and 4th cousins and beyond. Every time I looked his sisters and parents were talking to a different relative.

Mary had a headache but I thought this was a sweet picture of her getting some comfort from her daddy.

Later that night we went to the rodeo! Uncle Steve's daughter Alisha was there with her fiance, and Tyce really enjoyed hanging out with these older cool kids.

3. We had fun with family!

The kids spent a ton of time in the backyard picking raspberries, building forts, and splashing in the pool. The dogs were in heaven with so much room to run and play (and constant friends to play with).

Betsie wanted our dogs to have a doggy-cousin picture! Here are Toby, Katie, and Daisy!

Betsie's youngest daughter, 13-month-old Natasha, is sooo cute. Look at those eyes!

She has such a sweet and sassy personality--she was adorable.

We ate a lot of good food together.

Katie saw Daisy jump in the kiddie pool and decided to try it out.

The girl cousins played together as often as they were allowed. They can't get enough of drawing on the white board and picking fruit.