On Friday, July 29th, we drove to Vernal, UT to stay overnight with Don's sister, Christine, and her husband Josh and their little girl Garnet. Sam doesn't sleep in the car - even when we give him Benadryl to keep him from throwing up (he threw up twice on the same drive last year). So, at 10:30 pm, he fell asleep for the first time during the 6 hour drive and at 11 pm, we got to Christine's.
Luckily, Sam is really good in the car, but that being said, I do have to fish around the backseat about every few minutes to find his Brewster doggy he dropped or to hand him his milk or try to distract him with some new toy. Driving is difficult, especially when it gets late and Sam won't go to sleep, even though he (and I) am completely worn out.
Anyway, we got to Christine's and slept. Sam got up early despite the late night and we were tired...but we had a lot of fun with Christine and Garnet. We went to the Farmer's Market and saw some puppies and kitties from the humane society (Sam loved them!)
Then, we went to the county fair! They had the cutest exhibit for kids all about farming. Sam got to "plant" his seed and harvest his vegetables. Then, he had to get his corn to feed to the livestock (these animals were not grass fed...we'll have to teach him about that later). At each station, he collected different items and then he had to sort them in to the correct buckets to get an apple at the end. He really liked it and I was impressed with the cute activities.
As a part of the fair, they had all the high school 4H competition items on display. I was fascinated with the place settings, quilts, etc.
Howdy, Farmer Sam!
Sam liked this pig. He was oinking and was really friendly.
Sorting the items he collected.
I think we make some fine looking farmers. We did grow our best garden ever this year!
After spending the day with Christine, we drove to my parents' house in Orem. As soon as we got there, Don rode his bike up Squaw Peak. He got a ton of biking in on this trip which means it was a good time. :)
Hanging out in my parents' newly remodeled kitchen. It's swanky!
I think my nephew Spencer was wearing this originally but by the end of the night, my mom had it on.
Sweet Grandma Black...
Grandma's chocolate cake - my favorite! It was so fun to see my cousin Michelle and her husband Tim! My niece, Rachel, is so grown up and so pretty! And my sister Kerri (she's the oldest - I'm the youngest) announced that she is pregnant with twins (she has 6 year old twin girls!) She recently found out they are both boys!!!
The kids swinging around the basketball pole in the front yard. I spent many a good time as a kid climbing and swinging around the pole. I even convinced my friend Tiffany Gurney to climb it when we were 7 and she fell and broke her arm. I still feel badly about that! Sorry, Tiff!
Cute picture of Michelle and Tim
Playing on the swings.
At my Aunt Diane and Uncle Greg's house, Sammy got excited about eating an ice cream cone.
My cousin, Olivia, who is more like a sister than a cousin, was in town with her kids too. I was so happy we got to see each other! Her little girls Audrey and Lillian are here on this swing with Rachel and Madelyn.
Here we are - the cousins: Liv, Richard, and Me. We were inseparable as kids. We even all had the same allergic reaction to a plant once and ended up with boils all over our bodies. Cousins are the best!
Don and I got out Monday and mountain biked at Big Springs. Don had already ridden the Alpine Loop on his road bike with his friend Don Wichern that morning but still went out to ride with me. He's an animal.
We were cruising up as fast as we could because it was drizzling. As soon as we made it to the top, it really started pouring. It was so muddy and slick on the trail that I couldn't ride very fast. At one point, both my wheels slid out from under me. Luckily, I was only going about 5 mph so I caught myself. It was a wild and muddy ride down.
A few pictures of the muddiness...
Washing the wheels off in the creek...
On Tuesday, Don and I went up and road the Ridge Trail which is one of my favorite places in the world. It was green and lush and absolutely beautiful. It was such a great ride.
A view of Timp before dropping down in the trees...
On Wednesday, we went to the temple as a family (4 babysitters and Rachel and Madelyn took care of the 17 kids at home!) Then, we went and visited Don's friend Don Wichern's company and headed up to the cabin at Brighton.
Baby Elyse has the best smile. She is such a cute baby and she loved the chocolate cookie she had been eating...
We finally met baby Sawyer, my brother Dave's littlest boy. He had major surgery on his liver just after birth that saved his life. He is a little miracle baby and is so smiley, sweet, and happy. He never cries!
I taught a music class for the kids and they loved it!
My cousin Jenn's three boys are so cute and well behaved!
Gabe and Kerri. Great picture!
I just loved the faces that Jaclyn caught in these pictures. They crack me up!
Here is the whole group. All of my siblings were there except my brother Steve and his fam. and my dad's sister and her family were there - all three of my cousins and their spouses and kids. It was a party!
Here is my family and our kids and spouses.
A cute by overexposed pic of Caitlin, Rach, and Courtney (Cait and Court are twins - Caitlin is just a full head taller that Courtney).
We had a fiesta, complete with a pinata, put on by my Aunt Julie and Uncle Bob.
Dancing to "La Bamba"
Sam does not like hitting pinatas, as we learned at Christmas last year, but we still gave it a try.
The made scramble for the candy!!!
Me and Meghan, my cousin Rob's wife and their new baby Raquel. I love them!
Grandma and Michelle
Grandpa helping Spencer gut a fish that he then cook and ate for dinner. He was so proud of himself.
A classic Mike face.
Don and I made breakfast for everyone on Thursday morning - egg/sausage casserole, zucchini bread, and fruit. It turned out well.
Here is a picture of the lake that is right next to the cabin.
We all went on a hike together up to Lake Mary. The kids did really well!
Sam and daddy in their sweet shades
A pretty columbine
Picnic at the lake
My brother Dave (the Cos) and baby Sawyer
I love Jana's face. I think this was right before Elyse threw up... I'm sure the cookie below made her feel better. :)
Sam loved the attention from all the girl cousins, especially Rachel. Rachel watched him a lot so Don and I could do fun things together (hike, bike, etc.)
McKennan!
A classic moment - me trying to get a picture of us together and Sam freaking out
Somehow Gabe ended up without pants on. I'm sure there is a story behind this one.
Taking a quick hike around the lake...
Me and my awesome sister in laws - Jana and Jaclyn!
I went mountain biking through the trails at Solitude (a ski resort - my favorite one, actually) and loved it! I went once with Don and my brothers Mike and Brian. I also went with Don and Jaclyn. Unfortunately, Jac got a flat tire just as we were about to ride the fun stuff. Don tried to change the tire and the second tube popped too so Jac and I walked our bikes down to the road while Don road to try to find another tube. Once on the road, I stopped a resort golf cart and we bummed a ride down to the ski resort where we found Don and my brothers. They gave us a ride back to the cabin. It was a fun adventure though with less downhill wahoo than Jac and I had been hoping.
The kids had a great time in the hot tub. The adults did too after the kids were in bed.
Craft time!
My sister in law Jaclyn took family pictures for us and I took them for her. Sam wouldn't hold still or smile so the first couple pictures were the best.
Just as Jac and Dave were getting ready to take their pictures, Gabe fell head first off the board walk into the mud. After a bath and a change of clothes, we took some more shots. Poor Gabe! It was so sad but so funny!
We had a lot of fun around the campfire.
Davey told his cowboy tales...
Uncle Bob told his story of the rabbit and the hunter. Don was the rabbit...
We sang lots of songs
Mallow time!
Sam sat down for the picture and when I told him he did a good job, he got his proud face which promptly turns into crying because he got too much attention and got overwhelmed.
We tried to take Sam out on the lake in the kayak. He got really mad and refused to go in Don's kayak.
Don finally just took him out in the kayak screaming his head off. He eventually settled down and really liked being out on the water. Then, he decided to stand up in the kayak so we knew it was time to head back to shore.
Here are a couple pictures of the morning ride Don, Dave, and Rob took along the Wasatch Trail.
Don and I went on a quick hike towards Lake Catherine. We didn't have much time because I had to get back to help with the scavenger hunt. We actually ran most of the time but it was nice to just be out together. Rach took care of Sammy.
We made it to Dog Lake and turned around.
Kerri and I had made up the scavenger hunt that morning. I think we have more fun making up the rhymes and hiding the clues than the even the kids have finding them. I love hanging out with my sissy.
Ready to look for "Camp Black Treasure!"
We hid the treasure in Davey's "black chest" or truck box, as the case may be.
I liked this picture of the grandkids playing in the bunk room.
Once we got home to my parents house, we had the yearly talent show and fashion show. Sam came up dressed like this. The medal was his own addition. Awesome!
Sammy once again got upset with all the attention and cried. He's so funny.
On Sunday morning, we had our family devotional and slide show of pictures from the reunion. Then, Don, Sammy, and I drove home.
Man, I love my family. We have so much fun together. I can't wait to be with them for Christmas!