Utah - 4th of July

 Family Picnic - July 2

Our first full day in Utah there was a family picnic. It was to celebrate a cousin's baptism and kind of a family reunion. We got to see a lot of family and it was so great that people had made the extra effort to be there since we were there. It was so great to see everyone and I hope it won't be so long before we see everyone again.

Cousin Melanie and Olivia spent quite a bit of time chillin together.

 Zoey and Noah had the greatest time playing with all Jay's cousins. They fit right in to the group and everyone got along so well.

 Some of the family

 Our little Olivia was just about the biggest hit during our time there. Everyone wanted to hold her and she cooperated so nicely. She definitely felt the love from all that family.

 This little miss LOVES being outdoors. It was hot out but not nearly so miserable as here at home. She just loved being able to run around all over and do her own thing.

 That's Emma in the middle with Olivia. Emma is I think one of the greatest young people. I think most kids her age would be hanging with the adults or doing their own thing. Not her though. She pretty much spent the whole time playing with and looking after ALL the kids. What a sweet young lady she is!

 Gonna drive Grandma home.

Utah - 4th of July

 The Drive - July 1

We hadn't been to Utah in quite a long time so we decided to spend some time there this summer. Of course the entire first day was spent in the car. We were a bit worried about how Olivia would do but everything went great. All 3 of the kids did absolutely fantastic and it made for a very nice drive. It was long of course but it really wasn't so bad at all. We made the minimum number of stops we could, pretty much just stopping for gas and to use the bathroom. I think we made it to Orem in 13 hours. I say that is pretty darn good time considering we were travelling with 3 kids. It was a good start to our 4th of July vacation.

School Is In

 Now that we are in the 4th week of school I thought maybe it was time to blog. So our big kid Zoey is a 1st grader now and our little man Noah started Kindergarten. It is so unbelievable to have 2 kids in school now. Zoey was happy and excited to start back to school. Noah was a bit different story. School has been a big transition for him. The first 2 weeks were hard. He cried every day and had a really hard time going to class. We finally figured out the trick and that was to get him on the bus. He was scared at first but it was easier for him than trying to leave Mom at the classroom door every day. Zoey has been such an amazing big sister too. She has done everything she can to make him feel better and comfortable and make sure he knows what to do. Actually up until this week she was taking him to class every day and waiting with him until it was time to go in. We are so proud of her and all she has done to help her little brother out. They sure can be rotten but when it comes down to it they have each others backs. So here we are now in the 4th week and things are going pretty smooth. I am happy that Noah has finally made the adjustment and is enjoying school, free of tears.

 All ready for the first day of school.

 Walking into the school to drop them at their classes.

 The first day happened so fast Noah was in the room with the door closed behind him before he even knew what was happening.

 Our big 1st grader. We are just so proud of this girl and all her greatness in school.

 Me, Jay and Olivia celebrated the start of school by enjoying some yummy McDonalds breakfast. Mmmmm!

 After school we walked to the bus stop and waited for the kiddos to get home. It was so hot outside. Poor Olivia was so red and hot and miserable. We all were.

 Our big man had his first ride on the bus. I was so excited to see him walk off that bus. I can't believe our boy is in Kindergarten.

Ok people. Make sure you go back a ways in the blog so you can catch all the latest posts. There will be more to come soon I hope.

Day 3 - Part 3

 Spent some time exploring Daddy's old stomping grounds. He lived in San Diego for a few years when he was a young boy.

 These grass pictures are all from the park Jay played at a lot. Noah called it "the boring ole baby park" Ha ha! That kid kills us.

 Pretty baby.

 The stick looks like a wand. Olivia is doing some baby magic.

 Jay lived here years ago.

 Here's his old elementary school.

 A frequented taco shop.

 It was so fun to see where Jay spent some of his time when he was younger. What amazed me is how he could find his way around and remember where things were. He was like 9 when they moved. It was a fun way to finish the day. All of our time spent in San Diego was fun. We only had a few days but it was an awesome family trip. It was sad to go home but we made some wonderful memories while there.

Day 3 - Part 2

 We weren't sure what else we wanted to do so we headed to Balboa Park. We were going to go to the science museum but it didn't work out so we just walked around. We all had a good time and it was free.

 We had to convince the kids to go give this guy some money. They did though and we thought it was cute.

 Throwing money in the giant fountain.

 There was some amazing architecture.

 Some nice guy saw me taking pictures of the kids and offered to take one of the whole family for us. This time Olivia made it into the shot.

 

 

 Some nice landscaping as well.