Road Trip 2011!

We have had many adventures this summer...none of which, I'm sorry to say, have been documented on the blog!  But in an effort to start catching up, here's the latest (and family-record LONGEST) road trip!

We packed up the car and headed to Lake Powell to meet up with all the Smiths.  We took our time going there...checking out the hotels along the way.  This room in Decatur, TX gets the highest rating from the boys...it came equipped with 'light sabers' as they called them...and they jumped and wrestled for a good long while!  :)  Every hotel room after that one was a total let down, according to them!  

By the end, we got pretty good at squeezing the kids in a queen-size bed.  I don't know what we'll do when they get bigger! Oh wait, we'll get them their own room and we'll actually get some sleep ourselves.  Imagine that!!!

We stopped at the Albuquerque Temple on Sunday morning and ate a picnic breakfast and took some family pictures.  :) 

We arrived at Lake Powell and instantly fell in LOVE!  That place was AMAZING and I cannot wait to go back and explore more!  Although, if it entails another 27 hour road-trip...I may be able to hold off for a while!!!

  

We camped right on the lake and spent the majority of our time there either applying sunscreen, playing in the water, eating, riding in (or behind) the boat, AND applying more sunscreen!  Throw in a little cliff-jumping and late-night chats and you have the makings for a perfect family reunion!

We piled into the car again and headed up to Utah to visit with some of the Sudweeks-side and fit in a bit more time with some Smith cousins.  Spent some time at the zoo, playing frisbee golf at a favorite park, hiking the grotto, visiting family and more family and more familiy, bbq-ing and staying up WAY TOO LATE!  Again, the perfect way to spend time with loved ones we rarely get to see!  

(Ethan turned out to be a whiz at frisbee golf...especially since he was throwing left handed!!!)

The trip home was just as long...but packed full!  We swung by a little place called the Grand Canyon.  Caught a sunset and went hiking/walking a bit the next day and experienced the chance of a lifetime.  The Grand Canyon was AMAZING!  I never could have imagined the magnitude and beauty of it!

A quick jaunt through New Mexico where we HAVE to take pictures of Route 66 landmarks - thanks to our obsession with the movie Cars! 

And though we always joke about the best thing about New Mexico is LEAVING it...

they do have some beautiful sunsets, which we were excited to see as we passed through!!!

And then home to Texas...and another 12 hours between us and home!  :)  Yep, it's true...everything is bigger in Texas...even the road-trips.  Luckily though, we stopped to spend some time with friends...and one less night in a hotel was fine by us!  We were spoiled rotten and took off to the Fort Worth Stockyards before heading home the next day.  Cattle drives, human mazes, petting zoos, a real-life (make-believe) gun-fight and we were welcomed back Texas-style!  

Then as we headed home, we stopped to visit Steve's brother, Rob at his hotel.  He was traveling through the area overnight and we were lucky enough to be traveling through the same area at the same time.  After a refreshing dip in the hotel pool and we finally headed home.  

Nevermind that some of the kids are not in their swimsuits!!!  Ethan wasn't supposed to get in due to his cast, and Olivia was sleeping through most of our visit...but once she woke up, there was no taking time to change clothes...she wanted right in!

Rob was Ethan's hero...taking him swimming w/o getting the cast wet!  They created the greatest wave-pools and whirlpools imaginable!!!

And then we were home!!!  As we walked into the house, Ethan declared, "Whoa!  I totally forgot what our house looked like!  I like it here!"  Ah, home sweet home!    

Quick Trip

We took a QUICK TRIP to Utah last weekend!  We had so much fun visiting family and packing in an incredible amount of activities into the 3 short days we were there!

After a quick visit to meet my new nephew Porter (who is ADORABLE!!!!) and a quick bite to eat at my all time fave - Cafe Rio with my brother and sister and her hubby, Garrett, Olivia and I picked Steve and Ethan up at the airport and we made it to the tail-end of a cousin-family party.  Everyone was in town for DeLoy Heaton's funeral (Steve's grandmother).  It was so fun to catch up and see people we haven't seen in years!  The next morning, Friday, was the funeral, which was beautiful!  Lots of memories of an incredibly strong woman...what a legacy!  After the luncheon, we hung out again with Steve's siblings!  So fun for us...and even more fun for the kids!  Cousins galore!!!  My kids were in heaven!  :)

We even got to meet the famous almost sister-in-law!  Wahoo...congrats again, guys!

The next day was the baptism of Kalvin...the original reason for our trip!

It was so fun to be there and see him growing up!  I can't believe that Garrett is the next cousin to be baptized!  Time is FLYING!

These three cousins...had crazy sleepovers every night we were there!  Staying up WAY too late and giggling non-stop and loving every minute of it!  Garrett keeps asking when we're moving closer to his cousins???  Hmmm....that's a tough one!  

After the baptism, we actually blessed Olivia.  I know...crazy that we hadn't done it yet, but it seemed like the perfect time to do it, with all our family around (well, most of them!)  All of my siblings were going to be in town as well, along with all of Steve's siblings...so it seemed the perfect time to plan it!   

That afternoon, more hanging out with the family...this time with 'light-saber' sword fights, dirt bikes, food (for Ethan...the kid never stopped eating the whole trip!), and lots of memories!

Thanks again Rich and Kale for teaching even little ol' me to ride!  I'm addicted!  :)

We left that night to go up to my sister's house and spend the rest of our time with my family.  We packed in some indoor skydiving, rock climbing, and pizza before my parents flew in late that night.

The next morning we went to my sweet little nephew's baby blessing and then made a mad dash for the airport!  

I have to admit, I'm exhausted just thinking about all we did...but it was the perfect trip!  We had so much fun, made so many memories, met so many new and 'almost new' family members, and spend so much time with those we love most!  

Thanks again to everyone who let us crash at their house, or let us hang out for hours on end!  And to those of you who we didn't get to see...we'll be back in June!  This time, with MUCH more time to spend visiting everyone!  Can't wait!  

We're Back!!!

Ahhhh, there is nothing like being home again! We had a great trip, but I have never been more ready to be home! It is tough being gone for so long...living out of a suitcase for more than a week is not something I'd recommend!

The trip was great though...don't get me wrong! We had a wonderful time with both of our families! We spent the first week with my family getting ready for the wedding! It was so great to introduce Ethan to my Dad and all my brothers and sisters - finally...and they hadn't seen Garrett in a VERY long time, so it was definitely time for a little reunion! And what better time for a little family get-together, than at a wedding! Too much time had passed since we had all been together - the only one missing was Derek on his mission! The wedding was so beautiful! Dana was the perfect, gorgeous bride and the day was wonderful! We are so happy for her and Brian! They are a perfect match! We had such a good time getting to know our new bro-in-law!!! Garrett especially loved him due to the never-ending teasing...which as we all know is right up Garrett's alley! :)

The next week was dedicated to seeing every member of Steve's family! It was so great to catch up again with everyone and hang out like the old days! We really miss living so close to family! But all I had to do was bundle my kids in and out of their coats 25 times a day and try to scrape the snow off the cars, and I quickly remembered my love for the warmer climates of the earth! :) (I know, I'm a total pansy!) We did enjoy the weather though...Garrett was overjoyed to have the snow which he played in as much as he could! We even took him skiing for the first time...I think he had fun...though he pretty much just spaghetti-legged it down the mountain with Steve holding him up every time! It was pretty cute...at least to me, the one holding the video camera and not trying to ski holding a 5 year old in an upright position!!! Steve may have a different description of the day!

And now we're back and ready for life again! It will be so nice to have the kids on a more normal schedule...one where they are somehow in bed and sleeping before midnight, and where we eat actual meals, sitting at our kitchen table, instead of grabbing a quick bite at the closest drive-through window! Just kidding...we were well taken care of and very well fed (thanks Grandma!)...but it is just so nice to not be on the go so much!