Reunion fun

We had the opportunity to attend the family reunion of Trev's mum's side of the family. We had a lovely time, relaxing, playing games, talking, eating (of course!) and camping out at night.

Luke having fun with daddy and uncle Jake

The blanket on the ground for the babies (and not-so-babies, as you can see)

Quigley had some serious bed-hair

Apparently, they were making hot chocolate

Lainey having her first dip in the creek



Luke doing his favorite activity...throwing rocks into the water

The theme was clowns, so we all dressed silly for dinner one night

Luke playing on the tractor




It was really very fun. Luke got to sleep over with his grandma and grandpa two of the nights, in their big spacious tent. He played with his cousins and ate junk food to his heart's content. We all came back feeling quite refreshed, and it was a shame that we had to get back to reality so quickly.

Camping

We finally had our first camping-as-a-family-of-four experience. It was fun. We camped on the ranch, on one of the meadows that is quite close to the houses, just in case. Trev's parents, and several of his siblings were camping out too. We camped for two nights.

Our tent is tiny. (see pic below- ours is the little red one) But how much room do you really need for sleeping, anyway? Probably a tinsy bit more than we had, but we all slept fine.

Here's Trev with our nephew, Taven. The babies sure seem to have a thing for his chest hair.

There was plenty of delicious food to eat. Luke kept on going back to the grapes :-)



Lainey and her little rug-buddy Taven. The babies were really so good, I was quite amazed. I think that even the little ones like to be outside, and there's always plenty going on to look at.

Trev's youngest siblings, Annie, Jessie and Zack. To be fair to them, I did take this picture first thing in the morning.

The yummy dutch-oven peach cobbler made by Trev's dad, Kelly. It really tasted delicious.


Whereas Luke is happy with just a simple tomato.

It's a shame the summer is drawing to a close, so there won't be many more trips like this. But when they do happen, they really are fun. I just love to relax with my little family, enjoy good company, great food and beautiful surroundings. That's when life feels complete.

This summer

I know. I have been a naughty little girl. Out playing all summer, leaving myself no time to write about it. In an effort to 'catch up' and start afresh, here are a few pictures of what has been going on since June.

We looked around the Logan Arts Fair. There were many different pieces of work on display (and on sale) Some of them were stunning, and very inspiring!

Luke enjoyed playing in the large sandpit just outside our home. At first he didn't like the sand, but he is getting used to it.

We spent lots of time on Trevor's family's ranch over the summer. There is just so much wide-open space. It is lovely to be so far away from the busy streets of the city. I think that as Luke gets a little older, he will really enjoy playing in the grass and creeks.

We also camped out for a night or two. This was very enjoyable. Even Luke slept well (camping is a lot easier with an air mattress!)

We took a trip to the Salt Lake City Zoo. We loved it! Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the tigers, but we saw giraffes, bears, lions, elephants, and lots of other species, including a rare white skinned alligator with blue eyes! Luke enjoyed looking at people.

Trev had boys pack trip with his dad and brothers. Thye rode horses up into the mountains and camped for a few days. While he was gone, Sian and Luke spent a week with the girls and babies. We went to Bear Lake for the day. It is kind of like being at the seaside (but no ice-cream vans, donkeys, or fish and chips, sadly) We had a nice day. Luke managed to avoid sunburn, but mummy didn't :-(

We bid farewell to Trev's brother Jake as he left on his mission. He will be in the Arizona, Tucson mission. This picture was taken at the Temple, about a week before he left.

Just last weekend, we had fun at a family reunion for Trev's mother's side. It took place over Labor day weekend, and involved several nights of camping. We enjoyed it, although Trev was still recovering from his gallbladder surgery. Dixie's grandmother passed away about a year ago, and the metal pot in the above picture was something she used to use for canning. In memory of this special woman, Aunt Wendy was taking pictures of all the children sitting in it. So, that is Luke with his two cousins. He really seemed to enjoy playing with them over the weekend. He's having a lot more fun now he is crawling and able to stand himself up.

Trev's classes have started again and he has a busy workload. I am trying hard to be a supportive wife. One of my 'projects' right now is working on creating a more varied and healthy meal plan.

Life is great :-)