Utah Trip Part Two

Here's some more pictures from our trip to Utah this past month. We had so much fun with everyone and got to do so many things but the time flew by so fast and we're sad that it will be two more years before the next reunion and we can spend that much time out west again.

Here we are enjoying one more sunny day at the pool. We spent so much time there (thanks to Liesl :) that we all came home with nice tans and have gotten several comments about it!

A day at the beach at Daybreak. The girls loved this, they have never really played in sand like this and it was fun to experience the beach, even if it wasn't the ocean.

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Getting "all muddy"! Leah ended up with sand all over her face and in her mouth a few times, that was fun trying to get that out!

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Abbie playing Duck, Duck, Goose on the trampoline with a few of her cousins...

and Ring around the Rosie.

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They all fall down!

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Hanging out in Aunt Becca's backyard on a perfect sunny afternoon

Racing cars with Boston and Uncle Phil

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We painted crafts while the kids painted on paper. Liesl made me this awesome clock that I still need to finish getting the vinyl numbers on but once it's done, it's going to look amazing!

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Playing dress up...

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and trick or treating around the neighborhood. Really! (It's a long story)

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Abbie learned how to ride a bike after watching her cousins do it so much

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Here she is in action!

Trying to get Leah excited about doing it also

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Visiting Thanksgiving Point with Aunt Afton and cousin Maggie

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They thought the elephant fountain was pretty cool!

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I love this picture of Maggie opening the Secret Garden door.

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It was gorgeous inside, what a perfect place for a wedding reception or family pictures.

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The beautiful waterfalls (and Abbie listening to the baby)

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My pretty girls and I in a beautiful place. What a great day for visiting the gardens!

We loved being with family and will miss everyone a ton but it's good to finally be home and get back our regular lives. Thanks for all the family who fed us, let us sleep at your house, and put up with our desire to eat at Cafe Rio just one more time! Abbie and Leah keep talking about all their cousins and it's going to be hard to keep them entertained for the next little while since they've gotten used to having someone to play with all day long. We miss you but hope you'll come visit us out this way soon!

Cousins by the dozens...

We've now been in Utah for two weeks and Abbie and Leah have been having tons of fun playing with many of their cousins. We've been swimming, shopping, playing outside, visiting Grandpa's house, going to church activities, having birthday parties, visiting friends, and watching aunts run in triathalons. We hardly stop moving all day long and every night the girls just crash into bed because they are so tired from all the fun. We have been able to visit most of the family in the area individually and that has been nice to have more time to really hang out and get to know their families and not feel rushed like other times we have visited in the summer.

Here are the girls on our first stop after the reunion in Idaho visiting cousin Megan:

Doesn't that cute smile just make you want to hop on the other side and teeter-totter with Leah?

At the park with six of the cousins fighting over the same snack

Riding bikes at the park


Cousins Kyra and Maggie

Leah and Aunt Afton with baby Robyn

Reading bedtime stories with Aunt Liesl with some of the girl cousins

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Abbie playing in the sprinkler

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Queen of the castle

Abbie was so proud to show me that she could swim with her legs in the air while using a tube .

Playing in the deeper water after only the second day, so brave!

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Leah loves playing with all the floaties and toys around the pool and doesn't actually spend much time in the water.

At the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. This is the first temple that Abbie has ever been in and her favorite thing was all the pretty lights (chandeliers). She was pretty tired and too stubborn to look at the camera so she was pretending to be asleep in the picture. .

Having popsicles and popcorn at Grandpa's house with more cousins.

Toys at Grandpa's house are awesome! .

Jammin' with Uncle Frosty

Running around on the RC car track in the backyard at Frosty's house

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Leah jumping on the trampoline at Uncle Jim's house
Picking cucumbers...
And zucchini with cousin Miles
Leah and Miles digging in the corn
President Leah at her desk signing important laws into action!

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A picture Abbie drew to mail to Daddy. She wrote everything all by herself, with just a little prompting by me to know what letter to write next.

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Belly pic at 27 weeks. I just started the 3rd trimester, crazy!

We are having a great time but we miss home and can't wait to see Daddy next week!

Nebraska visit

On our way out to Idaho we stopped in Nebraska for a few days to hang out with some of the Butler family a little more. It was nice to have time to spend with each family individually and see how things are going on the ranch. Here we are on a little wagon ride, which was very bumpy. Millie (my very pregnant sis-in-law) and I were worried it might put us into labor!

Digging in the "sandbox". Sorry, Millie, for wasting all your potting soil!

Abbie got to sleep on the floor with her cousins, Caroline and Clayton

They all loved this fairy tent and had a hard time sharing the little space inside

Cowboy Abbie

Farmer Abbie

Leah taking Grandpa for a ride on the lawnmower

Abbie loved petting the baby ponies but didn't want anything to do with actually getting on one of the bigger ones!

Abbie getting roped by Grandpa. Leah loved this and kept wanting to do it over and over.

Bathtime with the cousins. You should have seen how dirty the water was at the end after a day or two of playing outside!

We had a great time visiting with some of the Butler clan and can't wait to see them again in two weeks on our big return trek back home.