Southern Utah '14

The second part of our trip was enjoyed in the beautiful surroundings of Southern Utah. We cannot get over how incredible the red rocks and mountains are in that area. We played hard there as well, enjoying countless hours in Grandma and Grandpa's pool, a number of fun hikes with awesome cousins, and a great night at the outdoor theater to enjoy The Little Mermaid. Steven and I also got the chance to run a 5k with Kadyn, and Thatcher loved his first sleep over with his "boy cousins". Near our final day in Utah we had the awesome experience of taking Ryley to the temple where she baptized nine of the family names she's found over the past few months. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful few weeks with our family out West.

Northern Utah '14

Our visit out West was wonderful. We left NC with happy, excited kids and returned with happy, tired kids. When we got on the first plane, Azure grabbed my hand and said "hold me tight". By the time we returned she was a seasoned traveler, and instead of asking me to hold her hand she decided to sleep during the 4 1/2 hours home. We experienced other tender mercies along our entire journey as well, including a flight being held for us, a security worker picking us to skip the crazy long line - making it so we didn't miss a different flight, and, ALL of our luggage showed up on time. It was awesome. We first headed for Salt Lake City where we visited with two sisters, one brother, and their cute families full of fun cousins for our kiddos. We played hard everyday and enjoyed some of the best food we've had in a long time, because let's face it, Utah has great food. It was a great start to a great vacation.

Thatcher's Baptism

Thatcher's baptism was yesterday. What an awesome kid! We are so proud of him for his example and the good choices he makes in his life. Just a few details to remember. He invited his friend from the neighborhood, Ryley gave a great talk about the Holy Ghost, and he asked his sisters to sing, "He Sent His Son" as a special musical number. It was a terrific evening.

Eight Is SO Great

Thatcher turned eight years old a few weeks ago. We had a fantastic celebration. He spent the morning at Marble's Museum with Dad and sisters. When they returned home we had a great family dinner at Red Robin, ending with countless presents and an awesome Mario cake. The very next day he started scouts. He had a really nice friend take him to the scout store and show him everything he would need to join troop 725. On the ride home and for hours following we didn't see or hear from Thatcher. He was too busy going through his wolf book to learn all he could about this "great new program".