Fun in Utah

We had such a wonderful trip to Utah and created so many great, lasting memories! We started the trip with a stop in Cedar City to see my brother, his family, and my parents. We were there one night and had a really fun time! A special thanks to Jon and Kathryn for graciously hosting our gang :)

Then we traveled up north to attend a Stathis Family Reunion. It was great fun to spend time with the extended Stathis family and enjoy the amazing food spread that was there! The Greeks know how to have fun and how to eat well!

While in the Salt Lake area, Mike was able to connect with his good friend and former bike buddy Jay Lewandowski. They had a great time reminiscing and catching up. We also saw our good friends the Ambroses. I was also able to stop and see my dear friend Mindy briefly.

Up north we also attended another family get together on my mom's side, which was wonderful! Then we headed to Price to spend three-and-a-half weeks with Mike's parents at their beautiful new home. (Mike was only able to stay one of those weeks.) We had a really great time doing all the things the kids love! Activities included swimming, bike riding, playing outside, going to parks, visiting the dinosaur museum, spending time with extended family, camping in the backyard, gardening with Nina, and just generally having a great time! Oh, and regular trips to Wal-Mart. ;) The boys also got to ride horses and ride on a zip line at Uncle Boyd and Aunt Mary's house, which they loved. Oh, Nina and Papa also took the boys to the rodeo one night! We had a great time and enjoyed attending their ward there. The weather was awesome, and it felt like a relaxing trip. Thank you so much to Wayne and Dianne for such a wonderful stay. We really enjoyed it and greatly appreciated their hospitality and help with the children. Thank you again!

Here's Aaron with a grasshopper that he caught!

The boys -- and men!

We visited the grave stone of Aaron Mathis, Michael's younger brother who passed away and after whom our Aaron is named.

We also saw Jonathan's family (minus Jonathan) who happened to be in Price at the same time as us visiting Kathryn's mom. It was great fun to see them!

When it was time to leave we decided to stop in Sedona, Arizona, to break up the drive home. It really was SO beautiful there, and it was fun to have some family time all together before Mike had to return to work.

Those are real mountains in the background -- that's not a picture! We had an amazing view at dinner (well I did anyway!) Mike was gracious and gave me the good seat! :)

We couldn't resist these tourist photo opps, especially with a family full of cowboys and now a little cowgirl ;)

Fun trip indeed!