Utah in May...brrrrr.

In May, we headed up to Utah to visit with the family. We had lots of fun things planned to fill our time there, and ended up doing most of them with jackets, sleeves and coats. What?! It was cold! But we didn't let it spoil our fun. My sisters, Kayla and Jen and their families were up for lots of busy playtime, so it was a blast. Corey and I went to the U2 concert that week, which was AMAZING (thanks again Josh for the killer parking spot next to the stadium...total VIP treatment!). No pics from that because I was a loser and didn't bring one.

My mom's 5th grade class set up some 'stores' and sold their wares on one day and we loved being able to see her with her schoolkids in action. She is such a great teacher, and her students and parents alike stopped to tell me. I felt like a proud parent myself! All the grandkids left with WAY too much loot....mostly the sugary kind, but they were all thrilled.

We were able to get in some time with my Grandpa and Grandma Pettit, which was really nice. It was great seeing and talking with them. They were good sports about my snapping lots of pictures.

Going fishing was something that Asher had been bugging us about for weeks, and when my Dad heard that, he wanted to make it happen. Everyone caught fish! Okay, so I need to come clean and admit that we went to a hatchery type of a place that sort of does everything for you (even gutting the fish!), but still....the kids all reeled in their own catches and loved every second of it. That evening my Grandma Haynie came along for the fishy fun, and was totally in her element. She loves to fish and enjoyed catching some as well! It was, again, great to get to see her!

While we were there we also hit Hoots, Thanksgiving Point, Trafalga (I was completely ambushed at the bumper boats...SO cold) , went swimming, and bowling...twice! Our kids have been wanting to go bowling for real ever since we bought our Wii, and they LOVED it. It was especially nice since the bowling alleys we went to were nice and new and not all smoked up. Adam and Kayla even hung out with us, which was a real treat.

A highlight for the boys was going to the 'Day Out with Thomas' up in Heber. They played with trains, rode the train, and loved seeing Thomas again. Jen, Josh and Mason, and my parents were with us and we all experienced the Thomas extravaganza together. Beck was really proud of his certificate they handed out. Too cute.

Phew! It was a busy, packed and totally worthwhile trip. We had a fantastic time and loved seeing everyone. Thanks for making our trip so memorable!

Grandma made the boys a special treat!

Corey's Baseball Birthday

Corey loves his birthday. His excitement for it all makes it lots more fun for the family to get into. This year was no different! And the boys were really looking forward to it because his one request was to go to an Isotopes Baseball game on his big day. Fun! Baseball has been THE game around our house this summer, so it was especially fitting. We celebrated at home with dinner and a chocolate cream cake (mmmm...), and presents then headed out to the game, each boy (and man) with mit in hand.

I had called the ballpark a few days earlier to see if I could get his name on the scoreboard for his birthday. Ta-da! They kindly granted me my request, and I could hardly wait for him to see his name in lights. It was the 'cherry on top' of the evening, or so it seemed. If only he'd seen it. Yes, it's a sad but true; Corey missed his name...TWICE! I couldn't believe it. Thankfully, I was ready and snapped a picture (as I was telling Corey to "look over there!"). He looked too late though, and then missed it when they ran them again after the 6th inning. What are the chances? Pretty good, apparently.

Look closely, and yep....that's Corey's name!

Oh, and one unexpected highlight of the evening was Asher and the birthday hat. The hat that he refused to take off. He wore that thing nearly the whole game. Way to get into the evening, Asher! He is still the one who insists that we get out some birthday hats for a party, and maybe we all should have worn them to show our birthday spirit!

It was a great night though, and the kids had a blast watching the game, posing with Orbit, and playing at the kid's area. And Corey is another year older. And wiser. And I sure do love that guy(even when he misses my surprise birthday wishes)! Happy Birthday!