Final Days of Summer

"National Cheesecake Day" - a day where The Cheesecake Factory serves half price cheesecake - 

was the same week as Andrew's birthday.

So I asked my mom to babysit, and he and I enjoyed a nice and probably long overdue night out.

I was going to meet Andrew downtown; he was coming straight from work.

My mom wanted to take the boys on a field trip.

So we rode the Front-runner together.

The boys were excited to be up on the second level of the train.

Andrew and I were trying to keep our evening cheap.

We had dinner at Apollo Buger, then the half priced cheesecake at the City Creek location.

We still had time to spare, so we stopped in at a Deseret Book for some shopping.

By this time, I was feeling pretty sick.

This pregnancy has been hard on me and I haven't been up and out much.

So we headed home and got there just before the boys came back.

They had a blast and were mad at us for being home already.

They had been looking forward to having Grandma put them to bed.

The next morning we had the opportunity to go to the movie with Michael.

The three boys had a great time.

Michael had brought some money, but we didn't buy treats.

So afterwards he and the boys played motorcycle racing games in the lobby.

Ammon did such a great job that he earned a second game free.

On Thursday of that week we had a chance to go hiking.

Early in the summer, I had a friend announce that she would be doing weekly hikes.

I was so jealous!

It was the exact sort of thing I wanted to plan for the summer.

But I was so so sick and knew I couldn't do it.

By the time the morning sickness started to be behind me,

she was onto some challenging hikes that I knew I would be able to do.

But on this particular week I looked at her hiking plans and thought we could pull it off.

It turned out to be a great time.

We went to Cecret Lake.

The walk was beautiful.

There got to be a decent climb, especially towards the end.

But we all made it!

The boys had a blast.

The hike was actually on Andrew's birthday, but we waited until Saturday to celebrate.

We invited all of our families from both sides to come over for cake and ice-cream.

He originally asked for a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

I asked him if I could do something more fancy.

We ended up with a chocolate cake with mousse filling, ganache on top, and toffee chips all over.

It was awesome!

We enjoyed having everyone come that could make it.

One thing we traditionally do at least once a year is go to Silver Lake.

For several years we did multiple trips.

Last year we didn't get to it at all.

(I think moving just threw us off.)

I was determined not to miss it this time around.

Andy was busy with work, so I invited my mom to go with me and the boys.

We had an extra seat in the car, so we invited Kambria to join us.

The evening before our walk, my back started to bother me.

I wondered if I should cancel the hike.

But I really wanted to go.

My mom kept asking me if I was going to be able to make it and I kept insisting that I could.

But by the time we got to the fishing dock I realized that I had made a critical mistake.

Fortunately, Ammon wanted to stay and watch the fishers.

My mom took Peter and Kambria around the lake.

They saved a butterfly who had gotten too wet to fly by keeping it safe until it's wings dried off.

My back was hurting so much that I couldn't even drive anymore.

My mom took the wheel and after dropping off Kambria, she made an impromptu stop.

I wasn't able to get out of the car, but I sent my mom with the camera.

These animals were super friendly and the boys had a great time petting them.

Over the next couple of days my back continued to decline.

I had intended to spend the next week at BYU Education Week with several family members.

I had arranged babysitting and had everything scheduled and ready to go.

As it turned out, those babysitting arrangements came in handy.

I spent the entire next week completely laid up.

The boys enjoyed going to the homes of various people to play.

It wasn't the ideal way to spend the last week of summer, but it worked.

And then, it was back to school!

The summer was plagued with a lot more sickness than I had  imagined or hoped for.

The summer was nothing like I had planned.

But I'm thinking that around the first week of January, when we hold our precious little girl,

we will unequivocally say that it was worth it.

Aurora Borealis

As membership holders at the Clark Planetarium,

we received an e-mail inviting us to an "exclusive" event.

There was going to be a lecture about a recent trip taken to document Aurora Bourealis.

The lecture was going to be held at Red Butte Gardens and would be followed be a star show.

It sounded awesome.

I was surprised that they could only take 35 people.

But I RSVP'd and waited to see what would happen.

As it turned out, over 350 people RSVP'd.

Instead of just cutting it off, they changed venues back to the actual planetarium.

Honestly, this didn't sound as exciting to me.

We almost didn't go - it started at bedtime and I didn't want to be out that late.

But in the end we decided to just do it.

We are SO glad we did.

The presentation was awesome.

Ammon, especially, was completely fascinated by the Northern Lights.

Katy and her kids were there as well.

After the presentation, Kylie was feeling sick.

The star show was downtown and it wasn't even dark out yet.

We decided to skip that part and just head home.

We promised the kids that we would schedule a "private" star show with Grandpa Derrick.

(A promise we have yet to follow through on.)

We still had sparkler's that we hadn't used on the 4th of July.

We were getting close to the 24th so they were legal again.

So when we got home, we went ahead and let the boys play a bit longer.

As per normal, Peter was cautious, though not as scared of the sparklers as he has been in the past.

He is definitely getting older.

And Ammon was a maniac who scared us as he ran around with his sparklers,

flames shooting at the bushes and plants all around him.

Great memories.

Easter

Easter was really fun this year.

We "accidentally" ended up with kind of big gifts for the boys - they got scooters.

To make it interesting, Andrew created a treasure hunt for them.

They woke up and received their traditional baskets.

Then we did our normal egg hunt.

But once they found all their eggs, Andrew pulled out a plastic egg with the first clue.

The hunt took them through the house, out into the yard, around to the front and back into the basement.

At the end of it all, they were excited to find their scooters.

We actually bought a scooter for Peter at Christmas.

But then he ended up with enough other stuff, we decided to hold onto it until his Birthday.

A couple of days before Easter Ammon mentioned that he wanted a scooter.

I was surprised.

I felt like the scooter was kind of unnecessary because they already have bikes.

But by this time we had something else we wanted to get Peter for his birthday anyway.

So we went on a quick shopping trip to hunt down a scooter in a price range similar to the deal we got Peter's at.

The one we ended up wasn't quite as cheap, but it was close enough we decided to do it.

As it turns out, scooters are COMPLETELY different than bikes.

The boys love them and ride them EVERYWHERE.

They are super easy to pack up and take to the park, which is SOOO nice!

They also started using the scooters to ride home from school, saving me a trip to pick them up.

I was really leery about whether or not they would be worth it.

I have been glad over and over and over again that we just took the plunge and bough them.

SO worth it!

After church we went to my mom's house.

Every year she does a fun egg hunt for the kids.

We usually avoid doing it ON Easter, but this year schedules were hard.

The kids each have a specifically colored egg that is for them to find.

My mom hides between 1 -2 dozen for each of them.

Some are filled with little candies.

But she also puts "coupons" in the eggs that they trade in for bigger prizes at the end.

She also did a scripture read for the kids once the egg hunt was over.

We weren't able to schedule an actual dinner with Andrew's parents, but we took them food.

After our egg hunt at my mom's house we headed home.

Peggy and Derrick joined us for dessert.

The boys were excited to tell them all about their day.

We had a great time visiting.

Andrew and I had recently experienced the most crazy temple session EVER.

(Seriously a "series of unfortunate events" that were quite hysterical.)

We were practically rolling on the floor telling them about it after the boys were in bed.

It was a great holiday.

Bear Lake 2012

We enjoyed our annual Nunes family Bear Lake trip.

We met up in Logan so we could all enjoy the Aggie Ice Cream together.

The kids rode with Grandma in her motor home from Logan to Garden City.

As soon as everyone made it to the camp site, we headed straight to the lake.

I  love the smiles I see on my boys every year when they play in the water.

We spent our evening playing in the lake, eating dinner and then swimming at the resort pool.

Several of us stayed in condos instead of camping.

Andrew and I hosted breakfast (biscuits and gravy) and then we headed to the cave.

The top of the mountain was SWARMING with butterflies.

The kids LOVED it.

Each one of them was able to capture and hold a butterfly.

The cave was fun.

This was the first year we took Peter to it.

He was a trooper and climbed every inch of stairs and walked the entire way on his own.

Ammon and Carolyn were little shadows to the tour guide.

They spent the entire time at the front of the group.

After the cave tour was done, we split up.

Andrew and Katy rode 22 miles from the top of the mountain down to Garden City.

Jeremiah and I took the kids swimming.

Andrew joined the boys in the pool once he returned from his bike ride.

On our third and final day at Bear Lake we got a boat.

Ammon, Carolyn and I biked from the condos to the lake.

We stopped for Shave Ice and were running late.

Grandma Laurel came and picked up Carolyn and Ammon so they wouldn't miss the boat.

I biked the rest of the way, and missed the first boat trip.

The boat came back for me, though, and I was able to join the adventurous trip.

The battery died while we were smack dab in the middle of Bear Lake.

Fortunately, we had cell phone service!

We called the main desk and they sent out a rescue boat.

I think it must happen a lot because he just immediately jumped the boat without trying to figure out anything else.

After the boat ride people started heading home.

The only ones left were my parents and my family.

We had one final activity walking down the boardwalk together.

Then we all headed for more Shave Ice.

We usually bike to milk shakes and I think Andrew hated the Shave Ice replacing that tradition.

But Ammon enjoyed the Shave Ice this year.

He had three, in total.

(So did I!)

It was yet another successful year at Bear Lake.

Can't wait for 2013!

The Joys of June Part 2

I tired to get all of my June pictures in one post.

When I was done I realized I missed a TON of pictures.

So here we go again.

My mother-in-law and I hung out with Rosie's four older siblings the day after she was born.

Peggy came prepared with some fun science experiments for the kids.

They had fun!

We surprised my Grandma with a party in her honor the day before her birthday.

All of my parents grandchildren were there.

The kids just love knowing their great-grandma!

It was fun to celebrate with her.

Uncle Dan let all the kids try out his motorcycle helmet after the party.

Peter didn't want to get on the bike - he just wore the helmet.

Grandma Lynn's Birthday

Pictures taken May 6, 2012

We had a fun time celebrating my mom's birthday this year.

The weather was slightly cooler than we would have liked, but we enjoyed a great family gathering.

I love my family.

My mom created this great group and has given me an amazing legacy of love and service to try to live up to.

I try my best and hope to live up to her example.

The best thing is - I think I'm on the right track.

 But only because of what she taught me.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Chili's

Pictures taken April 10, 2012

My brother is a waiter at Chili's.

They often have coupons for kids to eat for free.

When they do, my sister and I like to take our kids there.

A lot of time Dan is our waiter.

This time he actually came in on his day off work and ate with us.

We had lots of fun.

The kids got balloons, loved their meals and then dog-piled on Danny when it was all done.

Sadly, this is where Ammon lost his pocket knife.

But other than that, it was a great night!

Natural History Museum (II)

Pictures taken April 9, 2012

My sister arranged for the family to go to the Natural History Museum together.

As it turned out, several family members weren't able to make it at the last minute.

But we had fun with my mom, my sister and her kids (including two extra foster kids) and us.

On this trip I was really struck with Ammon's love for learning.

He is so at home in a museum where there is so much to see and discover.

Peter had fun too, and enjoys the hands on exhibits.

It was a great outing.

(And did I mention we went for free?  My sister always finds the best deals.)

Christmas, New Years and Ammon's Birthday

Nunes Family Christmas Party 2011

Every year we enjoy Christmas parties with our families.

With my family we had games, crafts, gift exchanges and great food.

It was especially fun to have my grandparents there.

This was their first Christmas with us in Utah.

Shadel Family Christmas Party 2011

With Andy's family we had the children act out the nativity.
Peter was Joseph (a tribute to his middle name) and Ammon was a wise man.

We had a buffet of desserts and another gift exchange.

Aunt Kara made all the boys hats that looked like Angry Birds.

They love them and have had lots of compliments since wearing them.

Christmas Eve 2011

On Christmas Eve we saw Arthur's Christmas with some of Andy's family.
We really enjoyed the movie.
Afterwards we went to my parents house.
My sister Rebecca came over and we exchanged gifts with my parents and grandparents.
We also enjoyed a delicious Christmas Eve dinner.
One of the gifts Andy received was a fondu pot.
You can see from the picture that he is THRILLED!
Ammon received his first Monopoly game - he is so into games right now.

Christmas Day 2011

We had a great Christmas morning.

We opened presents and the boys were each thrilled with the things they received.

We enjoyed going to church and feeling the nice Christmas Spirit there.

Sadly, Andy and I ended up with a flu bug and spent the rest of the day feeling pretty lousy.

We learned that the best time for parents to check out is the day when the kids get new toys.

The boys spent the afternoon and evening playing and having tons of fun

While Andy and I drifted in and out of sleep.

Christmas Break 2011

Over Christmas break we went ice skating as a family.

I think I enjoy ice skating more than the rest of them, but we all had fun.

By the time we left, Ammon was pretty comfortable skating around the rink himself.

Peter was capable but not comfortable alone.

I'm betting that by next year they will both be able to do quite well.

New Years Eve 2011

We spent New Years Eve at my sisters house.

The kids have so much fun playing together.

I love to take every opportunity we get to let them spend time with each other.

This was the first night we played Forbidden Island.

Ammon loved it so much that Carolyn, Kylie and Isaiah bought him the game for his birthday.

(Which had already past, but we hadn't had his party yet.)

The kids stayed up all the way until midnight.

Uncle Jeremiah lit some fireworks before we headed home.

The boys were asleep almost as soon as they were buckled into the car.

New Years Day 2012

In addition to Andy receiving a fondu pot, my sister Rebecca did as well.

(Ironically, these were gifts from different people so it was a fun coincidence.)

My brother Joe and sister Katy already had their own fondu pots so we decided a party was in order.

We had four different chocolate dips.

There was a buffet with just about EVERYTHING you could imagine putting chocolate on.

It was yet another fun night with my family!

Ammon's 8th Birthday Party

We had Ammon's birthday party at our church, which turned out to be awesome.

We had so much space for kids to run around, which was good for the 13 of them!

Andy was at work during the party, but thankfully a great friend of mine volunteered to help me.

I don't know how I would have managed without her!

I think the party was a great success and hope Ammon has great memories of it.

Witches at Gardner Village

One other impromptu Halloween activity we participated in this year was going to see

The Witches at Gardner Village.

I had never been.

It is an outdoor shopping area, and witches were decorated throughout.

We had a paper with clues about each witch and we had to try to locate them.

The kids had a great time and it was fun to have all the Nunes cousins together.

Thanks for inviting us and taking the pictures, Krista!

Halloween Fun

Pictures taken October 29, 2011

Last year I felt like Halloween was a month long event.

It was fun, but I was relieved when it was over.

This year was just the opposite of that.

I never even really caught up to Halloween before it had come and gone.

Still, we did some fun things.

We had a Halloween party with friends I went to High School with.

We had a ward party/trunk or treat.

We went trick or treating at the district.

And finally, on Halloween,

Ammon marched in the school parade

(and even though I didn't have my camera, both Andrew and I were able to go see him)

we ate delicious red beans and rice for dinner,

trick or treated in South Jordan,

and visited grandparents on both sides.

We never did carve pumpkins this year.

Sad.

I guess we'll have to look forward to that one in 2012.

Trax and a Movie

Pictures taken August 11, 2011

Andrew was in a small little car accident which shockingly totaled our car.  We decided to attempt life as a one-car family, but the transition came at the end of summer and was a little rough.  After a week of being stuck at home while Andy had the car at work, the boys and I decided to take Trax down to meet my sister where she could then drive us to the dollar theater for a movie.  The whole trip was full of mishaps and adventures and took us over two hours to get to our location, which caused us to miss the showing we were trying to get to.  Fortunately, there was a later showing of the movie, so we still were able to enjoy Kung Fu Panda 2.  The boys had seen it before, but it was the first time I had viewed it.  We finished the movie just in time to meet Andrew at he finished his job for the day and we rode home together, discussing the merits of aborting our one-car decision.

Mosquitoes and Mud

Pictures taken July 31, 2011

My mom introduced us to Silver Lake several years ago, and it has become a tradition that we go there at least a couple of times every year.  This particular trip was fun because Jeremiah brought dinner (and he is amazing when it comes to pulling together a meal) and because it was the first time Grandma Laurel and Grandpa Fred (my grandparents) had ever been.  It was NOT fun because of the rain, mud and worst of all - mosquitoes.  Quite honestly, it is the worst trip I have ever had to Silver Lake.  But the great thing about Silver Lake is that even the worst trip ever was still a good one.

This was also the day that I found out I was going to be the Relief Society President of my ward.  It was nice to get up into the mountain and spend time with my family after that exciting but overwhelming calling was extended to me.

Touring Salt Lake

Pictures taken July 13, 2011

My sister called one day and told me that she was planning to take her kids to see some sites in Salt Lake.  She had a whole list including the Church Office Building, (which is the tallest building in Salt Lake and has observation decks on the east and west sides of the building) the Beehive House, (an original home of Brigham Young - the LDS Prophet who settled Salt Lake) Temple Square, (which has multiple visitor centers, buildings and tours) and the Church History Museum to name a few.  We decided to join her on the outing.

We started with the Church Office Building.  They had a nice little tour and showed us a huge mural of Jesus with his disciples.  We also saw little pictures and statues along the way that made reference to some of the early pioneers and people who had settled the land.  We went upstairs (I think it was 26 stories high) and were able to look out over the valley.  It was a very hot day and the anomaly of being up so high and being able to see so many landmarks in the city wasn't nearly as impressive to the kids as it was to us.  By the time we headed back down, Katy and I realized that we would probably do the Beehive House and call it good for the day.  We headed to the Beehive house and Ammon's reaction was this:

It makes me laugh because I remember my mom dragging me around to these sorts of places when I was younger, and not feeling much different than him.  But it is one of those things that you grow up to appreciate. Andrew has never been on these tours and was jealous as all get out that the boys and I were there.  I feel like I have done my motherly duty - tormenting my children in dragging them to these places, and am now hoping to plan a date night with my husband when we can go together and enjoy the sights and information given on the tours.

Bear Lake

This year, our Bear Lake trip found me without a camera.  These pictures are from my cute sister-in-law, Krista.  Ammon, Peter and I drove up on Friday morning with my mom.  We made our traditional stop in Logan for some renowned Aggie Icecream.  Then we continued on to camp.  My sister and her family had arrived the previous day and were staying in a condo near by.  We headed over for dinner with them.  Peter had fun riding bikes with Isaiah while Ammon spent the evening swimming with Carolyn and Kylie.  My brother Joey rode up with Andy after they had both finished work.  They arrived around 8:00 at which point we began setting up camp.  My sister Rebecca, who had a later work schedule, arrived around 11:00 that night.  The following morning, Joey's family arrived on their way home from a visit to Idaho and our group was complete.

We spent the morning at the lake.  The water was high this year, and although that made the beach smaller, I enjoyed the shore line being so close to camp.  Andrew decided to do a one-man triathlon.  He started by swimming in the lake.  Then he took himself on a 10 mile bike ride followed by a three mile run.  We all gathered back at camp for a group lunch and then went on our annual bike ride.

The bike ride is just over three miles from the camp ground.  There is a nice trail and it's pleasant to travel.  To make it even better, our destination is a milk shake shack, so we all get a treat when we arrive.  Two years ago we had Ammon ride his bike and we were SO proud of him for making it all the way there.  Unfortunately we had troubles with our bikes (some flat tires and things) so Andrew rode back to camp to get the truck making the bike trip a one-way ordeal.  Peter had ridden in a little buggy pulled by Andrew's bike.

This year we decided to let Peter ride his own bike.  He had two cousins his same age that were going to be riding, so even though we thought he might need a car rescue at some point, we figured we'd see what he could do.  When it came down to it, though, he had one cousin who ended up riding in a buggy, and one cousin who rode a "pilot" (which is an attachment to his father's bike) so Peter was really the only one who was pedaling a little bike with 12 inch tires and training wheels.  We knew he would lag behind, so I got out at the front of the group.

We hadn't gotten more than a tenth of a mile, or so when Peter looked up at me, and with much discouragement said, "I can't take this much longer."  I figured we had made a good effort and was ready to turn around and take him back to a car when we saw my brother coming up behind us.  At that point, Peter's competitive spirit took over and he started pedaling with all his might, trying to stay ahead of Uncle Joey.  It didn't take long for Uncle Joey to pass him, but by the time that happened, someone else was coming up behind him.  Cute little Peter kept going and going until we were finally joined by Aunt Rebecca and Daddy.  The four of us stayed together and we eventually made it to a park about a block away from our final destination, where the group was playing and waiting.

After enjoying the playground and walking the boardwalk down to the lake, we continued our journey to the shake shack.

On the bike ride home, Andrew and Rebecca stayed with Peter while I rode ahead.  With every hill and long stretch of road I worried, knowing that my four year old was going to need to cover this same distance.  Once I was back in camp, I watched and waited for them to come back and considered going out in a "rescue vehicle" to pick them up.  I was already so proud of the distance Peter had accomplished.  I tried calling to see where they were at, but neither Andrew nor Rebecca answered their phones.  Finally, just as I was ready to drive and look for them, Rebecca called me back.  I was shocked when she told me how close they were, but still told her of my plan to come and get them.  She insisted that they were fine and that Peter would make it without help.  A few minutes later, Andrew and Peter came riding into camp.  I cheered for Peter as he completed his 7.8 mile round trip!

We hung and and played at camp, then went swimming in the pool.  Ammon played around in the deep end but still struggled with his swimming.  I went with him in the deep end and just dropped him in the middle of the pool, instructing him to swim his was to the edge of the pool at the shallow end.  He did a great job but stopped as soon as he could reach.  We repeated the exercise and that was when swimming really just clicked for him.  He easily swam the length of the pool.  He was shocked when he looked back and saw the distance he had covered.

I wanted him to get some more practice, but we started getting rain drops and decided to try to beat the storm back to camp.  By the time we got back, rain was starting to pound down.  (I'm telling you - we can't have a Nunes family camp out without severe weather.  It gets us EVERY time!)  We were all planning to head home after dinner, so we all raced around camp, packing everything up as quickly as possible.  Rebecca and Joe and his family decided to head straight home.  They met the storm in the canyon and said they drove through standing water on the roads.  Katy's family, my mom and us all hunkered down in the motor home and ate our dinner.  When the storm let up for a moment, we decided to make our run for it.  Although it rained a little on the way home, the roads were fine and we made it home enjoying the view of a beautiful rainbow along the way.

Twin Falls Camping Trip

My super fun neighbor Shae planned a camping trip and invited us to tag along.  In total we had 15 adults and 15 children.  It was a fun group!  We left just before noon and several of us drove up caravan style.  We stopped in Tremonton for lunch and then arrived at our campsite in the early evening.  The first day of camp was spent setting up, cooking and eating a fantastic dinner, Shae leading the kids in fun games like Red Rover and Mother-May-I and, of course, marshmellow roasting!  Ammon was noted for his unique marshmellow likes - he burned them to a crisp and then ate the charcoal colored marshmellow on his s'more.  No one thought he would really eat it - but he did. 

Shae had planned a great itinerary including a trip to the Ice Cave.  Unfortunately for most of our group, the men went to the store and were "convinced" by the cashier that the Ice Cave would be a terrible place to go.  She insisted that it was much too hot and there was no ice at all and that it would be really boring for the young kids.  So the men altered our plans and selected a place to go fishing.  We ended up at a place called Magic Reservoir where, instead of catching fish, a few of the kids caught leeches.  After that, the men were banned from planning anything.  (And honestly, the kids still had a TON of fun for the short time that we stayed.)

We noticed that the Ice Cave was on our drive back to the campsite so we pulled over to check it out for ourselves.  It was sub-freezing once you get into the cave (not hot as the cashier had said) and indeed did have much ice.  In fact, for the first ten years after it was discovered, ice was excavated from it and sold (this was pre-refrigeration time).  It was a fascinating cave to get to see.  Andrew loved every second of it and Ammon called the experience, "Awesome!"

After getting back from the Ice Cave, we ate lunch and spent some time swimming in the camp ground pool.  We had tin foil dinners that night and then the boys went out on another attempt at fishing.  They didn't catch anything, but sure had fun trying.  They were so excited about it that morning, that Andrew slipped away just before dinner and bought Ammon and Peter each their own fishing pole.  So now they HAVE to plan a real fishing trip and go catch something this summer!

On the 4th of July, after cleaning up camp, we headed to Shoshone Falls.  They were beautiful.  (And we were there in low-water time - I'll bet it's even better when the water is higher.)  We had fun looking around for a while and then went up to play in the lake.  The boys had lots of fun.  Andrew practiced his open water swim.  Ammon made a valiant attempt at passing the swim test which would allow him to venture out deep in to the lake.  As expected, he didn't pass, but the life guard watching him couldn't help but exclaim, "He just doesn't give up, does he?!"  I was proud of him for trying so hard.  He just needs more practice.  On the way to the Falls we passed the Twin Falls temple.  We would have stopped to get pictures but we had some people following us who didn't know where to go without our direction.  I thought we'd stop on our way back home, but we actually left going a different direction, so we never did get to stop there.  There was also a hike I wanted to do, but we were worn out and too tired for that one as well.  We finally headed home knowing that this is a place we would like to come again.

We planned to watch fireworks close to home, but Ammon insisted that Uncle Jeremiah does the best firework show anywhere.  We contacted my sister and ended up having a fun time watching the fireworks with my mom, grandparents, and sisters family.

This was the best 4th of July weekend we've ever had and we owe it all to our great friends and family.  Thanks everyone!

Slumber Party with Aunt Rebecca

Pictures taken June 29, 2011

It was after 8:00 at night when my sister called to remind me that the boys were invited to sleep at her house that night.  I was heading out the door to walk with my friend while Andy put them to bed.  Still, I knew they were still awake, so I hurried and asked Andy if he wanted to take the boys to Aunt Rebecca.  Relieved to have an escape from bedtime duty (which he does faithfully pretty much every night) he rushed around to gather the swimming suits and other things needed for their sleepover and drove them off to Rebecca's new apartment.  They watched a movie and kept Rebecca up way too late.  In the morning they had fun swimming  with all of the cousins on the Nunes side (although Krista and her girls were gone by the time I arrived to get the boys).  The boys LOVED having a slumber party with Aunt Rebecca and it was just heavenly for me to sleep in as long as I wanted that morning, and then do some shopping by myself before picking them up.  Thanks Rebecca!

Bridal Shower

Pictures taken June 25, 2011

One day several months ago, our family arrived at my parent's home and noticed that my brother's car was in the driveway.  We were excited to run into him there and told the boys that he was most likely inside.  While explaining that Uncle David was there, I also realized that "Aunt" Nikki was probably there.  It was the first time I had thought of my brothers girlfriend as an aunt to my children, and at the last minute I choked the word back and decided that we probably ought to not give her that label until their relationship developed a little further than just his girlfriend.  With that being my closing thought as we shut the car doors, we headed inside for a visit.

We walked into the living room to discover a very celebratory atmosphere.  My grandparents were there and my dad was up hugging people and here we were, stopped at the front door wondering what wonderful thing had taken place.  I actually thought that perhaps my grandparents home had finalized the sale or something, but a few moments later my dad turned to David and said, "Do you want to tell Jenny?"  About that same moment, I noticed the diamond ring on Nikki's finger.  I couldn't have been more excited as I realized that my premonition in the car had been right and that my boys would have an "Aunt Nikki" after all.

Nikki was sweet and her response to being engaged to my brother just melted all of our hearts.  As we rehashed all the details of how he proposed (on a hike in one of the neighboring canyons) and what their plans were (date to be married etc) she would alternate between huge grins of joy and sweet emotional tears of happiness.  I have to say, they were the cutest newly engaged couple I have ever seen.  My interpretation of Nikki's emotions was that not only were all of her wildest dreams coming true, but that her future with my brother exceeded her dreams and hopes for life.  It does a heart good to see a couple so in love and joyous to be together.  It is a happy thing to see a girl so in love with your brother when you know he loves her back with such devotion.

We recently had Nikki's bridal shower.  She was nervous and felt completely out of her element for it, but it turned out to be a really great day.  Her friends were adorable and it was fun to see the women from the two families come together - many of us meeting for the first time.  Afterwards Nikki was nothing but grateful saying, "It was everything I could have asked for and more."  Nikki comes from a small family and I know that our large, rambunctious group can overwhelm her a bit sometimes.  But honestly, I can't picture anyone I'd be happier to see my little brother with.  I'm so happy for them and wish them the best on their upcoming marriage!

Gardening With Grandma

Pictures taken June 18, 2011

On one of our frequent visits to my mom's house, I lost Ammon.

I'm pretty comfortable letting him run around inside and out, but I thought I should check on him.

I found him hard at work outside with my mom.

They were planting flowers in her front yard.

She was a good and patient instructor.

He loved playing in the dirt and accomplishing something productive.

Thanks for the experience Mom - he loved it!

Chili's

Pictures taken June 14, 2011

If you are ever in South Jordan and need some food, stop by the Chili's.

(Located by the SouthTowne Mall.)

Chili's is one of my very favorite restaurants.
I always say that I could go there every day for a week,
order something different every time,
and never be disappointed with what I eat.

Ask to be seated in Dan's area - he is the best waiter in the world!

(And my brother - isn't he cute!)

Lately, Chili's has been running lots of printable coupons online for kids to eat free.

One came out yesterday, and my sister and I both decided to hit it up.

The kids had a BLAST going out to dinner together.

Dan kept us well-stocked on chips and salsa.

And no one ever got thirsty with the drinks he brought non-stop.

(Don't you love the tower he built with all the kids empty cups!)

What a fun night!