Visit to Utah

We've had quite the eventful past couple weeks here.  We flew my sister Melissa out to visit for a couple days so she could drive back with me to Utah.  The kids absolutely love their auntie.  Blake calls her "Lissa", and keeps asking when she is coming back.  Me and my sisters are the best of friends.  I so wish that they could live next door so we could talk and shop and just do the things sisters do more often.  We missed you Catherine!!!

While Melissa was here, we went to the aquarium and botanical gardens, including Natalie's favorite-the butterfly house.  I also just had to take her to get some gelato...it's amazing.  She painted my toenails, of course.  I wish she could be here for these last months of my pregnancy to paint them when I can't reach past my belly.  :)  I guess poor Rob will have to do it.  We treated her to dinner at a restaurant, New Mexican style.  We went to the splash park with the kids too.  It was so nice to have her company on the drive to Utah.  We chatted it up the entire 9 hours.

 My pretty sister with her nephew.

 When we got to Grandpa and Grandma Hales' house, my little sisters couldn't wait to show Natalie and Blake their new kitten.  They couldn't hold it enough.  That cat was spoiled.  The girls would bring it in the house, against Grandpa's wishes, and hold it and play with it all day.

 Blake wasn't quite sure at first, but he ended up loving the kitty.

 My brother Thomas found a baby deer in the field and is raising it because its mother didn't come back for it.  The poor thing was skin and bones when he found it and didn't want to eat, but he nursed it back to health.  The kids would go with Lucy and Luke every morning and night to feed it and play with it.

 Natalie absolutely loved feeding it.  It was amazing how fast it guzzled the bottle.

 They spent a lot of time swinging.  Natalie got stung one night while on the teeter totter, and we figured out that there is a wasp's nest inside the swingset.  The poor girl cried and cried.

 Blake trying out their pool.

 It was funny-the girls all had striped outfits, so we had to get a picture.

 We hiked a short distance to Bridal Veil Falls up Provo Canyon and then waded in the very icy water.

Aunt Lucy and Natalie

 Me and Blake with my sister Abigail.

 I made a fun little capri sun bag for each of my littlest sisters.  They were drinking those suckers like it was going out of style so they could have a purse :)  It was funny.

 Blake and his aunt Emmy riding bikes one evening.

Cute kiddos.

 We had tons of fun with their Great Grandma and Grandpa Hales.  They had us over to roast hot dogs on afternoon for lunch.  And my expert seamstress Grandma kindly gave me some much-needed tips one evening.  Blake called Grandpa the "Other Grandpa". I think he was a little confused because my Grandpa lives right next door to my parents, so he had two grandpas to switch back and forth between.  He loved all the attention from his grandpas.

This totally made Blake's day and probably year.  He still talks about it.

 These kids love their grandparents.

We also went swimming at Payson Pool one day and I shopped with my mom and sister Melissa at the new City Creek Mall up in Salt Lake.  So fun.  My sweet family indulged me once again as I made new meals and desserts from Pinterest and used them as my guinea pigs.  They all actually turned out to be really yummy.  And, my amazingly talented dad made a super cute dresser for Blake while I was there.  Pics of that to come later after I finish glazing it.  I just love being with my family and wish we lived closer to them.  I always enjoy our bi-yearly visits.

 My awesome and handsome Bro Joe rode home with me from Utah to visit a couple of days and then we flew him home.  We had so much fun with him.   We went to the zoo, the gardens, had some more gelato, took him out to some fine New Mexican food, took a little hike up Sandia Peak, Rob cooked him a nice steak dinner one night, and then took him kayaking his last day here.  He will be missed.  The kids sure had fun doing airplanes with him and playing chase.

 Gotta love Blake's cheesy face here.

 Sandia Peak.  It was actually chilly up there-even in July-and even for this pregnant momma.

At the gardens.

I'm sad that the summer is coming to an end already!  I'm having too much fun and don't want to see it go.  It also means that my baby girl is going to be starting kindergarten soon and that makes me want to cry.  But, to end on a happy note, it also means I am closer to bringing this sweet baby girl into the world!  We can't wait to meet her.