June 2016

The future site of our forever home. Doesn't it look like paradise?!

Constant shenanigans with Cole and Clara. Her favorite thing is to sit on/jump on stationary siblings.

We made another quick trip through Utah on our way to the Blacker and Crockett family reunions in Idaho. While we were there we took the kids to the Salt Lake City Temple for the first time. It was almost surreal to be walking around the temple grounds, talking about how families can be together forever with our sweet children, in the very spot where Dave and I made covenants with each other and the Lord so we could be together forever. 

We spent a full week (between the Blacker and the Crockett reunions) camping in Idaho during June. Initially the kids had a blast and we really enjoyed the beautiful mountain and stream by us. Then an awful tummy bug swept through our tent and Cole and I particularly spent a lot of time in the bathroom. Thank goodness there were flushing toilets and showers! And my grandparents lived close by so we could do laundry mid-week! I don't think we'll be camping for that long again, but in the end it was wonderful to see all the family we hadn't had a chance to see in 5 years.

Here are some of the fun things we did all week:

Clara loved "walking" my Grandma and Grandpa Blacker's dogs (they really just led her around camp, and were good sports about it).

Dave and Russ went on a "morning" run in the mountains and came back several hours later with bloody, scratched up legs. Apparently they lost the trail and were running through bushes and underbrush most of the way.

Lexi was great at doing the rope coarse. She has no fear. I wish I were more like her.

The whole gang, minus Shantae and Brandon. My parents, siblings, and our families.

Dad teaching Lizi how to carve. There was only one sliced finger during the week (one of my younger cousins), and Nathan happily stitched him up.

He was so excited. Definitely ER doctor material.

Dad doing paper rockets with all of the grand kids. They loved building their own rockets and then chasing them down and trying to catch them as Dad fired them off into the distance.

We played a human version of "Hungry Hippos", pushing each other around on skateboards and trying to snatch as many balloons as we could. The little ones were a little easier to push around, but not accurate. The bigger ones were pretty good at getting the balloons, but you had to be strong to pull them back and forth.

We celebrated my Grandpa Crockett's 80th birthday (a little late), as well as my Grandpa and Grandma Blacker's 80th's.

I love this picture of my Grandpa Blacker taking care of Grandma, with his trusty dogs on his lap.

This is how I will always remember him (overalls and all. :)).

Russ and Jake, totally pulling off the mustaches.

Dad with Ellie (Nathan and Lizi's youngest).

Cole was zonked during church after the reunions. This is probably the only time he's sat still and been quiet in church, ever.