Labor Day Weekend

We just got back from a great trip to visit Brennan's family. We picked up the girls from school on Friday afternoon and began our 5 hour drive. We made good time and got to John and Jamie's (Brennan's step-dad and Mom) house just in time to unload the car and eat dinner. Then Jamie, Anna, Abby and Nate and I went to a production of Big River at the Tuacahn Theatre. This is one of my all-time favorite shows and this particular production did not disappoint. It's an outdoor stage set right into the mountainside. They have a water fall behind the stage that they turned up and flooded the stage with to create the Mississippi River. It really was just spectacular. It was wonderfully performed, the music is either fun or beautiful and my kids were completely mesmerized. It's such a great way to teach them about the sad history of slavery, but also how good people can make a difference even in such terrible circumstances. I always get filled with emotion and gratitude when I'm able to experience something like that with my children. Thank you so much John and Jamie for treating us to the show. The only down side was because it's outside they don't start until 8:30 so we didn't get home until midnight. About 45 minutes from the end Nate was DONE so I had to take him out and missed the ending, but he really did so great for the majority of it and they all loved it.


While we were gone Brennan and Ben got to visit with our great friends, the Hafen family, and saw their new upstairs (yep, they added a whole new floor to their house) and their sweet new baby girl. I was sad to miss them, but Brennan and Ben had a great time.


Saturday was pretty low-key. The kids were just happy to have a day off from chores and school and played contently in Grandma and Grandpa's fun house. Later we went outside and Brennan managed to catch a lizard for them. His name was George, they took good care of him for a day and then decided to do the honorable thing and let him go.

lizard hunting

Jamie and I did a little shopping without children which is always a treat for me. Brennan's brother, Brett, came into town that day too which always makes it more fun. They cheered on the UofU. We also had a great visit with Michelle, Brennan's step-sister.


Sunday we got up and went to early church and I ran into one of my very favorite people from High School, who is now a doctor. So weird to have my peers be important people in the community.


That afternoon we drove (too fast because with 4 miles to go Brennan managed to fly by a police officer and got a ticket) out to Brennan's Uncle Dixon's house (or as Brennan says, "MauncleDixon"). He has this museum built onto his house filled with some of the coolest things he's found around his house. Abby was totally impressed and said, "Mom, when can we get a museum in our house? We just need to build another room and then get some stuff to put in it"


Anyway, we had a fabulous time out there with Jamie's extended family. Dixon and Launa are the perfect hosts, so warm and fun. All of Jamie's family are so easy to be with, we loved catching up with them. The kids were in paradise in their great yard and a ride on their 4-wheelers was the icing on the cake. We drove back to John and Jamie's with tired, happy kids.







Monday we got up and headed towards home, but we had arranged to make a stop in a cute little town where Brennan's Dad's step-daughters Terri and Kim are building a cabin. I've never met Terri and her family (except through blogging) and only met Kim briefly one time. It was so much fun to see their beautiful cabin that Terri's husband, Mike, and some of their friends are building. We can't wait to see them and their cabin again. Mike and Terri have a beautiful 3 year old son who has had to overcome some major health obstacles. We prayed for little Matthew throughout the first year of his life so it was especially wonderful to meet this sweet little guy and see how well he's doing. They were all so kind to us and the setting was so beautiful it felt like heaven.

Kim, Mathew, Mike, Terri, and us.

This is just a random picture I took of Abby while we were there right after she woke up to capture the hair we deal with each morning. She is and always has been a burrower, she burrows her little head right down into her bed each night and it makes for some great hairdos in the morning.

We had a great trip, but it's always good to be home. It was a great weekend.