Utah April 2009

We had a GREAT trip to Utah to see our famliy last week. We started it off with Isaac's Baptism. It was wonderful to be surrounded by our family and have them be apart of the special day. Papa and I gave the talks and all the cousins did a special musical number. We kept it short and simple, but the Spirit was strong and that's what matters.

After the Baptism we had a small reunion with a few of Aaron's counsins we hadn't seen for a long time. It was fun to see them and catch up on lives. We have all added quite a few kids since being together. We were supposed to have a BBQ in Nana and Papa's back yard, but due to inclement weather we had to move it to the church gym. That way the kids could still run and play.

One of the highlights for my kids was Jumping Jacks. For part of the reunion Papa rented out Jumping Jacks. It was so much fun to have the entire place for just our family. The kids had a blast, and the parents...well, we loved it as much as the kids...a good time was had by all.

On Easter Sunday we went to Travis and Julie Kaye's ward, they blessed little Sydnee Sage. She's a cute little thing. We didn't stay for the luncheon after because we met Susie and Darin (and kids) up in Midway at Darin's parents new house. It was fun to sit around and chat with everyone. It felt so good to get away from everyday life and just enjoy our family.Monday was family pictures. It's quite a job to orchestrate 22 people (12 of them under 8), make sure everyone is looking and smiling at the same time. I think the photographer did a good job, we should be getting the proofs soon. The little girls wore the skirts I made at Christmas. And the rest of us pulled out the colors from the skirts to match. So we all ended up in brown, yellow, blue, and green. I think it looked good. While we had a photographer there we brought the pink Easter skirts and had the girls pics taken. Not the best shots, they were all tired of stitting still, but you get the idea. After pictures we had our Annual Gardner Easter Egg Hunt. The kids go wild. After the kids go, there is one for the adults, we go even more wild than the kids. Each couple gets to find 6 eggs, each has a # inside that represents a gift card or cash. We always come away with good stuff.

We celebrated Cooper's 3rd, Dylan's 1st, and Jackson's 7th Birthdays that night.

The kids had a great time miniature golfing. That's one of those activities that I don't like doing, but I go because the kids like it. Theres a place in Orem called Trafalga that has been around longer than I have, it could use a huge makeover in the miniature golf department. The kids don't know any different, so they had a great time.

On Wed. is started snowing and by Thursday morning this is what we woke up to! A FOOT of snow. What kind of Spring Break is that? We had to dig our way out before heading up to the cabin. Once we got to the cabin there was hardly any snow. We had a great time playing games, and making smores. We also ate all kinds of yummy food.

This ended up being a WAY long post, but I wanted to document all of our fun. Utah will always be "home" for us, and I am always reassured that that's where we want to end up. Kids need to be by their cousins, and we need to be by our siblings (most of them anyway). That's just how it should be. So thanks to Nana and Papa for letting us come out. Thanks for the entertainment and vacation. Thanks for the reassurance that "home" is where family is. We love you all!