Utah- Day Three

Day three was wedding (reception) day!  We learned from Auntie Sarah's wedding day that there is plenty going on that our family of six didn't really need to stick around for, so we made plans to go hiking at Stewart Falls up Provo Canyon!  This road right here is the one that took Jason and I's somewhat lackluster first date to the next level. 

That and Bridal Veil Falls! 

I got reacquainted with Arco on the drive up to the hike. This was not consensual.

I was so excited that Jared, Junie, Grandpa and Allison all joined us!  This just might have been my favorite part of the whole trip with so many beautiful views and so many chances to chat with some of my very favorite Utahns. 

My little brother and sister!  

The waterfall at the top was so cold and so beautiful!

Look at those little specks- that's my boys!

This hike was sponsored by these delicious chocolate covered cinnamon bears. 

I loved this hike, and after it was done, we enjoyed a much deserved lunch at Leatherby's.  Grandma and Leah's bestie Sarah joined us there! I started dreaming about this peanut butter months ago, and it was just a good as I remembered. 

Eventually we had to say godbye to Sarah and head back to Grandma's house to get ready for the big wedding party!

It was so fun getting dressed up and partying the night away!

Cousins!

Siblings!

Leah and Emma saved the day by packing along some of Grandma's beads- this table was the place to be all night long!

We love this venue, and had fun conversations all night long about what we envision weddings for our family looking like in the future.  And we got to visit with so many family and friends that we haven't seen in years!

Sweet Bea came to hang out with me for a bit!  She is the very best. 

We shut the dance floor down.  No surprise there.

We had such a fun night celebrating Emily and Jesse- they are a perfect match! 

Utah- Day Two

Day two was Sunday, and we walked- WALKED!- to church!  Man, it was such a fun experience.  And Grandma was even nice enough to Uber our nice shoes over to the church for us so we didn't have to walk in heels. After a delicious lunch- that included corn!- we split up. 

The boys headed straight to Bountiful while the girls hopped in Auntie Allison's car to see her new apartment in Salt Lake!  Or the outside of it, at least. And she brought us cupcakes to uphold our long-standing cupcake date tradition!  She is just the cutest. 

She even drove us all the way up to Bountiful so that we could spend a bit more time together. Then it was time for Morales family wedding fun!  We missed Emily and Jesse's elopement in July, but there was still plenty of excitement about getting everyone together for their reception and sealing.  

They are housesitting for Grammy Q's cousins that are serving in Nauvoo, and the views of the Salt Lake valley were incredible!

The deck was the perfect place for the kids to play an M&M launching game with Zeke while the adults visited. 

What a fun night, and a perfect start to the wedding festivities!

Utah- Day One

 Good morning gorgeous moutains!  This view makes the long drive worth it!

We hit the ground running on day one. We had a whole lot of fun on the agenda- starting off with a great Henscheid family reunion at Cowabunga Bay! 

My siblings- just missing Uncle Aaron. 

It was so fun catching up with everyone, especially Cousin Sarah who recently returned from her misison to Indonesia. I wish I had a picture of the heaps and heaps of ice cream that we all enjoyed under the cabana.  Thanks for the fun Grandma and Grandpa! 

That afternoon we were scheduled to go up American Fork Canyon for Henscheid family pictures, with a baptism on the Morales side for Cousin Penny on the way. On our way to the chapel we found out the font hadn't been filled, so we made our way up the canyon for pictures first, with a 20  minute stop at Bea's house for muffins and hugs, then to the baptism, then back to Grandma's house for Costa Vida and more visiting with the Henscheids.  It all worked out- phew! And we got these beautiful pictures too!

A Trip to Utah- Getting There

Five days after school started, we headed out to Utah for Labor Day weekend for Auntie Emily's wedding!  Of course, this was a great source of panic for 3 of our 4 kids, but they are all already caught up with the school work they missed while we were gone. Besides our winter trip to Mexico, this trip to Utah was our one big trip this year, and it was hard not to extend it even longer to maximize our time in Utah- there are so many incredible national parks that were just hours away. But we stayed focused on what mattered most- time with extended family and then getting these kids back to school! 

And back to their pup, who always knows something is up when the suitcases and crate come out. 

The views going west just get uglier and uglier until the mountains appear. 

Sweet Leah offered to drive for a portion of the 32 hours on the road.  After one hour she was done, but Daddy and I were both thankful for her contribution!

Emo Emma in Nowhere Wyoming and cute Noah sitting on the fence that we all tried- and some succeeded- at jumping over. 

For as many times as we've stopped at Little America, I think this is the first time we've gotten their 49 cent ice cream!

Daddy was the last one to the dinosaur, so he had to kiss it!

Two days, one hotel, plenty of homework, lots of Road Trip MadLibs and a few movies later, we finally made it to Grandma and Grandpa's house! Now that's a view worth driving to. 

Back to School (for 5 days)

Up first- Emma!  Finally in middle school and ready to take on the world, Emma is delighted that her turn to take on Stilwell is finally here.   

It was barely dawn when the bus arrived on the first day of school, and it will be as dark as night before we know it. The middle school schedule is not for the feint of heart! Emma is delighted to be in choir, orchestra, and the fall musical, and she is cautiously filling her schedule with her favorite things while making sure she's ready to take on the rigors of middle school. She's off to a great start!

Next up, Leah!  A senior and also ready to take on the world, Leah's schedule is stuffed to the brim and her spare time is swallowed up with college applications, online seminary, colorguard and time with friends! There are a lot of "lasts" happening in Leah's life right now, like her last Friday in September in high school.  Every day is another day to celebrate and sob a little bit. 

Welcome to high school, Adam is a freshman!  He gets his very own school this year, and he is determined to spend every possible minute there.  Between band, jazz band, marching choir, show choir, Southwood Singers, jazz choir, the fall play, robotics, accelerated classes, online health and seminary, Adam is just about as busy as a freshman can get.  Not unlike his desire to compete the 100 historical fiction books in 6th grade, he has the will, and my job is to help him find the way.  He's not driving yet which means we get to spend a lot of time together in the car every day, and I love it!

And last but certainly not least, and in this case the luckiest because he gets to board the bus at a glorious 8:18 every morning, Noah the 5th grader!  Noah has great friends, great teachers, and is happy to be back in school.  "What's not to like about it?" he says and that right there tells me that he's going to have a great year.  He's continuing in orchestra and has added the DSM Youth Symphony to his week, as well as the trombone in band and before school choir and FLL- the First Lego League robotics league.  He's busy and happy!

And behind the scenes are Mom and Dad, working to keep everyone fed, clothed, well-rested, healthy and hopefully happy. We've got four kids in four schools this year- let the final exam begin!

Where We Live

Where we live there is a secret portal between two neighborhoods, 

there is always a gorgeous view out the windows, 

the drive back home feels magical, 

the beds are always inviting, 

the sky puts on a show daily, 

and so do the flowers.