Utah

We were able to travel to Utah for our summer break. We were so excited that we could hardly stand it! Gavin was asking all day everyday that week if it was time to go to Utah. I was just as thrilled as he was when we arrived at the airport just so he would simply stop asking. haha! 

 

 My cute boys in their Batman shirts! Doug sure is a good dad for being willing to match these cute boys & in an airport too. They got constant looks, smiles & comments. I loved every minute of the attention, but then again, it wasn't directly on me. :)

All seated & ready to take off.

 

Seriously what would we do without all the electronic devices to help keep our kiddos entertained?!

And after just 6 hours of flying I got to see these beautiful mountains. There is just something about seeing the Utah mountains that really makes me feel at home.

The time change of two hours is one of the biggest challenges with my young kids. They stay up later in Utah & then get up at like 4:30AM. Yikes! Well they held true to that pattern the first night. Thankfully by 6:00AM Grandpa was up & ready to save the day. He took the boys & the dog out on a walk.

 It was freezing to us Floridians & we had to get creative with bundling up. Doug kept saying the boys looked like little 'ewoks'. :) 

After they got back from their walk we loaded up & hit the road for Bear Lake. I was excited to get up there. Doug & I hold lots of memories together up there from our early dating years til now. It's been two years since we'd been up there so we were looking forward to the quick visit. 

{BEAR LAKE}

 The very first thing Liam did when he got out of the car was run straight to the four wheelers. Dad couldn't resist taking him for a ride right then & there.

 Eating some brunch before heading to the beach.

 Gavin zonked out before we even made it to the beach. Poor kidlets are pooped from traveling & not sleeping long enough at night.

 

 My little cowboys!

 

 Gavin had a BLAST riding on the jet skis with Uncle Danny.

 Doug said when Gavin was out there he did all the driving by himself. Way to go big man!

 Liam loved the rides too. In fact so much so that on his last ride out he fell asleep with Dad for about 45 minutes.

 Aunt Whitney & Uncle Danny

We were so happy that Aunt Whitney & Uncle Danny were able to come up for the day. They love playing with Gavin! They are going to be the funnest parents....one day.

  Whitney & I got a lot of laying out time & some good chattin time too. I love this girl & am so glad she's part of the Shaw family. It's nice having another sweet sister.

  I had a lot of fun playing with this big kid. We collected rocks & made a wall in the sand. I love seeing Gavin's imagination at work & play. My big baby is growin up!

It was the perfect beach day!

 Rides with Grandpa

 And we just had to finish off the evening with a fire & some s'mores. Yum!

The next morning Doug & I took the boys on a four wheeler ride up the mountain. It was early and oh so peaceful. I loved having a little time just the four of us too.

 The beautiful view from top of the mountain. I just love Bear Lake!

 While riding along I realized that Liam's head was bobbing a little more than usual. I looked down more closely & yep....he was out!

 It made it a little more difficult to ride & steer while trying to keep him asleep, but momma managed & it was great! And about 10 minutes before we made it back Thing 1 zonked out on dad. Sweet sweet boys.

 We played around the cabin & then got everything packed & ready to head back to Sandy. It was too short of a trip, but I'm so glad we did it anyways. It's great being away from the normal crazy atmosphere of life no matter the duration. But it wouldn't be a complete trip to Bear Lake without stopping at La Beaus for a raspberry shake. I like to get chocolate raspberry. Yum!

{RANDOM}

 I got my hair done by my sweet friend Jenn & was in heaven. There really is something about letting others do your hair when you are a hair stylist. :) I got to cut her hair too & loved the atmosphere of the salon while doing so. I really miss working in a salon. I am looking forward to the day when I can get back. We finished off our date with some lunch at Cafe Rio. Yum!

While I was getting my hair done, Grandma Shaw took Gavin down to the bridal store to get fitted & purchase his tux for the wedding. When I got home he was super excited to show me his 'cool new suit'!

 Melt my heart right this instant! How handsome is he?! I couldn't stop smiling & kissing him all over when I saw him come down the stairs modeling his tux. He'll make the cutest ring bearer ever!

Doug was able to meet up with his good buddy Mike Calvert on the field. Mike convinced him that it didn't matter that it had been 5+ years since he'd played a game & to suit up. Doug was playin it cool, but I could tell he was super giddy about it. He LOVES lacrosse & did a great job playing the first half. It didn't matter to me that he was the oldest guy on the field, he looked GOOD! There really is something about watching your man play sports. Loved seeing Mikey & his cute prego wife Kelli.

Doug & I did a few runs together while we were in Utah. I really love working out with him. We rarely get to in our day to day routines so it was great spending one on one time with him while running our old neighborhoods. 

 Just look at those mountains! I got to drive by these every single day back in the day. Didn't appreciate their beauty as much as I do now though. We sure love Utah!

Picture from above of the boys feeding Grandmas fish. These two were like magnets to this pond.

 We went to brunch with my Grandma Faye at Mimi's Cafe one morning. It's always a treat to visit with her & let her see the boys. I'm glad she makes the time to get together with our crazy family when we come in town.

 Running errands around town is hard work. We just had to stop at Nelson's Custard to have a little treat. YuM!

We were grateful for Grandma's willingness to babysit one evening so we could go on a double date with Danny & Whitney to the temple. It's been such a long time since either of us had been to a session. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but we thought back to our last time & we're pretty sure it was a year and a half ago. Yikes! We went downtown to the Salt Lake Temple for the live session. Oh how I've missed those. There is just something about that Salt Lake Temple session that allows me to have a more deep & meaningful experience. It may be due to the fact that that's where Doug & I were sealed so it holds a more special place in my heart than other temples. It was so nice to go & feel the love my Father in Heaven has for me.

After the temple we ate dinner at PF Changs & then went to Danny & Whitneys apartment. They are living in my father in laws fourplex just like Doug & I did when we first got married. And just so happens that our apartment is vacant right now so we grabbed the keys & went inside to scope it out.

It was really weird walking up to the door & going inside. A flood of memories came rushing back to me as we walked around the tiny 2 bedroom apartment. We both couldn't help but smile & laugh about those first two years living there as a young married couple. Man, it feels like ages ago.

{Cousin GNO}
Laura & I were able to meet up with our cousins Darcy & Sabrina for a fun GNO. I just love these two ladies & am so glad we were able to catch up & spend some quality time together.

 We ate dinner at the Tin Roof which was so yummy. I got the White Bean Steak Pizza. It was huge!

 After dinner we went to stay overnight at Darcy's hotel. We went on a walk to enjoy the beautiful summer evening & then we headed back from some crafting! Oh, and eating yummy junk food.

 {Sabrina}

 {Laura}

{Me & Darcy}

We stayed up way late working on our crafts & chatting the hours away. It's hard to go to sleep in those situations because they don't happen hardly ever & you just want to keep it going so it doesn't end. But we did end up calling it a night around 2:30AM. I had so much fun & am so glad that I was able to see them.

{Tale of the 3 Trees}
I was so excited about meeting Jennifer & Julianne for brunch on Sunday morning. I'm pretty sure it had been over 2 years since all three of us have gotten together. These two sisters lived just two houses down from me growing up & we would always meet at these 3 trees when getting together. They were exactly in the middle of our homes & the perfect half way point when meeting up. However, I would often use the reason, "Well there are two of you & only one of me, so I think you should walk me all the way home." when they were together. It worked every time. Ha ha! We share many memories together as we spent most our youth attached at the hips. I fit right in the middle of them age wise. They are my sisters. One memory that their mother & I were sharing this day was how we would get together every single Sunday afternoon/evening to play. But the older we got, that play turned into talking about boys & raiding each others closets to switch up & borrow clothes for the duration of the week. :) I miss those days of swapping wardrobes!

 {Julianne, Jennifer & Me}
We were all a little emotional about this visit as it was our last & final one here at the 3 trees. Both our parents have sold our childhood homes & we will no longer be coming back to good ol Pepperwood. Thankfully it's not the places that keep friendships alive. It's the people themselves. I'm so grateful for that, as I cherish these two women with all my heart.

We all had children born in the same years just within months of each other. I was talking about how we got a picture of them as babies all lined up on the floor together & how it would be cute to get another photo of them together.

{Serelle, Gavin & Savannah}
Once I got home & starting blogging I went & found that picture I mentioned above from when they were just small babies. Here it is below & even in the same standing/laying order. Sadly, we were missing little Kate from the above picture. Her mom Emily & I are known for missing each other on our trips to Utah by mere days. Anyhow, look at how they've grown!

 {Serelle, Gavin, Savannah & Kate}
It really is so fun having kids together. These three played pretty well together. I thought this candid picture was so precious.

 {Julianne & Me}
We couldn't help but notice & giggle that we were wearing the same shirt that day. And then her husband, Jayson pointed out how our hair is the same right now too. I guess from behind he & Doug had a hard time telling us apart. Haha! It wasn't a first. Growing up we were often asked if we were twins. Love these girls & their sweet family. It was nice being at my home away from home.

{The Bell Family}
The night before we left we were able to have our dearest friends Clark & Jamilyn come over to visit. We simply love this cute family & were lucky we got to see them as they had been traveling on vacation. We ate dinner (cafe rio) and then it was time for the kiddos to swim in Grandpa Shaw's hot tub. More like small pool as he had just refilled it & it was more like a warm bath.

{Jayda, Jax, Liam & Gavin}
I love that all of them are the same age. Gavin & Jayda are six weeks apart born in September & October and then exactly two years later, Jax & Liam were born six weeks apart in the opposite months.

 Jax is quite the stud. I just want to kiss on those cheeks!

 Jayda & Gavin play really well together & are quite the chatter boxes. I laugh at what comes out of their mouths. Silly kids.

 Clark & Doug are such good friends, hubbies & dads. Me & Jami are pretty lucky girls to have found such great guys that were friends just like us. I sure love this family!

 Me & Jami

And one of us being the silly girls that we are. It's moments like this that really make me miss living by friends & family. I'm so grateful that we have even had so many opportunities to travel back to Utah for visits over the years.