Utah - Week 1

First off - sorry about the gazillion pictures in one post.  I was actually hoping to do Utah all in one post but when I started adding more than 50 pics just for the first week.  I stopped.

Our first stop of the trip was the Cresap household where Luke got to reunite with his best buddy Trace.  They played all day.  Aren't they both so handsome...

Luke was in his element.  Cresaps is sort of the mecca of weaponry.  

And wrestling

The first night I got to go see my niece Bronwen - or "Sister Hale".  She had just flown in from VA and was already set apart and going into the MTC the next morning!  I love this girl so much.  And I think it's been about 5 years since I've seen her! 

We met up with the Pulsiphers and went to my first play at the Orem Hale Theater (I know, how can I call myself a Hale?).  The play was "Urinetown" and I had no idea what to expect... but I laughed my face off.  I felt like I was really and truly in NYC.  There is some crazy talent in that Orem, Utah.  And then we all went to Bronwen's favorite dessert cafe - the Chocolate.   I also had my first Cazookie.  Oh my goodness gracious.

 Day 2 I chilled with Sarah Cresap and loved catching up with her.  She took me on a tour around their neighborhood in Salt Lake.  Their neighborhood / life in SL is awesome.  I got to see the boys' elementary school and Trace's preschool graduation.

And the house that Mom Hale lived in when she was little.

We also got a visit from my Katie Brown and this little guy.....

Ethan and Maryanne are only 3 days apart.  They were trying to swap binkys.  Wanted to make sure the grass wasn't greener on the other side. 

That night was my Mom's big birthday surprise.  She didn't even know that I was in Utah.  I had flown in the day before her birthday so we could do a sisters' surprise outing.   I drove up to Logan to my sister Emily's where everyone was supposed to meet.  We decided it would be a good joke to have Jacob ask my mom to go check on Johnny. 

And instead of finding this: 

She found this...

 

 So needless to say - my mom was screaming!  It was a screaming mix of happy surprise and scared surprise.  It was so funny.

Our first stop on this exciting birthday outing for my mom was the ... dun dun dun....  D.I.!!!  (utah thrift store)

We drew names and had to pick out whatever outfit we wanted for that person.  And then go bowling in those clothes. 

We had fun trying to decide which ones to buy and commandeering the D.I. dressing rooms

And this is what we settled on.   (just so you know, my mom is wearing a stylin t-shirt with a picture of a dog that says, "pugs not drugs" on it.)

This is Edith after one of her many... many strikes of the night.  (I picked her outfit btw.  She's cute)

Emily added some challenges to our bowling game.  at least I LOOK awesome, that's what's important.

Speaking of looking awesome... Oh, I love her

I think mom had fun...

Happy birthday mom!

Oh, and we also went to a fancy restaurant called "Elements" where I talked way too loud about embarrassing stuff when the waiter was right behind me.  Good times.  We really missed Sarah.  She would have loved the craziness and making fun of my inappropro behavior.

So, I sort of skipped over the Johnny picture but he has not properly been introduced on this blog so....  I have a new and most adorable new nephew and he's Johhny Ty Hanks!!!  My little sister is a mom!!  And it is the coolest thing ever.  I spent the whole next day in Logan with her and it was so great for me to see her in action.  That Johnny is seriously lucky.  Never has a baby been better cared for.

Jenny drove up and we had 3 sisters and 3 babies.  A first for us!

The 3 babies.  All about a year apart.

Yes, Eliza is older than Maryanne.  Maryanne is just sort of huge.  (and I can't decide if those folded arms are gangster or reverent.)  :)

But there was some definite cousin bonding going on

.

And speaking of cousin bonding -- While I was in Logan, lucky boy Luke got to spend lots of quality time with his bestie Truman. 

Being at Truman's house is cool because my brother Jake is the parent there -- so these boys get to do everything Jake never got to do when he was a kid.  Like drive a lawn mower (and anything else he can think up)

Uncle Jake also helped Luke learn to ride a bike!!

  He learned how to start and stop by himself and these boys rode all

over Huntsville together....with frequent visits to Grandpa.

Rebekah - working hard.  She totally rocks the house.

Day 5 (Joey's day 1) was spent at the Malmborgs meeting chickens...

and our newest niece Sarah Grace!!!

vacation hair

So, my dad had broken his hand AND foot (while being manly and serving Huntsville on town clean-up day - cutting tree branches and got knocked off a high ladder).  It was actually really cool to have my dad in the center of the livingroom the whole time and watching grandkids climb all over him.

Grandpa's scooter 

Our random Sunday family picture

Walking to church

We showed up to church and noticed that Grandma and Maryanne were twinners.  People said to my mom, "oh that is so cute that you matched your grand-daughter."

Johnny Ty's Baby Blessing

pondering

The Hanks Family

Star with a very handsome Johnny

Emily and her besties - Char and Annie

"um...I'm kind of a big deal"

Do you guys love Johnny?

do you really need to ask?

Ok, that was crazy long and now it's 2:00 am.  To be continued....