Amy's Wedding

Congratulations Amy and Mitch! We we were so excited and happy we could spend this day at the temple with you. You both looked very happy and the ceremony was beautiful.

Amy, you looked gorgeous! And I loved all of your unique choices for the wedding day decor. They really gave the wedding a special feel that made it all your own. Have a wonderful honeymoon! A Mexican Riviera Cruise sounds like a great way to start your new life together. We love you! All the best!

Arches National Park

When we found out Amy was engaged and we'd be returning to Utah in the fall, we decided this year's family vacation should be a camping trip at Arches National Park. It would be the perfect time of year to enjoy the beauty of the desert. I love this park, and knew my boys would love it too. What boy wouldn't love rocks to climb, endless sand and roasted marshmallows (or in Luke's case...sandy marshmallows)?

We camped in Devil's Garden and spent two and a half days exploring the park by car and foot. At the beginning of the trip, we told the kids we were going on a scavenger hunt to look for arches. Whether we were driving or hiking Collin was totally engaged in the hunt. Pretty soon Luke got the hang of it, too, and shouted "Archie, archie!" every time he saw an arch.

You know it's a memorable trip when your son comes home and draws you a picture of his family around a campfire and a tent. (So cute.) And what's more, I have a new stamp in my National Parks Passport. (Yipee!) So we figured out a way, yet again, for our family to have a vacation this year (or at least a weekend get-away), despite our limited budget. And thanks to my boys, a weekend get-away did feel like an amazing family vacation. Everything about the park was new and exciting and fun with my boys and my husband by my side.

Monticello Visit

Merritt's siblings and parents surprised us by joining us last minute at Arches for a day and a night. It was great to spend some time with them. How lucky they are to live so close to such a beautiful place! After packing up camp Saturday morning, we headed further south to Monticello to see their new home and new hometown.

Merritt's parents took us out to lunch. Then after a much needed shower, we watched general conference together and enjoyed some ice-cream. Somehow my husband managed to stay awake in the dark for the five-hour drive back to SLC that night. Ode to candy, caffeine and sunflower seeds!

Happy Birthday Luke!

Luke is obsessed with the movie Cars. He asks me every day to watch "Speed". So it was pretty easy to find a way to make Luke's 2nd birthday special.

We made a race track cake donning Chick Hicks, Mr. The King, and Lightning McQueen. Then we used some old rain gutters my parents had just taken down off their house to make racing ramps. All we needed were some match-box sized toy cars.

My sister Amy kindly donated her entire Cars collection since we had left ours back home. Every kid at the party seemed to enjoy it. And it was so good to see all the Mitchell cousins! There are nine cousins now (all ages 4 and under), with two more on the way. Wow! That's impressive.

Thank you Uncle Ryan

Uncle Ryan gave the greatest gift to us. He fixed up this old teeter-totter that we had played with as kids. It had sat in our backyard rusting for the last twenty years. I was surprised to find a fresh coat of blue paint and new wooden seats neatly fashioned at each end. The boys have loved playing on it, and it has been quite nostalgic for me.

My boys favorite gifts always come from Ryan. (Collin still enjoys the light saber he gave him when he was two.) And I really appreciated the time he spent with my boys when he came to visit. He played baseball with Collin and Luke for an hour. They were in heaven. By the way, Collin can hit a fast ball almost every pitch and knock it over the fence or up onto my parents roof. It's pretty amazing. Who needs tee-ball? Sign this kid up for little league baseball!

I took my grandma to the zoo

I asked Collin what he wanted to do while we were at Grandma's house, and he very decisively said he wanted to go to the zoo. So the zoo was our first excursion. Both grandma and grandpa, as well as Aunt Jill and baby Henry (who is now 8 weeks old) accompanied us on our trip.

Collin loved the elephants, bears, penguins, alligators and gorillas. Luke's favorite seemed to be the giraffes, although he called every animal a cow. My poor country bumpkin had never been to the zoo before.

The highlight for me (and grandpa) was watching Collin get so excited about his camera. He carried his kid-sized digital camera the whole time. He took multiple shots of each animal; he had to get the picture just right. He would say things like the lighting was wrong and try to get a better shot. I wonder who he gets that from?

Hello Henry!

We've arrived safely in Utah! We had two excuses to come visit: Jill had her first baby and Amy is getting married. Our first order of business upon coming home was meeting baby Henry. Collin loves to hold him, and Luke loves to play with the buckles in his car seat. (He's obsessed with buckles of any kind.) We're so excited that we now have a cousin! And isn't he adorable!