Erik's Wedding was Wonderful!

We had a wonderful time in Utah again! So wonderful, in fact, that Andrew was in tears the night before we came home, wishing we could stay. If we would've agreed to it, I think he would've stayed there at Aunt Kathie and Uncle Henry's house and let the rest of us go back to Pennsylvania without him. Saying goodbye is always hard. Especially when we're not sure when the next time we come back will be. So, here's the play-by-play of our trip (as Mike accurately says, I am challenged when it comes to being brief!):



The day we left, we went early to Philadelphia so we could spend some time at the Franklin Institute. Andrew and Ethan loved the "giant cement heart" (the picture on the left). Alex loved the sound vibration board (behind him in the picture on the right). I can't wait to go back soon to see the Chronicles of Narnia exhibit! (I'm so glad we got a membership this year!)

We had a blast at the Chases' our first couple days there. Uncle Trevor got out of school early, and Aunt Amber brought Hayden and Peyton over, so the kids were all able to play for hours and hours together! I laughed when I asked Andrew what they'd been doing and he replied, "Oh, just rockin' out in Bito's room." I didn't know that 3, 4, 5, and 8 year olds could "rock out"!

Erik's Wedding on Friday was marvelous! There is such a special spirit- beyond what is usually felt in the temple- when you're there with family! It was wonderful to look around the room and see sisters, brothers, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents of mine all in the house of the Lord! My heart was full of joy as I watched my little brother lead his beautiful bride to the alter and carefully arrange her dress for her. What a tender moment!

Grandma and Grandpa Larsen's house was our "base" this time. We loved having that extra time with them each morning and evening! Grandma had stocked the house with foods we like, and prepared two rooms for our family. Grandpa took us all to breakfast at IHOP, and even went the extra mile, literally, to get Andrew the McGriddle he wanted instead. Darlene brought Sam over to play on Saturday, which was fun, and G.G came for a while too! (It was so good to see her again!!) We kept trying to play a game, but when Mom remembered that she'd bought the complete collection of Fairy Tale Theatre shows, that's all D.J. and I wanted to do! It was so great to reminisce as we watched some of our old favorites!

Sadly, I discovered that day that, for some unknown reason, our camera lens would not come out all the way. In trying to fix it, Mike succeeded in breaking it for good. (Boo-hoo, no more pictures of this trip, but Yippee, a new camera was in the near future!)

That Saturday being Valentine's Day, Mike and I were thrilled as Mom and Brent agreed to watch our boys so we could have a lovely dinner at Rochelle & Josh's, who also had a sitter. It was the first time we'd ever been just the four of us!
Sunday we were going to attend church at our ward in Roy, but we forgot that Valentine's weekend is always Stake Conference (oops!) Grandma and Grandpa Slade were delightfully surprised that we joined them for church. The highlight for Andrew, of course, was when Jase and his family came later for dinner at the Slades.' Ethan was very happy to see Brooklyn as well - she plays the part of "the Little Mommy" with him, and he likes the attention! After hours of being together, and knowing they would have most of the next day together, they still had trouble parting at the end of the night.

Monday was great! We lounged around in the morning, (watching more Fairy Tale Theatre episodes), then Mike and Will watched the big kids while Heidi & Braxton, Carina & Tyler, Darlene & Sam, Mom, Alex & I went out to lunch! That night Mike gave a Family Home Evening lesson on recognizing each others' talents, and we took the kids to McDonald's to play on the playground and have ice cream for the FHE treat. There's not much that could've made that day better!

Tuesday we caught up all the laundry (we love coming home with clean clothes to put away!), made a huge snowman to welcome Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Gavin home, and then went to the Clearfield Aquatic Center to swim! (We've decided they should have places like that here in Pennsylvania! There was a water playground, a lazy river, a hot tub, a water slide, and regular swimming, AND we got the whole family in, and bought swim diapers, for ONLY $18.) Aunt Amber & Uncle Mitch came with their kids. And Uncle Kevin, Uncle Bryan, Uncle Bito, and Grandma and Grandpa Chase came. We'd invited a lot more friends and family, but there was a huge snowstorm that day that kept most of them away.

That last night we spent at Aunt Kathie and Uncle Henry's. We got the tour of their house, Kathie taught Andrew Checkers, and they learned just how picky we are (except Mike) over pizza toppings. Henry even let the boys play his drums before we left for the airport the next morning!

All in all, we had a wonderful time!

Over the Country and through the Woods . . .

Okay, I began this blog right after we got back from Utah, but didn't get to finish putting in all the pictures I wanted to. Now, it's been so long, and I still don't have time to finish it, so I'm just publishing it as is:

We had a wonderful time in Utah! It was so good to see all the Spencer Family and be with them for Grandpa's Funeral Services. Grandma was so strong! Mike and I both came away from the funeral feeling inspired to be better and make more of our lives! It is not enough to just "get through" each day; we need to strive to improve ourselves and learn more as we go along! The best part of the funeral was the Mandolin Tribute. Everyone who could played "You are my Sunshine" and then held the mandolin's high in the air. I'm sure Grandpa was simply beaming!

We had a lot of good times with family also! I am so bummed to discover that I was so much into enjoying the Bridal Shower for Audrey, (my brother Erik's fiance), and trying to keep Alex happy during it, that I didn't take any pictures at all! There were two times I saw a Kodak moment, grabbed the nearest camera and snapped, but the camera was my mom's and not mine. I plan to get those pictures and post them soon! One was of Grandpa Larsen holding Alex up on one hand, like he's done with every baby since his oldest boy, Justin.

That night we were able to be in the Ogden Temple with my brother Gavin as he received his endowment! It was such a special experience! I am so completely proud of him, and amazed at the man he has become! I can't wait to watch him continue to grow on his mission in Tampico, Mexico! He is going to work miracles in the lives of others!

Aunt Carina and Uncle Ben were very gracious in letting us stay in their nice new house. (They've only lived there for two weeks, but they let us come and go and make messes as we pleased!) It was great fun! I was so glad that Andrew, Ethan, and Alex got to get to know Tyler better (and vice versa)! They're going to be great cousins together!

Andrew played more Game Cube (and Wii, and Xbox, and Computer) than I would have liked, but I have to realize that he really does connect with the people he plays with as he's playing too! He has favorite games to play with each person. I hope to help him find other things he enjoys doing with family members as well!

For New Year's Eve, all the Slade kids hung out at Will & Heidi's house. I was so glad my kids could spend some really time with Kathie and Henry again! We all had so much fun reconnecting! We barely even noticed when it became 2009!

Ethan and Brooklyn really became close! Brooklyn likes to play the little mother to Ethan and Ethan is so grateful that someone wants to give him all their attention! They played together really well!

Our last night, at Grandma & Grandpa Chase's house, we packed in all the fun we could. Danette made a delicious dinner, we watched Glenn Beck's Unlikely Mormon DVD, and played Cranium Conga with everyone. We all agreed that I should've listened to what everyone else had said and chosen a different game to play, but it was still fun.