Off we fly!

Last summer we weren't able to make it to Utah like we have every summer before then. By Christmas time we had a new little baby and opted to rest at home for the Holidays. We finally made it back this summer for a long overdue visit and had such a great time. The flights to and from weren't even that bad, considering that this was our first time traveling with 4 kids and Andrew's first time on an airplane. Once we arrived we busily hopped between the Irwin's and the Haas's. It was exhausting but so worth it.

Andrew had yet to meet much of our family and we had yet to meet our new little niece, Jane. It was great to get everyone acquainted with our sweet little baby and to meet Janie. Jane and Andrew were an adorable pair. Unfortunately for Andrew, Jane was mobile and he was not so he had to endure a tackle or two:) Thank goodness Ben had already toughened him up!

 

It is always a happy time to reunite our kids with their cousins. They miss them so much. They swam and played at Sara's place, roasted marshmallows, made s'mores and had sleepovers. In true Haas fashion, Annie was also waiting at Sara's to surprise us with a visit.

 

 

We had one of our most eventful days while staying in Alpine with Grandma and Grandpa Irwin. We headed off in the morning for a day at the Seven Peaks water park. For a few hours we swam in the wave pool, floated in the lazy river and slid down the water slides. The kids were having a blast. Then, several of the adults noticed that they had all missed urgent calls from Jonathan and Foster. There was a fire on the mountain near their home and they were ordered to evacuate. Our day at Seven Peaks was over. We had to gather everyone up so some of the adults could go and help get whatever they could out of the house. Thankfully for Audrey, Uncle Jonathan made sure that bunny made it out. She was so relieved!

We stayed at Scott and Cristina's that night and got up bright and early to go to the Provo, Independence Day parade. It is always a great parade and it helped to keep our minds off of worrying about Grandma and Grandpa's house. Thankfully, A couple days later, the firefighters were able to contain the fire and Grandma and Grandpa were able to go home home, safe and sound.

 

After the parade, we headed back up to Salt Lake for some 4th of July fun with the Burchetts and Mangrums. We had a bar-b-q, played with sparklers, lit off a few fireworks of our own then watched some big fireworks that the city put on. Andrew was a little startled at first but as long as I held him close he was okay.

 

Emily, Sara and Annie were brave enough one night to keep our kids with them So that Keith and I could have some time to ourselves. We went out for a nice dinner and stayed at a hotel downtown while Emily got up with Andrew during the night. It was a much needed break! The next day drove up to Park city to ride the Alpine Slide. Ben was so excited to actually get to go up into the mountains. It was so beautiful!

 

 

   

 

 

We were able to make it back up into the mountains one more time with Grandma, Todd, Heather and their family. It was a beautiful spot up in American Fork Canyon called Tibble Fork Reservoir. The water was freezing but that didn't stop most of the kids from taking a dip anyways. Andrew just sat in his stroller and took it all in happily.

As most things do, our trip came to an end. We were tired and ready for our own beds but so glad that we were able to share some of our summer with the people who we love most! We stopped for one last visit with Emily and Sara then on to the airport for our flight back to reality. The kids miss their extended family so much are already looking forward to returning to Utah for Christmas!