Best Boys

I just love these two boys.

Utah-Day 21

Kennecott Copper Mine.
Bigger than expected.

Denise took all the ladies to get Birthday Pedicures (which we all desperately needed after Lake Powell).
Thanks a bunch sister.

I love this goofy picture of the four sisters and my adorable niece Megan.

While Grandma was at Young Womens, we sang Happy Birthday to her and ate her cake.

Utah-Day 20

We thought we had left all of Alaska behind, but woke up to a history breaking very wet 4"+ of snow this morning. I happily took on limb shaking duty. . . and while working could hear limbs snapping right and left in neighbors yards.

Eric and I took the boys to visit Grandpa at UVU. I love this picture of them all together (we had A'thert (a.k.a. Thatcher) with us too).

I remember walking down and loving the hall of flags when I was a little girl. We also saw the pendulum, at pizza, and visited the new Library.

Grandma had the great idea of going to the roller skating rink for Family Night. The cousins had a fun time skating/scootering with each other. Sam and Addie were particularly cute to watch holding hands during the snowball skates.

Utah-Days 12-17

Best Vacation Ever!

Utah-Day 12

Just the smell when I got out of the car in Wahweap made me giddy. This is the craziest, most unpredictable vacation you'll ever take. Yet, the best memory maker.

A friend once told me that she read an article which stated that the best activity to strenthen family relationships was camping (and i would interject Lake Powell on a houseboat). Inevitably there is a crisis. A family must endure and resolve. Given 2 weeks times that crisis then becomes a strength.

Utah--Day 9

Unusual place to take a nap.
Unusually ornery kids.


Sometimes unusual things happen on vacations.

It's not that I envision us holding hands and skipping everywhere on vacations . . . But I definitely didn't plan on second degree sunburns. A trip to Insta-Care. Ear infections still raging. Crusty eyes. Runny Noses. Hacking Coughs. Nighttime Bottles.

It was a bit unusual as we loaded only half of our family in the car for Lake Powell.

Yellow Balloons-Day 7

When I was little I grew up listening to this little red tape that included songs like "I'm a Mormon, yes I Am. . . ", "I got a dime in my pocket, I can feel when I walk it. . . ", "My mother told me I should never tell a lie, because a lie will bring you trouble sure as pie. . . " & "Hey everybody it's family night, we'd better take the phone off the hook.. . " I loved that tape and over the years have rediscovered it time and time again and listened and laughed. While in college my roommate Heather and I would shout out a hearty rendition.

A few weeks ago I was driving home from church. The kids were crammed in the minivan and there was teasing and taunting in the backseat. I pushed in the little red tape and we started listening to:
"When I grow up I want to be a mother
And have a family
One little, two little, three little babies of my own
Of all the jobs, for me I'll choose no other
We'll have a family
Four little, five little, six little babies in my home
And I will love them all day long
And give them cookies and milk and yellow balloons
And cuddle them when things go wrong
And read them stories and sing them pretty tunes
When I grow up if I can be a mother
How happy I will be
One little, two little, three little babies I can love
And you will see each sister and each brother
Who look a lot like me
Four little, five little, six little blessings from above."

We'll I was glancing at MY SIX blessing in the backseat fighting, while I racked my brain for the last time I made cookies, giggled that NOT ONE of my kids really looks like me, and doubted that the tunes I sing were all that pretty.

Sam shattered this thinking when he whined, "Mom, we NEVER get yellow balloons."

Later that evening I was talking with my friend (and old roommate) Heather. We made plans to get together and let our little BLESSINGS enjoy an afternoon of cookies and milk and yellow balloons.

Utah-Day 8

Best part of Utah? Family. Hands down it is being with family.

These moments are priceless . . . Hryum all snuggled up on the couch reading to his Grandma.

More Big Bucket Pool

Utah-Day 7

This is why Hyrum got on the airplane to come to Utah. He LOVES this place!!! It is the Lehi Legacy Aquatic Center . . . but to us Bacons it is known as the Big Bucket Pool. We can get our entire family in for less than a kids admission to Alaska's H2O Oasis. On Wednesday we met up with my sisters Denise and Kari and kids and spend four glorious hours swimming.

I, of course, spent most of my time following this little soul around. He LOVED the blue slides and I lost count after 32 times. After each slip and slide he'd ask if he could go again.

GDM Continue-Utah Day 6

More Fun at the Discovery Museum.

Gateway Discovery Museum-Utah Day 6

Today we met up with my Sister Denise and her Lindsey at the Gateway Discovery Museum. 5 1/2 hours of fun. It was fun to take pictures of Hyrum who loved getting dressed up as a postal worker, a grocer, a builder, a cow. His favorite was the helicopter. Warner loved the water table and the beehive. Sam played grocer for quite a while and was happily bossed by some little girl who smartly said she was in charge. Christian & Tanner spent the majority of the time upstairs building, drawing on a spinner art thing, and making parachutes.

Swimming @ the Sinks--Utah Day 5

55 degree air temp. 88 degree water. An entire afternoon of splashing, diving, sliding, swimming.

Bottle Face

Down Time

Grandpa reading a book to Sam and Warner. Little W. sure likes to follow Grandpa around and has taken a special liking to the Organ.

This is what happens when at 1 a.m. a little boys runs up and down the moving walkways at the airport 22 times.

The three littlest cousins.

Just hanging out with the Arizona Warners.

Aunt Jess

This is our Aunt Jess. She's amazing. I am so glad that my brother married her. I think when we were younger we all wondered if our future sister-in-laws would meld into the family. I adore Jess and truly consider her a sister. She's an incredible winker, mom, ticket to ride player, wife, magnetix builder, M&M payer, puppeteer, seamstress, and is down right fun to be around. Love you lots Jess. So glad we could spend the weekend with you!