We have gone on a lot of trips this year. Every month in fact, or sometimes twice a month we've hit the road or the skies to some pretty fun destinations. We've also had many family members hit the road to come and visit us.
I wanted to write up each of these trips specifically, but since I'm short on time and long on write ups, this brief summary will have to do.
JULY
We went to Utah this summer and got to spend a week with my family and a week with Jacob's. We went to Bear Lake and a camp in Idaho and loved every minute of being with our parents and siblings and seeing our kids live it up with their cousins.
AUGUST
With Jake's brain surgery at the beginning of the month, my mom came down to help us out and get the girls started in their first week of school. She was a lifesaver and such needed help to us.
My brother and his wife came for a weekend to watch the kids while Jake and I took a trip to LA. They were tons of fun and the kids loved their time with A&C.
Jacob's parents came down to help with the kids for his second radiation treatment, and were here for the first BYU game of the season. They were so helpful and kind and took great care of us.
SEPTEMBER
My sister and her kids popped over at the beginning of the month to tend our kids while Jake and I went to the BYU v. Texas game. She was a trooper to be alone with 6 children and the kids had a fabulous time.
The following week my brother and his wife came for a few days to spend the weekend with us. We got to meet our new adorable niece and loved having them here again. It reminded us of when they used to live nearby and we are grateful for that time we got to spend with them and for how they know and love our kids.
I don't have a picture of this, but Jacob took a short weekend trip to visit his parents and attend another home football game in the middle of September. His parents treated him royally, fed him like a king and were such great company. He loved spending time with them.
The same weekend Jake was gone, we had our neighbors dog come and visit us while they were out of town. He was a perfect house guest and the kids really conquered their fears and ended up begging to have him sleep in their room for a few nights. Tommy especially loved having him.
Towards the end of the month, we went on an awesome vacation to Newport Beach with Jacob's brother and his family. They treated us to a lovely stay at the Marriott timeshares in Newport, and we loved pool time, beach time, date night time, and hang out time with them.
OCTOBER
The first weekend in October we took two simultaneous trips. Jake and Lauren to Utah and me and the other kids to New Mexico.
Years ago, Jake decided that when our kids turned 8 he would take them up to Utah for a BYU home football game and to attend general conference in person. It was an idea that served two purposes- to spend one on one with with each kid and to get Jake to another football game. He and Lauren had a fabulous trip and made some wonderful memories together.
The other kids and I had a lovely weekend with my sister and her family and got to attend the balloon fiesta and visit a pumpkin patch.
In the middle of the month our friends Jeff and Sarah came with their two darling kids to visit for the weekend. Jeff and Jake are cougar fan soul mates, but unfortunately the team didn't deliver on the game we watched together. They helped us plant our garden and we loved hanging out with them. Somehow I don't have a picture of their visit either, but it was wonderful to have them here.
And this wasn't a vacation, but we did celebrate Halloween and the kids were darling, if I do say so myself.
NOVEMBER
A few weeks ago we took another family trip to Utah, so Jake could be a Thursday's hero with the BYU football program. Our family got to have a tour of the football offices, attend the team's practice on Thursday morning, and attend the game on Saturday, with passes to hang out on the field before the game. Jake got a bag full of goodies, t-shirts, jersey, a mini football and a signed flag and was very impressed with the program and the coaches at BYU.
Jacob's sister drove up to spend the weekend with us, and she, her daughter, our parents, and my brother and his wife were able to attend all of the weekend events with us.
We also got to see a BYU basketball and volleyball game while we were there, and Jake and I took a day trip to Manti to attend the temple while my parents watched our kids. We celebrated Tommy's birthday (more on that later) with our families and saw the first snow fall of the year. It was a great trip.
Finally, last weekend my parents and my sister and her family came over to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We loved having them here and got to attend the Phoenix temple, hike, see some movies, eat, visit the Mesa temple lights, and jump in our freezing cold pool with them. We had a great holiday together.
4 comments:
that is an amazing amount of traveling! And so fun. Plus you didn't even mention Hawaii in June! That's awesome. Love seeing all the cute pics of your family.
Great recap! There probably won't be another year that is this hard/fun/terrifying/exciting as 2014. We have loved seeing you all more than usual!
So fun! Love it!
Thanks for the recap, Jord. I loved seeing the pictures of all the trips, and loved seeing you on a number of those trips. We love you.
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