UT-most Excursion, pt. 2

Yes, these Utah vacation posts will be broken into many parts.  We packed in so many activities and took so many pictures, I don't see any other way to make it palatable.  

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Saturday, we arrived at Kira's right at dinnertime.  Kira is an unbelievable hostess, and she and my sister Lauren had pre-prepped most of the dinners we had for the whole week we stayed at her home.  Not to mention she had rooms ready for seventeen extra people.  

Not surprisingly, the kids got straight to the important task of playing.  The indoor trampoline was a constant favorite.  

And Thane?  Yep, he zeroed right in on the weapons.  Katie and my mom were supposed to arrive about the same time we did, but due to complications in Vegas and heavy traffic, they didn't pull in till well after midnight.  I felt so bad for Katie and her 3 small kids.  

Sunday, we spent the morning casually getting ready for church.  Well, casual for us guests at least.  Kira's ward had split the week before and she'd just been called as the new primary president.  Her morning was completely nuts trying to make sure everything was ready to go for the first week with the new ward.  In an effort to get the kids in one place before we left, I pulled out my camera and snapped a quick picture.  We're missing quite a few kids, but this gives an idea of what the morning looked like!

Sunday evening Kira and Stew held the blessing for their sweet new daughter, Kami.  

My grandparents had come up for the week from California, so they were able to spend the evening with us as well - what a treat!

It's always so impressive to see these tiny babies surrounded in a circle of love by worthy men who hold the Priesthood of God.  It's even better when you're related to all those wonderful men.  

Monday morning we managed to get everyone dressed and out of the house at a reasonably early hour.  We hopped in our cars and drove out to Payson for a short hike to a little waterfall.  With all the tiny children with us, this short hike was perfect, especially since it provided unusual and fun paths which the kids loved.  

We reached the waterfall and everyone splashed around for a while - cooling down, getting dirty, and enduring endless photos.  

Girl cousins!

Some of the brothers got adventurous and scrambled to the top of the waterfall.  

My brother, Sean

When we got back from the hike, we put the babies down for much needed naps, and my brother-in-law Dylan offered to take us on a tour of the bronze foundry where he works.  

Lauren helped explain some of the processes

Honestly, I have never in my life pondered how a bronze statue came to be, and even after the tour there is still a lot I don't understand, but it was fascinating to get a glimpse at the complicated, behind-the-scenes action.  

Aubree and Elizabeth with one of the wax molds

Colleen and Thane in the slurry room (guess who wanted to touch everything?)

Large bronze statues are made in pieces, then welded together, before getting the final "petina" coats.  Pretty nifty, eh?  Mighty expensive too!

After the tour, the kids just wanted to play.  Aubree and her girl cousins spent many hours over the course of the week up in this little tower room blissfully playing dolls and other make-believe games.  

We also spent quite a bit of time playing outside.  Kira pulled out the bubbles, which is a guaranteed hit.  

Graham and Piper found a big car, and since the batteries weren't charged, somehow finagled adults into pushing them around.  

Holding babies is so much fun!

In the evening, Kira had planned a wonderful family home evening activity: Patriotic Sidewalk Chalk Drawing.  Each family chose a large driveway square and got to work together to decide how to decorate their area.  Our family, under Aubree's direction, decided to focus on "freedom," so we drew a statue of liberty, the liberty bell, the declaration of independence, books (education), a temple (religion), and a black person and a white person holding hands.  Oh, and a flag in the background.  

Aubree took the whole thing very seriously, and did a great job assigning out who should draw what and where.  Graham, however, was not as interested, and tried to sneak off to the backyard.  On his way back, he encountered an angry wasp and got his first ever sting.  Poor little guy!

When Bryce finished with his assignment, he worked steadily on filling in his own square.  

Everyone's squares turned out amazingly!  Let's just say I did NOT inherit my mother's artistic ability.  This is the square she designed with her fiance, Steve:

Kira, on the other hand, did inherit significant amounts of artistic ability:

Long after everyone else was done, Aubree kept working.  I think she might have some of her grandmother's inclination for the arts as well.

In the end, Kira and Stew had a fabulously patriotic driveway!