Snakes on a Plane....What?

We couldn't help but title this picture "Snakes on a plane."  When you make a movie called "Snakes on a Plane" you're bound to make fun of it.  Since Xavier happened to bring his stuffed snake we thought it a perfect beginning to our trip to Utah.  Some good laughs and a Kodak moment to document the occasion.

What the boys don't know is that my face is probably more afraid that I am on the aisle with all three boys, than I am of snakes being on the plane.  Funny how Tim ended up in the seat across from us.  Hmmmm.... But since I'm a mother of 3 boys I always come prepared.  I packed a backpack with all sorts of things to keep the boys happy for the duration of the flight.  And this time it worked!  Wahoo.  They were great!

Sunny Utah.  Oh how I love the blue skies and tall mountains of Utah.  The boys are squinting because the sun seemed much brighter in Utah than in Pennsylvania.   Ally was kind enough to host us during our vacation.

One of our first adventures was to visit the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. 

The cousins picked up right where they left off.  It's awesome when you're family, because you just instantly love each other!  Even though it had been 3 years since our last visit to Utah, it seemed like yesterday and the kids connected instantly.

Reid is a dinosaur fanatic.  This was a delight for him.

Looks like Reid was asking lots of questions and listening to every word I would say in response.

I sure love being with my sisters.  I wish I were closer.  I could use there awesomeness A LOT more often.

Exploring

More exploring

Trying to put a dinosaur together.

Hands on learning.  

Avery and Nora

Ethan, Xavier, and Gavin

Playing in water and sand....

They created their own dinosaur island.

Now that's a little intimidating.  All the boys heads looked up and said "Wow!" It was hilarious.  I definitely wouldn't have wanted to be his lunch.

Not only are dinosaurs cool, but so were the ocean animals that lived during the times of dinosaurs.  They put great white sharks to shame.

Reid doing his terrified face.  "Don't eat me!  AAAAAHHHHH!"  What big teeth he has. What a big mouth he has.  What big eyes he has.  Oh my!

Digging for dinosaur bones.  They loved getting a glimpse into the life of a paleontologist. 

Hey maybe one of them will be one some day.

Ethan was happy to have some more guys around to chum around with.  He's usually pretty outnumbered.

Sistas!  Love them to pieces.  Amazing moms, fabulous women, and fun to be around.  They teach me so much and make me want to be more and do more every day.  They are huge examples to me.  

More excavating.

After hours of fun at the dinosaur museum, we headed back to Allison's where the kids organized an imaginative world of dragons, princesses, and all sorts of other characters.  They then practiced and put on a play for the grown ups.  

While the cousins play, the grown ups can relax and enjoy grown up conversation.  

ROAD TRIP

Our super amazing friends, the Holloways, invited us to go on a road trip to see the Palmyra pageant.  Of course, we said yes!

The Holloways were moving at the end of the summer, so we thought it a great opportunity to hang with them before they left us for good.  Boo hoo!

After a long drive the boys were getting comfy in their bed.  This was actually after they jumped on the bed for a while.  Sitting in a car for a long time is not a good thing for high energy boys!  

We stopped by the temple grounds the next morning to take some pictures.

I love to see the temple.  What a magnificent sight.  I feel so blessed and lucky to be able to enter such a sacred place.

Does that face say trouble to you like it does to me?  Yes he's not so innocent sometimes.  He wanted to bang on these light posts constantly.  I had to pry his little body off of them and he still kept going back.  Until......we started taking photos.

You can see he wasn't so fond of the idea.  But they still turned out super cute.

Gavin, Jayden, Toby, Xavier, Reid, Bri, Lorelei, Ashton, and Sofia.

It's pretty fantastic when you have a talented photographer taking the pictures.  You get gems like this one to keep.

And an impromptu family photo shoot to boot.  This is our little fam caught in our every day!

Xavier, Gavin, and Asher in the Sacred Grove.  The moment we entered the path that led into the grove I felt an overwhelming Spirit throughout my body.  There was no denying where we were.  Sacred ground.  Toby and Xavier sat down and silently prayed.  Then Gavin and Reid followed their example.  It was a moment I will cherish forever seeing these young boys faith and their ability to recognize how special this place is to our church's history.  

It wouldn't be a complete day if a treasured stick didn't find its way into Gavin's hands.

After some intermittent rain showers we braved the wet grounds and decided to find seats for the upcoming pageant.

The cast walked around the audience to greet and talk and take pictures.  The boys thought it was neat to see the actors up close in their costumes.

This was probably my favorite actor!  He looks like a giant next to the boys.

Reid and his favorite person, Sofia.  They were stuck together like glue the entire day.  So adorable.  

The boys absolutely loved going to the pageant.  It was as fabulous as I remember it the first time.  The costumes, the acting, the singing, the special effects were incredible.  The rain held out and we were able to stay dry outside.  As we were walking back to the car, of course, the dreaded people that want to ruin the experience and want to say bad things about the church were working their hardest.  It was definitely a good lesson for our kids to know that there are people who want to fight against the church, but we were able to look forward, plug our ears, and ignore the insults.  When we got back to the car we were able to discuss what was happening and remind our children to stay faithful in their beliefs and always love God.

We took a tour of the Smith home and farm.  It was so peaceful, so beautiful. 

My how times have changed as far as what a home looks like.  The boys enjoyed climbing up the stairs to see where Joseph Smith slept and saw the angel Moroni.  The stories from Joseph Smith history came to life for these little ones today.

 This sister missionary was talking to the kids about the significance of this house.  Again, what an amazing weekend to be able to have our children see places we talk about when we learn about church history.  A blessing I'm grateful to have shared with my kids.

If I had any farming sense living in a place like this would be heavenly.  Endless land to run, explore, play, and far away from the noise and hustle and bustle of a city.  It would be a perfect place for little boys to grow.

They still maintain a large garden in front of the Smith home.

Lots to explore, so little time.

Playing peek-a-boo.  Where's Gavin?  Where's Asher?

Checking out some more of the barns and the tools that the Smith family used on the farm. 

We found a little stream that everyone enjoyed stopping at to rest.  There were the neatest green dragonflies, fish, and bugs to observe.

We were also able to visit the place where the first Books of Mormon's were printed.  The boys thought it was cool to see how a book got printed and bound in the "olden days."

The first edition of the Book of Mormon.

After a long day of walking, exploring, and learning more about church history, more about the Book of Mormon, and cherishing it all with great friends we headed back to our hotel to rest before we headed back home in the morning.

We had one more stop to make on our way home.  That was, lunch, at Dinosaur BBQ.  Apparently it's supposed to be very popular BBQ.  So we did it!  AND it was delicious!

This road trip was the best one yet!  Friends, family, faith, and fun! A quadruple win!  Our testimonies are stronger, our friendships are happier, and our family is blessed.