We drove our little family back to Utah once again to meet my parents for their homecoming. They returned home after serving a year long LDS mission in the Philippines. My crew and I spent some time at their place with family. It was sooooo much fun having time away and in the mountains of Utah. It was absolutely gorgeous and a lot of fun to feel "off grid" for a while. I have to admit though, it does feel good to finally be home and enjoying our new house!
We filled our time with family, fun, friends, food and the mountains :)
A welcome back to remember! We all greeted Mom and Dad as they got off of their flight. It was a fun surprise and we are so happy to have them home!
First stop... Cafe Rio baby! Delicious food for two people that deserved it :)
Welcome home Mom and Dad!
Hanging outside on the deck. We spend most of our time right here.
We loved catching up and eating delicious food. Everyone stayed at the house for a few days right after Mom and Dad got home. It was really fun playing games and having that time to spend together. I know that the little ones loved having "friends" to play with.
James and Beckham
What do you see Jack?
Hanging on.
Peek-a-boo
Swingset fun
Hi Jamo! :)
Every night the boys were covered from head to toe in dust and dirt. They loved exploring and playing all over the yard.
Quinn trying to understand the conversations going on around her :)
Climbing the mountain. Can you spot Jack and Beckham?
This kid and his shoes...he would take them off every chance he could got.
Playing in the barrels. They would add dirt, rocks, anything they could find and then take it out, haha.
Jack found this rock on the mountain. He would climb to it daily and sit on his throne :)
Hmmmm....I can't find my shoes. Haha. I LOVED having so many of us at the house at the same time. There is absolutely NOTHING like quality family time.
Aunt Hailey bought the boys Paw Patrol coloring books with stickers and new Paw Patrol socks. Yes, they were in heaven :) Love this pic of James and Quinn too!
We had the opportunity to spend the week with the Denver Spungs and we enjoyed every minute. The boys loved playing together and I loved holding Ava :) When they left to head back to Colorado the boys would ask daily where James went. They had a blast with him.
After a few days of relaxing we met up with Aunt Mikale and the Williamson crew at Carls Jr. We had such a fun play date. I heard about Kai and Teagan for days after :) It is so great that the boys love their cousins so much. Having that time together is priceless.
Let the fun begin!
Sweet baby girl :)
Lincoln loved being in his own little area of the play place. He was on sensory overload with all of the fun things and kids around. Such a happy baby boy!
Auntie Mikale and little Miss Q
Me and Linc....LOVE this kid. His eyes just suck you in. He's so adorable!
Cousins
Roger that.
We headed up to Midway to spend time at the Calderwood home. It was great to have a change of scenery and for us to spend time with everyone there. We had such a fun time catching up and having some one on one time with each other.
Kam Jam and Quinn. This little girl was passed around quite a bit :) She loved every minute of it, just as much as those holding her did.
We headed out to take a walk in the mountains and ended up spending time climbing trees and playing in a creek. The weather dropped quite a bit throughout the time we were there. We went from short sleeves for summer to needing sweatshirts. I loved watching the leaves change and the colder weather. It was such a nice break after such hot summers in El Paso.
My girl
Haley and Cody were such awesome helpers. They would take Jack across and up all around the trees. Jackson loved being able to keep up with his older cousins.
How cute is that?! Looking at all of the bugs in the water.
Haley Kay and Quinn Marie
Two beautiful girls :)
The boys taking a little break.
Jack, Beckham and Cody Man
One day Mom, the boys and I met up with Angie at Gardner's Village for some fun shopping. They had everything decked out for Halloween. It was so much fun to see. We really enjoyed seeing all of the different witches and fun little props they had all over the village. We bought some fun things and had a tasty lunch. It was a nice little break from the norm of a day.
Pop wanted to spend some time with Quinn so she stayed home with him while we went shopping. They had a great time! I'm sure she was spoiled while we were out :)
I can put my own shoes on now ;)
Fun times on the deck! Grandma and Pop bought these trucks for the boys to play with and they played with them everyday. Each day they would find new ways to play with them. It was very entertaining to watch them come up with new ideas. This was a favorite.
Yes, it snowed!! How crazy is that?! As soon as it started coming down Jack asked if Santa was on his way, haha. He was excited to build a snowman and get ready for Christmas. We had to tell him that Christmas was still a little ways away but that snow is really fun to watch and play in. He would just stare out the window watching it come down. I honestly think we hit every season in the few weeks we were there, it was awesome!
Me and my girls!! One Saturday afternoon I snuck away to have lunch with these two beauties. I absolutely LOVE these two! Katie was missed deeply but traveling from Boston for a lunch date may be a little too far ;) Getting old friends together and having that time to catch up is priceless! Wynnie and Rhiannon (and Katie) have been friends of mine since I was 10 years old. I can't believe we can say that we have been friends for 20 years! We are the coolest group of girls I know ;)
I love this pic of Quinn, but I was actually taking it because of Jackson in the background. He had his hands up over his head and was really relaxed while enjoying a show, haha.
Quinn and Kami. Kami loved helping in any way she could with Quinn. She was such a great little helper.
Me and my boys relaxing at Grandma and Pop's house.
One morning we took the boys to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. It was a huge hit!! They were overwhelmed with joy and were literally running from dinosaur to dinosaur. It was the cutest thing to watch and be a part of.
Quinnie Bear was content in her stroller watching the boys excitement through each exhibit.
Digging for fossils. That smile says it all :)
Beckham showing us the tools to use for digging.
A pic with the T-Rex! I think that Grandma, Pop and I enjoyed it just as much as the kids did :) It's a remarkable museum with a ton to learn. We will definitely be going back again some day.
Pres is back!
Preston drove us out and then flew back home for a few weeks so he could work while we stayed. He then flew back in to drive us home after spending a few more days in Utah with family and friends. I can't believe I didn't think to take a pic of when the Clark crew was all together but I forgot. Mom and Dad Clark along with Staci and the kids were in Utah the same time we were at the end of the month. We went up to Salt Lake to spend time with the Great-Grandparents as well as the Koudelka's, Williamson's and Mom and Dad. It was so fun seeing everyone! We also made a stop at Great-Grandpa Clark's house and was able to spend some time with him and Aunt Beth.
These are our people!
It is not often a couple finds another couple that become your best friends. We lucked out big time with these two! We absolutely love Chris and Christina and are so grateful to have them in our lives. We went on a double date to Cheesecake Factory the night Pres flew in and spent the next few hours catching up on life. There is always plenty of smiling, laughter, joking and just all around fun when you get the four of us together.
We actually prolonged our trip by a few days so we could have time with one special girl. Kami Mae turned 8 years old which is a big deal in the LDS world. She made the choice to be baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so proud of you Kam and are so thrilled we were able to be there for this special day!
Calderwood Family
What a gorgeous family!!
Clark crew with our special girl on her incredible day :)
On our way home we stopped for lunch at the park and let everyone run around for a good 30 minutes. They all fell asleep after dinner on our way home making the trip that much easier :) The kids did such an incredible job on our 12 hour drive back to Texas. Pres and I are so grateful to have the kiddos we do. We had so much fun in Utah while we were there. It is great to finally be home and actually enjoy our home and see our friends here in El Paso. We are so thankful to have had that time with family and friends in Utah, it was truly awesome! Thanks to all for making the trip so memorable!
