Our Big Summer Trip - Part 1

This summer, we took a big trip to Utah. It was absolutely wonderful. Couldn't have asked for anything better for our vacation. Got to see my family, got to see Peter's family, a few friends, and had a blast in the process.

We left on our trip on July 13 and returned on the 20th. It was a week full of fun and birthday celebrations. My birthday is on July 18. Anyhow, we decided to celebrate my birthday 1 week early, on July 11. We were so busy getting things ready to go, we decided to do store bought cupcakes. Mmmm mmmmm good. From the looks of this picture, though, you'd never know it was mommy's birthday. :)

On the morning of Tuesday, July 13, we woke up really early so we could be to the airport by 5:15 am. Peter's advisor, David, was kind enough to come pick us up so we wouldn't have to pay for the parking for the whole week. That was really great. We flew out of Gainesville to Atlanta. Then it was a straight shot to Salt Lake City. The kids enjoyed the plane so much that they actually behaved the whole time... of course, it's been over a month, so my memory may be cloudy. :) I believe this was a picture of the flight from Atlanta. The other plane was a little smaller than this. One other thing. We had a layover of something like 50 minutes in Atlanta. We sprinted the whole way, other than the train ride between terminals, and made it without a problem. On the way back home, though, we had a scary moment with the trains. We ran to catch the train that was there when we got to the train area. Emily stopped before climbing on the train, and the doors were trying to shut. I had a hold of her, but I had to push her into the train to get her on while the doors were shutting on me. It was a frightening moment, but we survived, and all stayed together. Emily was visibly shaken, but she got over it by the time we stopped to eat.

After we arrived in Salt Lake City, we went over to Temple Square and explored for a little bit. We also left the camera in the car. We did have our phones, so we have a couple pictures, but I haven't uploaded them yet. I'll post those later. After Temple Square, we headed over to our friends' house. The Merkely's are a family we know from our Clemson, SC days. Since then, they have moved to Salt Lake, and they were kind enough to allow us to stay with them for the night after we got to town. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a blast. They have 2 little boys, and Joshua and Emily couldn't have been happier with them. Camille even watched the kids the next morning so that Peter and I could go to the temple together. It had been quite some time since we had made it there together, so that was a very nice experience. Not to mention it was in the Jordan River temple where Peter and I got married just over 7 years ago. Thank you so much, Camille!

On Wednesday, July 14, the second day of our trip, we met some of my family at a farm in Murray. I don't remember the name of the farm, so if someone can fill me in, I'd appreciate it. (My mom has informed me that this is Wheeler Farm. Thanks Mom!) Joshua still talks about that farm and the animals, and it's over a month later. Great idea, Grandma! This is a picture of my mom (Grandma, here) and all 4 grandkids that can walk, Abby, Joshua, Kaity, and Emily, walking through the farm.

Joshua petting a goat. We had had the chance to milk some goats in June, so Josh was super comfortable petting this one.

Wyatt and Jessica. The other 2 grandkids who could not walk, therefore, could not be part of the other picture. But they seemed plenty happy just taking each others' pacifiers as entertainment. Jessie's not used to having someone ride with her, so I think she was just happy with the company.

Earlier, you saw pictures of my more immediate family. Here is a picture of almost everyone who came to this little gathering. I don't remember all of the names for sure, but I will give it a try. Some are my cousin Kirsten's kids. She's the one taking the picture. Others are my cousin Matt's kids.
back row: Jacob, Taylor, Cameron, Amber, Shawna, Allie, my sister Robyn, my sister Heather, her husband Travis, me (Angie) and Peter.
front: Joshua, Emily, Grandma Barker, Kaity, Wyatt and Jessica.
Abby is hiding somewhere. (Help with the names I missed would also be appreciated)

This also happened to be Kaity's 5th birthday. Happy Birthday Kaity! Such a beautiful little girl.

Grandma carrying Emily. I think Emily loved this. The girl in the pink shirt in the back is my cousin Kirsten who was missing from the other picture.

I liked this picture of my mom and Emily a bit better. But I included the other just for the sake of getting Kirsten on here. :)

Kaity and Joshua. Awwwww, how sweet. This reminds me of this post from 2 years ago.

Swimming with Alligators

On July 10, the stake had it's annual picnic lunch. We meet at Manatee Springs, a little over an hour away from here, and eat and play and swim. The springs here are cold. All year round, they stay a constant 72 (or was it 74) degrees. Cold, cold, cold. Anyhow, last year, the kids flat refused to get in the water once they felt it. We thought we'd try it again. So, after eating lunch, we headed over to the little dock to walk down into the springs and go for a swim. This year, we pulled them into the water. Again, they wanted nothing to do with it. After some crying and complaining and begging to get out, we left. Oh well. It's hard to go from swimming in a warm pool to swimming in a cold, cold spring. I'd say maybe next year, but hopefully, we will be somewhere else, so maybe not.

On the way over to the dock, we saw this sign. Makes us feel like smart swimmers, doesn't it? Fortunately, alligators don't like to be near a lot of people making a lot of noise, so I hear, so we felt pretty safe. There were no encounters with any, so maybe they're right on this one.

Independence Day

Since the 4th of July was on Sunday this year, we celebrated our Independence Day on the 3rd. The city had a firework show that night on campus, so we decided we should attend. We haven't gone to any firework shows since Joshua was born, and we figured he was old enough to enjoy it. The ward typically meets at a certain place to watch the show together. There is also a stage with music and entertainment leading up to the fireworks. It was a grand time.

The Bishop brought bubbles for the kids to play with. I think the bubbles went on for over an hour. Peter said his arm was a bit tired by the end of it all. Not to mention, he kept blowing bubbles long after our kids were done with them. Such a good entertainer he is.

This blanket is where Jessica spent most of the evening. It's a wonderful quilt Peter's Grandma Datin made for him long ago. I think Jessica was just happy to be outside for so long. She never really got grumpy that night... even though we didn't go home until nearly 10:00. Outside makes all the difference in the world.

The last time we had a family picture taken, Jessica was 2 months old, so we needed an update. I asked my friend to snap this picture just in time. Right after this, it started to pour. Thanks, Janene, for the beautiful shot. And in just one frame at that. :)

Earlier this year, Joshua kept asking for an umbrella of his own. I didn't figure he really needed one, so I let the kids start earning money for the chores they helped me with around the house. They still do so, but after about a month, I figured they'd both worked hard enough, and we got them a couple umbrellas, and the kids pitched in what they could. Emily wanted the Ariel umbrella. It's a good thing we got them, too. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had enough umbrellas for our family.

Josh got the Cars umbrella. Can you see the joy in these kids' faces? They were so happy to have a chance to use these umbrellas. And there's just something magical about sitting in the rain in the dark.... 2 things together at the same time that they would normally not really have the chance to do. Although I have been known to let them run around in the rain from time to time.

And here's Jessica and me. Sitting on the blanket, not doing a good job staying dry. Did I mention it was pouring? This was no drizzle. You can see the drops in the background. How pretty. Not long after this shot, the kids started to get really cold, and Jessie fell asleep sitting up right there, so we got up and left... with no firework show. Oh well. I heard they had the fireworks about half an hour or so after we had left. It was worth it, though. The kids had such a blast and it made the 4th of July far more fun for them.

Polar Opposites

Just take a look at how these two eat their toast...

Is there any more that needs to be said about how different the two of these kids are?

2 Months of Sun

Can this really be the same girl?

Jessica and Daddy in April for our first outing to the pool. The water was so cold, I didn't even get in. They were white white white. (Her legs are even a little purple from the cold... and we weren't in it for that long that day.)

This is also Jessica... in June. Can you tell she's from Florida now? And the doctor was worried about making sure she got enough vitamin D. I think we're there. I was actually worried that she would have a problem burning since she seemed so pale, but now she is the darkest of the family... at least her arms. Her face and legs still have room to catch up. (Daddy has also started to get a bit darker, though not as drastically so, since he has to work inside all day... poor guy.)

Famiy Home Evening

Last night, Joshua wanted to teach the lesson in Family Home Evening. He really wanted to teach from the nursery manual, so we let him teach us. He opened up to the page that pictures the beginning of the world with greenery and animals and water. And he was telling us that the elephant was born, and then the zebra was born, and then the giraffe was born. Then he stopped and looked at one of the pictures and said, "What is this?" Daddy told him it was a fox. And I expected him to go on with the previous explanation, but he stopped and thought for a good 10-15 seconds. Very seriously, mind you. Then he said, "I was wrong, the fox was born first, then the deer..." etc, etc around the picture. It was very cute, and very thought out. He also told us that Jesus made the world, so he is picking up on the important details as well. I know I forgot some of the important details of the lesson that made it super cute, so I'm going to have Peter fill in what he recalls.

Joshua teaching us a lesson about the creation of the world

Computer Down

Hey Mom, Dad and Grandma, and anyone else who's keeping up. Our computer screen is temporarily out of service, so I only have spotty computer access at the moment. I apologize that there has not been any new posts in some time, but I will take care of that as soon as I can.

We are doing well. Jessica is pulling herself up to standing as often as possible. She is so fun to watch. Emily is getting quite good at using full sentences when she speaks. I think you may have to be Peter or myself to understand, but I promise, it's there. And Joshua is quickly learning sight words. After sight words comes phonics and he is so excited to learn to read. Mostly because he has to be able to read to be able to type and send emails... or something. I think I said he couldn't do much typing until he knows how to read. I really think that's the driving force. In any case, I'm glad he's interested.

Peter's project seems to be coming along nicely. He's finished with all his physical testing and is currently working on some analytical modeling. He says he should be completely done with everything... other than writing the dissertation... well before we head off to Utah for our family reunion. Here's hoping.

Not much going on with me to report. Just same old, same old. :) I'll get more pictures up when I can.