We took a much needed vacation to Utah to see the family in July. Dad and Todd planned a camping trip to Yuba Lake that started out trip. 
Steve and I often sat back and laughed when the family talked about how hot it was there! It was only in the low 90's and it was wonderful, because I actually got cold in the morning sleeping in the tent! It was the first time in months that I felt cold!
Gavin's actual birthday fell the second day that we were there.
Even though he already had a party, Steve and I surprised him by following the Smith Family tradition.....since he was turning eight, he got a BB gun. The boys all had a chance to drive a few minutes away and shoot it into a mountain...(only in Utah!)
Ryan and Melia and their children joined us all for the camping trip, and Mike and Julie came down with baby Danika for dinner the second day. All together, there were nine cousins (all under the age of nine) running around the campground at all times!
Dad and Todd brought the boat down and we had a blast riding in it around the lake. The boys decided they want a boat. I told them they could have one if they paid for it!
I love this picture of Steve!
I laughed when Todd and Steve were joking around together for the camera. It was nice to see Steve able to relax. He had been putting in so many hours at work and was traveling quite a bit before we left.
We spent some good time down by the lake, and leave it to Wyatt to find the dirt and rocks! I love this picture, because it is so Wyatt....king of the hill!
Wyatt had a hard time keeping shoes on around the campground, and he constantly got stickers in his feet. Todd was about the only one who could get them out!
Averi loved the water!
And so did Gavin! He was so helpful and was always the first on there to help when the boat came in from the water!
Smith boys chatting down by the water!
I was surprised that Wyatt bonded so quickly with Todd! He let his uncle take him out in the water a couple of times. If I tried that, I know what would have clocked me in the face!
Relaxing....
Ethan really liked camping with the Smith family!
Ryan was teaching Raeney how to float on her back.
Beautiful moon coming up over the campground!
Todd was getting a bit tired of getting his picture taken by me, but it is always fun to tease him. I am proud to say that for the first time in fourteen years of knowing Todd, I teased him to the point that left him speechless!
Steve and I often sat back and laughed when the family talked about how hot it was there! It was only in the low 90's and it was wonderful, because I actually got cold in the morning sleeping in the tent! It was the first time in months that I felt cold!
Gavin's actual birthday fell the second day that we were there.
Even though he already had a party, Steve and I surprised him by following the Smith Family tradition.....since he was turning eight, he got a BB gun. The boys all had a chance to drive a few minutes away and shoot it into a mountain...(only in Utah!)
Ryan and Melia and their children joined us all for the camping trip, and Mike and Julie came down with baby Danika for dinner the second day. All together, there were nine cousins (all under the age of nine) running around the campground at all times!
Dad and Todd brought the boat down and we had a blast riding in it around the lake. The boys decided they want a boat. I told them they could have one if they paid for it!
I love this picture of Steve!
I laughed when Todd and Steve were joking around together for the camera. It was nice to see Steve able to relax. He had been putting in so many hours at work and was traveling quite a bit before we left.
We spent some good time down by the lake, and leave it to Wyatt to find the dirt and rocks! I love this picture, because it is so Wyatt....king of the hill!
Wyatt had a hard time keeping shoes on around the campground, and he constantly got stickers in his feet. Todd was about the only one who could get them out!
Averi loved the water!
And so did Gavin! He was so helpful and was always the first on there to help when the boat came in from the water!
Smith boys chatting down by the water!
I was surprised that Wyatt bonded so quickly with Todd! He let his uncle take him out in the water a couple of times. If I tried that, I know what would have clocked me in the face!
Relaxing....
Ethan really liked camping with the Smith family!
Ryan was teaching Raeney how to float on her back.
Beautiful moon coming up over the campground!
Todd was getting a bit tired of getting his picture taken by me, but it is always fun to tease him. I am proud to say that for the first time in fourteen years of knowing Todd, I teased him to the point that left him speechless!Once we got back to Payson, I had a chance to meet Mom and Dad Cobb. They flew down from Washington for the week, and even Steve hadn't seen them since his mother's funeral. We had a chance to get family pictures taken and spend time with all of the family, many hours out on the front lawn talking.
Reagen really enjoyed eating the grass!
She was teething and we learned to give her a cold can of Diet Coke to suck on.
We took a trip up to Cabellas and over to The Natural History Museum at Thanksgiving Point.
The kids especially enjoyed the hands-on exhibits.
They got to play with the water and sand tables to create different weather conditions, such as floods.
And they were able to dig through the sand for dinosaur fossils.
The Saturday before we left for home, we had a nice dinner at a park in Santaquin with Mike and Julie, and their new baby daughter, Danika. She was blessed at church the following day, and it was nice to be able to see that happen and for Steve to stand in the circle during the blessing.
Danika, the newest Smith addition!
Mike and Ryan
The cousins all had one more chance to play together at the park.
Gavin being a monkey!
Wyatt loved anything he could ride on.
The three oldest cousins....Ethan, Gavin, and Lea.
And of course my Wild Guy did a face plant in the one mud hole that he found at the park! We all got a good laugh from that one. Thank goodness my camera was handy.
Grandpa and Reagen
Reagen really enjoyed eating the grass!
She was teething and we learned to give her a cold can of Diet Coke to suck on.
We took a trip up to Cabellas and over to The Natural History Museum at Thanksgiving Point.
The kids especially enjoyed the hands-on exhibits.
They got to play with the water and sand tables to create different weather conditions, such as floods.
And they were able to dig through the sand for dinosaur fossils.
The Saturday before we left for home, we had a nice dinner at a park in Santaquin with Mike and Julie, and their new baby daughter, Danika. She was blessed at church the following day, and it was nice to be able to see that happen and for Steve to stand in the circle during the blessing.
Danika, the newest Smith addition!
Mike and Ryan
The cousins all had one more chance to play together at the park.
Gavin being a monkey!
Wyatt loved anything he could ride on.
The three oldest cousins....Ethan, Gavin, and Lea.
And of course my Wild Guy did a face plant in the one mud hole that he found at the park! We all got a good laugh from that one. Thank goodness my camera was handy.
Grandpa and ReagenI had a blast at Deseret Book Store and of course The Quilted Bear. They were having a huge sale on fine art and I was able to buy the picture of the Nauvoo Temple that I always wanted for 75% off. Steve was nice enough to watch the kids one day so that I could go to the Olive Garden with Lani. I took Averi on a whim up to the BYU campus and we went to the creamery and bookstore.
I think Ethan and Gavin mostly enjoyed being able to go through Grandpa's arsenal of a gun safe and go shooting a couple of times. I went with them out to West Mountain once, and I am proud to say that I ended up shooting Steve's 22mm, Ryan's 9 mm, and then I even shot a 357. Scared the daylights out of me, and then Dad made me shoot it until the rounds were all gone! (Lani, I knew you would be proud of me for that!) Ethan is a really good shot. He got up the first time he shot the 9mm and hit the target! Me on the other hand...lets just say I need more practice!
We had fun coming home too and stayed at the state line at Buffalo Bills. I talked the boys into going on the roller coaster with me. I was so proud of them for doing so, especially since Gavin is scared of heights! The roller coaster even scared the daylights out of me.
I miss the Smith family and wished we lived closer to them so that we could see them more than once a year, but I am already looking forward to next summer so we can go and see them again!
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