Playing With Your Food

A couple of nights ago, we had my parents over for dinner. All the adults were wrapped up in the conversation and it was several minutes before I realized that Jack hadn't made a sound. This is what was keeping him so occupied:

I'm not sure what it says, but I guess noodles make great letters.

Bowling with Uncle PJ

Uncle Paul came to visit us from Idaho and took me and Jack bowling. It was Jack's first time and I think he pretty much loved every minute of it. After getting help on the first few bowls, he insisted on doing the rest by himself. He would set his ball down, face away from the lane, and push the ball backwards-granny style. It was very entertaining to watch. He scored a 55, with bumpers, of course.

Thanks PJ!

Burch Reunion

Last weekend was our Burch Family Reunion in American Fork, Utah. We drove up with Mike and Lois and the day we headed up to Utah also just happened to be the same day as the Tour of Utah. (What are the odds?) The guys were definitely on a mission to see those riders. Ty chased them down from Spanish Fork to Provo, but couldn't seem to get ahead of them. There were roadblocks everywhere and crazy biker-fans parked all over the place. Finally, we were able to find a way through the madness to hop out of the car long enough to get this picture:

...And three seconds later, they were gone. But it was cool while it lasted.

Since we were in good 'ol Provo anyway, we took Jack to see the apartment that we lived in when he was born. He didn't understand why we couldn't go inside. Then, we headed up to Lehi to stay with the Taylors.

Josie B and Jack playing in the sprinklers

Savannah, Jack, Quinn, and Josie. These kids had such a great time. They played non-stop.

The next day was the girls' part of the reunion. We had an entire day in Aunt Kaye's basement to sew! We picked a red, white, and blue themed quilt and everyone made their own squares. At the end of the day, we swaped them with eachother. It was so much fun. I just love these women!

Lots of cute kids!

 The last day was the official reunion in Grandpa Burch's barn. We had a huge lunch of roast, corn on the cob, potatoes, rolls, and salad and then an auction. I did a horrible job of remembering to take pictures, but I did get this cute little montage of Josie and Jack on one of Grandpa's tractors:

Can't wait to go back next summer!

Chillin' at Lake Powell

We had an incredibly relaxing time at Lake Powell last weekend. The weather was sunny and warm, the lake was nice and cool, and the company was great!

Jack finishing off Papa's ice cream. No drop is ever wasted!

Jack and Madi

Jack getting ready to wakeboard with Dad

Jack driving Uncle Rob's boat

I love those happy smiles!

Helicopter Ride in Page

My sister Anna is the office manager for Classic Lifeguard in Page, AZ. We were visiting there for the weekend, and she was able to hook us up with a 30-minute helicopter ride. It was by far the craziest/scariest thing I've ever done, but it was so worth it. Ty was in heaven the entire time. Jack was very brave and only screamed once...which is more than I can say for myself. Our pilot was in the military for 17 years and flew helicopters in combat in Croatia, Israel, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I think he was excited to show us some of his combat moves.

This picture looks like Ty is pointing the camera downward, but he's not. This was taken out his side window. We were banked very hard to the left.

Can you see how close to the ground we were? The pilot said we were going about 160 miles an hour at 15 feet off the ground.

Skylight Arch. Right after this picture, the pilot asked me if I like to rappel. I quickly yelled "No!" He replied, "Well, I'm going to take you rappelling right now," and we dove a couple hundred feet down the side of this cliff.

A nice view of Lone Rock.

We flew right through that "V" notch in the rock. Yeah. We could see the people on that houseboat freaking out.

We survived! Thanks Anna!

Gilbert Temple: Coming Soon!

The new Gilbert Temple is under construction and it's only 20 minutes away from us!

My visiting teacher gave me the greatest idea. She has been taking her family to the site on Sundays and the see the progress that is being made. We thought Jack would enjoy it, so we made the drive last Sunday and took some quick pictures. Hopefully, experiences like this will help us remember what a blessing it is to have another temple so close to us.

Story Time

Just a cute picture of my boys reading. We love the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems. They get Jack laughing every time.