Anne came and picked us up Friday mid morning and took us to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Wally was on his lunch break so he met us there and got to meet Reid for the first time! Then we drove out to Tooele where Hayden had fun with cousins playing on the water slide and jumping on the trampoline until it split in half! Darice drove out with her family for the day so there were lots of cute little babies!
Hayden and Gigi, she loved holding a little baby again
Sunday Mark and Kelsey blessed Georgia Ann (Gigi) in church and then we had a big lunch afterwards. It rained so we all came inside, but it was great to visit with family on such a special day.
Monday preparations for the river began. It takes a lot of work to get everything ready to go. Anne and Steve work so hard to make the river such a fun experience for everyone. I don't know how they do it every year!
Most people who know me know that I get sick every time I travel and I was so proud of myself because up until now I was doing really well! Well Monday rolls around and Paul gets sick and then proceeded to give it to EVERYONE else! It was a nasty cold that took forever to go away. Around the same time my eyes started to swell, I wouldn't find out until the following Sunday that I was having an allergic reaction (I believe to dogs) it was awful!
I was scared to camp with Reid for 5 days, so I let Paul take Hayden to Jackson Hole on Tuesday and I joined them on Thursday. Mark had to work until then, so he was nice enough to let me ride with him. I always love getting to talk to Mark. It reminds me of when I'd go to Tooele to visit with them when Paul was on his mission or at the Academy. Mark was always so good to stay and hang out with me.
I was super nervous about camping with an 8 month old, but Reid did pretty good! The first day he refused to nap, he was way to excited about everything, and then at night he woke up after only an hour of sleeping. But I nursed him and laid him back down and he slept all night, Thursday and Friday.
The river was freezing cold this year and the weather was the worst it's ever been since I've gone. It rained a lot and never got much above 70. But that didn't stop us from having fun. I was so proud of Hayden for being so brave. She loved going on the river despite shivering most of the time and loves it when he dad calls her a "river rat." She even jumped off the side of the boat into the water.
Cousin Tate and Reid, all of Reid's cousins were so cute with him!
Reid's 1st morning around the campfire
On Friday night we headed in to Jackson Hole and had pizza and walked around the town. Reid dumped a water bottle on himself so he got these cute $20 pajamas!
The next morning we packed up and headed home. We took the scenic route through Bear Lake and got a delicious raspberry milk shake!
That night Hayden's older cousins let her in on the sleep over and Hayden was beyond thrilled. She was so excited to be with the big girls!
The next day after church Grandma Anne and the cousins had a surprise birthday party for Hayden since she's never been able to have a cousins party. She was pretty excited to have all the attention on her, to open presents and eat princess cake!
Monday came and sadly it was time for us to head back to Georgia. It doesn't matter how long we stay, it is always hard to leave!
We had such a memorable trip. Paul and I often say that we don't want to raise our children in Utah, but then after being home with family we can't help but want Hayden to be near her cousins and grandparents. It was a rough adjustment back to being at home. We love our families so much!
