Maura's Wedding

Just wanted to say that even though I have no pictures to show for it, Erick and I had an unforgettable experience in Utah with the family and at Maura's wedding. Unfortunately, I lost my camera and turned the house upside-down, until midnight the night before we left, and couldn't find it ANYWHERE. I felt horrible, but there was nothing I could do. We had to go to the airport with or without the camera, so we did. But luckily, there were plenty of cameras there, and Maura's wedding was very well documented. But I did want to say that Erick and I loved every moment we spent with his and my family. Some high-lights included:
1. Getting to go without the kids!!! Thanks mom!
2. The bridal shower, where we met Devan, finding out he's an amateur archeologist (if you google the correct spelling of his name), seeing all the Allen fam, and knowing that Maura was marring just the right person!
3. Meeting Rex for the first time. When I saw him, it took my breath away because a) he was SOOO CUTE, and b) he looked so much like baby Bryant did.
4. Getting to chat and have lunch with my brother and sisters and in-laws. I treasure each time I get to see them.
5. Getting to stay with Jordan and Erica. They are the best! They are wonderful hosts, and they would be the best neighbors in the world if we ever got to live near them! I love it when someone your husband loves marries someone equally as loveable! That is the case with Jordan and Erica--I get along with her like I've known her my whole life!
6. The hike--one of the benefits of going to UT sans children was that we got to go on a hike with Jordan, Erica, Niel, and Erick's uncle Mike. It was great hearing Erick's dad and brother tell awesome stories of growing up in the Cashe Valley. It was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing. We both cherished it.
7. The wedding. Awesome. Beautiful bride, handsome groom--wish we could have spent a little more time with both of them, but weddings are always so busy, so we'll wait till Christmas. Maura was a gorgeous bride, and the wedding was wonderful.
8. The reception. Got to see and spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Allen, Grandma and Grandpa Erickson, and tons of Allens. They are such a great family and I love being a part of it. It was hard to leave everyone! I wish we could live there sometimes! And we're looking forward to Christmas in Colorado! There were so many more great moments, and I could type all night! But I have to stop somewhere!

The aquarium

While on our quick beach visit, we managed to squeeze a visit to the one of the NC aquariums. I loved it, and wished we could have stayed longer! Those of you who know Erick also know that he really likes fish, and knows just about everything about them. It was great watching the kids see things they had never seen before.

The entrance to the museum

They have a place where you can touch and feel a lot of the animals, and Cora, our animal-lover touched everthing she could! Bryant was a little more shy, but he eventually touched a few.

This is some kind of an albino alligator

Happy kids!

Ferry Ride

While at the beach we took a ferry to get to the aquarium and it turned out to be quite an adventure in itself. We loaded our cars on the boat and road for quite a while. This was the first time I had ever ridden a ferry that you park on. It was pretty neat.

While on the ride, Bryant made some new friends and they played at the back of the ferry tossing snacks to the many sea gulls flying right behind the boat. It was fun to watch. Bryant was so upset that we had to leave his new friends that he was kind of a grump at the aquarium.

The Boat

Day at the Beach

Erick had some business at the beach a few weeks ago, so we decided to go with him. We packed an amazing amount of activity into just a couple of days! Cora and Bryant enjoyed all of it and so did we!

Love this picture

Bryant, of course, took right to the waves on a little boogie board.

Look at him go!

Cora as always, was timid at first walking on the sand. It was as if she thought she was going to fall into a sink-hole. But after a few minutes of hobbling around she got the hang of it and even got into the water!

Kentucky visit!

Kids LOVED THE POOL!!

Bryant had just finished swimming lessons before we went to KY, and he was a little fish the whole time!

Here's Nana, Nan, Emma, Cora, Me, and Bryant

This summer I drove Cora, Bryant, and their aunt Emma to Kentucky. It was a ten hour drive one way, and I was very scared to try to make the trip without Erick, knowing that I would do all of the driving, but we headed out at five in the morning with a dvd player, mucho snacks, and a trunk full of gear. The kids did great mostly due to Emma's help, and it was a blast! We had so much fun relaxing at Nana's house. We swam in her pool every day, were taken out to eat every day (which totally spoiled the kids!), and got to see some great cousins! Bryant fell in love with my cousin, Nan, and talked about her all day until he got to see her. He was so sad to leave, that he cried the night before we left for home. I think he loved being the center of Nana's attention! Cora loved Nana too, and when she didn't know where Nana was, she would walk around the house yelling "WHERE"S NA-NA" with a lot of emphasis on the "NA--NA" part. We loved it so much that we convinced my dad to drive out with us to visit her again at the end of the month in Florida! Hopefully that trip will go just as smoothely--except this time I'll leave the Kashi cookies (soy based-unbeknowst to me) at home!