This is the place...

 Warning: this is an avalanche of photos about our week to Utah. I am 30 but I love going home more now than I ever have. I feel like the older I get, the more I love to go home and everything that entails.

 I didn't ask Liv to smile. This was her face when I turned around after we landed in Salt Lake and she was sitting in her carseat with the full light and knowledge that she was going to grandmas house.

Who wouldn't want to come to grandma's house? I woke up in the morning to this sight. My mom had made fresh peach parfaits for breakfast and set up a table IN the chicken/turkey/turtle pen so they could eat with the animals.  Think of it as breakfast at the petting zoo. Liv was delighted.

Who needs to pay for the zoo when you can have this going on in your backyard?

 

Liv loved that Aunt Liza was just a bedroom away and spent as much time as she could...

It's so fun to bring my girls home and watch the siblings that I love, love the people I love. 

You should feel slightly sad if you missed our first family poker night...

Or swinging time in the back yard.

 Grace was crying because she wished that she could be in the tub...

Or outside play time next to the great wall of sunflowers.

Liv loved grandma greats house.  This horse was a toy that my mom played on so technically Liv was rocking on some generational heritage at my grandmas...Long live Brownie the horse. 

We loved our duck fest feeding day at Em's house.

With plenty of cousin time and a bread making class...

We followed the craze and had a sisters outing to the new "Slurps" and we were not disappointed. 

Uncle Ben spent the night and we had a great time being around him and his dog food carrying muscles.

Liv was exhausted every night from playing all day and really wanted to have a sleepover with Liza and grandma.

 We loved craft time, lunch and going shopping with Aunt B.

 Liv reached expert level at gathering eggs with Grandma.

 It was non stop pretending.

And soaking up Aunt Liza.Who knew my girls would have a model for an aunt?

Liv loved grocery shopping and getting whatever she touched... 

Only at a Utah Garage sale can you find treasures like this for sale...

We will definitely be going back. I love home. I love all the things make home feel like home and even though I have my own home, it always feels like home to walk through the door because of the people that live there. As cheesy as red slipper Dorthy and her munchkin land were, there really is no place like home.

Tennis time.

I am not athletic. I want to be athletic. In my mind I am very athletic and my arms don't jiggle at all.  In reality, everything jiggles and I look awkward if I even run. It's the truth. It's pitiful but oh so true. I have always secretly wanted to be good at tennis. So when I signed up for some cheap community lessons last month that just met on Saturday morning I decided to make my secret a reality. Well, it became even more real when in the whole city of Aurora I was the ONLY person to sign up so I ended up having private lessons with a hip fit very athletic coach named Yadi.  I still look ridiculous when I try to be athletic but I loved the lessons. I am not used to running as you can see clearly by my sweating red face.

So we decided on Saturday to have a little tennis date and play doubles with our friends Matt and Amelia. It was actually a triple date since Liv and Grace joined us on the sidelines.  While we played, they ate enough Gerber puffs to constipate them both but it was well worth it.

My doubles partner. Basically my partner in everything, but on this particular day it was tennis.

Gar is athletic so the fact that he married someone from the non athletic species requires a lot of patience on his part. He does a fantastic job with not comparing me to Venus Williams and making me feel like a champion when it goes over the net.

All bad shots were forgotten when we left the court to dine at Garbonzos which is my number one favorite restaurant at present. Who knew bean balls called falafels could be so divine? If you come, I will personally take you because everyone needs to experience the Mediterranean goodness.

If it looks weird to you, don't be alarmed, that is normal. But once you taste it, your dietary life will be changed forever.

Kay time!

Have you ever eaten something so delicious that you can't stop talking about it and you want everyone to eat there too? That's a little bit how I feel about knowing Kay Thurman. She's one of those women that once you have her in your life, you never want her to leave and you want everyone you know, to know her too so they can experience the joy. I was excited for Grace to meet her even though all she remembers is when its time to eat.  I met Kay working as a seminary teacher and I plan on being her friend forever. When I was pregnant and teaching, I would lay on the floor like a bloated wildabeest in between classes because I was so nauseous and uncomfortable and she would come and sit on my floor with me and make me laugh so hard and then let me share whatever I wanted from my unedited heart. I love her and I will always love her.  I have eaten more snow cones with her in the summer than any other human. She filled in all my rolls and grades so I could go on vacation. She decorated little brownie bites for my reception. She makes my life good and is one of those soul friends that you can tell anything to.

So when she came to Denver we were excited to be around her again. We had Panera bread to celebrate and she bought Liv her own sugar cookie.

Everyone needs Kay Thurman in their life. I'm so grateful I have her as my friend forever.

Michigan recap...

I am having blog bog which means that I have not blogged in so long that to try and recap would be annoying for anyone bored enough to be reading this and frustrating for me to try to write it all down. I'm not joking when I say that I flipped the calendar from July to September and missed August all together.  We spent the first week at the Michigan family reunion and it was delightful. I honestly feel like I scored when it comes to the in law aspect of my life. My siblings on my grafted Seibold family tree are some of the greatest people I know.

The worst part of the trip was the arriving. Children are not meant to travel and I was highly tempted to use the "religious reflections room" at the Detroit airport.  I mean, I know travel can get stressful but who knew they had this special room? If I hadn't been so excited to get out of the airport, I would have gone just to see. I wonder if you have to use your flight ticket as a recommend...

Liv's dilated eyes were constant as she loved being around uncles. With 6 uncles all around, there was no lack of attention.

Grace tried out nursing on Grandpa's arm but it wasn't as fulfilling as she hoped. Grandpa is actually really good at playing and Liv loved him.

 Every night one sibling was in charge of the activity and dinner so we had quite the variety to participate. Monday night we went to Whirly ball which is like basketball/lacrosse/bumper cars all mixed into one.

Of course we had a family golf outing with mandatory participation. I am proud to say that Brock and I were a team and took first in the family.

The family kick ball game was put on hold for a snake charmer show while Tanner dazzled the cousins with the serpent. 

While the boys golfed 27 holes (yes 27) the girls went to the Detroit zoo. I felt like we were a parade stroller and I'm pretty sure we added at least 2 years on to Bethany's desire for children but it was a good time with all the sweating animals.

We had euchre tournaments, four square championships, citadels, and a speed bracket with desserts every night. For every activity you won, you got a point which was then totaled at the end of the week for free dinner at Bonefish grill.  I did not do well in any of the games but I did enjoy the homeade oreo blizzards, cinnamon life cereal, cheesecake and other nightly treats.

One night the game was ultimate spoons with all the spoons hidden in the bottom of the pool  The other fame was called 7 steps which is not as popular as hide and seek but definitely more fun.

For girls day Kerry wanted us to go shooting so we felt like Annie Oakly and went to the range.  Following that we went to the mall, ate at a Mexican restaurant, ate chocolate covered bacon and a rocky mountain chocolate apple and talked. 

One day we went to the beach and Liv had her first tubing experience. She was a fan. We had our annual sister tube run and enjoyed the sun.

 We had a smores in the back yard with Kody leading a family "one bottle a pop" song.

 We had plenty of pool time in the back yard.

And a late night slurpee run with 7-11 doughnuts...

 Cousin time.

 Dinner time.

 A nerdy game we love.

 Grace loves Gramps.

 Savannah's eyes shows her feelings about the cousin bath house...

 Hanging out with Aunt Ker, the motherhood master.

 I'm so grateful that I get to be with these people. There's still 3 spots available to become a Seibold so if you're female, can tolerate golf, and love some good humans in your life forever, I highly recommend it...