Utah Road Trip

When the Kaisers asked if we wanted to come on a quick trip to Utah with them, we jumped on it because (1) being a passenger on a road trip is infinitely better than being a driver, (2) we love mooching, and (3) we take any chance we can to go back to our old stomping grounds.

If there was a hashtag for our trip it would be #basicutahwinter because we basically just did the same things that have been flooding our social media feeds for months, but it was great! It was a super short trip and we wish we could have seen more people and done more things, but we loved the time we had and being able to be together with the whole Kaiser fam.

We went through the Provo City Center Temple open house on Saturday. Andre sung in the old tabernacle in the BYU Mens Chorus and we went to Stake Conference there for years. I was across the street the morning it burned down and we went on countless walks to check on the construction when we lived just a few blocks away. It was amazing to see it rebuilt as a temple. The inside was gorgeous and detailed and a perfect tribute to Provo's pioneer heritage. Even though we had tickets, we still had to wait in line for an hour, so Rhett was kind of done by the time we made it inside. He was a trooper, though, and loved seeing the pictures of Jesus. Even though the temple isn't dedicated yet, there is definitely a special spirit inside. [This video is super interesting/informative about the architectural details of the temple--definitely worth a watch before you go].

Hands in the pockets kills me every time.

We also bundled up for a trip to the Midway Ice Castles. Rhett was mesmerized by just the outside and was uncharacteristically brave and adventurous inside.

Rhett loves princesses of all kinds, so meeting Anna and Elsa at the entrance was the highlight of his day.

I'm dying over this picture--the straight face and Christmas Story-esque winter gear are perfect.

Rhett loved finding little "caves" and tunnels that were just his size. 

Rhett said his favorite part was going down the slides, even with a wet bum.

We also got to meet baby Eli and are already scheming for how to get him and Rhett to be BYU roommates like their dads.

Adventures in Utah

After the family reunion, we realized we were already a few hours down the road and jumped at the chance to visit our old stomping grounds in Utah. We basically spent the entire time there eating our way through Utah County, seeing lots of friends and family, and taking basically no pictures. So you know it was a good time.

On our drive home, Andre and I talked about how rejuvenated we felt after the trip. There's just something about spending tons of time with people who get you and who have known you since long before you were a spouse or a parent or anything. To our friends, we love you--you make us better people and we'll see you soon! (Even though we didn't take pictures with you, you'll live on in our hearts)

We got to go to the gorgeous new Payson Temple where we snapped a quick selfie before the craziest rainstorm moved in.

Rhett became obsessed with Y Mountain and ran around town saying "Bayoo Y Mountain" over and over

Soda box hats, because why not?

Rhett was a total trooper with all the people and all the restaurants, and sometimes he was the entertainment like when he modeled glasses or when he spent 15 minutes drinking grapes.

zoom zoom

We've decided the best way to pass the time waiting for baby is to stay as busy as possible. We spent yesterday afternoon at a free car show, where we were thoroughly entertained by both the people and the cars. I think André would have taken any one of those cars home.

And we may have seen our future--retirees with super nice cars just camping out at all the car shows.

the first week of july...

was full of picnics, parades, fireworks, cherry picking (and the resulting cherry ice cream pie), friends, practicing our baby wearing skills with stuffed animals, free movies, air conditioning, cold medicine, and baking experiments.

Loving summer!

after my last narcissistic post, here are lots of photos of my handsome husband

summertime in black and white

We love the beginning of summer when the sun is shining but the unbearable heat hasn't kicked in.

Looking through the pictures on our phones, I realized we have a fascination for club sports and unhealthy baked goods. Enjoy!

Mini-croqueting with the Lloyds. Turns out Adam is a champ and me...well, not so much. This was also the aftermath of my horrible sunburn and André stepping on a bee during our inaugural Seven Peaks trip of the summer...we barely made it through.

 Evening soccer games

Rewarding ourselves with a trip to Bruge's Waffles and Fries after a Memorial Day "hike". Best waffles and fries we have ever had! It's a good thing we don't like in Salt Lake or we might be broke and obese soon.

 I'd been hearing about these Art City Days scones from my co-workers forever, so we had to check them out. The verdict? Tasty, but not as good as the people watching.

PGA Tour Saturday. Five mini-golf courses across Utah Valley and some serious competition. André pulled through with a come from behind win.

red rock roadtrip

As soon as I heard about babymoons, I was hooked. A last chance for a couples vacation before the kids come? Sign me up! This weekend we packed our bags and headed to sunny Radiator Springs St. George for some relax fun in the sun.

Highlights:
Rock scrambling time. Andre made his way through "Fat Man's Misery", but I thought it was best for the baby if I didn't squeeze myself through a 12 inch wide cavern and was just the photographer. Turns out my husband is like a little kid around all those red rocks.

Downtown time. Art festival, great people watching, missionary tours

Delicious food time. We seriously ate our weight in amazing food. But then we walked it off, so it doesn't count.

Bed and Breakfast time. Old polygamist homes, clawfoot tubs, squeaky stairs, and gourmet breakfasts. An excellent choice.

 

Temple time. Beautiful. And I learned that maybe that skirt isn't the most pregnancy flattering and should be retired for the next few months. A 24.5 week baby bump.

St. George, we love you and the sunburns we got and the time we got to spend together without Andre doing homework.

fall festivities

// general conferencing //

// animal scaring //

// date coat wearing //

// early halloween-ing (bob barker and a price is right contestant, obvs.) //

// pumpkin patching // 

// face hole-ing // 

//kite flying // 

//pizza making // 

//witch watching//

We sure love autumn in these parts and will find any excuse to fit a little fall adventure into our lives. 

We are savoring the last few moments of the season before it's time for holidays and lots of family time!

hello, goodbye

this weekend it was out with the old and in with the new as we said goodbye to summer and welcomed fall.

We spent our Labor Day enjoying the last day of the season at 7 Peaks, getting our terrifying-ly tall water slide on, our lazy river on, and our sunburn on. One last sunburn to last us into the cool months ahead.

We also headed up to explore Sundance this weekend. Robert Redford, you've done good. We loved being in the cool mountain air and seeing the beautiful signs of fall.

Only in Provo... (by André)

So, having lived in Provo now for a few years and having gone various places outside Utah Valley you begin to realize that there are certain things one sees and hears in Provo that one would not see/hear elsewhere. I have made a collection of some of the most notable I have noticed over that past year or so and present it now to you for your amusement and pleasure:

1. Only in Provo is a normal Suburban not big enough to carry all the kids...

2. Only in Provo would someone post on every light pole down University Ave. that they were missing their cactus...

3. Only in Provo would you see these two personalized license plates within days of each other...

 Mr. Monk, kind of cool but Chzstk... who wants their license plate to say Chzstk? That's what you get when you let your two year old name the car. "Tim what should we name the new car?" "Cheesestick!" "Why?" "'Cause I like Cheesesticks mom!"

This could have been an honorable tribute to Disney until they slapped on some good ol' Harry Potter and Hunger Games. "My other ride is a Firebolt" Really DsnyAna, Really?

4. Only in Provo could two 22 year old's get away with people thinking they had kids

(don't worry these aren't actually ours)

5. Only in Provo could you find an authentic Pioneer village open to the public daily except Sundays...

6. Only in Provo (and this is possibly the most ridiculous one so far), only in Provo do people start camping out for the 4th of July Parade in excess of 24 hours in advance...

Seriously, people camp out a day in advance. They bring their 40" HDTV's, gaming systems, barbeques and tents and just stay up all night playing Halo, grilling cheap hot dogs and otherwise gallivanting. Who started this? Better question, how do hundreds of parents think this is a good idea for their young children?

7. Only in Provo.... (This deserves no header its just downright shameful)...

8. Only in Provo would I hear the following conversation between two girls who hadn't seen each other all summer but ran into each other during the first week of classes at BYU...
"So how was your summer?"
"Well, do you remember my Gale/Peeta situation?"
"Yes" (in an excited and expectant "tell me more" tone)
"I'm dating the Peeta one"
"Oh good!"
Girls, you're going to make me hurl my lunch. Seriously.

If we do end up staying here for law school don't be surprised if we start getting a bit odd. For example, if Michelle joins the Twilight Moms club you'll know she's hit an all time low and I'm spending far too much time on schoolwork. If you start noticing anything out of the ordinary with us, please, as loving friends and family INTERVENE!

we built this city on brigham young

We set off bright and early last Saturday to check out the Brigham City Temple open house with the Kaisers. A beautiful day at a beautiful place. I love the spirit of the temple and the peace it brings, even before it is officially dedicated. I think we'll be making another trip up north to see the temple in action sometime soon!