Part 3 ~ The Long Expected Party :)

Ok, one week later and I'm finally wrapping up our trip stories.

So on Saturday night we got back to Jerome after spending most of the afternoon puttering around Utah. Grandma and Grandpa had just gotten home earlier that day after a long week in Utah and by that evening all of us were ready just to settle in for the night, have some treats, and watch a movie. It was so nice just to curl up on the couch and take it easy.

The next day was Grandpa's birthday and once we all got out of church it was time for the birthday dinner. My dad had helped one of his brothers and his wife make tinfoil dinners for everyone, so we dished up and ate out in the afternoon sun - perfect weather once again! 

  It was so fun to have a couple days in a row of being around so many of the cousins, aunts, and uncles. A bunch of the family all made it over for dinner and dessert and then some of us sat out on the porch, and some went into the living room and we all sat around talking and laughing. As Grandma mentioned a couple times over the weekend, "This has got to be what heaven is like." Agreed.

   We have two new babies on the way, bringing the total of second cousins up to 11 by the end of the year. It's fun when the cousins start having kids and you get to see how much like their parents they turn out to be.

  Smile everyone!

 Grandma asked Grandpa what he'd like most for his birthday and he mentioned that he thought it would be fun to have a Kindle that he could just load a bunch of books onto. Well, Grandma talked to her kids about it and they decided to get him an iPad so he could have books plus some games. I think he was pretty pleased to open it and see what he got.

 The newlyweds also showed up towards the middle of dinner. They were just coming home from their stay in Utah and they came over to have the birthday party with us. After everyone had finished eating, Ben and Kim invited any of us that wanted to to come over to their new place while they opened their wedding presents. So most of Ben's sisters, brother-in-laws, nieces, nephews, my aunt, my siblings and I, and another cousin all headed over for that. I'm sure this place they're living is one they'll have fun looking back on and remembering in years to come as their first home. Ben and Kim are living in the little basement apartment under our uncle's mortuary, where our uncle and his family used to live until they outgrew it. It's a nice little place and I think they're going to enjoy being close to family.

This is what the Farm looks like on most summer evenings and it's always a little hard to drive away after having had such a good time. But luckily summer is just getting started and it won't be long before we're back hanging out with our family.