6 states, 12 days

We're back!! And what an awesome family vacation we had! 

I have over a 1,000 pictures I've been busily sorting though. But since we've had company at our house all week, and are headed out of town again tomorrow morning, updating the blog is going to take a bit longer than I anticipated. This post took me all week to finish (it is a long one though - brace yourself for a picture overload)!

Let's rewind back to Elle's birthday morning  - July 17th (Day 1 of our trip) . . .

We celebrated first thing in the morning before hitting the road! Spencer and I had stayed up late getting the car completely packed and the house decorated for Elle's birthday so that we could just enjoy our morning with her!

After breakfast, we loaded up her bag of presents and headed out.

I had a bunch of presents wrapped in her birthday bag, which I was originally hoping she'd have the patience to open one each hour. It ended up being more like one every 20 minutes!

But then she had the rest of the drive to enjoy all her presents!

When we got to Vegas, we quickly unloaded and headed straight for the pools! The kids loved the lazy river . . .

and all the pools just deep enough that they could still touch!

We swam for a bit before heading out on the town for dinner. Elle chose Cafe Rio for her birthday dinner (with just a little subtle persuasion from her parents):

Then we passed a Yogurtland where we stopped in for birthday dessert! Elle got to choose as many toppings as she wanted! 

Then back to the hotel for a night swim with dad while I put Cal to bed. After their swim Elle found 2 more presents in her bag that she insisted on opening!

Day 2: Friday 7/18 

Vegas to Provo, UT

Lucky for Elle, her birthday celebration didn't end on her birthday. The next day was Papa's birthday and we made it to Provo just in time for the big party - to celebrate Papa's birthday and all the July birthdays!

Since Madi's birthday is so close to July, she was included in the celebration!

How great it was to all hang out and just be together! 

After Cal's nap, Papa joined us for a swim:

Bobby talked us into staying for the night so could all stay up and play games after the kids went to bed. Despite my hesitations and fearing it might be too stressful for Amy and new baby Porter, we finally gave into Bob's pleas!

Day 3 Saturday 7/19
BYU, Provo, Draper

On Saturday morning, Spencer and Bobby woke up super early to fish the Provo river and mom and dad took our girls shopping with the birthday money they'd given them. Cal and Leila got to hang out for the morning with Karlee and I! Love these little cousins!

After naps we headed up to BYU for some lunch and bookstore shopping.

The Oylers met up with us for lunch. Our kids were beyond excited to see Henry and Coco!

After BYU we said our goodbyes and headed up to Jenn and Adam's place in Draper. They'd planned tin foil dinners for us up the canyon. What a great time we had! It was absolutely gorgeous up there and  the kids loved exploring.

Dinner was beyond delicious!! It was so sweet of Adam and Jenn to plan such a fun night for us!

After kids were tucked into bed we stayed up late playing games (they introduced up to a new favorite - "Sync Up!") and chatting!

Day 4: Sunday 7/20

Draper & Provo, UT

Sunday morning Adam and Jenn cooked us up a nice big pancake breakfast before we headed off to church at noon. Sunday was Porter's baby blessing with a lunch at their clubhouse afterwards.

Madi and Cal are all about performing. Once only immediate family was left at the clubhouse, they randomly got up on stage to sing for everyone. There's something about everyone sitting around that makes our kids feel like they've got to show off!

Cal sang one song after another (Eensy Weensy spider, ABC's, I am a Child of God, I Hope they Call me on a Mission), breaking long enough for everyone to applaud!

His big smiles after each song were they best! He loved all the attention and applause!

We drove back up to Adam and Jenn's after the party at the clubhouse. Cal fell asleep just as we turned down their road. It'd been such an action packed day that he didn't even flinch as I undressed him, changed his diaper, and put on jammies. 7pm Utah time and he was out for the night!

Day 5: Monday 7/21
Draper to Huntsville, UT

Monday morning I snuck out early to get a run in. What a gorgeous morning in a beautiful area!

While Spencer and I repacked our van, Madi and Elle grabbed paper and wrote the sweetest little notes all on their own . . . 

After a quick stop at the Cabella's there in Lehi, we were on to Huntsville where we spent a wonderfully relaxing afternoon and evening with Aunt Fay and Uncle Bob. We all walked to the park, got to feed the horse, then dinner out on the back deck . . .

 . . . and a bonfire out in their new fire pit! We felt honored to be the first to get to use it!

Cal was in heaven tromping through the brush and following Cubby around everywhere!

After eating our brownie smores', we enjoyed an amazing sunset!

Day 6: Tuesday 7/22

Huntsville

We spent all day on Tuesday enjoying Huntsville. Aunt Fay made us buttermilk pancakes with her amazing buttermilk syrup for breakfast, then we enjoyed a bit of time with Aunt Fay and Uncle Bob before they headed up to Logan to visit Grandma.

Late afternoon, Spencer, the kids, and I walked over to the park (it's one of our all time favorite parks), while stopping to feed the horse again on our way there.

Once we were all tired and hungry we headed over to Huntsville Barbeque Company for dinner.  

One of the things I love most about Huntsville is how everything you need is right there. The library is across the street from Aunt Fay and Uncle Bob's house, the park is a couple blocks from there, horses to feed on every corner, delicious BBQ across the street from the park. Even the lake is just down the street (practically in their backyard when it's full). We don't have to drive anywhere to have all the fun we need! Huntsville holds a very special place in our hearts and we're so appreciative to Aunt Fay and Uncle Bob for sharing their beautiful home with us!

Day 7: Wednesday 7/23

Hunstville to Logan to Freedom, WY

We left early Wednesday morning and headed to Logan!

First stop was to see GG! What a sweet relationship Spencer shares with his Grandma who he still talks to on the phone every Sunday evening. 

It was wonderful to be there in person and let the kids give her hugs, sing her songs, and tell her about all the new things they are doing. 

After visiting GG we headed to my cousin Eliza's house in Smithfield. My entire childhood has Liza in it and it's always fun to get together and reminisce. Liza and I can not see each other for years but still pick up exactly where we left off. Sure love this cousin of mine and wished we could have stayed longer.

From Smithfield we headed onto Freedom, WY - our final destination!!

Spencer's ancestors settled the Star Valley area when they immigrated from Wales. This home here in Freedom was built by Spencer's great grandfather and then later renovated by his Grandpa's brother, who just a couple years ago sold the home and property to Jeremy and Tanna. It was Tanna who came up with the idea for having a Jenkins Family Reunion here. 

The reunion didn't officially start until Friday, but we wanted to come a day or two early to enjoy more time in this beautiful area - and to hang out with Jeremy, Tanna, and their kids of course! We were the first to arrive, but Corinne, Morgan, and Bailey arrived soon after. We immediately wanted to start exploring! 

What an amazing backyard they have! 

Day 8: Thursday 7/24
Freedom, WY - Yellowstone

Before all the rest of the family arrived, we thought it'd be fun to squeeze in a day trip to Yellowstone. We hit Jackson just 45 minutes into our trip, but didn't stop until we reached The Tetons. They were absolutely breathtaking!

Yellowstone was fun, but a lot of driving. Since I'd never been before I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I didn't realize we'd be in the car as much as we were and I was pretty disappointed that the only animal we saw was an elk far off in the distance. I'm glad we went though and got to experience this part of the country. Old Faithful was fun for the kids. There was a hands-on museum in the visitors center that the girls had fun exploring and learning all about Yellowstone.

Tanna had packed us all lunch which we ate while waiting for Old Faithful to blow. The girls were done with Yellowstone at that point and decided to head back with Tanna, Sydney, and Evan. 

The rest of us went on ahead to see more of Yellowstone - the boiling pools, the mud pots, more gysers, and we were crossing our fingers to see some classic Yellowstone wildlife (which we were sorely disappointed).  

We did have fun hiking up to this waterfall though. 

Day 9 & 10 Friday, Saturday
Freedom, WY

Friday officially started our first real Jenkins Family Reunion! More fun was had in these 2 days than I'll be able to document on this post, so stay tuned for all the Jenkins family festivities!

Day 11 Sunday 7/27
Freedom, WY to Provo, UT

We packed up Sunday morning, attended sacrament meeting with all the family there in Freedom, and then headed back to Provo. We made one quick stop on our way to Bob and Amy's to say hello to our dear friends the Sundbergs who we hadn't seen for 3 years!! What a sweet reunion it was! Love this family!

5pm Sunday evening we arrived back at Bob and Amy's to join them in celebrating Bobby's 27th birthday! Our trip had come full circle!

Day 12 Monday 7/28
Provo, UT to Camarillo, CA

We left at 8am Monday morning to make our trek back home. Crossing into CA we were welcomed by a huge a rainstorm (lightning and everything) which the kids were completely thrilled about and made the rest of the drive fly by!

What an amazing trip this was for our family! I love creating these memories with our children.