August Adventures

August has been one exciting month!  We kicked it off by welcoming Ken's brother and sister, Patrick and Debbie, all the way from upstate New York for a visit.  We brought them to some of our favorite culinary haunts, took them on a short tour of BYU campus, rode Harley Davidson motorcycles up Provo Canyon, and even trekked down to Las Vegas to see a Cirque du Soleil show and Broadway's The Lion King, plus visited the Hoover Dam.  We were treated to two home-cooked meals by Pat and Deb and I got to know my brother and sister-in-law a bit better.

Megan and I celebrated our birthday with a shoe-shopping trip and a game of Scrabble, accompanied by the wild girls Camryn and Tamsin, who are exemplary shopping companions.  My favorite moments were watching the girls play in the mall play area with each other and spying Camryn - who had eaten all of her pretzel bites - turn around and lean all the way over Tamsin to poach her sister's pretzel pieces in her stroller tray!

Mom and Jim came out to visit next, lured in by our promise of a free bed and "rental" car, to attend a family reunion on Jim's side of the family.  We joined his mom's family in North Salt Lake to see Grandma Mickey, aunts, uncles, and a variety of cousins I haven't seen in a long time.  It was so much fun that I didn't get nearly enough pictures!  In a strange twist of timing, we also commemorated the twenty-first anniversary of Jim's construction accident, which brought Mom all the way from Portland to Salt Lake City to meet his family for the first time.  We tearfully reflected on the mysterious ways in which our Heavenly Father works, turning a terrible accident into the uniting of a family, and all the blessings that have been ours since Mom rushed to Jim's side after he tumbled three stories and broke very necessary bones and met the family we now call our own.  It was a special and lip-wobbling moment - that is, until Jim chipped in, "And I was just about to climb up on the pavilion roof to get that badminton birdie!"

Here are some pictures of August thus far!

Patrick and Debbie at my favorite pizza place:

About to venture into Provo Canyon via Harley Davidson!

I think I get the whole "Harley" craze now....

At Timpanogos Harley, returning our toy:

Our first view of Las Vegas and the Strip:

The lions napping at the MGM Grand:

Cruising the Strip right under the Stratosphere:

The top of the Hoover Dam:

Aaaall the way down:

Looking out to the gigantic bridge and waterway:

Two sightseers!

A very cool statue in honor of the men who built the Hoover Dam:

Kenny and Debbie enjoy the buffet at the Bellagio:

Our favorite bartender and host, Carlos, who remembered us from when Ken and I came to the buffet on Memorial Day!  (We sat at the bar again and jumped a 45 to 50-minute line in ten minutes).

New York, New York and the MGM Grand:

Kenny examines the menu at Ghiradelli's on the Strip:

Tamsin playing industriously with her dragon toy:

Tamsin and Uncle Kenny play together at Megan's house just before Sunday dinner:

Camryn the pretzel thief and Tamsin:

Playing at the playplace in the mall:

The tunnel!

With all the fun, sometimes it's hard to catch children standing still!

Happy birthday to me!

Cutting my birthday cake:

And what a birthday cake it is!

Grandma and Camryn, who refuses to eat her dessert until she can no longer see the evil Aunt Katie:

But evil Aunt Katie looked at her anyway, so Grandma must protect her:

Tackling the Sesame Street cookies Pop-Pop brought us!

Frosting overload (Kenny took this picture and loves it!):

Grandma Mickey thoroughly enjoying her family, who loves her right back!

This mac n' cheese hits the spot!

Pop-Pop and Mommy keep an eye on Frosting Girl as we picnic: