Utah

We headed to Utah after California. We were excited to be able to spend 2 whole weeks!! Grandpa pulled out a little four wheeler that used to be Tanner's when he was little. Damon was so cute on it! He got really good at manuevering it by the end of our stay. Damon loved playing with Uncle Quinn. We were able to go with him for his work party at Lagoon. Everyone kept telling Quinn that Damon looked just like him...by the end of the 2 weeks he definitely took on many Quinny characteristics. Damon thought he was big just like Quinn. Quinn taught Damon how to roll down a hill, he let him "drive" his car, he let him see his barn, ride a horse, hold his chickens, jump on the soccer ball bean bag while trying to sleep, and watch him ride his motorcycle which he's now imitating him by trying to kick start a pretend one. It was cute to see them as buddies.
Grandpa also became another buddy to Damon and would follow him around the yard picking and devouring whatever he could find...blackberries, raspberries, carrots, strawberries, and apples. He got to go on lots of special errands with Grandpa, make "shawkaship tookies", and even got to make a badge at his work. He was so cute to watch hug his Grandpa Barry so tightly at the airport before heading into security.
Damon sure loved his Grandma too!! He would often follow her around as she was doing laundry or cleaning Tanner's room. One day we heard him upstairs yelling at her door,"Grammah! Graaa-mahhh!!" She was sooo patient with him, played with him whenever he demanded it, played the piano so he could sing and lead the music, and let him drive her car. She took extra good care of Tommy and even took me to The Quilted Bear (I love going there!). We definitely left feeling very loved.

We were able to go to Thanksgiving Point, Lagoon, BYU campus and bookstore (some family members just HAD to have new BYU gear), Brick Oven (a must with Grandma Sims), a drive down memory lane of the places we've lived, a wonderful evening with Grandma and JaVan's house, a little shopping, a visit to my grandparent's home to see aunts and uncles and my dad (all there for a little reunion), off roading up American Fork Canyon in between thunderstorms, ate lots of yummy food, went to the splash pad at City Hall (totally awesome, I wish we had one here), watched Damon and his dad go down the slip and slide down the hill, watched Damon do somersaults down the hill, visited with family, saw my old roommate and best friend Carie and had lunch at our favorite "memory" place, saw another old roommate and her cute little boy, painted a sign for Tanner, welcomed home Tanner from his mission (I haven't had that experience for a very, very long time...it was so sweet to see 6 missionaries or so walk out together and greet their families...hugging their mothers sooooo long), ate more good food, went shopping with JaVan to cute stores, saw pictures of Tanner's mission and heard a little about him serving with the spanish speaking people in Minnesota, went to the temple, went to the Oquirrh Utah Temple Dedication broadcast (a very unique opportunity that I was very glad to have, even if it meant we couldn't hear Tanner speak in sacrament meeting), saw Ainsley and Paul, stayed up way too late talking with Ainsley and Paul, ate delicious cake bites JaVan bought us, learned how to make Grandpa's cookies, and enjoyed ourselves completely! Now, after almost 7 weeks, we're back to our home and packing like crazy to move on Saturday so Barrett can start his first "real" job Monday!!!!