Summer Vacation

First off ... I will mention that as it typical, whenever we go to see my family I never get around to taking any pictures.  I wish I had, we did lots, but alas ...

This summer we did our summer vacation with my family.  Actually we saw lots of family, but the bulk of the trip was to see my family.

After some trouble getting our trip started ... I won't get into it, I will just say that I am done with Frontier Airlines ... we set off for Salt Lake.  We got there on Saturday morning and picked up our car and met Eric's sisters for brunch.  It was fun to see them and Grace enjoyed having them walk/chase her around the retaurant and its parking lot.  Then we were off to Idaho.

We stayed at my parent's house in Meridian.  We all went to church together on Sunday morning which has to be the first time that has happened in years!  We added 6 kids to their nursery ... probably would have been good to warn the primary of that ahead of time.  I think the most entertaining moment was when in the hallway moving between sharing time and class my nephew Junior was telling the teacher that he was my little brother Jackman's nephew.  Junior has 5 inches or more on Jackman and is 3 months younger than him.  I saw the teacher kind of shrug it off like "yeah right", but the funny part is that is true and I don't think most people are likely to believe him.  Maybe not so funny to you, but I just about died!

We headed up to a cabin in Garden Valley that afternoon where we stayed until Wednesday.  We had lots of pregnant woman and my sister Jenn who had her baby six weeks ago.  So we were really limited as to what we could do so we crafted.  We all use the same Christmas stockings and all needed to make some more so we got that done and made all the kids their 4th of July shirts.  It was fun to sit and craft with my mom and sisters and Eric was great about taking care of the kids.  And as is required for any Harper women get together there was a visit to a quilting store in town.  I now have a new long term project to work on.  I am very excited!  It was a fun few days to just relax and spend some time together talking and letting our kids play together.

We headed back down to Meridian on Wednesday where we took kids to play at the splash pad and the park ... and of course sno cones from Ali's Sno Shack!  That night my sisters and I and our husbands got to go out for dinner sans kids.  It was so nice to get to sit and talk and not have to chase kids.  Pretty sure there were a couple moments where laughter brought me to tears so it was a good time.

Thursday (aka the 4th of July) Eric, Grace and I packed up and said goodbye and headed to Blackfoot (where both of my parents grew up).  In the 4 years we have been married we have meant to go there a lot, but have never made it.  We (now that I think about it this was a really bad idea, glad it worked out ok) decided to take the highway route accross the state instead of the interstate.  The highway takes a little longer, but it is prettier and you go through Crater of the Moon.  So we took that route which took longer than we thought it would and there was no where to stop for lunch, but we did get to see Craters of the Moon which Eric had never been to and I hadn't been too since I was a kid.  It was amazing as always.  If you look close you can see Grace is wearing her 4th of July shirt we made her :).

After a lot of driving we made it to Blackfoot.  We stopped first at my Grandma and Grandpa Harper's house.  We stayed there and visited for a few hours.  Grace kept Grandma busy playing with her.  She also made sure to stop what she was doing and ask Grandma if she was ok every time she coughed, which only lead to laughing and more coughing, but it was cute.  Of course I had to show Grandma my new quilt project.  She was upset we went to a quilt store without her ;).  Grandma and Grandpa both celebrate their 80th birthday's this year as well and their 60th anniversay.  We will unfortunatly miss out on those festivities due to baby boy's due date so it was fun to get to see them.  

We then made it over to Kesler's house where a small 4th of July gathering was taking place.  Grace enjoyed jumping on the trampoline while I got a chance to catch up a little bit with some family I haven't seen in a long time.  I also got a few minutes to talk to my Grandpa Kesler ... not sure he ever realized who I was, but it was good to see him and talk to him for a little while.  And as if we could make this day any longer we decided to leave from there and head straight back down to Salt Lake.  We did get a nice fireworks show at every town we passed along the way.  Grace was a real trooper when it came to all the travel on this trip.

We spent the next couple days in Salt Lake with Eric's sisters.  They experienced taking an over tired 2 year old out to breakfast ... once again a lot of time was spent outsite until the food arrived.  We all took naps and went to the park.  It was fun to just hang out and play with Grace.  Saturday we went to Hogle Zoo.  As usual Grace loved the animals. 

She watched 2 bears wrestling in the water for a long time.

She liked the giraffes, but their long black tongues kind of creep me out.

The zoo has lego exhibits right now so here is Eric as a lego Gorilla.

And Grace.

It was fun to get to take her somewhere fun.  I have been lousy at that this summer being super prenant and all.  That night her aunts were nice enough to watch her and let Eric and I go out to dinner which is always nice.

It was a great trip!  I am glad we went.  Looking back I would never reccommend someone travel like that 35 weeks pregnant cause it was rough, but I am very glad we did.  But it felt wonderful to get back to our house and sleep in my own bed.

Weekend in Nebraska

Eric decided he needed a break from work so this past weekend we took a couple days off and headed to Nebraska to visit Eric's parents.  We met them in Omaha on Friday morning and went to the zoo.  Grace had been there before, but she was only four months old.  She enjoyed it much more this time.  She loved the aquariam ... this girl loves anything to do with water!    Here she is looking at penguins.

The zoo is huge so Grace took a quick sit down break with Grandpa.

When she saw the carousel she really wanted to get on it, but the wait in line was too much for her ... by the time she got on she was screaming and clinging to Eric ... once it got started she totally relaxed and I think even enjoyed her first carousel ride.

After our day at the zoo we headed back to Seward to spend more time with Grandma and Grandpa.  We took Grace to the school a couple of times to play on the toys.  She has apparently gotten much braver since the fall.  She freely went down the slides over and over again on her own.  Like the crazy static hair?

Her other favorite part of the park was the swing.  Here she is with Grandma.

It was a quick weekend away, but it was fun.  Grace enjoyed all of the attention and really enjoyed seeing her Grandma and Grandpa Roundy.  We took this quick picture before we left.  A miracle because Grace was screaming while we were trying to take it. 

North Carolina Vacation

For our summer vacation this year we went to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Eric's family.  It was our first attempt at a long road trip with Gracie (21 hours of driving over 2 days).  Poor Grace was teething and not too happy about being in the car all day.  

On the way there we were able to stop and spend the night with my brother Ricky, his wife Julie and their son Jack.  We had not gotten to see Jack yet, so it was fun to go meet him and introduce him to Gracie.  They are only 3 months apart so they are each others closest cousins in age.  This is them right before we left for church in the morning.

We stayed in Frisco, NC which is on Hatteras Island.  While there we visited the Hatteras lighthouse which is the tallest lighthouse of the 5 that are on the Outer Banks.  You can still climb this one, Eric and I did, supposedly it is the same as a twelve story building.  I have to admit I was out of breath by the time we reached the top.  It was a muggy day, but we could still see pretty far.  Gracie hung out at the bottom with Grandma and Grandpa.

Over by the Hatteras beach access there is a large pond that has lots of turtles.  People have apparently been feeding them over the years because when you pull up and get out and walk over to the pond they swim over to come see you.  Here are Eric and Gracie checking out the turtles ... I had no idea what this was leading to.

Another site that had to be seen during our visit was at Kitty Hawk where they have the Wright Brother's Memorial. 

Gracie with Grandpa.

We stayed in a beach house that was just 5 or 6 houses in from the beach.  Grace loves water and decided she loved the ocean and sand too.  Here she is playing in the sand with Grandma.

Grace LOVED the water!!  Here is a fun little video of her running into the waves.

On our last full day there we took the ferry to Ocracoke Island.  Here is our little family riding the ferry ... the car is on the other side of the boat somewhere.

While there we visited the Ocracoke lighthouse.  You can't climb this one, but it was fun to see.  Grace saw it with Grandma and Grandpa.

Eric and I tagged along.

While on the island we went looking for a souvenir.  We introduced her to all sorts of cute little stuffed animals and she just threw them all away.  That was until she found the giant turtle.  She clung to him and wouldn't let go ... she still hasn't ... she sleeps with him now.  

We took a quick family picture before we left.  It was a really fun vacation, Grace learned lots of new things and we got to relax and see some new places (well new to Grace and I, Eric and his family had been there before).

Lucky for us Grace did much better in the car on the drive home.

Starved Rock

Eric had Good Friday off of work so we got all of our work done on Friday and on Saturday headed down to Utica, IL to go to Starved Rock State Park.  When we got there we had a picnic and then headed out for a short hike.  Here is Gracie getting a ride from Dad.  (Eric was a good sport and let me put the moby on him to carry the baby).  P.S I love it!

Gracie sported her cute hat to keep the sun off.  She liked it I think, plus I think it makes her look extra super cute!

Here we are on the high point of Starved Rock (to all my family and friends out west, yes this is a high spot for Illinois, I know, it's sad).  We are on the banks of the Illinois River for anyone who is getting their bearings.  

It really is a pretty area.  We hiked some more trails back in the woods.

Me and my honey :).

Dad and baby taking a look at the gorge next to us.

Not sure why, I thought it was awesome!

Baby is in this picture, she is just behind Eric's head.

We had a good time and it was nice to just get out for the day and enjoy time together as a family and time outdoors.

Visiting Nebraska

Last weekend we decided to leave town yet again.  This time we were headed to Nebraska to visit Eric's parents and see his cousin and his family who had come to visit from Oregon.  Friday we went to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha.  (On a side note, we discovered that it is apparently the place to go if you are dating someone in Nebraska).  Gracie toured the zoo the same way that she tours most places . . . asleep.  She did wake up for a little while and the highlight of that was our walk through the butterfly house where a butterfly decided that the flower on her head looked like a good perch and landed for a while.

Saturday was mostly a day for hanging out and watching football, but we did go mini-golfing with Eric's cousins and aunt and uncle.  Once again I was reminded that I am not so good at mini-golf.  Gracie once again missed it by sleeping through the whole experience.  Someday she will start being awake and remembering the things that we do.

Sunday we went to church in the morning and before heading home to Illinois we got a quick picture of Gracie and her Grandma and Grandpa Roundy.  Then we headed home.

This was our first roadtrip with Grace.  She did very well.  She slept the whole way both ways with the exception of one wake up to eat.  I completely believe that they are only going to get tougher from here on out but we did good.

New York

About 2 weeks ago Eric got asked if he would do a presentation in Long Island in about a week.  He called me to see what I thought and then suggested that we all go since he had never been to New York before.  Sounded like a fun quick trip so Gracie and I decided that we would tag along.  I am not used to planning trip so last minute but we did and it ended up being a lot of fun.  We really didn't have the greatest weather while we were there so there are not many pictures. 

We stayed at a hotel in Queens near the subway station, here is Gracie and her elephant hanging out on the bed (she is starting to get interested in her toys which is fun).

Thursday Eric had his presentation so he would be gone all day so Gracie and I decided to go out on our own.  She and I took the train to Manhattan and spent a good part of our day at FAO Schwartz reading stories and looking at toys.  Then we walked around Central Park for a little while and headed back to the hotel.  

The weather people had threatened rain all weekend so we checked the forecast and it sounded like Friday morning would be the best time to be outside so we decided to take the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We made the mistake of forgetting that weather people are ALWAYS wrong.  We got dumped on.  So it was windy and rainy and we got soaked despite rain jackets and umbrellas.  Still we got to go to the pedestal museum and see the statue.

This one is from the ferry.

This is how Gracie spent most of the trip.

View of Manhattan from the ferry.

We got off the ferry at Ellis Island where we went through the museum and saw a video.  I don't think I ever realized how short a time the island was open.  Very interesting.  It had finally stopped raining so here is a picture of Gracie and I in front of the museum.

She finally woke up.

A view from Ellis Island on the ferry.

The sky was kind of starting to clear up so that we could get a better view.  After that we took the train to Brooklyn and had dinner at a restaurant beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

On Saturday we wanted to go to the USS Intrepid Museum. We finally got there and there was some security issue going on and it was being evacuated and there was a huge line to get in whenever it would open again, but no one knew when that would be so we oped to not wait.  So we took a cab back into town and went to the American Museum of Natural History.  I think the most popular place for people to take pictures there was at the Easter Island statue so we had to get one.

After we were done there we got ice cream and spent quite a while just walking in Central Park exploring.  It was a fun day.  It was a fun quick trip.  Eric and I find it funny that at two months old Gracie has been on more airplanes, cabs, and subway trains than either of us when we went to collage. 

A Busy Week

Last week we took our first real trip as a family. We went to Idaho for my family reunion (side note: crazy that my whole immediate family getting together now constitutes a reunion but it does). This had been in the works long before Grace was born so we have been looking forward to it for a long time.

We weren't quite so sure about traveling with a 4 week old baby, we considered driving but decided that flying was the way to go. It was so much easier than I thought it would be! We decided on a flight that would have two two hour legs with a short layover in between. It was perfect! She never really fussed at all and the altitude change didn't seem to bother her a bit. Here she is on the plane getting ready to go.

My family rented a house up on Cascade Lake in Donnelly, Idaho. We had a boat, jet ski and lots of water toys to keep everyone busy. It was a lot of fun to see everyone (except my brother in law Eric who is still serving in Iraq but coming home very soon). I even met a new niece; my sister Jennifer's daughter Charlotte. Gracie is the 25th member of my family and there are 2 more on the way so our family gatherings are becoming quite the event to put together, but we always have a good time when we get to be together. I miss them lots so it is fun to see them!

After talking with both of our families we decided that we would bless Grace while we were in Idaho so that most of our families could be there. My Grandma and Grandpa Harper came over from Blackfoot, Idaho, Eric's parents came from Nebraska, and his sisters came up from Utah so we had most everyone there. It was fun for Gracie to meet her aunts on her Dad's side of the family . . . she got lots of attention.

Grace was blessed by her dad at my parents home. We had lot of Grandpa's and uncles there to stand in the circle and be a part of that wonderful experience. I am so grateful for family and for a wonderful husband who honors his priesthood.

We got to spend one more day in Idaho with Eric's family. We decided to go out and visit the Old Idaho Penitentiary. It was interesting, I can't remember if I have ever been there before. It was fun to go see and to spend some time with Eric's family.

It was a very full and very fun trip and quite the adventure!