Meeting Thomas

I finished my last nursing final on May 12, worked the 13th, packed the 14th and we left on Friday the 15th for Utah to finally meet Thomas.

New Mexico skies are my favorite.

And here he is!! Here is Peter holding him for the first time. He is about a month old here.

And me! The blanket he is wrapped in here was made by my grandma for Nathaniel, so Thomas is wrapped in a blanket made by his great, great grandma. (And it's still holding up great!)

Will is an uncle!!

Got together with Sam & Rebecca for some BBQ

Look at this boy!!

I'm not sure how I feel about being a grandma yet, but looking into this face and hearing his sweet baby noises was pretty amazing. People have asked me what I plan to have my grandkids call me. I don't know to be honest, so it will probably just be grandma.

While we were there we saw Aaron and Kaitlen and I had to get a picture of her peonies in the yard. They have such a cute little house.

And oh my goodness this guy can't get any cuter. I swear he reminds me so much of Aaron I can't stand it.

 Peter got this incredibly adorable picture.

While I was there I finally got out my new watercolors. I've been wanting to try them out for years and finally decided it was time. It was really fun. I'd like to take some classes.

As you can see here Nancy is basically the cutest mom ever. I'm so lucky to have her as a daughter-in-law 💙

While we were there we got to see Hannah. She was such a sport and came and took pictures for us at a park in Provo.

We also got to see Sam and Rebecca. We were hoping to hike Stewart Falls with them on our last day but the weather didn't cooperate. Hopefully we'll be able to do it when we come back in a couple months.

All the cousins!!

Peter got this fabulous shot on one of his bike rides of Utah Lake in Saratoga Springs right where Nathaniel and Nancy live.

Will and I scoped out downtown Saratoga Springs while Peter finally got an actual professional haircut. They never closed down the salons in Utah, or technically the state. We ate snow cones with cream and Will scored some fake mustaches' at a stationary store. Peter is one mean looking hombre with his stash isn't he?

We were able to make an appointment to meet with my grandpa through the glass of his assisted living facility. He's such a special man. We are so lucky to have him in our lives. He'll be 90 this year. Can't believe it. Holding out hope that they at least let us meet outside with him 6 feet away by the next time we come. They can't keep these people in there forever. The facility is expanding and we were on the side of the expansion and the construction noise was so loud it made a situation where it was already hard to hear even worse. Next time we are asking for the north side!!

Will was extremely cute. His cuteness and my grandpa's cuteness are almost too much for my heart. So glad we got these picures of this. What a caption of this part of his history.

We're going to miss this little Nachito. I wish we lived closer, but we do the best with what we have. Peter was bummed we were leaving.

Finally got a picture of John & Thomas at the last minute.

Because Stewart Falls didn't pan out we decided to meet everyone for breakfast. Claire had arrived in town that morning as well, so we had a big family meal at the Magleby's in Springville. Very fancy!

Hannah and Claire have, of course, the most photogenic genes. They are so close as sisters. On our way out we stopped in Moab, where we had intended to spend the night but apparently despite Covid all of the hotel rooms were full because it was Labor Day weekend. I don't know why people get so excited for a holiday weekend when we've basically been on a vacation for the last 2 months- haha! We stopped and went through the shops instead-- one of our favorite things. So much fun. We got some art and t-shirts and John picked out the ugliest knife I've ever seen. But I guess you do you...

Hannah has been making the cutest yarn decorations for sale and I bought this one! I had no idea it was going to be this big but I love it!!

It was disappointing that Arches wasn't open in Moab either because of Covid. This 19-hour drive about does us all in. Peter's feet swell, my sciatic starts really flaring up and the boys start getting testy after a while. They're both pretty good troopers about it though. We opted for KFC on the way there and back because it is something everyone will usually eat and neither time could they give us plates,napkins, or silverware because of Covid restrictions. So how are we exactly supposed to eat fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy in large sharable tubs? Oh well, you know me. I had all the supplies for every scenario stashed in the back of the van. Still dumb though if you ask me.

I was so, so happy to be home I thought, "As long as I'm here I'll never complain about anything again! I'll live a life of gratitude"! That didn't last very long, but reminded me how much I love where I love and the great support system we have here.