When Uncles Come to Town...

...Zac gets thrown around.

Utah 5: The Wedding!

The morning of Kevin and Kristen's wedding, it was gusty, rainy and cold. By the time we reached the temple, it was a perfect day. Their ceremony was beautiful and intimate.

Emily with her 3.5 children (Lia, Quinn, and Mikayla), waiting for Kevin and Kristen to come out from the temple:

Grandpa Nufer, Grandma Nufer, and Grandma Richards:
My Dad and Grandpa:

Husband and wife!

Lia has the ideal innocent-little-angle pose:

Mindy and Janece, looking a little older than they did at my wedding:

Zachary wasn't sure why he couldn't run around with his ball or get into the fountain:

Kevin and Grandma:

Natalie and her baby, Joshua:

Kev and his best man, Jeremy:

After the pictures, we went to Mimi's for a luncheon. Zachary was so pleased with his PB&J, he ate almost the entire plate. He had a "little" help from the girls eating his fries.

Love these two:

The reception was at the Beal's home in Layton. Their spacious yard was meticulously cared for and the reception felt fancy and comfortable at the same time. They had a fantastic turnout and we were able to chat with many friends and family. The reception ended all too quickly.

Cheesecake wedding cake:

Cutting the cake, heading to the car:

Side Note: Had I remembered that Kevin was a major instigator in the car "decorations" at my wedding, he would not have driven away with such a simple mess. Kevin reminded me after the reception that he was the one who helped syran wrap, "Oreo" (using the word as a verb), and dent the roof of our car eight years ago.

Utah 4: Hangin with the Nufers, Silver Lake

Thursday, we attempted Timp Caves, but arrived a bit too late to catch tickets in time. Instead, we went for another hike to Silver Lake. The views were outstanding, and even though we only made it about .25 up the trail before heading back, it was still worth the pictures and mountain fragrance.

Zachary thinks throwing rocks into water is the goal for any adventure.

Rock throwing is more exhausting that you think.

We rushed back to shower and meet up with Zachary's birth mother at a neaby park. She was hands-on and very comfortable with him. We feel so lucky to have a close relationship with her.

Friday morning, we diligently pursued our Timp Caves goal, and had a successful trip. My sisters commented many times, "Why don't they have an elevator to the top?" It is a 1.5 mile, fairly steep climb up, and Zac was a little furious we wouldn't let him go it alone.
At the top, Zachary willingly ran back and forth to evoke claps from his audience.

Inside-the-cave pics are always a little strange:

The tour guide asked us, "Do you think it was worth it?" about a dozen times throughout the presentation, referring to the efforts it took to get there, the work of crews putting in a trail, the explorations that led to the cave discoveries, etc. I spent the rest of the day asking Brady, "Was it worth it?" about everything from putting in a Smith's grocery to filling our tank with gas. Brady probably had no idea what I was referencing, as he was on Zac duty and did not hear a thing.

The two best things about coming down the mountain: Zachary could keep up, and we got to see my brother Eric hit on a local hottie. Way to go, brother.Brady and I were excited about the glimpse of Silver Lake from the day before, so Mindy watched Zachary while we completed the 5 mile hike. The mountains were so green, especially for what we would expect in August, and the experience left us feeling refreshed and believing we could live happily in Utah.

I spotted 2 snakes on the way up (not pictured).

The destination: