Peterson Reunion

While we were in Idaho we attended my Peterson Family Reunion.  I hadn't been for a few years and it was very fun to see family that I hadn't seen in a long time.  It was a very long, hot day but it was nice to be there with family.  We had lunch together and then went on a tour of a historic pioneer village which was really neat.  Then we visited, played games, and had a Dutch Oven Chicken dinner.  This is the kids with their Great Grandma and Grandpa Peterson.

This is all the Peterson clan listening to the tour guide for the pioneer tour.  The tour was very well done.  The kids got to do hand on pioneer activities and they shared lots of fun stories about the pioneers in this area.

 Cousins playing on the covered wagon.

 Emily was chosen to be a helper and she got to dress up in pioneer clothes and help spin wool.  She was in heaven.

The kids got to sit in old school desks and learn all about school during pioneer times.  

Grandpa Peterson did a great job of entertaining Matson all day which was a great help to us.  Matson is a busy little handful but Grandpa kept him happy and busy all day.  Matson has a special bond with Grandpa and really can't get enough of him.  Every day when he wakes up he asks me, "GO Grandpa's house?"   If my mom stops by to visit he hardly lets her in the house before he says "where Grandpa?"  It could be considered a bit offensive, but he sure LOVES his Grandpa!

Grandma's Birthday/Vacation Begins

We started off our vacation by going to Idaho for Grandma Hansen's 88th birthday party!  We had a few bumps along the way.  We found out the night before we left that our little airconditioning problem was a big, expensive problem that required ordering parts so we ended up leaving a lot later then planned.  As soon as we got the van back we threw our stuff into it and headed off.  It wasn't until we were almost to Malad that John turned to me and said, "what did you pack your stuff in"?  Anyway, it's a really long story but we ended up in Idaho without any of my clothes for our week long vacation.  After some deliberation we decided our best option was to head back and get it.  Crazy, I know.  So we pulled over to wait for my parents.  We switched their luggage to our van and my parents joined me and the kids on the rest of the trip to Idaho and John headed back to Utah to "retrieve the package" as he likes to explain it.  :)  Luckily, Grandma Durrant took pity on us too and went and picked up my bag and met John in Salt Lake.  We really appreciated everyone who helped us this day...there were a lot of you!  In the end, we all made it to Idaho, I had clothes, and the kids and I made it to Grandma's 88th Birthday and were were so glad to be there! 

 We stayed two nights at my grandma's with all my family and it was a fun time.  The kids enjoyed experiencing the country life and spent their time going on walks, swinging with Great Grandma, skipping rocks, etc.. 

Carter and Matson chilling in Grandma's gazebo.

 All the cousins skipping rocks with Grandma Peterson.

Showing off their Big Bro and Lil Bro shirts, thanks to a great Gymboree clearance sale!  :)

I loved spending a few days with my Grandma and getting to spend time at her house which just happens to be one of my very favorite places in all the world!  Happy Birthday Grandma!

Building with Dad

 John was working on building some shelves for our garage (HOORAY!).  Carter was right by his side through the whole process.  He LOVES to help his dad.  He had all his tools out and was helping dad saw and hammer.  But he encountered a problem:  he didn't have a nail gun like dad was using!  Next thing we know he had ran inside and pulled out his Nerf gun and he was ready to work!  He helped nail those shelves up with his powerful gun and he didn't stop until John was done using his nail gun!  It was so cute!

 Measuring and sawing with dad.  Carter stayed right by John's side all day as they built the shelves and he loved every minute of it.  We love our new shelves and I love how entertained Carter was for the whole day.  I told John maybe he should build something every Saturday...he wasn't too keen on that idea! :)

That's our boy with the evil glare.  We love this boy!