Bon Voyage Harding Family

Jeff & Emily moved to Virginia for the summer.  Before they left we had to have a little bit of fun and make a few quick memories.  First, we went to a bounce house:

 Then we roasted hot dogs & doughnuts over our fire pit.  (Roasting doughnuts was something we were introduced to by Beaver. Words cannot describe how delicious these babies are...)

Then we took them to the airport.  We already miss them and cannot wait for their return!

Wedding in AZ

My cousins, Rachel & Jacob, spent many summers with our family.  They grew up in Arizona and would come to visit Idaho for 3-4 weeks, every year.  The plan was always that they would sleep at our grandparents house...but usually after 2 or 3 days, everyone would realize how much easier it would be if they just stayed at our house.  We would play hard all day long, swimming in canals, eating Aunt Sally's raspberries, mowing grandma's lawn, weeding the garden, etc.  Rachel would end up sharing my room and we became more like sisters than cousins.  In our teenage years, we'd stay up late talking about our dreams of getting married in the temple.  Our summer began when the Arizona Baldwins came to Idaho!

When Rachel let us know that she was engaged, we immediately started making plans to go to the wedding. I knew that we had to be there, there was no other option.  And Spencer was supportive.  Plus, we decided we'd go without the kids...a huge added bonus!  Spencer's parents agreed to come stay at our house and take care of the kids.  They had to arrange their schedules because they serve in the Temple weekly and also have a service mission weekly.  We so appreciate that they were willing to help us out.

We left Thursday morning, May 3rd.  Spencer treated me to a pedicure before we left town.

We drove to Flagstaff that day.  Spencer's best friend, Steve aka "Beaver", lives there with his wonderful wife, Amelia, and we got to stay with them.  They are always so accommodating and it was great to be with them again.

We left their house Friday and drove to Mesa.  There we met up with my parents, Callie & Mike, Emily, and my Aunt Karen who had all flown from Idaho Falls together.

The wedding was so intimate and peaceful.  The couple looked beautiful.

 After the wedding and pictures in front of the temple, we had a little bit of time before the next part of the celebration.  Our cousin, Joni & Josh, who live in the area, suggested we go to Bahama Buck's for a snow cone/slush.  As each person's order was completed, the worker would yell out what the flavor was.  It was interesting to hear what everyone picked.  Spencer had a Dr. Pepper (not a slush), I had _______ Colada.  Some of the other flavors that were chosen were Marshmellow, SweetTart, Cherry Cola, Pina Colada, etc.

 Rachel & Mike had decided to have a small dinner for close friends and family instead of a huge, traditional reception.  And it was perfect.  Rachel asked my sisters, mom, and I to sing.  We sang a medley of "Happy Together", "Do-ta-do", and "At Last."  Rachel's brothers and dad played their guitars and sang a couple of songs.  They asked one or two people from each table to come to the microphone and give a toast/advice.  I was elected.  I don't do public speaking.

One of the best parts of the whole day was seeing all of Rachel's siblings.  Because they grew up in Arizona, we didn't get to see them as often as our other cousins.  It had been years since I'd seen my cousins, Mary, Shon, and Matt.  It was fun to meet their children and have a chance to visit with them again.

After the dinner, we drove to Phoenix and stayed with my good friend, Julie, and her family.  Julie and I were roommates in Logan and it's always fun to see her.  We have that ability of picking up just where we left off, even if it had been a year since we'd seen each other.  They had a fabulous guest suite that was perfect for the evening.  We sat up and talked until way past my bedtime!  Then woke up the next morning and continued the conversation.  We left there that afternoon and drove back to Beaver's.

Beaver & Amelia and Spence & I went on a real date that night!  Like dinner AND a movie?  Usually when we go out in Utah, we do either dinner or a movie, never both!  It was a real treat!  We saw The Avengers. In 3D.  We had to leave the next morning, Sunday.

  We were glad to get back to our kids but thoroughly enjoyed our time as a couple.

Other April Happenings

Because I'm playing catch-up, these posts aren't going to be as detailed or fun as they could've been, had I done them when they actually happened.  Oh well.

Also in April:

All three big boys started Soccer.  I say this was the year of the highlighters, because the colors of their teams were exactly like highlighter markers...Cam was blue (the most mild, by far), Gavin was yellow, and Owen was orange!  You almost needed sunglasses just to look at their shirts!  They all had great coaches who held regular practices and each of them improved this season. These are the only pictures I have from this season (and the color on them is not at all accurate.):

Between 3 practices and 3 games each week, Spencer was a busy soccer dad.  I have a part-time job in the evenings so he pretty much had to do all the running around.  We were thankful this month for the new car we got.  It's a Ford Expedition EL (extra long, like a Suburban) and we recently added a built in DVD player, which entertained the babies at cold games or when they were just riding from practice to game to practice to game...you get the idea!

Also in April, I held my first, ever Piano Festival.  I had all 23 of my students come to my house in 10-minute increments.  Two of my favorite and talented friends served as my judges.  The students played two pieces for the judges and then received some wonderful feedback.  This helped prepare them for the Spring Piano Recital, two weeks later. Thanks again to Hillary & Sylinda for giving up your Saturday.  I am forever in your debt.  You guys are the best!