Goodbye to Utah. Again.

We love Utah. And we love our friends that still live there. So, any chance we have to head west and visit, we take it! Once I got into the second trimester of my pregnancy, I started to finally feel a bit better so we took a chance that I could survive the trip and loaded up the car for a road trip.
I’m pretty sure I was completely out of my mind. Any city that we passed that had an airport, I considered getting on a plane and leaving the boys to finish the drive. While totally worth it in the end to see some of our favorite people, I do not recommend that many hours in the car to any pregnant lady. Trust me. Don’t do it.
That being said, I did do it. And survived. Go me! Due to my still unsettled stomach, I claimed the driver’s seat. Chris figured if he was going to have to ride in the passenger seat, he might as well be productive, and he worked his actual job on his laptop most of the time thereby saving vacation time as well. This also had the added bonus of keeping him from paying too much attention to my driving (which is excellent) and subsequently voicing his opinions on it (which is annoying).
Me and the bump behind the wheel.
Our Q7 has plenty of room to bring Leo and his bed!
Road trip snuggles.
No road trip out west would be complete without a visit to see Aunt Charlotte & Uncle Jim in Golden, Colorado. We love it there!
Storm brewing in eastern Colorado made for amazing skies.
James hard at play in Aunt Charlotte’s front yard.
Chris hard at work on Aunt Charlotte’s front porch.
After a couple of lovely, relaxing days with Aunt Charlotte & Uncle Jim, we headed over to Utah to spend time with our friends, Chris & Kerri, and their four fantastic girls.
Evie and I were so happy to see each other! Especially me. 💕
I’m sure James was explaining something in great detail to her regarding her toys. Love that kid.
Mils loving on Leo. He’s always so good with the kiddos.
Leo, Jack, and Hercules. Dog friends.
We were lucky enough to get to see Gracie (far left in purple dress) perform at her school. She was awesome!
The whole family got to enjoy her performance–
Chris, Kerri, Gracie, Mads, Mils & Evie.
Mils loves to spend time with “Mr. Chris”.
Enjoying some lap time with Evie (while I still had a lap).
James and Gracie. Such great friends since they were super little. Sniff sniff.
I love this moment between James and Evie. So sweet!
Chris and Evie rocking a similar hairdo thanks to the wind.
Gorgeous Evie girl sleeping like a starfish under a quilt that I made.
While in Utah, we were thrilled to get to reconnect with our friends and former neighbors at a BBQ hosted by Bronze & Symoni that included the awesome T Family as well. It was so great to be together again like we were when we all lived next door to each other!
These three, James, Tess, and Mirai, have basically been friends since birth. Love this so much!!
All of the kiddos together (and one awesome dad)– Mirai, James, Tess, Hallie, Liam, and Ivie (and Kurtis).
Neighbors and friends. Kurtis (holding Ivie), Melanie, Symoni, Bronze, me, and Chris. Miss this gang!!
Bronze and Chris. Hilarity always ensues.
Whenever we are together, Kerri and I always enjoy arranging photo shoots of the kids and sometimes the whole family. This trip was no exception and we did a separate shoot with Evie and then one with everyone. It’s just such fun!
Look at this face! I just love her so much!
I remain continually amazed at how fierce and tough and happy she is.
Catching some blanket fringe with her toes.
Sweet sunshine and meadow grass.
This may be one of my favorite pictures I have ever taken. She’s perfection.
My shaggy-haired boy caught a little grasshopper on his finger.
Beautiful Gracie girl.
Adorable Mads. Love that smile.
Kerri and Mils and a sweet little flower.
Chris and Evie, his baby girl.
My beautiful boy with freckles on his nose and a serious face.
My sweet snaggle-toothed boy with a grin that lights up my heart.
After this trip, our friends Chris & Kerri relocated to the Dallas, Texas area. Without them as the impetus for our trips, it looks like it may be a while until we visit Utah again. So we will say goodbye for now. But not forever. It’s way too amazing of a state for that.