Utah, Summer 2012

Okay, now that we have been home from Utah for almost two months, I figure it is probably time to blog a few pics from our trip.  Here are a few highlights from our time there.  (Sorry for the lack of detailed commentary or explanation.  I just don't have it in me right now.)

We enjoyed the new City Creek Mall in downtown Salt Lake, especially all of the water features.

And, of course, the Cheesecake Factory afterwards.



The third (fourth?) annual Moulton/Bybee Garage BBQ.  My parents' house is no longer big enough to accommodate the whole clan, but their enormous garage, cooled to freezing by the swamp cooler, is.  Plus the kids love getting to eat in the garage.  Tons of fun.

During the BBQ, Grey made his way into Lucy's kennel ... and got stuck.  He cried in there until someone heard him and we got him out. :(

But there were happier times to be had during the dinner!

Sunday afternoon haircuts on Grammy's front porch.



What better way to get your hair done than on the front porch and with your shirt off?  Kind of like they do it in Compton, but without the cornrows and drive-by shootings.

Ooooh, what's that, Grey?  The outdoor zoo in Logan?  How fun!

Grey helping Aunt Lolly push Baby Griffin in the stroller.

Checking out all the animals.

We interrupt this post about C & G for a vanity shot.  Since I'm blogging these pics at 13 weeks pregnant, I'm feeling especially nostalgic for my pre-pregnancy body.  (You will be mine again, I swear it!)



Crazy slide hair at the park after the zoo.

Cha-Cha, Aunt Lolly, Baby Griffin, and Grammy

Charlotte and Grey saw a stage at the park and decided to do an impromptu show.


My sweet little nephew, squishy Griff, on his blessing day.  He is about twice this big now, but I still love this picture so much!

Sweet little man Griffin!

Of course, this kid already owns a Duke shirt.  His Aunt Airy made sure he got one right away.

Grey enjoying playing with Lucy and a stray cat on Griffin's blessing day.

Beautiful Cha-Cha taking a break in the shade.

Handsome Uncle Dallin, who is leaving for Fiji to serve his two-year mission for our church in November.

Cousins Lindsay and Becky and Aunt Carolyn.

Best part of Griffin's blessing day for the kids: Uncle Blake (Griff's daddy) let them play around in his police car for a little bit.

Grey enjoyed clocking potential speeders and turning the sirens off and on.

Charlotte liked talking into the megaphone: "PULL OVER!"

Beaufort 2012 Edition, Part 2

One of the highlights of visiting Atlantic Beach is always going to their fantastic aquarium.  Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to take a good pictures with the weird lighting in an aquarium, so the results were mixed.  Suffice it to say the kids had a great time.

Grey loved these little turtles, but watching the sea otters splash and play was his favorite part hands down.

Charlotte was still thrilled by the sharks like she was the last time we went.  She seems to be attracted to danger.  That should make for some sleepless nights for us when she's a teenager!

I just love Grey's face in this one.  

After our trip to the museum, we went over to historic Fort Macon to try to take some good pictures of the kids.  Unfortunately, this one of Charlotte with her hair in her face was the best one we got.  The wind was blowing like crazy and Grey had a total meltdown.

He is only smiling here because I'm tickling him.  

Sleeping Beauty snoozing on Mimi's couch.

Playing in the rain?  Nope.  Just running around in the backyard while Papi sprays the kids with the hose.

On Sunday afternoon, we celebrated the birthday of Adam's cousin John with a special party at Nana and Grandaddy's house.

Enjoying a little Kindle Fire in Grandaddy's chair.

Superstar Chef Nana and her lovely assistant Grandaddy

And of course, what trip to North Carolina would be complete without a little visit to the Motherland?

Enjoying a little rest next to Duke Chapel.

It is hard to believe that it has been almost eight years since Adam and I went walking around this very part of campus late at night on our first date.  I think I started to love him as we sat in one of the alcoves outside of the chapel talking one afternoon.  Duke will always be special to me, not only because I went to school there for eight years, but also because it brought this wonderful man into my life ...  

... and then the two cutest kids of all time!  Semper fi, alma mater!

Beaufort 2012 Edition, Part 1

Hello again, Blog.  Long time, no talk to.  I'm ready to repent and get back on the wagon, starting with our really fun trip to visit Adam's family in North Carolina around Memorial Day.  Isn't the picture above beautiful?  (Don't mind my messy hair.)  One of the high points of our trip was the Friday night that we took a ferry ride with Adam's parents out to see the wild horses that roam around on Shackleford Island, a small island off the coast of Beaufort.  The kids were almost as thrilled to see the horses as they were to cruise around on the boat.  But onto some other good times in Beaufort ...

Grey enjoyed hitching a ride on the car lift in Papi's garage.  

Charlotte enjoyed hitching a lift with Papi on the riding lawnmower.  

Charlotte and her little friend Emma enjoying some grub at the local burger joint.

Rock and roll!

Enjoying a beautiful day at Atlantic Beach.  Back off, ladies, he's all mine! ;)

(The funny part was that Grey wouldn't go anywhere near the water for the first half hour we were there.)

Pink sunglasses and a sandy smile

And a few more pics from our ferry ride to Shackleford.  Charlotte and Mimi posing in front of a bunch of fishermen who were sitting there gutting enormous Mahi and throwing the guts into the ocean right next to us.  

Grey and Papi

Random side note: For the first half of the ride, we shared the boat with a bunch of marines (and one of their very tattooed girlfriends, shown to the left,) who were getting dropped off on Shackleford to spend the weekend camping in the wild. We were wondering how they were going to get through the weekend with just two coffin-sized coolers of booze to see them through and a backpack full of Cheetos.  I thought sadly of this poor girlfriend when it was pouring rain all weekend ... and she was in a tent ... and there was no shelter of any kind, much less a bathroom ... and she was stuck out there with all of her boyfriend's drunk military buddies ... Adam, I love you.  Let's never go camping!

In the Garden of Eden

I'm 99% sure that North Carolina is where the original Garden of Eden was.  I know this because I also know that every year the state takes the revenues made from people buying vanity plates for their cars, buys seeds with it, throws it out of the car window onto the side of the highway, and--voila!--the medians are covered with beautiful wildflowers through the spring and summertime.  (As someone who grew up in the desert, I can't imagine somewhere other than Eden where you would just drop seeds and have flowers a few months later.  No plowing?  No fertilizer?  No sprinklers?  Seriously?!)  

We visited Adam's family in Beaufort this past week and I was again struck by the beauty and lushness of North Carolina.  My mother-in-law's beautiful hydrangeas were especially breathtaking.  While I have a ton of pictures from our trip I plan to post soon, I couldn't wait to show these pictures off.  Nothing enhances two beautiful cherubs like a bush of brilliant flowers!

Boo for bluriness!  This little man would hardly hold still.

Again, Grey is a bit blurry, but I still love this one.