Utah and the Blairs

 So a few days after we arrived in Montana we decided to go to Utah and catch up with friends and family we hadn't been able to see in a long time.  Here we are with Christian's Grandpa and Kaye.  They are so welcoming and warm.  We just love them!

 We also got to visit Aunt Tenille and Uncle Jake and their two puppies!  Our boys loved just loved Simon and Murphy!

 Our dear friends the Lees were in Logan and we were able to meet up with them for lunch (gourmet bagel sandwiches--these guys know how to do food right!) and playing at the park and it was just so much fun!  We will miss getting to see them so much!

 Our good friends from Texas, the Garlicks also drove up an hour to come and bring pizza to the park.  It was so fun to catch up with them and see their baby (on the very left) who was a brand new born the last time we saw them, all grown up.  It was so good to see them!

 We stopped over at Christian's Aunt Cindy's and got to meet her new kitten. 

 Austin was in love!  I can't believe we missed a picture with Cindy!  We just love her!

 Uncle Jake pulled out all the stops when we came to see him and gave my boys popsicles.  He won them over right away!

 It was just so endearing to see my Grandma read and play with my boys.  It just warms my heart looking at this picture!  My Grandpa died only a year ago and she is such a trooper.  The picture behind her was painted by her mother many years ago.

 Aunt Tenille and Uncle Jake!

Thank you Grandma for letting us stay at your house!

 On our way out of town I texted Misty since we were driving through her home-town.  I couldn't believe she happened to be there for the week!  Here we are together with her new and adorable baby.  You just can't beat having good friends.  She saved me from depression after having Tyson and I will always be grateful to her for that!

 As soon as we got back to Montana, our friends the Blairs came to visit!  It was so much fun!

 We played at the park, had picnics, hikes, and played games as soon as the kids were in bed.  We just love them!

 Christian hiked up this huge mountainside with Tyson and Austin.  Montana has such breathtaking views!

 We made it!

 Nichole is such a dear friend.  I am so glad we still get to see each other!

 Palisade Falls!

 The girls had fun with the dress-ups in the basement!  They were such crack-ups!
 In general, the kids actually played really well together!

 We fed the ducks!

 Nichole again taught me how to have fun and imagine with the kids!  Those Alligators :)

We also played at the splash pad and had free hot-dogs at the park!  We are so grateful for the friendships and family and the love that we feel and have been blessed with from so many people. Thank you!

Cross Country Tour

 So after three short years in Lexington, Kentucky, Christian graduated from UK with his certificate in Orthodontics and his Masters Degree.  We are so proud of his hard work and accomplishments!

Christian's parents were so kind to come up for the celebration.  His professor he worked on with research and the invited speaker are pictured with us here. It was an honor to work with them.

 Christian's parents were incredible and helped us pack our 2400 square foot house into 9 feet of trailer space.  They are tetris geniuses!

 We hit the road the next day ready to camp and play along the way! My Korean neighbor gave me this headband as a goodbye gift.  We had the best neighbors in Kentucky!

 The boys were terrific on the way. We felt very blessed.

 

 Our first night we had trouble finding a place to camp.  Everywhere we looked were just windmills!  Finally, we found a little place that was $5.00 a spot with free firewood.  As it was already dark we  counted our blessings and stayed!

 Our first stop the next day was a little town called Carthage, Illinois.  It was in the local jail here that the prophet, Joseph Smith Jr. was martyred over 100 years ago.  It was a reverent place to be.

 Our next stop was Nauvoo, Illinois.  This was one of the first settlements of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day, Saints.  I was surprised at how beautiful the temple was and how much I wanted to go inside.  I finally decided that even though we were only hoping to stay for a short time, that I would go inside and Christian would watch the boys.  It was such a beautiful and peace-filled experience. 

 While I was in the temple, Christian took the boys to see old-time Nauvoo.  They had a lot of fun!

 That night we were able to stop by and see our dear friends the Riggs.  It was so much fun to see them! We spent a few days with them and just had fun!

 After that, it was back to the car!  The boys were once again Champs!

 Christian obliged me to stop at this restaurant in Nebraska (who knew that Nebraska was a huge wetlands area?)  It was not as good as the online reviews suggested :)

 Finally, we made it to Car Henge.  The weirdest place in Nebraska!!  But the kids had fun and it was free!

 It was made of real cars---the wheels actually moved!

 We kept driving and felt like real tourists when we were taking pictures of the Bison in North Dakota!

 We camped that night in a super sketchy campsite that had free wifi but the password was "rampage" which kind of freaked us out!  Luckily we escaped unscathed!  We had a campfire and watched the stars.  Camping with kids sure is fun! (Although Tyson was terrified we hadn't put the fire out all the way.  That boy and fires!)

 We woke up early and made it to see Mt. Rushmore.  The boys were sort of impressed!

 The fog came rolling in as we were taking pictures.

 Within seconds you couldn't see a thing!

So we kept driving...and made it to Montana late that night!