My little grapemonster

One of my favorite things about Utah is everything outside. I love the mountains, the trees, the flowers, all of the landscaping in general. I love that you can grow more than just pecan trees like here in Texas. There is every sort of fruit you can think of. My parents have a peach tree, an apple tree, a raspberry bush, red and white grapes, everything was so sweet and tasty. Jack loved the peaches and the grapes. He was constantly grabbing new pieces of fruit and taking a big bite out of it. We had him making grape juice and he ate just about everything he could get his hands on. We had been picking the seeds out and giving him the grapes, but he got ahold of a big bunch of grapes and just went to town seeds, stems and all. It just added some extra fiber to his diet. We figured out a way to make some juice without him and it was delicious.

Last truck stop

Maybe because it has been a month since the trip I don't remember it being so bad. Jack was such a trooper. He got upset here and there but I am sure it could have been much worse. I had so many toys I would hand him one to play with and that would entertain him for a bit and then he would throw it and I would get him another. We sang lots of songs, read some books and said a few prayers and finally made it to Utah.

Kearney, Nebraska

We were finally on the last leg of our trip and we stopped in Nebraska to visit Al and Val Erickson (grandma's brother) Valerie made us a wonderful lunch and then Jack got to explore the apple harvest. I got to drive Valerie's new toy, her convertable. It was a beautiful day. They sent us on the road with a very thoughtful road trip goodie bag. Thank you both so much for being so caring.

Visit to Sioux Falls, SD to see Grandpa's Family

Next on our trip was a visit to Grnadpa's side of the family. We stayed with my cousin Heather. Breckyn got plenty of bonding time with her new 2nd cousin. She immediatly loved Jack and was so good at taking care of him. She really enjoyed picking him up and helping him play with his cars.

Visiting Great Grandma Eleanor In South Dakota

We got to Brandon, SD to visit Jack's Great Grandmother Eleanor. Jack had a great time playing with all of her things. He loved Kermit's rain gauge (which he broke). He is so interested in how things work, he is our little engineer. We went out to dinner at the Pizza Ranch. We got to see Arny and Kay (Grandma's brother) and Shelly and John (Arny's kids). Jack loved the arcade room, so many lights and games to look at. This is such a great age, Jack can be entertained by just looking at the games and we don't have to spend any money. The next day my Great Aunt Arlene made myself and Jack breakfast. It was so sweet, I felt like a little girl at a fancy tea party. It has probably been a long time since she has entertained, but she made us such an elegant breakfast. We went to Grandpa Kermit's grave site. I am sad for my mother and especially for my Grandmother. I can't imagine losing Dan and we have only been married for 3 years. They were married for over sixty years. We are all blessed to have been in the presence of the wonderful man that my grandfather was. He was such a caring, faithful, and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great-grandfather to Jack.

Visit Angie and Pat in Iowa

My cousin Angie just had a little girl, Haley Mae Bettin. She was born on 10/10/2008 at 9:18. She was 7lbs8oz and 20.5 inches long. I am so glad we got the chance to see them one last time before they had their little girl. They just built this beautiful log home. Angie was such a great hostess. She fed us really well. Her home looks like it is out of a better homes and gardens book. I am sure that will all change within a year or so. Jack had so much fun stuff to explore. Thankfully he did not break anything and if he did, he was just clearing the way for Haley.

Road trip with Mom, Grandpa and Grandma

We had the wonderful idea to drive back to Utah after my parents came to Texas for Jack birthday party. My grandfather past away the week prior so we took a round about way to Utah. We first drove to Iowa then to South Dakota and then to Nebraska so we could visit alot of our family, most importantly Jack's Great Grandmother Eleanor Erickson. I was really glad it worked out this way, they got to spend some good time playing together.