Kristen comes for a visit!

The past week has been such a blast. My sister Kristen came with her family for a visit to Utah. They live in Sacramento. I've been so excited to see her, and her darling kids. Kate and Kirk have loved playing with their cousins. Kate always asks if she can go to California to see Caroline. We've done so many fun things , I'll try to list them. Kristen, Dain, Caroline, William and Kimball pulled into town on Friday night. So we saw her on Saturday. Saturday evening she blessed her baby. my nephew Kimall is such an adorable little baby. He is actually six months old. He was born while his daddy (Dain) was serving in Afghanistan. The blessing turned out really well, and it was neat to be able to see my nephew's blessing. Sunday we had dinner at my Parent's house. And afterward Dain did a special family home evening on some of the experiences he had over in Afghanistan. It was so humbling to see pictures of the people. The children have so little, and yet they were always smiling in the photos. I'm so grateful for all of those in the armed forces fighting in the war. They are making tremendous sacrifices for our freedom. Then after the presentation Dain gave out little souvenirs for the kids. You can see in the picture, that they were a big hit. Kate loves her Afghanistan scarf, and loves to dress up in it. Then on Monday we went to the fun zone, and the kids had a blast jumping around in the bounce toys. Then afterwards we sent the kids home and my sisters, my mom, and I all went for a girls night out. We went shopping, ate dinner, and saw a movie. I haven't gotten out in a while so it was a real treat Then Tuesday we went to Lagoon. The kids loved it. Kate loved the Ody sea ride. Kirk also loved the rides. I've never seen him laugh so hard. The next night we went out to visit my Grandma Black. She is 97 years old and still going strong. We've nicked named her the energizer bunny. She just keeps going inspite of health complications. Last thanksgiving she broke her hip. She had it replaced went through rehab and is now back at home, getting around well. She is still independent and lives n her own. Her yard is beautiful. It has enourmous trees, which provides plenty of shade. She also has a big grassy hill. We took a slip'n slide out and the kids had fun running through the water. We ate fried chicken and salad. On the 24th of Juyl we went to breakfast at my mom's. It was the best breakfast ever. I'll have to give ya'll the recipe for her famous pecan blueberry french toast. I swear I had like three helpings. The kids played all morning and finally it was time for Kristen and Dain to hit the road. They drove down to Montecello Ut, that's were Dain's family lives. Later that day we all went to a pool party at Dan's parent's house. The kids swam, ate, and made ice cream. It was alot of fun. Well it's been an incredibly busy week, but so much fun. I just wish Kristen lived closer. Ever time she comes out it's bitter sweet. I love being able to see her, but I also miss her so much when she goes. One thing I do know is that your sisters are always there for you, no matter what!

These are the same steps we used to eat on when we were kids. My sweet grandma holding Kimball 6 mo. old. Kate standing next to her 3 yr. old.