VACATION!!!

This past week our family had the FABULOUS opportunity to go to a Tilton Family reunion in Dallas, TX. We all had SO MUCH FUN, and were a bit sad to leave the family as well as the beautiful area. I was having so much fun, in fact, that I neglected to take pictures for most of the trip. Pretty much the only pictures are at the temple or while the kids are sleeping...sigh...oh well. At least the pics I did actually take turned out!

Here are Cory, Bryson, and Dallin at the temple in front of the nativity. Dallin was so cute, he didn't want to get up from that little spot. He sat there for quite some time just starring at the display.

A bunch of the siblings had planned to do a trip to the temple, so I decided I would take the kids. Kim (sister-in-law) decided to come too and take two of her kids. I think we are all glad we did it.

Cory is getting so old, it amazes me, even bewilders me at how fast it's going by. Here he is trying to smile, but actually just making a dorky face in front of the temple. Hey, at least he let me take his picture. :) I love my boy, he was so good on the trip. I mean, TRULY EXCEPTIONAL. I was a proud mom. He enjoyed taking care of his smaller cousins and trying to keep up with the older ones.

Below is little Bryson, although, he's not so little anymore either. The sweet thing got so homesick after only a couple days in TX (we were gone from home a total of ten days). Other than that, he had a LOT of fun playing with the cousins, especially on the trampoline. I felt like some days on the trip I barely even saw him because he was outside playing with his cousins all day.

...And little Dallin. Oh boy, he was a character on the trip. He has so much affection, especially for the little babies, that it would come out in big bursts of hugs and kisses, and he'd end up knocking the poor little things over! He is definately going to have to be taught how to interact with children smaller than him before our next little guy (or maybe gal) is born. He was even a bit of a bully at times...ughh...but he's only two, I guess what can you expect? He was at an akward stage where he wasn't a baby, but he wasn't just one of the kids either. He REALLY enjoyed wrestling each night with whoever would wrestle with him...uncles, cousins, or whoever. And before he went to bed, he went around and gave everyone he could find a hug. (There were about 40 people at the reunion, half kids, and all of us under two roofs).

Here's Bryson with Jayson, his three year old cousin. They were good buds.

Bryson and Jayson with Aunt Maria, Jim's wife. She did a much better job than I did at taking pictures...maybe I should snag some of the ones she took!

There were a bunch of acorns on the ground, and the boys had SO much fun finding them. We got home and Bryson's pockets were full to the brim with little acorns...and his pockets were NOT small. ha ha What a nut! (A little play on words there for the cheesy folk)

Unfortunately while we were there, the kids (and I mean ALL the kids, not just mine) got sick. It was something like the croup, which in general is not fun, but for asthmatics like Cory, it's just plain scary. At one point I was quite concerned because Cory's nebulizer treatment was having virtually no effect on his asthma. I wasn't sure if the insurance would cover something like a hospital trip out of network (I've heard they're a pain about that sort of thing), so I was doubly concerned. John called Jeb and Evan in (two of his brothers), and they gave him a blessing that his body would be able to heal on its own. Within an hour we realized that the nebulzer wasn't hooked up quite right, so he wasn't getting the much-needed meds, and within about three hours he was showing a significant amount of improvement. Ahhhh, blessings!!!

So, back to the pictures...we found a lady bug while on the temple grounds. I posted this picture more because of Cory's cute little hand than because of the lady bug, though. He's getting old, but he still has the pudgy little-boy hands. Ahhh, I know they're not going to last much longer, so I've got to cherish them while they're around.

Below is uncle Jim carrying Bryson and Jayson. What a sport. Maria and Kim are also sort of in the pic....I wish I had better shots of me and the sister-in-laws. We all had SO MUCH FUN together. We'd leave the kids with our husbands and take off and have fun. We went shopping several of the times, and did the New Moon movie. The sisters all went to get mani/pedi's, but I just wasn't up to it (darn fatigue kicked my tooshy), so when they came back, they all sat me down in a "princess chair" and gave me my own mani/pedi. I know, how totally sweet, right? They even cut my toe-nails!!! Yeah, after that they deserve better pictures, but alas...

Dallin was hilarious while he slept. He never woke up in the same spot twice. We'd hear him during the night bumping into different pieces of funriture. He never woke up. Anyway, this was one of the mornings. He cracks me up!

Here's Cory and Bryson asleep in the hotel room. We were able to break up our 16 hour drive at the hotel each way, thanks to a VERY generous family member (THANK YOU!!). They are just so cute, I had to snap a shot.

I have been accused of not taking enough pictures by my brother and sister, so here's another one of them falling asleep together. They're the best of friends, I love watching their bond form stronger and stronger, especially now that they're both in school. They even sit next to eachother on the bus. I love my boys!

And here's another random picture for my siblings who've been asking for more. The kids were cute at breakfast this morning. They're all crazy, I swear!!!