Hill Family: Utah/ Idaho Vacation 2016!

We decided pretty last minute that I would drive back with my mom and we would spend 3 weeks in Utah and Idaho visiting family. It was a super busy trip but lots of fun!

So, the first week in Utah we stayed at my dad's house. The kids loved swimming in the hot tub, playing with the toys, and watching movies in his big theater room. While there we also made smores, went for a ride in Grandpa Doug's ginormous RV and went to the Tree House Museum in Ogden. We also were able to visit with our very good friends (adopted family) the Howards. We have missed them so much and it was so great to spend time catching up with them. Also during that same week the kids went to spend the night with Grandma April and that's when my dad and I were able to visit with one another and have some fun at a concert at Snowbasin Ski Resort and go for a motorcycle ride. The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed our time with my dad.

The next week was spent with my grandparents in Pleasant Grove. We always love visiting them and laughing with them! The first day there we went for a train ride up in Heber Valley. It was so pretty! It defnitely got a little warm on the train but the scenery was beautiful! We even got to see a couple of moose! Along the way we got "robbed" and then the "robber" came aboard and played some music on her guitar and fiddle and the kids loved that! While at the grandparents' house we also watched movies, ate grandma's yummy cooking and went for a picnic up Timpanogas Canyon. And of course a trip to Grandma's wouldn't be complete without a little bit of shopping! Unfortunately Caleb and Emily were sick with ear infections towards the end of their visit there so we did make a trip to the Urgent Care but they survived!

Towards the end of that week the three older kids went up to Cliff and Leslie's house and went camping in Island Park. I stayed in Utah with Lydia and was able to get more great time with my grandparents. We really had some great laughs and great talks. I miss them so much! This visit was so nice for us all!

The third and final week of the trip was spent in Idaho visiting Matt's parents. The kids had so much fun camping and watching the cows and playing with the toys. We had a birthday party for Lydia while we were there (since we were going to be traveling on her actual birthday) and she loved it! We got to go up to Rexburg and eat at Wingers (my old work when I was in college) and then walk around BYU-Idaho. It brought back a lot of fun memories for Matt and I! We miss those fun college days! While in Idaho we decided that we should bring back some of the stuff that we left behind (like the beanbags, freezer, foozball table) so we ended up having to install a hitch on the Explorer and rent a UHAUL trailer but we managed to bring them back and Matt is so happy about that! He really missed that stuff! We had a great visit with Matt's parents and his grandparents (on both sides) and we are glad that we could see them while we were there!

On our way back home we stopped by to see Jeff and Amy and their new house. It is adorable! They have a great place and enjoyed visiting with them. They came over to our hotel and went swimming with us and then we had lunch before we got back on the road again. We are looking forward to our next visit to Fort Wayne when we can stay longer and really see what the city has to offer!

After visiting with Jeff and Amy we got back in the car and headed north to see Brian and Suzanne in Benton Harbor, MI. Brian was participating in the Ironman triathalon. We stayed in a hotel in South Bend, IN which is Notre Dame country. So of course we had to visit the campus! It was beautiful! They have a really nice campus and a great stadium. The next day we were at the beach all day while Brian participated in his Ironman. The kids loved playing in the sand and the water. The weather was beautiful and the water felt great! It was so fun to visit with Suzanne while we waited for him. She really helped with the kids and Lucy especially! We will definitely be going back there again...although Brian probably won't be participating in the triathalon again (he says he's retired, but we shall see)!

We had a really great visit with everyone and we are glad that we could make that journey out west (and back again)! We miss our family and enjoy any time that we can spend together.

Here are some pictures from our vacation!