Trip to NC! (Mike Returns Home)

Wow, I can't believe how much of a blog slacker I've been this month! It's definitely not because I have nothing to write about. I think it's more because we went on a two week vacation to NC, and now I have so much to blog about that I'm feeling overwhelmed! Whew. Well, I guess I'll just start at the beginning of the trip.

Trevor and I flew out on Wednesday, July 13th. The very next day, at 7pm, my brother Mike (Elder Hopkins) was getting off a plane from Atlanta, returning home from his two year mission to Boise, ID! We were all VERY excited to see him! But we were all gathered at home, preparing to leave, when my Dad looked up his plane on flight tracker and realized that it was going to be 30 minutes EARLY!?!? How does a plane coming from Atlanta arrive 30 minutes ahead of time? That never happens. But it did this time. So we frantically got in our cars and rushed to the airport. We definitely didn't want Elder Hopkins to get off the plane and have no one there to welcome him!!

The good news is we made it in time! And actually we were there for about 15 minutes before he walked down the exit toward where we were all congregated. And it really was wonderful!!

Below are some pictures of the big moment. I tried to upload the video, but after waiting 2 hours for it to upload, I had to go to bed. And in the morning it was just gone. I guess it didn't work :( Sorry! So frustrating. But anyway...

Elder Hopkins being, well, himself. With a nice lei of candy!
My youngest cousin on my dad's side, Lauryn, and her homemade poster:
One of Mike's best friends, Tim. He almost knocked Mike over with his running start of a hug!
Another one of Mike's best friends, Geoff:
More of the welcoming committee. Or, erm, paparazzi? Haha. Poor guy was probably thinking "wow... so many cameras!!". Anyway, there's Trevor in the picture. It's proof that we were there :)
After the in-airport celebrations died down, we walked out to the car. He was REALLY home. It still seems surreal.
Also, I had to get a picture of how worn his shoes were. I believe these were one pair of the original shoes he left with:And just to prove how worn they really were, he gave me the pleasure of showing me his insoles. With holes!
It really was awesome to get to see him again! And then we all went on to our next adventure... the beach! That will be for next time! :)

Fourth of July 2011

We had such a fun and busy fourth of July weekend that I left my camera accidentally at my sister-in-law's house and just barely got it back today! So, I've got to get a quick post in before we leave for vacation to NC on Wednesday!

After reading my short little post, if you'd like to see more about our festivities, I highly recommend seeing the awesome post that my sister in law Meghan did on her blog HERE.

On Saturday July 2nd, we had our traditional family reunion in Heber City with Trevor's mom's side of the family. I didn't take any pictures, but we ate lots of good food and the kids all got to have fun collecting candy that uncle Shane shot from his candy cannon. Always a good time.

On Sunday July 3rd, we ate dinner at Trevor's parents house and then all had family pictures made. These pictures turned out awesome! And they are also all on Meghan's blog. But here's one for my blog and for posterity (so you can see my little baby bump):
On Monday, July 4th (my day off work woo hoo!) Trevor and I had a lazy morning, but we joined everyone again in the early afternoon for a delicious barbecue and then to go to the park up Springville Canyon for the kids to play and for the boys to have a homerun derby. Of course, it's always more fun when everyone gets to participate! :) Please enjoy my very low-quality collages of the event:
The boys pitching and batting:
Steve was the victor this year. Trevor was a bit ashamed to say he tied for last, especially because he was the reigning victor from the last homerun derby, two years ago. I guess a king can't keep his crown forever, right? ;)

But he sure did look like a winner when he was helping Kelan, my youngest nephew, take a few aided steps. Getting in some practice before our little man arrives. There's nothing more attractive than a man acting like a daddy. Hmm.... maybe those are the pregnancy hormones talking :D
The night of the fourth we shot off fireworks. The kids all loved to sit on the curb and watch them and they just looked so cute all lined up:
And here's another collage of some of the fireworks we shot off. The fireworks setting on my little camera isn't bad. But seriously, check out Meghan's blog! Her pictures are AH-MAZING! *Sigh* One day I'll have a camera like hers and hopefully the picture-taking skills to go with it.
Anyway, it was definitely a riotous night to say the least. The first firework that we shot off that went up in the air decided to tip over after the first or second shot, and started shooting up the street and then right towards all of us! Needless to say, everyone began running and scrambling away. Somewhere in the process of getting up off the sidewalk and trying to run, I fell back down again, scraping up my elbow and putting a few small scratches on my camera. Lame :( Haha. Oh well. I completely blame it on pregnancy and me not realizing that my center of balance is a little off these days :) That will be one moment I'd like to replay in heaven one day and just look back and laugh! It bet it looked hilarious. And I only say that because we all came out unscathed (well, mostly...). If anyone had been hurt, it probably wouldn't be quite as funny, now would it?

Happy Fourth of July! I hope yours was grand as well. Thank heavens we live in a FREE COUNTRY! :)