Our last morning in Utah, we had our car packed up and were ready to hit the road when Greg got some life changing news while scanning his Twitter feed:

Jimmer was at Provo high for an event that ended in 15 minutes. The Jimmer.

We had to make it happen. So we raced down there, and got there just as the group was wrapping up.

Greg tried to play it cool:

"Oh hi Aunt Cheryl, fancy meeting you here."

"Oh Jimmer, really?"

"Sure I guess I can take a picture with him"

but inside I know he was really doing this:

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh Jimmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeerrrrrr!"

Of course we couldn't just be normal and leave without making an impression. His Aunt Cheryl suggested the boys do the Haka for Jimmer like they had done for the family reunion just a week earlier, and Greg jumped on that idea and helped bribe them with a substantial amount of candy.



I think Jimmer enjoyed it as it was certainly a break from his usual "handshake and smile" routine. But I can guarantee that Greg enjoyed it more. Aside from our wedding day and the birth of our children, this may have been the best day of his life (even if he'd deny it).

Although now that I think about it, I'm not sure even the birth of our children or our wedding would trump it. For my sake, we'll just say it's a tie.

As we left we asked Jackson what his favorite part of the two week trip to Utah was. He quickly pointed to the ground and said "This... meeting Jimmer. This is actually the best thing of my whole life."

The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree if you ask me.

Sunshine, pools, late bedtimes, popsicles and freshly cut grass. It's no secret that we love Summer around here. When else can you take a break from life and just let your boys run wild outside searching for frogs and bugs? Well apparently I took a break from the blog this summer too, but not for lack of living.

This summer we had many firsts. We experienced out first Minnesota Summer, Jackson and Bennett had their first ride on a Jet Ski, and Jackson even lost his first tooth.

But the biggest feat we accomplished this summer was our first real road trip as a family of 5. Now we moved here in December from New jersey, but we meandered slowly across the country that time, and never drove more than 7 hours in a day. It was cake compared to this beast of a trip. Our trip this year was a 21 hour drive from Minneapolis to Provo Utah, broken up into two days. It still pains me to write about because the memories are too fresh.

But once we got there we got to enjoy the Rose Family Reunion. It was really fun to just enjoy some extended family time. Jackson didn't miss a beat as he latched onto some older kids (Greg's younger cousins) because in his mind he's 12 years old anyway.

The reunion included various days of adventures. Day one was Seven Peaks where Jackson gave into peer pressure and rode some of his biggest thrill rides to date. And due to some stars aligning, we ended up running into our friends the Hardy's who we knew in New Jersey. Small world in Mormondom.

Day two we spent the day at South Fork Canyon Park and played all sorts of games: Volleyball (again Jackson thought he was 15) Water Balloon Volleyball, as well as a rousing game of Softball. We also had a small competition where the men spent about a half hour trying to be the first to unwrap and frozen t-shirt and get it on there bodies. I think it's safe to say this family is not lacking a competitive spirit.

Of course with all this competition Bennett was content to play in the water and dress up like a Bumble Bee.

And of course my favorite part of trip was going to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Sundance. (Was there ever any doubt?) but the icing on the cake was that famed BYU professor Brent Barlow sat right in front of us. I kept telling Greg we were sitting behind a celebrity. He reminded me "you do realize you are sitting next to my Uncle Dave right?" Oh yeah. I guess head BYU Basketball coach is a big deal too, but wow, Brent Barlow!

The next two days we got a little ambitious and hike up to stewart falls after taking the lift up from Sundance. We knew it would be mostly downhill so we expected an easy stroll. Well we were right about it being downhill, but everyone struggled as the trails were very thin with large drop-offs and most of it was rocky and rough making it very slow going. Three miles felt like fifteen but we all came out alive. Greg carried Davis on his back the whole way, even while Davis learned to tickle his neck. Also a big thanks to Uncle Nate who got Bennett out of the canyon far after he had given up.

That hike was followed by a hike up to Timpanogas caves, a more clear wide trail, but a much harder hike. We left Davis and Bennett home for this one, but Jackson did awesome. One positive to having a child bursting with energy: they are great hikers.

By the time we got back we were sore and sweaty, but the kids eeked out the energy to to the haka for a family talent show. Greg even bribed them with double brownies to take off their shirts. There was no hesitation.

We had a wonderful reunion, and now we are lobbying to get the next reunion to be in the Twin Cities! Anyone in?