Jamie had a fun idea that if we ever saw a sign saying "world's longest" or "world's tallest"anything that we would stop and get a picture. For example Columbus, Ohio has the Longaberger Basket headquarters and their building is a giant basket! We went to Louisville, Kentucky where they have the worl'd largest baseball bat. You get the idea......So we saw these signs saying "world's largest corn palace" and "world's ONLY corn palace". Well you know we just had to go! :) Mitchell, South Dakota if you ever want to go for a drive :)

The kids had a great time at Mount Rushmore. They loved the gift shop too! We found these passports to buy. When you get visit a national monument or historic site then you can get it stamped. They also have a place where you can place a sticker from that specific monument, site, or park. After looking at all the places they could go to get a stamp we've gone to a bunch of them already. I guess we'll have to go again just for the stamp? :)

On our way to Mount Rushmore we watched "National Treasure 2" where some of it takes place at Mount Rushmore. The kids thought that was really neat. I thought I remembered the movie talking about a "Hall of Records" but Jamie just told me they didn't....so anyway.....There actually is a "Hall of Records" carved out behind the statues that was finally completed in 1997 or 1998 (I can't remember). Plans were drawn up for the hall at the same time as the plans for Mount Rushmore, but didn't get completed until later.

Mount Rushmore

This is what Crazy Horse is GOING to look like...........

And this is what Crazy Horse looks like right now. This is over 50 years of progress! Wow, it looks like the people working on the mountain have job security for the next hundred years or so :) This project is not federally funded but privately funded. It cost us $20 to go in. All that money goes right back into the project so they can keep blasting away at that mountain!

We have officially arrived in Ogden, Utah! Here's Devil's Slide! The countdown starts. Only about an hour left in the car! Yea! Our first night we went to the Messerly's to stay. Jenny surprised me and was able to get another movie ticket for "Eclipse". Her and her friends were able to get tickets months ago for a sneak preview the evening before it was to be released. It was fun going out and meeting Jenny's friends. We went out to eat and then did a treat exchange so we could all have munchies for the movies. That was a great idea! I think I'll suggest that to my friends back in Ohio! It was a great time! Thanks so much Jenny!

Some pictures of the kids playing!

It's so fun getting acquainted again and just feeling the energy of the kids being so excited to see their family! The kids all play so well together. We went and visited great grandma marsh and great grandma ellis. It was nice to visit with them. While we were visiting with great grandma marsh, Jenny took the kids to the pond by Weber State University. When Jenny had brought the kids back and we were heading out, Chad, Jamie's best friend from high school came in! He was checking on a case at the home where grandma was and noticed Jenny and the kids out in the hall! So glad we got to run into Chad and catch up!

It was so fun to surprise Lynne at her work. She did not know we were in Utah. In fact she thought we were coming in a week or two. So Darcey came in and said she had a surprise for her and that she needed to turn around. Lynne later said she thought that Darcey and the two she nannies for had brought her a cake. So while Lynne was turned around we filed ALL the kids - Cameron, Tanner, Ireland, Keean, Harrison, Aedan, Brielle, Jarron, and Gavin (we were missing Tanis) very quietly into her office. I was pretty impressed with how quiet they were. Then Darcey said she could turn around and we all yelled "surprise!" So fun!

We all went to lunch at Harrison's favorite Italian restaurant with the big meatballs! We all had a great time. I think we almost had the whole restaurant to ourselves! Good thing, or maybe we scared everybody off with our big group! :)

A visit with cousins wouldn't be complete without a "campout". We used to always go up to Coalville once or twice a summer and stay overnight, go swimming, hike up to the infamous water tower, and play a lot of games and eat a lot of treats. We didn't have time to do that this year so we pitched a tent in the Messerly's back yard and got their fire pit out and had smores with gigantic marshmallows! I had never seen them that big! The kids made a great gooey mess and slept out in the tent all night! Ireland fell asleep before all the festivities even started so she slept inside. We didn't see the rest of them until the morning!

Well today is the day where Darcey and Jenny run around like mad women to try and pull off this surprise party! Let's just say that it has been terribly difficult to "hide the truth" from Lynne. We had to come up with stories as to why Jenny and Darcey couldn't be with us all day. Jenny said she needed help getting ready for a Primary inservice meeting that was happening on Sunday. That seemed to go over so Lynne went and got her hair done that morning while we took the kids to the park. Then we met Lynne at her house and met Shayne at the movies. The girls saw Toy Story 3 and the boys saw The Last Airbender. Shayne had to "pick up Jenny" to get to the house because we were "going to Maddox for her birthday dinner". We got Lynne in the car to go to Maddox when Jamie had to make a pit stop ......at the park where the party was!

Surprise! Happy Birthday Lynne! Darcey and Jenny have been working on this surprise for several months and to now have it finally come! There were so many people there to show their support and love for Lynne. A great tribute to her and what a great person she is :) Jenny put together a slide show that went from her childhood all the way up to now. It turned out great Jenny. Let's talk about what's most important......the food didn't run out! What a fun night even if the lawn mower wanted to crash the party!

We've lived in Utah our whole lives and never went to Promentory Point where the west meets the east with the railroad. We got there just in time to see the "Jupiter" pull in. Jupiter was the train that came from California. We got to go up to look at it and ask questions about it, then the "119" (i think :)) came in about a half hour later. This train had originally come from Chicago. They tooted their steam horns, which was surprisingly loud! When the trains met up together Ireland was very scared that the trains would crash! She wanted to get out of there right away, so we went into the gift shop where Grandma made it all better with a little souveneir train for her and a lego train for each of the boys. And what trip to a national historic site would be complete without the stamp on the kids passport!?

A whole afternoon of summer fun at Shayne's mom's house! The kids loved swimming there! They would migrate from the diving board, to the slide to the middle of the pool. Brielle showed us her mermaid stroke. Keean got brave and shed his floaties! And Ireland, well, she stayed there on those steps the whole time :) Great fun.

Great Grandma Ellis wanted to treat Lynne to dinner for her birthday, so she decided to take all of us....ALL 18 OF US! Quite a feat getting us all together and fed! It was such a fun time. Great Grandma Ellis had such a fun time that she wants to do it again. Wish we could be there:( Thanks Grandma for a great night!

Here we are at the 4th of July Kaysville Parade! The kids loved the parade....well, loved the candy and chasing after it! :) We were able to meet a friend of ours from Ohio who is visiting family this summer in Utah. She said that she always would go to the kaysville parade when she was in utah. It was good to see her and her cute kids! It was a perfect day for a parade. It wasn't too hot so it was bearable even though they didn't have too many floats! They made up for it in candy. Too bad we didn't stay after for the water fight! :) Maybe next year right Shayne? :)

The girls with Aunt Darcey showing off the "bling" they got from the parade. Every year Taco Time has a float with nothing but red, white, and blue necklaces to throw to the crowd. Definitely a crowd pleaser!

That afternoon the girls ran to the mall because Brielle wanted her ears pierced for her birthday! She was so brave! She didn't even flinch when they were pierced! Grandma Floto bought her some earings for her birthday to wear when she can take her studs out! Happy Birthday Brielle....something is coming for you in the mail when I can get my act together! After the mall we were able to have lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Marsh. It was so nice to sit and visit with them and just enjoy each others company. The kids were all preoccupied with....each other....so it made for a nice visit! It was great to see you Brian and Karen!

That night we went to the fireworks in Kaysville. Jenny lives in such a great spot that we could just walk to the fireworks too! The kids were tired but they wanted to see the fireworks. Gavin taught us a new game called "corners" that we played - in the dark - until the festivities started. It was a fun full day! Thanks for having us Messerly's!

July 4th landed on a sunday this year. We played hookie from church and went on the river walk up by the dinsaur park. I say river walk, but for the boys it was a river run! They practically jogged the whole path. We couldn't keep up. Gavin, the oldest of the cousins, was sent to keep up with everyone and keep an eye on them. He did a good job because nobody was missing by the time we all caught up! Thanks Gavin!

After the river walk we came back to Lynne's and had lunch and birthday cake. Lynne, myself and Brielle all have birthdays in July, so we all got to blow out candles. Glad I didn't have to blow out 34 ...or Lynne 60! :)

We all needed a ride on Uncle Piet's motorcycle. We loved it! I asked Harrison if he wanted a ride....well that's a no-brainer. I asked Aedan if he wanted a ride and he said that it was way too dangerous! I asked Keean and he said the same thing. After they saw Harrison, me and Robert go on, they changed their minds :)

Harrison has been begging Uncle Piet to take him on a motorcycle ride for a while now. Today was his lucky day! Uncle Piet gave him three rules: always get off the bike on the left side because the pipes on the right side are HOT!, don't lean in on turns - try to sit up straight, and of course, always keep hands on the driver - either on shoulders or waist. harrison was very good to obey all the rules until they pulled in from the end of the ride :) Uncle Piet slowed down and Harrison had to do his token "peace sign" with both hands! :) Keean thought he was pretty tough on the motorcycle with that huge helmet! Piet took him just across the street to the church parking lot. Keean told him he didn't want to go too far - and they didn't! :) He loved it and went again the next day, and I think the day after that!