hanging out with our cousins

After eating our fill of ice cream at the wedding reception, we said our good-byes and headed back to the hotel in Logan, UT for the evening. We had promised the boys they could swim and they had been so well behaved during the really long, busy day that we hated to deny them. So, even though it was pretty late, we suited up and headed to the pool. Eventually, most of the cousins joined us and we spent a couple of splashy hours all together (minus the littles, who were put to bed. Hank swam for a while and then went to bed). We invited Matthew and Stephanie to join us in the festivities but Matt said they had other plans. Rude!

 I love this picture of Alan and Dave playing with Corbin. My parents-in-law, Scott and Elsa, did such a fabulous job of raising their kids. All their sons have grown up to be the most excellent fathers (or uncles) that you can imagine. Each of the "boys" are equal parents raising kids, and are SO willing to do the stuff that more traditional dads might turn up their noses at, like changing diapers, dealing with fussy babies, or helping clean up HUGE messes. I feel SO incredibly lucky to be surrounded by all these awesome men! It makes being a mom, and raising responsible sons, much less of a challenge. The girls are spectacular too, but that was always a given :)

 We all had a great time. Jed borrowed cousin Quincey's goggles and fell in love with being able to see well underwater. Dave and I stopped at a local sporting-goods store after an early morning temple session with Ruth and Aaron (thank you again, Sarah, Mark and Hannah for babysitting!) and picked him up a pair of his own.

 Jed was so delighted he immediately put them on and wore them the rest of the day. We all decided we wanted to spend a little more time together, so after checking out of the hotel, most of us (minus Karl and Holli's family, who had to get back for a scout camp-out) headed to the tiny zoo in Logan.

 Donald, Grayson, and Jed waiting excitedly to go to the zoo.

 I am not sure what Jed was telling Donald, who is wearing his Flynn Ryder satchel, but it looks quite intense.

 Wood ducks! I still haven't seen any in the wild yet and I am going to be majorly bummed if this is my only view of them. They are such beautiful birds!

 We had to laugh a little at the zoo--they had a couple of enclosures like this, with birds right next to a large cat. Seems like a questionable choice, for sure.

I LOVE this pose of Jed's. Dave snapped this on the sly.

 We came upon this peacock and all the kids wanted him to put up his tail.

 Aaron started squawking and strutting around trying to get the peacock to put up his tail. It was so, so funny! But all he managed to get the peacock to do was squawk rather indignantly.

 Jed/Sammy the Turtle was so thrilled to see some of his kinfolk at the zoo. This tortoise walked really quickly, for a tortoise, and all the kids were thrilled. 

 This was by far my favorite exhibit at the zoo. So, so funny. 

After we said our goodbyes outside the zoo, we all went our separate ways. We got some lunch from my beloved Sonic (mmmmm, mozzarella sticks! I can continue on for another 6 months now), got gas, and headed up the spectacular Logan Canyon towards Big Piney. Aunt Hannah rode with us and I felt so bad for her. Our backseat, crowded under the best of circumstances, was so full of traveling crap because we had packed up rather hastily that morning. She was a good sport, and we paid for lunch to boot. We made it to Big Piney by mid-afternoon, unloaded the car, relaxed a bit, and got together with Ruth and her kids for traditional Friday night Pizza night. 

The next day, we headed to Pinedale with Ruth and the kids and Hannah to enjoy Pinedale's awesome aquatic center. There are two pools, one for laps and one for family swimming that features a zero-entry area, a "submarine" that sprays water and has a baby slide, a big water slide for older kids, and small lazy river. Hank fell asleep in the car on the way after we saw a cattle drive, so I stayed in the car with him until he woke up and caught up on my book (I highly recommend Life of Pi, by the way). We swam and played for about two hours and then went to our favorite Chinese restaurant. I'm not sure what its actual name is, but we have always called it the Chinese Moose, because there is an ENORMOUS moose out front. After a leisurely lunch, we headed home for naps and chores. Dave's parents had ordered a new lawn mower and somehow two were delivered. Dave put one together and fired up the old mower and the lawn tractor and we mowed Dave's parents lawn in no time flat. Then we headed down to do Pampa's lawn as well.

 Hank loved riding the lawn tractor with Dave. He was totally content to be up there almost the entire time.

 As I mentioned earlier, Pampa's freezer is well stocked with icy goodness. The kids all stopped moving for a little while while they ate their popsicles and I managed to snag a few pictures. From left to right--Hannah (checking her phone, tisk tisk), Donald, Jed, David, Daniel, Hank, Maddie and Ruth.

 Now Hannah looks! Sorry, Ruth, I never managed to get you looking!

 Jed quickly finished his own and sweet-talked Aunt Hannah into sharing with him. He then discovered the joys of an ice-cream headache.

 I love this look on Hank's face.

 After the refreshment of the ice cream, the boys were back to running around on Pampa's lovely lawn while Dave and Elsa finished mowing. Ruth, Aaron, Hannah and I all took turns as well with the push mower since there are SO many bushes to be mowed around. I was glad we could take some time and do some service for Pampa. I think it's safe to say that ice cream and helping people are the mainstays of Scherbel life for several generations.

Jed and Hank with Dave, Pampa and Scott on Sunday. I sure love these guys! It was so nice to spend a weekend in Big Piney. It was really sad to pack up the car on Monday morning and head back towards home.