Family time in Utah

If I had to choose one month of the year to be in Utah, this would be it. October is just gorgeous in Utah. We were blessed with windy autumn weather, the leaves change to the most vibrant colors and we even had some snow in the mountains. I wish I had time to be a little more up close and personal with the photos, but these are still great shots.
We spent Wednesday with the raddest mom-in-law ever, Bev and with Mel and her kids. This is where Mel and I got out for a kids-free shopping trip and we also ate at Cafe Rio, the best food in Utah. The highlight, however, was Whitney proudly announcing that she was going to give her baby some milk and plopping down in the rocker and lifting up her shirt. It was so classic!
Reagan and Whitney playing and having fun.
I got to spend some time with my sisters, too. I ended up getting my hair cut and highlighted while there, since it is like a quarter of the cost in Utah (compared to CA). I walked into the hair place looking like my sister Loni (right) and left looking like Lindsey (left).

Reagan just prefers to be nude. Matt and I are praying that she outgrows this stage prior to the age of 16.

With Gram and Lindsey in Cafe Rio. We pretty much went straight there from the airport. I was in Utah for 4 days and ate at Cafe Rio twice. I could have easily ate there again, but I had to try a few others things, too. Plus, the beans were really getting to Reagan and I didn't have Matt around to pawn off the diaper duty.

We're still here

I just returned from a 10 day trip of shared time between New Mexico and Utah, plus a few hours spent in the state of Texas. With the exciting task of unpacking looming before me, I decided to spend the next few minutes just writing a public THANK YOU to those that made our trip possible and a seriously freaking good time. First of all, the Moog and Brower families that took me in, let Reagan play with their dogs, treated us like family and showed us a good time all around the state of NM and some of Texas. A big thank you to my families, the Rasmussen's and the Roundy's, who fed and housed us for a few days. Gram Rasmussen watched Reagan while I spent some free time with my dad and sister. Melanie accompanied me on a shopping spree to Tai Pan and taught me how to seriously decorate a beautiful Christmas tree (looking forward to the month of December). Gramps Roundy showed Reagan how to suck on a dum-dum properly and blew bubbles from Bubble Yum that made her laugh like a hyena. Thanks also to my sis Lindsey for seeing through a pretty awesome Halloween party, one that the city of Kaysville won't soon forget. And last, but not least, thanks to Matthew, who parted with me, but more importantly, his daughter for 10 days and spent two nights in the beautiful town of Tucson and also "baching" it with chips and salsa for dinner.

We love you ALL!!

**Check back soon for photos that document our cool trip**

And everything in between

In between the Peach Cobbler Cook-offs, Reunions, and Spanish Fork, we managed to squeeze in some other fun activities. We celebrated my dads birthday and Easton showed up in his pirate attire. Of all the grandkids, he has grown the most since we were last here. Reagan got lots of hugs from her cousins and aunts.
I got to spend some time with my mom. Matt was so good to watch Reg's while she and I hit the crafts stores, boutiques, Tai Pan, and made wreaths. All the things Matt cannot stand. Thank you to Matt for giving me some time with my madre!
Matt hates that I don't have much of a fashion sense, including wearing tops and bottoms that look horrible together. I really am not seriously wearing this for the day, but I did tease him some when I went out walking one morning in it. My workout clothes were dirty, so I sported this outfit. He cringed over and over.

Reagan crawled all over Loni while playing Matt's packman game.
Lindsey took Reg's down the Barnes park slide. This slide used to scare me when I was a kid. It was so big! Now it seems so small.
I just like this photo of her.
No trip to Utah is complete without Cafe Rio. And more than once--we ate there 3 times!!
One of Mom Rasmussen's best traditions for when the family gets together is to order a huge sub from Subway. It is the best. The white and wheat bread are braided together and it is the most refreshing and tasty lunch ever. Mel also enjoys the subs, too.

Mom and Lindsay enjoy the patio and subs.
We got to spend some time with Lori and Robb and their two too-cute-for-words kids. We even got to stop in and see their brand new home that they moved into. It is gorgeous and got me excited for the distant day when I will live in my own home!
Many World Cup games were played on the X-Box. I suck at this game and I don't have a very good temper when I play video games, so I tried to avoid it at all costs.
The only thing missing was time to spend with Amy, Bryan and their family. We missed them a lot, but are looking forward to seeing them this Christmas!

Good Times at Mel and Aaron's

Mel and Aaron were nice enough to have us over for a night while Matt turned in some time at BYU doing recruiting and handing out ice cream. Do you want to know who the most popular kid in Spanish Fork is? Here she is... Miss Whitney! Honestly, she is the light of the neighborhood and we had a blast with her, eating spahetti and playing "outside." Jeff, Selly, and Lindsay stopped by from BYU to hang with us and play. Mel and Aaron have a pretty souped up yard, complete with an in-ground trampoline, two basketball hoops and many, many kids bicycles, most of them provided by the neighbor kids who like to park them there. The peach celebration continued with Melanie making some fantastic homemade peach ice cream. That was good stuff. I haven't had homemade ice cream in who knows how long.

Jeff and Selly are getting married on December 27, one day before Matt and I celebrate half a decade of marriage. We are so excited for them!!!
Lindsay continued to play ball with Reagan.
Mel showed us some of her sweet trampoline tricks. It was fun to watch her and Aaron do something, then see Whitney try to imitate. Little daredevil!! The pic is a little blurry, but that is Mel landing a pretty sweet flip off the driveway and onto the tramp. Reagan was exhausted from all the fun at the end of the night and it was fun for her to cuddle me.
The next day, we got together with some of our friends from our BYU days, Andy and Merri Hicken, who we haven't seen in years. It was just like old times! We got to meet their two beautiful children and we played some good volleyball on the neighbors outdoor net. That was some seriously good fun. Matt and I love to play v-ball together, one of our passions. Just like old times are the Riv!

Millions of [Utah] Peaches...

Aunt Lindsay is so playful! Reagan loved playing around with her and playing outside. Our little gal has a sporty side; kicking and throwing balls around the yard proved to be great entertainment for her. Who knew Dreyers made a BYU ice cream? Man, why can't I find that up here? ;)
We celebrated the ripe Rasmussen peach trees by holding our first Peach Cobbler Cook-off. The peach cobblers were provided by myself and Lindsay and the ice cream was provided by Dreyers BYU. It was a tasty night. Grandma Rasmussen played with Reagan a lot. Many people have commented that Reagan may get her hair color from Grandma Rasmussen. Matt and I usually just nod in agreement ;)
Prior to the arrival of nibbling mosquitos, the evenings were a fantastic time to be outside and enjoy the beautiful area and mountains surrounding us. Reagan especially enjoyed the evenings, frolicking around in her favorite outfit: a diaper.

Best of Utah

Our week spent in Utah was filled with new beginnings and some old favorites. The weather was hitting the high 90's and even 100 degrees some of the days, so it was a toasty trip. Reagan did well on the plane ride there; not so well on the trip home. We were all tired anyways. Here is our Top Ten for our trip to Utah:

10. Playing basketball in Matt's parents backyard. This is one of Matt's favorite pasttimes when we head home. He and Jeff (his brother) played around a bit, but I have to say...I almost beat Matt at HORSE and that was awesome! Of course, he ended up winning out in the end, but I did hit like 5 shots in a row. With the basketball skills that I have been blessed with, that is a near miracle for me.
9. Reagan got to open some sweet presents for her birthday. She got a bubble blowing machine (below), a "seeking" bag to keep her occupied during church, a Little People car to go with her new dollhouse, a cute backpack (below below) and her very first flashlight. 8. Playing volleyball at Gailey Park with my fam. We have done this a few times and it is really fun. Grandma watched all the youngins (and had her hands full doing so) while my dad watched all the rest of us play ;)

After we were all done, my ear got caught in the net and my earring, a cheap silver stud, came out. Kelly found the stud, but we never did find the back to the earring. It wasn't a big deal, I have tons of backs to earrings I can use, but the funny part was that there was this man in the park that had a metal detector and he saw us looking in the sand. Not even a minute after we left, he was over there searching in the sand, probably thinking I had lost something super valuable, like my ring. We got a good laugh at that.

Who has been drinking Rockstar????
7. Dad got a new grill for Fathers Day. All us kids and mom pitched in and replaced the ancient one that he has been using pretty much since the Colonial times. It was so old and rusted, I can't believe it still cooked meat. Anyways, Landen hooked us up with a deal at Lowe's and Lindsey and Loni supplied a bright pink bow. Our last night in Utah, we barbequed chicken on it and broke it in.
6. My sister Lindsey was married on June 23rd. She was married in the Bountiful Utah temple, then had her reception at The Victorian. Her cake was fantastic. I was glad she got the fondant cake and it turned out better than I thought it would.

Alyssa and Ashlee, my nieces, had a little struggle with who actually caught the boquet. In the end, Alyssa (pink shirt) won out and claimed that she couldn't share with Ashlee because "she gave up."
My sister and dad danced. I have a photo from my reception that looks almost the exact same.
Easton, Ashlee and Autumn in front of the cute pond. They looked for frogs for quite a while.
Reagan and her cousin Emma, who is only 3 months younger, but is about half Reagan's weight.
At the Victorian.

Reagan, Matt and Max.
Matt showing off his assetts.Eli, Reagan's cousin. He is a month older than Reagan and is every bit as big as her.
This is my entire family, the Roundy's. My parents, my five siblings, four sibling-in-laws, and seven nieces/nephews.
Here are me and my five siblings, horsing around.
Loni, Lindsey, me and my mom, before the wedding.

Matt and I, doing what we now call the "Lindsey-Roland" pose.
This is what my dad was doing prior to the wedding. This was the most relaxed I have ever seen my parents on the morning of one of their kids weddings.
Matt is doing a Reagan face.
Grandma and Reagan.
5. Reagan had some cake on her birthday and she loved it!! This is the cake we made her. The same fantastic cake from Fathers Day with a few differences: I put it in a 9x13 pan and Matt added his own decorations to the top.

4. Water sports at the Rasmussen's. Matt's parents bought a blow-up alligator swim pool for the grandkids and we all watched them play in it. Matt's siblings had as much fun as the grandkids did, especially when the slip-n-slide was brought out. It was a hot day, so the water fun, along with some of Pace's popsicles, made it a great day. Here is Grandma, Reagan, cousin Spencer, and Aunt Lori.
Reagan, Matt, Whitney and Brooklyn playing in the pool.

Matt loved running with Reagan through the Dora the Explorer sprinkler.
Brooklyn lounging on the alligator.
You'll have to check out the video of Melanie, Lindsay and Jeff doing the slip-n-slide.

3. Golden Corral was the place to be two nights before the wedding. Lindsey and Roland were gifted with a bride-and-groom hat and t-shirt set that they were instructed to wear throughout the dinner.

Grandma and Emma.

Loni enjoying her food. Deep down, she was really thinking of all the boys she has kissed.
The groom's family. Roland is the oldest of 6 kids.
Lance enjoying his food. Deep down, he is thinking of all the chicks who wanted to kiss him growing up.
Loren and Max. He wouldn't even tell us how many he kissed...after all, he met Kelly when they were like 12!!!!
Here they are, in their wonderful outfits.
For the food-photogs out there: the variety at GC was unmatched!! ;) Here is one of my dinner plates consisting of bourbon chicken and rice, baked beans, a peach, garden salad, and a taco.
Matt and I with Max. We were without Reagan tonight, so we got the chance to goof off with everyone else's kids.
2. Eating at Lonestar is something we have to do while here. Matt loves their steak and I am hooked on their yams. However, I didn't have a yam this time, I was definitely in the mood for a burger and fries. Matt spent a few hours fixing his sisters computer, which inevitably saved his parents having to take it to be fixed. We were rewarded with a yummy lunch here at Lonestar. Grab life by the horns. 1. If I had to pick the best part of Utah...family aside...it would be Cafe Rio. This place rocks. I had their sweet pork salad twice. No picture here...it just would never do it justice. Just know that it is the best food ever on the planet and if you are ever in the Utah area, you need to get it. It is what In-n-Out is to California.

Here are some Honorable Mentions:

-Matt, laying in his favorite spot in his home.

Reagan going through the cupboards at both grandparents homes, pulling out everything she could.