Welcome to Zion!

Oh it was so fun to see all of my family! The Smiths have an annual reunion at Zions National Park and it was our 55th year--that's impressive! I was amazed at how much I had missed the canyon. I haven't been to Zion in three years. Molly had a blast playing with her cousins and it was so fun to see her new friendships. Matthew and Daniel, her first cousins, never left her side and they were often found rolling pennies down the hill or catching tadpoles in the river. We love to put our chairs in the Virgin River and sit and chat forever. Catching up with all of my cousins takes a while since I have over thirty of them. Oh, and gotta love reunion food!!

The Durfeys (my extended reunion which includes the Smiths) were asked to be in the Springdale 4th of July parade and we made our own float. It was so much fun and Molly got to get decked out in patriotic gear and throw candy from the float. She was way too shy to throw the candy, but she rode on the float sitting next to Mafew-Danel (as she prounounces their names as one) and had a fantastic time.

Porter grew quite attached to his pack that was strapped to the front of me. He enjoyed being strapped to his mom but able to see everything that was going on.

Blake's sister, Brett, came down from BYU to join us and it was wonderful seeing her. It is always fun to see Molly with her Aunt "Bit" because they are two peas in a pod. Brett was very attentive to Molly's fun-o-meter and helped her out with the reunion crafts and river time. And, she always made sure she had a buddy in the pool!

Saxon was a joy to be around (my brother Tyler's son). He is crawling and trying to stand up now. Tyler called it Baby WWF when Saxon mauled Porter on the floor. He is 28 pounds at 9 months compared to Porter's 16 pounds at 6 months. But when the family saw Saxon their first reaction was, "He looks exactly like Tyler did--CHUBBY!!:)

We had a great time and can't wait to see everyone again. Happy Summer Vacations!