The Long Drive - Lincoln to Boise and Home Again - Summer 2008 Continued...

Part 2: Utah

August 2 - 4, 2008 -- Spanish Fork, Utah - Grandpa and Grandma Bernards' House

From the day we left Lincoln, Sherman asked at almost every stop if we were at Grandpa Bernards' house yet. After dropping Grandma Gibbs off in West Jordan at Aunt Peggy's, we finally arrived in Spanish Fork on Saturday afternoon. Sherman headed straight into the house and bypassed all the greeters in the hallway in search of Grandpa. Grandpa Bernards is certainly one of Sherman's favorite people. Ever since we've been home from our trip, Sherman tells us almost once a day what he is going to take to Grandpa Bernards' house. Sometimes it is his lawn mower and wheel barrow, other times it's his snow boots and snow shovel - but no matter what it is, he always has a plan for his next trip to Grandpa's and the jobs they are going to do.

Here is Sherman and Grandpa mowing the buffalo grass on the south side of the house. Sherman was very excited to help Grandpa mow the lawn.

Mark, his Dad and brother's planted the buffalo grass in May. Here is Eliza checking out how soft it is.
Sherman and Eliza always love playing on the trampoline at Grandma and Grandpa's house. You can see that Grandpa is getting lots of attention. :)

We had a great time visiting in Spanish fork as usual even though it was a short stop. I enjoyed visiting with everyone and especially with Grandma Huls (Avo) and watching the kids play with her!

August 4, 2008 -- Ogden, Utah - The Broadbent Clan

On Monday morning we left Spanish Fork and headed north. We stopped at Aunt Peggy's to pick up Grandma Gibbs and were fortunate enough to see my Uncle Ray, cousin Brent & kids, and Uncle Lee who had stopped in for a visit. After a short visit with them, we met Laura Scholl (a former roommate of mine) for lunch in Salt Lake. She had returned home from a mission earlier in the year and it was great to catch up with her.

After lunch, we headed to Ogden to see Uncle Alan and Aunt Maureena. Aleena & Sam, Jason & Amber, and Marci & Jeff and families all came to see us. We had a very nice visit and it was fun to meet all of the new additions to the family. Sherman and Eliza loved all of the kids and had a great time playing with them. They also loved Oscar the dog and his tricks!

Here we are with 8 of the next generation Broadbent kids. Sherman and Eliza were both so excited by all of their cousins on this trip. Sherman has asked me several times the names of all his cousins. I'm sure he wishes he could play with them every day.

August 4-6, 2008 -- Portage, Utah - The Gibbs Family

We arrived in Portage late Monday night and did not much more than struggle to get two very tired and cranky kids to bed. After a decent nights sleep we began the day with a delicious breakfast made by Aunt Trina. Then Sherman noticed Uncle Doug out on the tractor in the field behind the house. He didn't have too much trouble convincing Aunt Trina to flag him down. He was sure he needed to go for a ride in that tractor. Uncle Doug was willing to oblige and this was probably one of the highlights of Sherman's trip. He was able to sit in the tractor for one whole turn and "help disc the field". And yes, we had to document the event.

Here is one happy little boy, after a very fun tractor ride. Thanks, Uncle Doug!


Eliza, on the otherhand, was much more interested in the doll stroller and pushed it around the back yard all morning.

Our next fun activity was running through the sprinklers. Sherman absolutely had a blast. Here are a few action shots!

Eliza was not so sure about the sprinklers, but soon warmed up to the idea with a little help from Sherman.

Not so sure ...

Getting braver ...

A little help from big brother ...

We made it!
See, this is fun!

Yeah! I can do it myself!

Later in the day, some of my cousins and their kids came over for a visit. Sherman had a great time playing with Lexy - another 2nd cousin. Here they are feeding corn husks to the horse.

Sherman was a little nervous at first, but once he got the hang of it, he had a great time!

Later that evening we had a cookout with all the cousins. Here is Eliza and Sherman with Melissa and Lexy in the hammock.

Sherman and Lexy played together for about 9 straight hours and got along just wonderfully.

Eliza laughing at my cousin Bruce. I'm sure that doesn't surprise anyone.

And of course the riding lawn mower was a big hit with both the kids.