Beaches.

I have been having vacation withdrawl.

Clay and I just got back from Florida and I fell in love with the place.

As in, I would really like to move there.

The weather reminded me of being in Australia and that made me happy.

The beach made me forget all of my troubles.

{I wrote about my addiction to vacation here on page 4.}

Clay was in Florida on a 9-day business trip and his boss kindly flew me out to meet him for a few days.

Ellie stayed with my mom, so it was just the two of us.

Get ready for some extra large pictures—I had to make them big enough for the captions to be visible.

My brother's wedding

My big brother, Jason (known as Hasen or "Hass" by all his friends) got married over the weekend to a really cool girl. If you didn't know I had a brother, don't worry — I get that a lot. He has quite the adventurous spirit and has been known to occasionally leave the country on an impromptu trip without telling anyone. We think he'll settle down a little now that Teri is in the picture.

Family pic at the wedding dinner. It was a nice, casual dinner at my parent's house with close friends and family. We ate some yummy Indian food.

My brother-in-law Mike with his baby, Kate, and Ellie. These two are just 5 months apart and are good buddies already. It is so cute to watch them together. They love to hold hands. There is the occasional drama between them, but we figure that's normal.

Kate's baby brother, Drew, is the chunkiest baby I've ever seen. Thus the Sumo shirt. I'll have to show you his thunder thighs later.

I caught this shot of my little sis, Haley, having some bonding time with our new neice.

Our little bean

My little sis Jess holding Rachel and Micah's baby (name TBA)

We thought this weekend would be a good time to try and get a decent family pic, so bear with me and all the shots of us! (This one would be a winner of one of my curls hadn't gone rogue on me)

Don't know where Ellie's expression came from!

Me and my bro right before we headed up the canyon for the ceremony. Love him.

Cousins dancing on the picnic table

Cutie in a mini suit

My brother, mom, and some of my sisters

Clay encouraged me to post these really ugly pictures Haley took of us. Let's see how many people are still our friends after seeing these.

I like to call this the "creepy witch with a massive forehead" picture. Flattering, no?

The ceremony (pics to come later) was perfect. It was just immediate family and a few really close friends, and we gathered in a gorgeous clearing up Millcreek Canyon. The reception in my parent's backyard was breathtaking. Clay and I had ours there too, but I would have done so many things differently. Like prayed harder for it not to rain, since we had to move everything inside.

The beautiful bride. Her friend made this dress and I love it! I loved her flowers too.

Jason and Teri hired a taco cart for the reception for made-to-order tacos. They were amazing. He also had his mint limeade served. He sells it at farmer's markets across the state. (You should seriously try it. Heavenly stuff.)

Had to give Haley a shout-out for figuring out how to do a waterfall braid in my hair.

My neices, Violet and Summer. Models in the making.

Opera singer?

Teri had her sister bring these tiny cupcakes from a vendor in New York City. There were scrumptious flavors like cookie dough, chocolate chip pancake, s'mores and peanut butter and jelly.

My sisters and I broke it down on the dance floor and it was so much fun. My mom and aunt even got jiggy with it.

We are so happy for Jason and Teri! They are seriously the perfect match for each other. I love weddings. Nine siblings down, one to go.

Babies Everywhere!

My sister, Rachel, just had her first baby. I love her so much already! I can't get enough of her chubby cheeks and funny facial expressions.

Clay's sister, Lacey, had her second baby. I can't wait to hold this handsome little man. Can you believe all that black hair? His name is Jet. (love that name.)

State Fair

We love our tradition of going to the state fair every year.

Clay's dad works for the Utah Department of Agriculture, so he kindly provides the tickets. (Thanks, Jed!) 

 We try and blend in a little bit with boots and plaid.

I guess I was trying to blend in by forgetting to put on make-up.

 What would a fair be without geese in aprons?

Ellie's pony ride was by far the highlight of our fair experience this year. Last year, she was impartial:

This year, she couldn't wait to get on a pony. She said, "Want one! Wanna pet it. Ellie's turn."

When the cowboy helped her off, she said, "That's fun!"

When Ellie saw this sleeping baby calf, she went right up to it and gently pet it. It was so sweet to watch her be so soft with it. I love that she loves animals like her mama.

(it's just ironic that we are both allergic to pet dander.)

Ellie thought the huge steer was pretty cool. You can see her mouthing "wow!"

One of Ellie's beaus, Krugh, is quite the little cowboy. He seemed right at home in the stables.

And this little piggy made himself at home on his buddy's back while he took a sip of water.

Pigs without blankets

 We ran into the apron-clad gaggle of geese on our way out. Things like this are normal at the state fair.

Us and the Stolworthys

Us and the Kenningtons. Heather is more than 20 weeks pregnant with a baby girl. Her doctor husband, Konrad, is going to deliver the baby and we think that's pretty sweet.

It was another fun year at the fair!