My Lambson Family-

I LOVE going back to Utah for so many reasons. One that I want to focus on tonight is the chance I get to be with my dad's side of the family, laughing and feeling like I never left nearly five years ago. When Joe and I took our road trip to Utah and Nevada in July, we made it a point to see as many of our families as we could, basically scheduling in wall-to-wall visits with Southerlands, Tanners, and Lambsons, among several of our dear friends as well. Here are my favorite photos from my side of the family:

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Darla have been like second parents/best friends to me for years. It was SO good to see them for a long afternoon visit.

Kamrie, my beautiful cousin, is nearly grown up!!! Yikes!! She is as sweet and fun as ever, and brings me such joy when she hugs me like I'm still her favorite girl in the world. Lucky me!
(Katie wasn't in town this day, so I missed getting to see how lovely she is becoming. Sad!)


Baby Karlie isn't a baby anymore!!! She is in that 6-to-7 year-old transition, where teeth are missing and life is about swimming pools and slip-n-slides. Oh, and the new dog Bella, possible the coolest dog that has ever existed.

Jake, now age 11, found out that the one thing Bella can't resist is his stinky, foul, dirty socks. She is ADDICTED!!! It cracked us all up!

(seriously, we almost kidnapped this dog. She was irresistible. If we weren't about to have a baby, we'd probably have gone out and bought one of our own as soon as we got back to St. Louis!!)

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My Uncle Dave is my dad's other kid bro, and he and his family let us come by for a lovely afternoon visit on their porch. We caught up, told stories, and nibbled on veggies and dip throughout the time we had together. It was so nice!

This is SUCH a Dave face. he has a fun, wry sense of humor and a take-it-as-it-comes outlook on life.

Aunt Dale is such a positive person. She is always so interested in other people's stories, and has a lot of great ones herself.

Cousin Megan is starting to come across as a GROWN-UP!!! When did that happen?? She is headed to work in this picture, hence the all-black hostess gear.

Jeremy got done with his painting job while we were at the house, so we even got to see him! The whole family in one visit!!

And last but never least, my beloved Grandma. I love how it feels to be at her home. I love making her laugh. I love to go to her water aerobics with her in the early mornings in the outdoor pool surrounded by American Fork Mountains. I love that living in Utah helped me develop this relationship into something deep and lasting.

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And there are so many other photos to share-- of friends, of camping, of our touristy moments.... This is just the first of many posts about our trip out West. Hope you aren't bored yet!