Uncle Nick & Grandpa Ruben's visit

We were so lucky to have Tito and Grandpa come visit.  Nick was able to come stay almost two weeks and Grandpa came for a week.  

The kids absolutely LOVED having Uncle Nick here!  After picking him up at the airport we head to Scheels to kill time before the Aquarium opened.

We decided to head over to the newly opened Living Planet Aquarium.  

 

The boys tried out the rope bridge.  Ellie was too hesitant to go across.

The large shark tank was definitely one of the favorite exhibits.

 Jellyfish anyone?

Nick just loved the mountains and beauty of Cache Valley.  We ventured out to the river trail in Logan Canyon.  Everyone participated in a "who can stay in the freezing cold water the longest" contest.  Ellie was so excited to be named champion of the contest!!

So fun to have my little brother here with us.  

The same afternoon we headed over to the bowling alley in search of earning another brag badge.  Unfortunately, Ethan was not having a good day of bowling and so he was quite the little cranky kid the entire afternoon because of it.

Ellie on the other hand had a blast and enjoyed every minute.  She was just as happy to hit one pin as she was to hit several.

Of course she did have the assistance of the bumpers.

Nick was (I guess you can say) lucky to be visiting during Pioneer Day.  We took him down to one of our favorite events of the day the Pioneer Day parade where we stocked up on salt water taffy and enjoyed the fun floats of the parade.  

Our next favorite thing:  

Pioneer Day Fireworks! 

The following Saturday Grandpa Ruben flew in to join us.  Sadly, Ellie was sick that day and so her and dad stayed home to rest while we picked grandpa up.  

After picking him up we took him and Nick down to one of Utah's popular tourist attractions:  Temple Square

Grandpa brought a gift from Uncle Nathaniel, so we tried out the new cake pop maker.

We took Grandpa and Nick to the "Caribbean of the northwest" - Bear Lake.  Nick thought the water was quite cold, the kids on the other didn't notice a bit.

After her mermaid building lessons from cousin Taylor the week before, Ellie wanted to turn mom into a mermaid.  

I've always wanted to be a mermaid.

Ellie enjoyed pushing everyone around on their flotation devices.

Grandpa enjoyed relaxing in the sun.

Of course we had to stop to take some pictures at the scenic overlook.  

Bear Lake is so beautiful, we are so lucky to live near such a great place.

Before coming to visit, I promised Nick that I'd get him out on some of my favorite trails.  One morning we joined some running friends of mine and hit the wind caves trail.  Nick was a natural and definitely challenged me on keep up with his pace.  

We ended up getting to the caves just when the sun was coming up.  It was such a beautiful morning for this run.  So fun to see Nick soaking up the beauty of the Logan Canyon.

We all had a wonderful time enjoying Nick and Grandpa's visit.  (and apparently Nick was worn out)  Of course, we were all in tears having to say goodbye when they left to return home.