Labor Day Weekend

Bradders, Poppy, and Teffers

Benners bein' all cute n' stuff

Our whimsical family picture

Nin just fishin'

Mom just readin'

Labor Day weekend was pretty fun this year. We went down Friday evening and saw the Christensens for a little while, then we went over to the Johnson home and went to the condo in Midway. We were sad that Nat, Scott, and Ashley weren't able to come!

The next morning, the boys went golfing, and the girls went to Swiss Days...Hooray! I just love Swiss Days, and I look forward to going every single year. For those of you that don't know what Swiss Days is, my dad describes it as a gigantic Quilted Bear outside. Ben HATES the Quilted Bear and held his breath the entire time he was there with his grandma one time. There are actually quite a few cool things at Swiss Days, and a lot of men go with their wives and actually enjoy it. It can get pretty hot and crowded, but I thought it was worth it to get all the cute things I did!

After Swiss Days, the girls just lounged around enjoying their purchases until the boys got home. We drove back to Murray so that my mom and dad could be there at church on Sunday for their churchy responsibilities. Saturday night was a highlight for Ben because we did a Del Taco run for the fam, rented "Breach" and also made a stop off at Skippers (it's a scary-looking seafood restaurant.) It's been Ben's quest ever since he saw it to eat something from there, and he finally got his chance--and he didn't even get sick! I was amazed. Anything with an askew sign automatically makes me a little wary. He got clam chowder, which totally grossed me out, because I have bad memories of it as a child. Scott will sympathize with me here. I'm sure my mom made just great clam chowder, but we just hated it! She keeps telling me that I need to try it as an adult, but I can't bring myself to do it because I remember the time she made me eat 5 more bites before I could go outside and have an otter pop. Those five bites were the biggest crisis of my life, and I just sat and stared while the chowder got colder and more congealed. Mmmmm....don't you want some now? I somehow made it through, or my mom gave up...I'm not sure which one. But knowing my mom, she actually probably didn't give up--so I'm thinking I choked it down while gagging in a dramatic way. Scott was right there with me, he can attest to this. (I'd like to insert here that my mom would say right about now, "I'm such a mean mom, aren't I? in a sarcastic voice. Love you, mom!) So to sum it all up, Ben's life is complete now that he has sampled Skippers.

On Sunday, my mom and dad cooked up a delectable dinner, and we got to see Scott and Ashley! Yay! Then we went to the McMullin monthly family home evening and had a good time there. Ben's kind uncle sent us with a huge bagful of vegetables so we can eat for another week. (Thanks, Garn!) After that, it was back to the condo where we roasted marshmallows in the backyard, recounted even more childhood memories, and played a few rounds of Perpetual Commotion. Good times.

The next day, Ben and Brad went waverunning with Ben's cousins while the rest of us slept in and had a good breakfast. When they got home, we took a drive to Teapot lake and went fishing for a little while. We were so proud, because it was so spontaneous of us! Of course we didn't catch anything, because that's just our luck, but we had a good time watching for the bear that was sighted the night before! To finish a pretty perfect weekend, we dined at the Dairy Keen in Midway, which is a classic. All in all, it was a great weekend.