Miss Utah (Solo trip)!

Back in June, my little sister competed in the Miss Utah Pageant! It was amazing, and the best part is that I got to BE THERE for it! It was all thanks to Jordan, who coordinated everything and watched all the babies to make it happen. It was my first solo trip since Holland was a baby, and it was SO fun!! 

I can't even tell you how crucial it is for moms to take a break. It might not be a long getaway, but even a night out can do so much good for your mental health. So this trip was just amazing for me!

But my gosh, it was SO hard to leave my boys. I mean just look at them.

They are the sweetest ever.

But as much as I missed my babies, it was amazing to be there to support my sister in Miss Utah. She did SO amazing, and it was just so cool to be part of the whole experience. Also it was fun to hang out with my family... who I hardly ever get to see!! It was great to catch up.

But let me back up. I flew into Utah super late at night, so I crashed hard once I got to my parent's house. The next day, my sister Sydney (who flew in from AZ) and I tackled our first priorities: FOOD. Because obviously!! 

(We were bummed Whit couldn't come with us on any of our adventures since she was with her Miss Utah peeps all week, but we still had fun!)

First stop: Orange Peel! If you've never had a smoothie from here, you're missing out. It is SO GOOD. Then we headed over to one of our childhood favorite places, Taco Amigo, to meet up with our mom and aunts for lunch. It was so fun to see them and catch up! (Also, now I really want Taco Amigo. I think I'm hungry. Haha)

^YUMMMM^

^This pregnant girl was SO happy to have her Taco Amigo craving filled! Haha^

Later on, we got ready for a night of pageant fun! It was Whitney's night to do her talent, and we were so excited to hear her sing on stage. (Spoiler alert: She ROCKED it. She's amazing!)

We drove up to Salt Lake, and stopped at Settebello for pizza with family before we headed over to Capitol Theater. 

^Mom, Grandma, me, and Syd!^

After the pageant, we got to hang out with Whit for a minute before she headed back with the other contestants. She did SO well, and we were all so proud of her!!

Such a fun first night!!

And meanwhile, back at the ranch...

My boys were hanging out and having a blast with daddy!!

But holy cow, there's some serious mom guilt when you leave your babies. Lucky for them, they have the coolest dad in the world who kept them busy with fun adventures while I was gone. He really is the best!

****

The next day, we ran some errands and went to lunch at one of my FAVORITE places on the planet, Cafe Rio. Oh my gosh, I miss it here in Kentucky so much!! It's seriously heaven on a plate in a tin.

^Happiness^

YUM. It is the best!!

Later that night, we got ready for another round of Miss Utah!

The pageant had this electric energy about it, and every night was just a blast to get to watch. I cheered so loud that I lost my voice! haha. So much fun.

^Waiting to see our girl at Capitol Theater!^

Whit did so great, and it was so fun to see her for a little bit again afterwards. She was rocking it, but the poor girl was exhausted. Miss Utah is no joke! The contestants work SO hard!!

They put on such a great show. (And I'm biased, but Whit was my favorite of the group!)

^sisters^

^Whit with her cute little Miss!^

We were all starving afterwards, so we walked over to Brio for dinner with some friends...at like 10:30 at night. Haha. We closed the place down!

But holy cow, it was seriously the best meal EVER. I got the grilled salmon with roasted balsamic vegetables...and I still dream about it. It really was amazing. Such a great way to end the night!

(I'll skip over the part where we got a flat tire after this on the way home...at midnight...and had to pull over into a parking lot with a large homeless population to fix it. We didn't get home until almost 2 am. Such a crazy night! haha)

^bro & sis^

^Life changing^

The next day was the final day of Miss Utah! While Whitney and my parents went to a breakfast for all of the contestants, Syd and I went to Cubby's for lunch! Then afterwards, we picked up our brother, Tanner, and got some of our favorite treat-- Nielson's Frozen custard!

(...I'm just now realizing how much this post is centered around food. Which is a perfect representation of the trip, so I guess it works out! haha.)

^So cute!^

^BBQ steak sandwich & bleu cheese buffalo fries. YUM.^

^Goobers^

Later, we headed up to Salt Lake for FINALS night of Miss Utah!!

Woo hooooooo!!

^Ready to cheer our guts out!^

Whitney did awesome, as usual!! The pageant finale was so fun to watch, and it made it even better that Whit's best friend WON!

We were mostly just happy that we got to bring Whit home with us that night, and we could hang out like normal sisters for a second before Syd and I had to head back home. We missed that girl!

^Cheering squad^

^Love her!^

Whit did SO AMAZING. I am so happy I could be there to watch her compete!! It was so fun, and it was so awesome to watch her shine on stage. She really is so talented. 

The next day was Sunday, so we got ready for church. Syd and I hung up a cute little sign with some cupcakes to tell Whit how proud we were of her.

It was also Father's Day, and it was so good to be able to be in Utah to celebrate it with my dad. We had all of the siblings there, so it was really special.

(We had celebrated "fake Father's Day" for Jordan in Kentucky the week before, since I would be gone on the actual day. See more of those celebrations, here!)

^Tanner had just rolled out of bed...and we forced him to do a photo shoot with us. We're good sisters like that. Haha!^

^Siblings^

It was so good to be there with my fam for Father's Day, and to support my cute sister in Miss Utah. Oh, and to eat all the foods!! Haha.

Jordan is the absolute best for making it happen. I seriously lucked out with him.

What a great trip!!

Kadan + Lindsay's wedding!

The big reason for our recent trip out to Utah (see more photos here, here, and here) was to attend Jordan's brother's wedding! We are SO thrilled for Kadan and his new wife Lindsay, and it was so amazing to be there to celebrate their big day. Kadan is the best, and we're so happy that he found his perfect match in Lindsay. We love her!

They got married in the Salt Lake City LDS temple, and it was just beautiful.

Luckily my parents were able to come and watch the kiddos while we attended the ceremony, and then help chase them around the temple while we took photos with the wedding party. They were a HUGE help to us! Weddings are so fun and exciting, but pretty exhausting for little guys.

It was such a great day!

(The professional photos are still being edited, so here are some photos we captured on our iPhones of the big day!)

^Our family, May 2018^

^I had to include this one too. Because the hand kiss! And the muscles! So cute.^

^Love this guy. And my $5 dress!! So proud of that find.^

^It was a perfect day at the Salt Lake Temple. So gorgeous!^

^The new Mr. and Mrs. McMurtrey!^

Newlyweds are just the cutest. It was so fun watching them come out of the temple! They are so happy together.

We found our kiddos after the ceremony, and chased them around for a bit while we waited to take some photos with the wedding party. Luckily it was a gorgeous day, so the boys loved playing on the grass and just running around outside. 

^Luckily my mom knows how to put on a boutonniere, because I am clueless! haha^

^Hanging out with the groom. These boys love their uncle Kadan!^

^Giving grandma kisses. DEAD over this one.^

^All he wants to do is crawl!^

^So over it.^

^Love this wedding date of mine! He is so handsome.^

^Zonked.^

We went to a beautiful family luncheon after the wedding with our little third wheel (Brighton), and my parents took our kiddos to a much more kid-friendly place (Del Taco). Haha. But seriously...so grateful that my parents could watch them. It worked out so great!

That evening, we headed over to the reception for a bit. I'm pretty sure the kids ate at least five cookies each. Haha!

^I wanted a cute brothers picture, but Brighton was not having it. Haha!^

^THE DIMPLE^

^I asked him to smile and he gave me this. CAN'T HANDLE THE FACE. Haha!^

^Love these little hooligans!^

When we got up to see Kadan and Lindsay in the line, the boys basically just attacked them.
Haha... feel the love!

They are such good sports with our crazy boys.

We were so happy to be in Utah for Kadan and Lindsay's wedding. They are the cutest couple, and the kids are so excited to have a new aunt.

What a great day!!

Family time is just the best.