First Day of School

 

What happened to my little kids? They are growing up so fast. 

(Above taken in 2008)

I've got a way too cool teenager, a bun on the top of the head t-shirt wearing sports girl, a Bret Jr. and  THE cutest toothless kid ever!

To celebrate the first day of school I always paint the baby girls' toe nails, fun tradition! Big surprise, Sitota chose to have hers painted...pink (that was a sarcastic comment, she ALWAYS chooses pink).

Trafalga

We went to Trafalga twice the week before school started, once with Mindy & her kids and once with Cassi & her kids.  It was our way of saying goodbye to summer break.  Our favorite things to do at Trafalga are the bumper water gun boats and the laser tag. (Look closely at Sitota's face in the above picture.)

BYU-Hawaii Reunion

(Left to Right: MaryAnn, Becky, Merry)

I lived with three roommates at BYU-H in a house we called the Love Shack.  We haven't all been together in years.  It was sooooo good to see them again.  As you can see from the picture below we've been very busy since our single days at BYU-H.

20 Year High School Reunion

Brigetta (left) and Vija (right) are two of my best friends from High School.  We have stayed close over the years.  It was so good to spend a weekend with them and their husbands.

There were only 93 people in my graduating class so I knew everyone even though I wasn't good friends with everyone.  It was nice to catch up with my friends.

I went to kindergarten though HS graduation with these three (left to right: Sam Wilson, Rachel Lucero, Derik Pinkston).

Water Fun Birthday

"I like stickers. I like swimming. I like animals. I like painting. I like going on dates with daddy. I like making food with mom. I like coloring. I like making cards."   Laura

We rented this water slide and invited all of the Utah cousins.  It was an AWESOME birthday party!

Davis Family Visit

I still keep in touch with one of my best friends from elementary school. Every year or so we get together.  This year they visited us in Utah. The kids camped out in the back yard and had a great time.  The picture below is from the last time we saw them in 2011.  The kids have really grown up.
 

Timp. Half

I ran a half marathon the end of July.  We had been gone for weeks and I did not train. I thought I might die during the run but instead got a personal record, ironic.  My favorite sign I saw someone holding said, "All it takes is all you've got.", very motivating.

Cove Fort

Cove Fort is a church historical site I have been wanting to visit.  We decided to stop in on the way home from the Taylor Family Reunion.

Taylor Family Reunion

Every other year we go camping with my grandma's kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. This year we went to California. I have some really fantastic cousins and siblings. We enjoyed our time together.

Dexter's 8th

Dexter's party was a big water fight in the back yard.  His cake was mint oreo.  

(Left to Right: Kou, Gage, Ammon, Jace)

Shoshone Falls

A quick stop on the way home from Idaho, beautiful.

Gundy Reunion 2013

 "Cousin is the word you use when the word friend isn't strong enough." Anon. 

It is so much fun to see our kids with their cousins, their best friends. We had a lot of fun this year at the cabin and lake. 

I loved spending time with my in-laws, they are THE BEST.

Gundys in Russia

My (Bret's) parents are missionaries in Novosibirsk, Russia. We figured we wouldn't have many other reasons to hang out in Siberia or Moscow, so we decided to visit them this summer.

It turns out that Russia is big. REALLY big. In a 10 day period we spent nearly 40 hours on airplanes, 4-6 hours on trains and subways, and about 15 hours in airports and train stations waiting to board.

However, we met some fantastic people and saw some really big things. Here are a few of them.

St. Basil's Cathedral, which is really 9 churches built on one foundation next to the Kremlin in Moscow.

The Kremlin, where two Vladimirs spend a lot of time. Vladimir Lenin can't leave because his body is in a tomb there, and Valdimir Putin comes and goes. We didn't actually see either of them, which I was kind of disappointed about.

The river next to the Kremlin.

More cool buildings by the Kremlin.

My parents in front of their local church building in Novosibirsk.

Three young single adults and the branch president with a rubber duck. :) My parents are responsible for keeping the Church Education System strong in Russia, so we had a great time meeting the young adults who they spend time with.

A three headed dragon over a king on a throne. I don't remember the story behind it, but it must have been cool.

One of the many churches with a golden dome for a hat.

A canal in St. Petersburg.

More of St. Petersburg.

In a hydrofoil on our way to Peterhof--the summer palace of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Kathleen the Great...or so she wishes.

A fountain at Peterhof. All the fountains are powered by gravity. They have pools in the hills above the palace with pipes that lead to these fountains. It's impressive.

And finally, a church near Peterhof.

Overall, it was an excellent trip. I think our favorite part was spending 10 days together without having to worry about work, soccer practices, feeding kids, or even cleaning up after ourselves.