Time With Family: The Greatest Gift of a Visit Home

So there's only one big vacation adventure left, but first I needed to post about the best part of being home: our families. We love it here in Colorado Springs, it is somewhere I can imagine settling for our lives, but with our family so far away, I can't imagine it ever really feeling like "home" here. These wonderful people are our closest friends and most cherished confidants and we love them all with every bit of our hearts! When we are away we feel the hole that not having them close leaves in our hearts, and love every bit of the time we get with them, even though it just leaves us wanting more!

These pictures don't include everyone, since a lot of pictures with family are in the previous posts, but here are some snapshots I loved that didn't get into earlier postings!

Luke with Great Auntie Sara and Auntie Saucy.

Angie and Alea with sweet Camden.

Sis and Dad on our beach walk.

The two most important men in my life, Dad and Adam.Leah, Mom and Bek.

Josh helping Uncle Ryan water his garden.

Uncle Zach helping our Zach with his first "Lighting the Fireworks" Fourth!

Grandma Nic reading to Luke.

Steven and Zach. Ben and Zach really enjoyed hanging out with their older cousin, and I think he had fun playing "big brother" too!Ryan and Adam.My guys with Grandma Pat.

Zach and Tutu.

Josh snuggling his baby cousin, Camden.

After watching Josh, Luke had to get a turn with Cami too, which was great to see since he wouldn't have anything to do with her (or allow me to have anything to do with her) most of the earlier 2/3rds of the trip! Dan and Ryan above Phelps Lake.Nana, Josh and Ben hangin' on the couch with Jax.

Mike, Kylie and Angie at Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone with us. Tutu with Josh and Ben in her kitty sweatshirt she wore just for the boys.

My Uncle Wayne and Cousin Dave, building the perfect, safest, strongest ladder up a tree ever built, just for the love of my boys!

Our little lover boy, Josh, giving some love to his Tutu (we call her "Tutu" because it is Hawaiian for Grandmother and my Grandma Jackie lived her teen years through my dad's teen years in Hawaii, where my family has a lot of roots, believe it or not--can't you tell with all my native Hawaiian features?).

Me, Tutu and Leah, my sis.

Tutu getting in a game of ball with Luke.

My mom's oldest sister, Barb, with myself and Tutu at one of the many backyard barbecues held at my parent's house.

My sis, my cuz, Dave and I at a Moroccan restaurant before heading to listen to the jazz group Acoustic Alchemy at Jazz Alley in Seattle. I'm not a huge fan of jazz, but Acoustic Alchemy was the favorite jazz group of my Auntie Pat, my mom's middle sister and a wonderful woman, who died four years ago of colon cancer.

My dad, mom, and cuz Bek, Auntie Pat's daughter, who was also up for the weekend to visit everyone and see Acoustic Alchemy. Remembering and honoring Pat's memory this way made the night extra special.

We love you all! And miss you already....