Utah with Andersens

This year, Brittany looked into renting a house for our Andersen trip so that we could have a place where we could visit and be in one place.  In a world of 7! brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law are a gift! So, we stayed in this crazy big house that had any number of unusual quirks, doors in random places, beds in closets, and it was perfect.  We spent the 4th of July there, and we didn't even have to leave the house! We got water balloons and sparklers, and the house came equipped with a hot tub. The kids played for HOURS with the balloons and later the sparklers. The men disappeared to do the grocery shopping and, later, mastered the grill! It was delicious.  When the sun set,we were afraid that being around so many giant, mature trees the fireworks would be completely invisible to us. But never fear! Due to an unreasonably wealthy area of town, the neighboring houses put on shows perfectly sufficient for our firework needs. I promised our kids that they could stay up as late as the wanted our last night in Utah.. if only they went right to sleep our first... so... Kolton is our reigning champion. Xiana and Ella finally hit the sack around 1 am.  Kolton and Rowan were still going strong by 2:30... yikes! Our celebration was cut short with worry about Kylee who had fallen off of a trampoline in Battle Mountain and been care-flighted to Reno for a head injury. On this, the very anniversary of my dad's own death due to a head injury, our feelings were sensitive and worry overtook us.  She ended up being completely fine, but Mark and Tosh booked it out in the wee hours of the morning after a sleepless night in order to be there for Kevin.  One of the most challenging things in marriage is that families are different, upbringings shape us, and it's often hard to bridge the gap from one family to the next.  I'm very grateful that, while I don't always see eye to eye with Brian's family (or Brian for that matter), I truly did luck out in the in-law department.  The Andersens look out for one another; they love each other; and they are fiercely defensive of each and every person who has a claim to the name.  I'm blessed to have them in my life... and my kids' experience in life would not be the same without their wonderful Andersen side!