Livin' La Costa Vida

 And now, the moment you've all been waiting for -- the unofficial Hansen family reunion of 2019!  {Featuring all but one of my siblings.}  I've been trying to figure out the best way to organize this segment of our road trip recap, and I think I've finally landed on the best idea -- a chronological retelling of all our adventures.  Hahaha.  I know, I know.  Not very creative, but my brain is no longer working today.  And just as a warning -- there are over a hundred pictures in this post, and I just didn't have the heart to edit any of them out. 

 Costa Vida & Birthday Cake [WEDNESDAY]

After leaving Zion National Park on Day 6 of our Road Trip, we couldn't get to Utah Valley fast enough!  Highlights of our arrival in Saratoga Springs include: the first of many stops at Costa Vida {because Costa Vida > Cafe Rio, y'all}, reuniting with best cousin friends, and celebrating Ethan's birthday with a scrumptious chocolate cake that Emily whipped up for him that afternoon.   

 Look at those two happy, smiling faces.  :)

 Ethan and Auntie Em.  ;)

BYU & American Fork Canyon [THURSDAY]

Is there ever a trip to Utah that doesn't include a visit to the BYU??  I think not!  Hahaha.  On Thursday morning, we perused the BYU store for a bit before eating lunch at the Cougareat and then heading down to the bottom floor for bowling.  Because no trip to BYU is ever complete without bowling.  ;)  Added bonuses of our BYU day came in the form of a few "run-ins" with family and friends.  Every single time I'm walking through the BYU store or the Cougareat (or anywhere on campus, really), I always expect to run into someone we know.  Always.  And you know what?  We pretty much always do!  Haha.  Our first run-in was with a girl from our ward here who had gone out to BYU early for the summer term.  Our next run-in wasn't quite as organic (it involved some texting and coordinating between cousins), but nevertheless we were still happy to run into Kristin and Blake with Hannah and Jonah while we were eating lunch.  Our final run-in of the day was another coordinated effort between Grace and a friend from our old ward who was ALSO in Utah on vacation.  All in all, it was quite the successful BYU outing!  ;)

 It seems as though every time we visit the BYU store it's under construction, and this time was no exception.  

 Oh Isaac.

 Me, Emily, Sarah, and Laura plus all our kiddos and Scott and Trevor.

For our evening adventure, we took our troops to American Fork Canyon.  {At least I think that's where it was -- all I know for sure is that it was somewhere along the Alpine Loop and it was gorgeous.}  We kept things simple with hot dogs and s'mores, and everyone had a blast.  The only real downside was that we forgot to pack any water bottles and people were THIRSTY.  That was easily remedied on the way home, though, and I didn't hear too much complaining about it while we were still there.  

 This spot in the Canyon was positively heavenly.

 Hahahahahaha.  I don't know why, but this shot cracks me up!

 I don't know what it is about my kids, but give them rocks and water and they're in heaven.

 These four cuties are the 2015 babies.

 Hahaha.

 These two are hilarious together.  I think it's because they have the same kind of cuckoo sense of humor and they get along REALLY well.

I love this picture so much!

Park & Talent Show [FRIDAY]

Friday we kept things chill -- a park outing in the morning with a cookout and talent show in the evening.  It's always entertaining to see what the kids come up with and Friday night's performances were top notch.  Hahahaha.  In fact, the highlight of my whole day came from Ethan, Grace, and Sophie reenacting a rap that Ethan recorded when he was 4 years old with my sister Amy during another family gathering.  It was epic.  :)

 I think this park was in Eagle Mountain and it was AWESOME.  There was a splash pad plus playground and so many fun things to do.  

 Getting in costume for that rap.

 I think they called this a "Rainbow Clap"?  Grace and Sophie helped the younger ones to create this "talent" for the show.  

 Meanwhile, Alex and Henry showed off their LEGO creations for their talent.

 Jacob's talent was to attempt a push up with all the little kids piled on top of him.  Hahaha.  Unfortunately for our resident muscle man, we had to cut the performance short when some of the littler ones were getting crushed on the bottom and began to cry.

 Thankfully, Kaitlin was there to come to the rescue!

My name is Ethan,

I'm 4 years old.

I'm a good boy and I do what I'm told.

I like my toast with butter and jam,

I wrote this song for you -- so what, SHAZAM!

{When I say holla, you say back...}

Alex -- playing on a giant dirt pile next door to Emily's house.

Puzzles & Games (and Costa Vida) [SATURDAY]

For our last full day of the unofficial Hansen sibling reunion, we kept things low key and chill once again.  Freddie's house was the venue this time around, and we worked on some puzzles, played some games, and finished off the evening with one last trip to Costa Vida.  I'm pretty sure I could eat that sweet pork salad every single day and not get sick of it.  ;)

Emily is the puzzle master.

For the record -- I won all three games that me, Scott, Freddie, and Ethan played.  And all of this after Freddie bragging that he NEVER loses at Catan.  Hahaha.

We got the hook up at Costa Vida this time around.  We're talking free drinks slipped in, possibly some free kid quesadillas, and free flan for dessert (which was DELICIOUS)!

This rainbow over Utah Lake made my heart happy. 

Church & Goodbyes [SUNDAY]

Parting is always such sweet sorrow!  Our last day with the fam was Sunday, and after going to Emily's ward in the morning and then reconvening at Freddie's for lunch after church, we said our sad goodbyes before heading on over to the final destination of our journey -- Bear Lake for an official family reunion with Scott's family.  ;)  Technically, Bear Lake wouldn't happen until the next day, but we kicked off family and cousin time Sunday evening at Scott's parents house, where his brother Adam and his family were staying the night as well.  

Cute little Sunbeams.

And that's a wrap on our Utah Valley adventures!  Being with family is the best.  And even though we were only a few days all together, it was still enough time to recognize that family time is our favorite time.  I can't wait for the next family reunion -- and hopefully NEXT time it will be extra official and everyone will be able to make it!   ;)

The view of Utah Lake from Emily's (and Freddie's) house is magical!