Our Village

One of Mercedes' favorite movies is "Labyrinth". At the end of the movie, the creatures that the protagonist, Sarah, has befriended offer this sweet reassurance as she returns home:

"Should you need us, for any reason at all...". We have so many family members and close friends who have embodied this line in our lives, & have made sure that we feel loved and seen.

Sarah's response to their devotion is: "I need you... I don't know why, but every now and again in my life - for no reason at all - I need you." So without further ado, allow us to introduce some of the people that we need and love to have in our life.

Maternal Grandparents

Holly and Dave - AKA Momo and Appa

This hard working, fun loving dynamic duo are full of love. They are our go-to caretakers for our daughter, and are always adapting to her needs. Holly is silly and empathetic, which, as it turns out, is the perfect recipe for children of all ages to adore you. Dave is is quieter and straightforward, but is amazing with kids and very witty. He was the first person who ever made our daughter laugh.

Paternal Grandparents

Dave & Cheri - AKA Grandpa & Grandma

Parents to 5 children and 2 grandchildren (so far), these two long time residents of southern Utah are used to living life in the fast lane. They always have an interesting activity planned, such as hiking in Zion National Park, spending a weekend at Bear Lake, or a family meal at a new, trendy local gem. They love to travel and spend time with family when their busy schedules allow.

Maternal Aunts & Uncle

Alorah, Jeron, & Lili

With a high emphasis on education in their household, it is no surprise that these siblings are all currently students. Alorah is studying history at the University of Utah, and learning Vietnamese. She is playful and passionate, and very aware of others.

Jeron is studying Engineering Systems at USU, and loves jamming out on his guitar in his free time. He is bold and loyal, and will go to bat for anyone he loves.

Lili is still in high school, and is very creative. She maxes out her art credit allowance every trimester, and plans to study graphic design. She's kind, unique, and loves to talk about her passions in life.

Mercedes loves spending time with her siblings and tries to see them all frequently. They are adoring aunts and uncle to their niece, she calls them her best friends.

Paternal Aunts & Uncles

Nate, Annelise & Jake (and our niece), Heather, & Colin

Scattered from the Northernmost end of Utah to the Southernmost, plus one in Brazil, its impressive that these siblings stay so involved in each others lives. Nate still lives in Southern Utah, and helps care for their Grandma Snow's house when he's not working. He's a free spirit who loves to dig deep into people's thoughts.

Annelise & Jake and our only niece are adventurers - Annelise is an elementary teacher and Jake works in IT, and they love to travel as much as possible.

Heather is a grad student at USU studying nutrition, and has a passion for baking and French. She loves exploring and and sharing her food experiments with others

Colin is currently serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Brazil. He has a special interest in science, especially geology, and loves Spiderman.

Amazing Extended Family

We both have large, exciting extended families who mean a lot to us. We love seeing them at regular family reunions and on holidays and drinking in all the family love we can. Here is a sample of what our life looks like with them.

Photos, left to right, top to bottom:
1. Reed & Mercedes zip-lining in Couer d'Alene, Idaho with Dave, Jeron, Heidi & Scott (Aunt & Uncle), Brandon (Uncle), and Keyton (cousin).

2. Our little family, with Grandma & Grandpa Burr at a cousin's wedding.

3. Mercedes & daughter with "Momo", "Cookie" ( Mercedes' grandma), and "Gammy" (great-grandma) catching up and snapping a 5 generation photo.

4. Mercedes with her parents, grandparents, Alorah, Britt & Crystal (Uncle & Aunt), Heidi & Scott (Aunt & Uncle) solving an escape room over Thanksgiving weekend.

5. Celebrating Grandpa Snow's birthday and the new year at a cabin near Cedar City with Reed's siblings, parents, and his Grandma and Grandpa Snow.

6. Our daughter and niece playing together at Greg and Jen's (our niece's paternal grandparents) home.

Ziplining with the Briggs family for the 4th of July

5 generation picture Mercedes' maternal line

New Year's and Grandpa Snow's birthday with the Snows

Reed, Mercedes, and daughter with grandma and grandpa burr at a wedding

daughter and niece playing at a birthday party

Incredible Friends

While we don't have pictures of all of our friends here, we have a couple of close friends that have been written in to the music of our lives and a huge help to us throughout the our marriage, raising our daughter, and starting the adoption process.

Photos, left to right, top to bottom:
1. Partying at the wedding of another close friend with Tyson and Ally - we've been friends since college when Reed and Tyson were roommates, and now our kids play together while we have dinner and talk about life.

2. Reed's co-workers have been a huge help and support, both to Reed in his career and to us as a couple, especially when starting the adoption process.

3. Sarah was Mercedes' roommate when she met Reed, so she's been a part of our story since the beginning. We have loved each other through life's ups and downs, and we now have little girls who are almost the same age - future roommate legacy!

4. Mercedes' bestie, Grace, jumping into a foam pit with our daughter and her son, who had the same sue date! She made sure that our girl still had the best Halloween ever at the trampoline park while Mercedes was recovering from surgery. They moved out of state, but Mercedes and Grace still talk several times a week and offer each other long distance support.

The Butterfields and The Burrs at the Butler's wedding

Mercedes & daughter, and Sarah & daughter at splashpad playdate

Trampoline park for Halloween with Grace