Utah Fun

Right after school got out on Friday May 31st we headed down to Utah to spend some time together as a family.  Craig's grandparents live in Bountiful and they graciously let us stay with them for 4 nights while we adventured around Utah.  We got in late Friday night and headed right to bed, it was so nice for everyone have their own room, it definitely made for better sleep.  Saturday morning we woke up to pancakes and bacon (Craig's grandma spoiled us the whole time with yummy food) and then we headed off to This Is The Place: Heritage Park.  We had never been before, but had heard great things.  The kids had a blast riding the train around the small town that they had created to replicate a pioneer town.  We made arrow head necklaces, panned for gold, rode the ponies, played with the goats and checked out all of the shops (blacksmith, leather, pottery, etc.)  The kids had a blast and we could have easily spent more time there if we didn't have a grumpy 2 year old that desperately needed a nap because of the late bedtime the night before.  We then headed back for nap time and I went for a run (which Bountiful is a terrible running town, way too many hills).  After nap we headed into Salt Lake to  grab dinner at the Red Iguana, seriously so good and totally worth the wait.  After hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa for a while we all then headed to bed.

Sunday morning we woke up and headed to church with Grandma and Grandpa and then went back to Salt Lake to temple square.  We walked around the temple grounds and checked out the tabernacle and the visitor center and conference center.  I loved how excited the kids were to see the temple.  After the temple we headed back for nap time and then checked out a few parks close to the house.  Craig's dad then got into town in time for a yummy Sunday dinner.  Craig's Aunt, Uncle, and cousin then came over for dessert and to chat.  The kids loved being around family that they don't get to see very often.

Monday morning we got up and got ready to head to Lagoon for the day.  We were excited that Stan was able to join us.  Brooklyn was stoked because she was tall enough to ride all but 5 of the rides and boy did she take advantage of it.  We got there just before the park opened at 11:00 and were ready to go when the rides opened up.  Brooklyn's first choice was the Scrambler and even McKay was big enough for that one.  We then headed right over to the Tilt-a-Whirl, which was a mistake on my part because I got super nauseous and was pretty miserable until we took a break for lunch.  After that it was just ride after ride after ride.  One or two of the adults would head with Brooklyn while the other went on a ride with McKay and then we would meet up for a ride we could all do together.  We got in line to do the Tidal Wave (the big boat one that rocks back and forth) and McKay got freaked out because everyone was screaming.  It took some convincing but we got him on the ride, but once people started to scream again then he lost it.  His face is priceless and I am so glad I got a picture of it.  He did eventually calm down before the ride was over and I swear he really did have a good time.  After Craig convinced everyone to get on the log ride and me and him getting completely soaked, we grabbed some lunch and some sprite to help calm my tummy.  After a little break we headed right back to the rides, Brooklyn was non-top the whole day, it made my amusement park loving mommy heart proud.  Right around 5:00 pm a lot of people were leaving the park so we were able to hit up a bunch of rides back to back.  I think she rode Colossus and Wild Mouse 4 times each and a few other multiple times.  McKay's favorite was definitely the carousel, which he rode at least 4 times.  Finally at about 6:30 we left the park and headed to dinner.  While we were trying to figure out where we wanted to go McKay was knocked out in the back seat.  He stayed asleep the drive to the restaurant, while we order and started to eat.  I finally had to wake him up so he would go to bed at a decent hour. We then headed back for a good nights rest before we took off for home Tuesday morning.

It was such a fun trip and we made so many great memories.  It was really nice to spend so much time with Craig's grandparents and for the kids to get to know them better.  The kids did pretty good on both drives (better than me at least). Such a wonderful time together as a family.  Can't wait to do it again.

Kindergarten Celebration

Well, that's a wrap...Kindergarten is officially over.  Brooklyn had such a wonderful year.  She loved her teacher, Mrs. Abell, and loved all of the new friends that she met.  She grew up so much in a short 9 months.  Her reading, math and hand writing improved so much.  She loved going to school everyday and especially liked riding the bus.  The last week of school they had a kindergarten celebration and the kids sang some super cute songs and got their little diplomas.

Brooklyn and her cute friend Rowan

Here is Brooklyn on her last day of school.  She loved the school year but is very excited for the adventures of summer and McKay is very excited to have Brooklyn around more.  He will be in for a rude awakening when Brooklyn is gone all day next school year and not just during nap time.

Brooklyn with our carpool buddy, Lincoln

Spring Time

We had such a wonderful spring this year.  The weather was a little up and down, with a lot of rain, but we made the best of it and got outside as often as possible.  We were actually in town for most of the spring and did our best to make the most of it.  We went to the park, had some fires in the backyard, played with cousins, went to the zoo and Pojos and ate donuts.  McKay also got his first eye exam from his Daddy.  Brooklyn went first and did great, so McKay was excited and did everything Craig asked.

At the very start of March we met all of my family in Jerome for a mini family reunion.  We rented a big house and just spent a lot of time together away from our other responsibilities.  The kids had a blast spending so much time with cousins.  We played games, saw Shoshone Falls, went to a hot springs and ate lots of food.

Since we were in town so much, Craig and I were able to go on a few fun dates.  We tried out Ax Throwing with some friends, which turned out super fun and we also went to the shooting range to try out a few new guns Craig got.  Both were a blast.

The day before Easter, April 20th, was Craig's Dad's 70th birthday so we had a surprise party for him.  A lot of family and friend were there and it was a great day celebrating Pops.

This spring was also filled with a little bit of sadness as well.  There were 3 funerals in less than a month.  First my Grandpa (my Mom's Dad) passed away unexpectedly.  We weren't super close with my Grandpa so just my mom headed up to Salmon for the funeral.  2 weeks later my Grandma LeAnne (my Mom's Mom) passed away.  She had been sick for a while and we knew she would be going soon.  My Grandma had lived with us multiple times growing up so we were all quite close with her.  Craig and I cancelled our trip to San Antonio (just a weekend getaway) and headed up to Salmon for her funeral services.  It was a beautiful service and it was so good to see some family that I hadn't seen for quite some time.  That evening we got a phone call that my other Grandma (my Dad's mom) had a stroke that morning and was in the hospital.  She had a stroke 14 years ago and my Grandpa had been taking care of her ever since, but this stroke was still unexpected.  We thought we would all be able to get home and see her before she passed away, but we got another call the next morning that she had passed away during the night.  So the next weekend we had another funeral in Boise.  Again it was a beautiful service with a lot of family.  My sweet Grandpa misses her dearly and just seems to be missing a part of himself.  It was a very emotional filled few weeks to say the least and I am glad that it is over with and hope that we don't have anymore funerals for quite some time.

Besides those crazy few weeks it was a good spring and we are all excited for summer and spending as much time in the pool and at splash pads and trying to not feel guilty about not getting anything accomplished.