Utah Trip (with 2 kids and no husband)

Two things- I've been putting this off for several days, and just need to do it and keep it short. And, I took about 80 pictures in Utah with my phone and about 10 with my camera. That's so annoying to email, upload, save, etc. I need to get out of the habit of using my phone for pictures more than I use my camera.

My mom flew to California and then she and I drove back to Utah with the kids. Everyone did fine. (I already blogged about the bad drive home.)It was a good trip. A little long to be husbandless with both kids, and a few times I was ready for a vacation from the vacation. But after the first couple nights my mom 'worked the night shift' and that helped a ton. Garrett kept with his Utah tradition and got a cold, and he's also getting too big to sleep in a pack n play, so he had a couple middle of the night play sessions with Grammy. Addie did pretty well at night.

In no particular order, here are a few things that we did.

I got to go to my cousin/former roommate/former co-worker's baby shower. (We lived in my grandparents apartment together a few years ago, and we both worked at IDFL.) Sadly, I forgot to take pictures. I got to see several cousins that I never get to see. That's one thing that I love about my huge extended family. We can go years (literally) without seeing each other, but when we do we can laugh and talk for hours. I love cousins.

Played at the new City Creek shopping center. Garrett froze but would not stop playing in the water.I did a lot of shopping at my favorite craft stores, and visited my old job, The Wood Connection, a couple times.Went to my cousin's fiance's birthday party at his grandpa's farm. My cousin is adopted from Ukraine and she's marrying my grandpa's brother's grandson...so they are second cousins, but not blood related...I guess it's not weird. But at the party everyone was celebrating their recent engagement, but everyone there was related to everyone...I guess it's not weird...Garrett LOVED the farm. Played with horses and dogs. Ate dirt. Threw rocks. Played by the fire. Played on the swing set. He was in heaven. (My cousin and her fiance are holding the quilt in the bottom right.)

We got to play with Jordon and Katie and Baby B a couple of times.Spent as much time as we could with my Grandma and Grandpa Garrett. My grandpa is so flippin' cute with Garrett.Addie learned to sit up right on her 5 month mark. Garrett didn't like her sitting up.Uncle Scott and Aunt Laura took us to Thanksgiving Point to the petting zoo. Laura brought her nephew too, so Garrett would have a friend. It's really fun and inexpensive, and a horse and carriage ride was included in the admission. Garrett had a great time, though you can't tell it from the pictures.We had dinner and played at my Auntie and Uncle Jon's house in Ogden. On the way there I stopped to see my childhood best friends, Brandi and Mandi (twins). Mandi does hair at a salon in Slaterville and Brandi owns a tanning salon right next to it. It was fun to catch up with them. (Sad I forgot to take pictures at both of these visits.)

Uncle Dave took us all to Chuck E. Cheese's. I haven't been there in years! (it was better when I was a kid) But Uncle Dave had a great time spoiling Garrett and helping him play all the games. He's a good uncle.We celebrated my dad's birthday. We had a picnic at the park. I hate the phrase, "He's all boy." But wow, Garrett is. You can't see the detail in the picture of him. But he had a scraped knee, two scraped elbows, a few scraped knuckles, dirt in his hair, on his face and under his fingernails, and a stick in his mouth. That kid loves being outside.Paul was with us for the picnic. He flew in that afternoon and we were on the road home the next morning.