I started out thinking, "I must be crazy!". Driving myself and four kids out to California, Utah and back by myself seemed a bit unrealistic. Especially since Wally wouldn't be joining us until the last leg of our trip. But like most things I do, I didn't let the craziness stop me. I packed up the car, loaded the kids, gave Wally a big kiss and then headed out into the unknown. Well, as unknown as I-40 can be to a girl whose never driven on it past Flagstaff, AZ.
The reason for my sudden fit of insanity? Adventure? Yes. To make memories? Yes. To prove to myself (and those who thought I was completely out of my mind) I could do it? Yes. But the real reason we went was first to visit my parents, whose home we haven't been able to visit for a few years, and second to let my kids swim in their pool to their hearts content for a week and a half. Was it worth it? YES!
We had a great trip and oh, the stories to tell! I have a lot to share about swimming, the beach, driving, reunions, and even brakes (or lack thereof!). I am glad to be home after being gone for nearly three weeks. The biggest thing I have learned about this jaunt across the Western U.S. is that I can do anything. Even with four kids in tow.
We had spring break a few weeks ago and finally got around to posting some (a lot!) of pictures. We were able to go up to Denver to spend some time with family for the last half of our break, something we haven't been able to do for a really long time. I guess that's another advantage to living closer to family now! We had a lot of fun and Grandma and Grandpa and all our cousins made sure we had a great time! We were able to go to the Butterfly Pavillion with Grandma one morning. I was really impressed with Kelsie, Caleb, and Ryan who each took their turn holding Rosie, the tarantula. Brandon really didn't want to do it but was so excited about all the butterflies! It's always so fun to see them in their "natural" habitat and to see so many flying around. They also had a great time running through the maze and trying out the zip line! That night we spent time at the rec center swimming and sliding down the water slides. That is until the pool was closed because some other kid had a diaper explosion, and not just the wet kind.
Clockwise from top: Caleb holding Rosie; Brandon lovin' the butterflies; Kelsie smiling at the camera; Ryan holding Rosie; Mom and Isaac; Kelsie holding Rosie; Butterfly; Look, butterflies!
Clockwise from Top: Isaac chillin in the stroller; Ryan sitting on the big caterpillar, All of us standing under the giant praying mantis; 3 kiddos posing on the caterpillar; Ryan having fun swimming; The three girls smiling; Brandon and Ryan hanging out in the spider's web, Trevor and Caleb.
The next day we went to the Natural Museum of Nature and Science to see the Pirate Exhibit. It was pretty cool to walk through the ship and see how pirates lived back in the day. We also saw treasure (and lots of it!) and get sweet pirate hats at the end. We also spent some time looking around the museum and had the most fun in the Health and Wellness area. We were also able to take a tour of the capital building downtown and even got the VIP treatment from an old high school friend of Wally's sister. The best part was going all the way up to the Rotunda and getting a birds eye view of the city.
Out on the balcony of the Capital Building in Denver. We had to climb out a window to get there!
We were also able to celebrate Grandpa's birthday while we were there and had a great time hanging out with as many cousins, aunts, and uncles as we could! We ate homemade pizza cooked in Uncle Rob's super cool brick oven. It's now on the list of things to have when we finally buy a house and have a yard to build one in! As, you may have noticed, those girls were glued together at the hip the entire time we were there. It got even better with their older cousin, Aubrey joined the ranks. She's so awesome and the girls had so much fun hanging out with their cool cousin! She even watched the BYU basketball game with Brandon, and he had fun playing with her ipod later in the evening.
These girls had a great time together!
What's a party without cake, a trampoline, and a little basketball?
Grandma taught Kelsie and the other girls how to sew the simple skirt they are wearing in the photo below. She took them to the fabric store to pick out the fabric and then spent one night sewing together. They all did an amazing job and Kelsie is very proud of her work. We're so happy that Grandma has the patience she has to be able to conquer such a feat!
All in all it was a great spring break and we were completely worn out by the time we got home Sunday night. It's great to be so much closer to family to be able to make quick trips up north to see them now!
