Chase graced us with his presence for a little over a week in Utah and then we were on our own for two more. This was the summer! I knew I could stay the entire time I had allotted to stay by myself. Every summer in the past I usually go home a few days (or weeks) early but decided that because I'm not nursing an infant, George is sleeping through the night and Jack is finally potty trained I can stand the trenches alone. Many had doubts (including myself) but I DID IT and actually had fun!!
While Chase was in town we had to see our old buddies from San Diego. I ended up going to the DoDo three times while in Utah and ordered the same thing every time! I'm a tad obsessed.
Went to church at the lovely Garden Park Ward. George spent most of his time outside which is expected seeing his mom spent most of her Sundays as a child by the pond as well.
We ended up staying with the Cannons even when Chase was gone which might have been the reason I was able to stay the entire two weeks. The sleeping situation is 100x better over there. First of all, the entire house is air-conditioned whereas the Etherington attic is a scorching 100 degrees. I had my own bedroom, George slept with Jack in the bunk bed room, and Sadie had her own room upstairs. Everyone slept splendidly which accounts for everything going smoothly. Connie was also a HUGE help. If George was taking a nap, I could run the kids to a park, or a friend's house. I was also able to leave at night after the kids were all asleep so I could hang with my girls. I also loved coming home and having nice chats with Connie and Jim. They are night owls too and I can always count on a fun night cap with them.
We did have Sunday dinner at my parent's house which was fun and gave us some bonding time with them. Although with all the grand kids that live in SLC now, I think Diane and Craig are pretty much "grandkidded out." I don't blame them! When they're all together it's a total circus. Sadie did get to have a Mimi/Sadie date which she still talks about and Jack was always up for a Mimi story hour, even if he couldn't stay awake.
We spent a ton of time downtown at City Creek and the temple. It's so fun down there! Pretty much we were in pursuit of water. Jack was determined to find ALL the water fountains and ponds and the temple grounds didn't dissapoint.
George was loving the water as well. I took them to the JSMB to the top floor for my favorite view of the temple. There was a fountain inside that G couldn't get enough of.
We had such a fun afternoon, I convinced my sisters to bring their kids down another day with us. It was just as fun, if not more!! Mo came with her darling girls as well. We bought some Lion House rolls which were a HUGE hit. Look at these cute kids all squinting in the sunlight.
I've decided City Creek is one of the best places to take kids on a hot day. There are musical fountains, splash pads, and rivers full of trout. We never had enough time to do everything. I also love that the ceiling is a retractable skylight so even if it's 100 degrees outside, we're feeling like it's outside with the bright lights, but totally enjoying an air conditioned, bug free atmosphere. They need one of these in Texas. They also need LDS headquarters here to build one in Texas.
Em invited us to go on a tour at Mrs. Cavannagh's chocolate factory. Sadie LOVED any time she was able to spend with Ruby. They have red beaded friendship bracelets that Sadie wears every day. They laugh hysterically together and never get sick of one another.
Wish we could live closer to them sometimes because they are bosom buddies for sure. I was thinking Jack and Andrew would hit it off too but both of them were far more interested in the laughter and girly giggles coming from their older sisters.
Sometimes George got a nap in his crib and a lot of times, in his stroller. How could you not sleep in such a comfy looking contraption. He was a trooper. We tried transitioning him to one nap this trip and he fought it pretty hard. Sleepy little guy. Sorry George, there's too much to do and see!
One of my favorite parts of visiting Utah is being able to spend time with my friends. Leslie is just down the road from Connie so I was able to hang with her and Mo quite a bit. Her backyard is a kid magnet. So much fun!
Leslie also has a pass to Red Butte Gardens and took Mo and I there one day. What an awesome place for kids. It was a another day of not having enough time to explore it all.
I also got to hang with Jess. We didn't have any fun at all:-) We kept taking these hideous pictures of ourselves and sent them to John who was working in the office down the hall. He called us "immature" but I'm sure he wishes he was as cool (and beautiful) as us.
Sadie and Lizzy heard all the commotion and had to participate as well. We are sadly (but inevitably) rubbing off on our daughters.
Jess was my saving grace! We hung out all the time and she took me to the Tennis Club with her guest passes all the time too. There was one particular visit to the pool that my kids decided to surprise me with extreme amounts of courage and bravery. I asked Sadie if she wanted to go off the high dive. She nonchalantly said yes. I didn't believe her until she actually got up there and with out hesitation, jumped off!! IT WAS AWESOME!!! I love it when my kids are brave. Jack decided he wanted to be brave too.
He went off the lower diving board over and over again but decided he wanted to be super brave and walked up that ladder. I didn't even notice he was up there until someone pointed out that he was edging his way down the board. What?!! He got a little scared and wanted to come back down but that seemed slippery and dangerous so I went up there and dropped him in holding his life jacket. Then I had to jump in. It was scary!! Can't believe how many years it's been since I've gone cliff jumping. Too many. Jack loved it so much he did it again all by himself. What a champ!! So proud of my kiddos.
We were able to spend a lot of time in the mountains which besides family is the one the biggest things I miss in Texas. Nothing beats that smell of fresh pine, the cool shade, and the sounds of chipmunks up Millcreek canyon.
George much preferred his momma to the backpack I attempted to carry him in. This nap lasted about 20 seconds...literally.
We also explored the Park City mountains after a sleepover at the Olson's. Grandpa came too which makes EVERYTHING more fun! Sadie and Ruby had each other giggling the whole time acting like old ladies with sticks for canes. Jack and Andrew took turns on Grandpa's shoulders or holding his hand as they raced down the trail.
We gave Connie and Jim a break for a few days and stayed with Lizzie and Chad. Other than the fact that she keeps her house at 69 degrees, (I was FREEZING!!!) it was a total party! Love my Lizzie!! Chad was out of town for a few days too, so it was nice to have each other while our husbands were away. She was a fantastic hostess and had a prize for the kids every day they were there. Alice followed Sadie around everywhere she went which at first Sadie thought was awesome but soon grew tired of the shadow. I though Jack and Alice would hit it off but these 4 year olds had to learn to share more than they probably liked. George developed a high pitched scream that could cause deafness if within close proximity. I felt sorry for subjecting the Daltons to such torture but they bore it well. Lizzie's neighbor had a movie night outside which the kids totally soaked up. Jack played with their hose in the back and was found dead asleep on a towel one afternoon. Silly Jack but judging from his borderline narcoleptic history, I wasn't surprised.
Sadie was able to go to Ruby's birthday party while we were in town too which was a special treat. When we got there Sadie had all the girls laughing and Ruby said to them "see, I told you she was funny." It was a chocolate party and we toured another chocolate factory but this one was WAY better. V-Chocolates lets you in their back room (with a extremely flattering hairnet, of course) and lets you sample whatever chocolate you want to free. They also gave us a bag and told us to fill them to the brim with whatever chocolates we could fit. Don't mind if I do. IT WAS AWESOME!!
We then headed back to the Etherington home for a some chocolate dipping fun. I shared all my Pinterest finds with Em from Sadie's baking party and we were able to make baking hats and aprons one night at Lizzie's house. What a fun little party. Sadie had a blast! We brought a balloon back to the Dalton's for Jack since he wasn't invited and he decided that was pretty cool.
Sadie also lost her front tooth while we were at the Dalton's. She had been sporting a "snaggle tooth" the whole summer and it finally came out!! It was at the end of the two weeks when I was pretty much DONE being a single parent. Lizzie was subjected to my lack of patience during the bedtime routine and offered to watch all of them the next day so I could get a pedicure. Geez! What an offer! I must have really seemed frustrated. Sadie lost her tooth that night which made for a little more work on my part. We found a dollar and made a tiny envelope and put "pixie dust" in there from the tooth fairy. Sadie, if you're reading this, the tooth fairy isn't real. Sorry. But know that I made a valiant effort to make it fun for you while you believed in her.
The next day Daddy came back to Utah and all was right in the world. George was right at home!
