Fevers finally subsided after the Dr. gave me some antibiotics. The cough remained but we decided to head to Utah anyway. We already delayed our trip a week due to stupid pneumonia! I'm actually surprised we we able to pack and get ready so fast! I was still pretty low on energy and sadly, I'm the only who can pack EVERYONE'S bags (worst part about being a mother). We planned to hit the road before 9 and you guessed it, we left around 2. Which got us to our hotel around 2 a.m in Santa Fe. We've never taken the drive to Utah before so we're obviously not experienced. It REALLY does take as long to get there as everyone says!!
We all tried our best to stay calm while Liza screamed 50% of the time. but the drive was pretty terrible because of her and George. So terrible in fact, that Chase booked us a flight back home all by ourselves!
Santa Fe was pretty cool. I almost wish we had stayed there an extra day. We liked it so much we didn't end up leaving until 2 pm again which got us into SLC at the butt crack of dawn. 3 a.m!! Cute Pops and CC were waiting up for us with hot soup and hugs. We were trying so desperately to get to Utah without stopping that I ended up having to pee into a baby bottle. I've reached some low points in my life, and that might have been one of the lowest. I begged Chase to look the other way and because I'm so extremely skilled at peeing in a cup after my bazillion trips to the gynecologist last year, the episode was a successful one. Humiliating, yes, but successful nonetheless. What parents will do to keep a sleeping baby from waking up!
Liza was thrilled to be out of that car seat and we were beyond thrilled that we didn't have to be stuck with her in an enclosed vehicle anymore.
Grandpa and Mimi went to Paris for a few weeks, so we house sat. I love my parents, but it's pretty nice when they aren't there. We always feel bad kicking people out of their beds. They've turned too many rooms into uninhabitable offices and art studios. That doesn't leave very many beds for us visitors to sleep in. I think they secretly love that there isn't room for us in their 4000 square foot house. That way we can't stay too long. I don't blame them! Little kids are loud and messy! So are son in laws...wink wink!
George is especially loud. So loud in fact that when he would have a tantrum (which was often), we put him in the shed on the side of the house. Best part about this shed is that there's only a door knob on one side so he can't get out. Normally when George is too loud for our home in Texas, we stick him in the garage and let him back in once he's stopped crying. Grandpa's shed wasn't quite as sound proof, so I'm guessing the neighbors heard his hysterics.
Lucky them!
"I saw something nahhhhsty in the woodshed"
Those who have seen the film "Cold Comfort Farm" will get a kick out of this picture. If you haven't seen it, shame on you! It's one of the best films ever produced!
On his better days, he quite enjoyed exploring the house and the grounds. Mimi and Grandpa's house is so fun!
Pops and CC are amazingly entertaining too! They whisked all children 6 years and older to Gramp's Camp at the cabin for a few days to teach them the Cannon ways. Rumor was CC purchased 13 ukuleles. We could only imagine what fun was to be had with no parents, 13 ukuleles, and probably all the sweets they could ever desire. Grandparents are the best!!
This left Chase and me with only the two kiddos. Forgot how easy two children are. We had a great time enjoying just them!
When we arrived to pick them up we were greeted by 12 smiling faces and scones! No wonder they were smiling!!
After breakfast Pops and CC got the kids ready for their "performance." Turns out they spent the last three days learning a bunch of skits and songs. They were so excited to show them to us!! I was just thoroughly impressed with the stamina of Pops and CC to coral all these kids into learning a new musical instrument in just three days!
The Von Trapp Cannon singers!!
We also had our regatta boat race. That's always an adventure!
Then is was sleepy time. Some of my best naps are taken at the cabin. I don't know what the cabin does to us, but we all become narcoleptic within its walls!
Our next trip was to Cedar Breaks. Pops and CC rented a HUGE cabin for the whole family to comfortably stay in for the week. We stayed in Duck Creek village which is perfectly situated in between Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks and lots of amazing other trails of the Uintah mountains. We weren't excited about getting in the car again but the 4 hour drive was totally worth it!!
Cedar Breaks was beautiful!!
Pops and CC with their grand kids.
Richie on his mission and Maverick probably napping.
I was pretty worried someone would fall off these trails and cliffs but everyone did pretty good. I made Jack and Sadie hold the hand of an adult the whole time!
George just sat up there on Dad's shoulders telling him when to stop, when to go and which way to turn. He was a drill sergeant up there!
Some of us were quite overwhelmed by the beauty all around us. Pretty hard to imagine a world without a God when you see views like this!
....and cute little Sadie's like this!
Sadie was brave on these trails. A little too brave. Jack made sure he was holding someone's hand the entire time and stayed FAR away from the edge. He's my cautious one!
Sadie, Grace and Amelia really bonded on this trip. It was fun having them all sleep in the same room together.
Best part about the cabin was this ginormous jet tub!
Couldn't let all those bubbles go to waste!
This picture just warms my heart. These two and their ukuleles. I just love them!
The dirtier the boy, the better the day!
George discovered a lot of shovels, trucks and dirt at the playground on the property. He was elated to have so much work to do!! Moving dirt around. Someone has to do it!
The whole Cannon clan minus Richie the missionary!
On the way home, we stopped by Bryce Canyon. We didn't stay long due to cranky kids, the heat and hunger, but we're glad we dropped in. So beautiful!
Chase kindly told me the other day that I need to replace these shorts with tighter ones. I guess he doesn't like these old ones from 2006. They're so comfy but I'd have to agree, they're terribly baggy and pretty ugly too. I wanted to explain to my dear Chase that when you morph into 4 different sizes throughout pregnancy and postpartum, you can where whatever the hell you want!!
Look at our 4 kids!! I still can't believe it!
Back at the Etherington home for a couple days before we take off again!
I love, love, love this picture of this morning snuggle with Dad!
Only a few days here before we got back in the car (insert anger and frustration) and head to Bear Lake with the Gardners!!
Chase braved some choppy water and it paid off. Look at that cut! I've turned into one of those wimpy moms that will only ski on glass and get in the water if it's relatively warm.
We love these guys. They're like family and we look forward to seeing them every summer!
The water was cold so we made John float us out to the boat on the death tube!
Jack was VERY nervous about these water recreations, but he was brave anyway. It was funny watching him out there with his hands waving and pointing his thumb down. Too fast I guess?
The ONLY reason I decided to get in despite the frigid temperature of the water was to be able to sit next to Jess and hear her laughing her head off. Just thinking about it makes me smile. Her laugh is infectiously hilarious!!
These too loved paddle boarding and were out there most of the days trying to get the hang of it. I was also really proud of them for getting in the water with Dad and trying to get up on two skis! Miraculously Sadie got up on her first try and actually skied for a couple of seconds before wiping out. I'm sure she could hear Jess and I screaming with delight that she had gotten up! Jack got really close to getting up too. Such courageous kids! We'll have to try again next year or in Austin if we're ever on a boat until then.
George just hung out on the beach playing with the trucks and sand. It was his happy place! Eliza was there too but we left her at the cabin most of the time to nap while we went on the boat. Jess's mom was there and would call us when she heard her waking up. It was quite convenient!
We also met up with Andrea and Jill at Liberty park. here's some of Andrea's cute kids. So fun catching up with those girls. Makes me want to go on a girl's trip for some uninterrupted mommy time!
Whenever we were in SLC, we spent most of our time with Em and her kids. Everyone has a buddy. Sadie and Ruby are inseparable. Jack and Andrew are becoming really good friends too. Spence and George will be great buddies as soon as George exits this "I'm a turd" stage and Eliza with Ellie for the win! We went to parks, the zoo, had sleepovers and just loved every second we got to be together!
The zoo was fun for everyone but Eliza who slept the whole time!
Thumbs up to that!
And a triple, quadruple thumbs up for this right here. There are a lot of things I don't want to forget and that's why I have this blog. To document the kid's lives, our adventures and the trials along the way. But if there's one thing I don't ever want to forget, it's this sandwich from the Dodo. I wait for it every year. We patronize their restaurant at least weekly, all for the sake of sinking our teeth into this deliciousness. It's what I would eat in heaven if I could choose. That and their almond mouse for dessert!
We did spend some time with the Etheringtons too although not as much as the Cannons. We had a movie night at Lizzie's, swam at the Dalton's pool a few times and got to see Andrew baptized. Em and Patrick also blessed little Ellie while we were in town too. It was a wonderful little gathering.
My how the Etheringtons have multiplied and replenished!!
I got to snuggle sweet baby Esther again. A year before I was doing midnight feedings while Lizzie got better from being in the hospital. I love this little nugget!! She likes my nursing boobs and squishy tummy. Who wouldn't!
I also arranged for all my sisters to have a craft night. It was so fun!! We made headbands for our baby girls and laughed till our sides hurt. Love these ladies.
We took the kids down to temple square with Pops and CC one night too. I had to laugh that while I was taking this picture of them by this beautiful statue of the Savior, our kids were pushing each other and making enough noise to grab the attention of other tourists in the room. I guess the words to "I'm trying to be like Jesus" haven't resonated in their hearts just yet!
Our last adventure was a trip to Lagoon!! I hadn't been there since college and it had been a while since the kids had been to an amusement park. We attempted the first day and got rained out, so returned the next day to a perfectly beautiful, and HOT day experiencing "where fun is."
It took a while to get Jack warmed up to the idea of rides. After a few bribes we finally got him onto this one below. He had so much fun that the rest of the rides weren't even a question. If he was tall enough, he rode it! Sadie rode every roller coaster there was. She's my little thrill seeker. George would have ridden everything too if only he were tall enough. He did get to ride on a bunch of fun rides though. Everyone was really brave and it was a successful day! When your legs feel like jello at the end of the day, you know you've been at Lagoon and had a great time!!
When Eliza was awake, she was all smiles. I nursed her as much as I could in public but resorted to letting her suck on a banana. She loved it!
She and George both got a pretty good nap while the rest of us rode the rides.
Jack surprised us all when he agreed to ride Wicked which scared the living daylight out of us all!! It was such a fast and furious ride, I was worried Jack would lose his first loose tooth while suspended upside down going 100 miles an hour. I had to take a picture of the kid sitting next to us at the end of the ride. The Wicked wind got the better of his hair. That's for sure.
And after all was said and done, we were back in Texas. I flew back with Eliza and Pops joined Chase in the car to bring the rest of the family home via Volvo.
Surprisingly that snaggle tooth of Jack's held on until they all got home. He lost it that night! Welcome back Jack and goodbye Mr. Front Tooth!
