Utah in 4!

We just finished our four day trip to Utah! At first I wasn't sure if two days in Utah was worth two, 10 hour days of driving!! But, because it was the kids Spring Break and we have been wanting to get up there, I decided that we would make it work. I was starting to second guess our decision 2 hours into the trip. Just out of Flagstaff, Sophia started crying and cried for 30 minutes straight (more like whimpering....so pathetic) until she finally fell asleep. I thought, "If it's going to be like this for the next 8 hours I don't know if I can handle it!" Luckily, she was a gem the rest of the way. We made a lot of stops, so I think that helped.

Aubrie orginal!:)

We finally stopped at Moqui Cave, just out of Kanab. We see it ever time we go that way, and I always wonder what's in there. It wasn't what I expected...mainly just some antiques and crafts. The back of the cave was dark and they had fluorescent lights and lots of different rocks. I was expecting it to be like the Timpanogas cave; stalagmites, stalactites, etc... The kids still had fun, and they each got something from the gift shop. Aubrie got some colored rocks. Ethan got a cork gun. Boston got this awesome coons skin hat. He wore it the WHOLE time we were in Utah. Everyone got a big kick out of it! He even tried to wear it to bed. Gotta love that kid!

We also made a stop in Beaver, at the cheese factory. We got the famous "squeaky cheese", also known as curd cheese. We call it that, because it squeaks when you eat it. We also bought a magnet paper doll kit for Aubrie while we were there. She really liked it and she helped so much with Sophia on the ride up, it was kind of our "thank you".

With all the stops, it ended up taking us 11 hours to get to Provo. An hour before we go thIt was a nice trip! I prefer the stops because it made it feel like we didn't waste the day "just traveling". Ben is getting better at enjoying the ride, instead of driving straight through! When we got to Provo, after a quick stop at Krispy Kreme, we headed straight to the hotel and went swimming in their heated pool. The kids had a lot of energy to burn, and Sophia was so happy to be crawling around. We then came back to the room and put Sophia down. Ben headed out with the boys to get some groceries, and Ben surprised Aubrie and I with Ribs from the TGI Fridays, that is part of the hotel. That is one of Aubrie's favorite foods and she kept asking him for them. She was complaining when she didn't think she was getting them, and then when they showed up at the door she started to cry. I asked her why she was crying and she said, "because I feel so bad that I was complaining". Maybe she learned her lesson?!

Friday was a FULL day! We finally got out of the Hotel at 10:00, and our first thing on our agenda was to check out the house Ben and I lived in when we were first married. Last time we went by (last year) there was some fire damage. Now there is a new duplex in its place. After that, we headed up to see Grandma and Grandpa, but they weren't home. Ben then stopped by to see his old boss from the Frontier (a truck stop he worked at in College). We then headed up to Salt Lake. Our first stop was at a restaurant that Ben's college friend, Hans, is a chef at. It's an upper scale restaurant (mainly seafood). We weren't planning on eating there, but after he invited us in to eat , we couldn't refuse. I was a little stressed out at first, with the four kids in a nice place, but luckily after the first 10 minutes the natives settled down, and it was a good experience. The kids actually ate their salads, and most of there meal. Sophia was happy to gnaw on some bread, and we were able to make it out of there without any major breakdowns! Hans was nice enough to take care of the bill...I should have got the Lobster! LOL

After that visit, we headed up to the "This is the Place" monument! We have never been there in all the time we lived in Utah. It was cold and windy, so we quickly walked the grounds and headed back to the car. We then went to Temple Square and visited the North Visitors center, and then walked around the temple. I love that temple!!! Not just because we were married there. The history, hard work and all the service people rendered to build it just amazes me! We are so spoiled in these later days!

Here is one of Aubrie's

"orginals"! All the kids

took their turns on the

camera. I love this picture

that Aubrie took and the fact

she was paying close attention

to the prints on His feet!

After the temple, we headed to a Horse Facility that Han's wife (Priscilla) manages. Boston and Aubrie got to ride a horse in their indoor arena. Aubrie was so excited and wanted to ride longer. She kept saying how she wants to take lessons....yeah right! Boston was a little nervous at first, but ended up having a good time after a few minutes. Towards the end he did one of his "Ye Haw's" as he was swinging his coon skin hat in the air! What a performer. We then got a tour of the stables. It was a very nice facility!! After that adventure, we tried Grandma and Grandpa again, only to find Grandpa there. We visited with him for about and hour, while the kids played in the tree house in the backyard and Sophia happily motored around the house.

After our visit there, we had dinner with Ben's Uncle Jim and his family. They have two younger boys, who are 9 and 5. The kids had a blast playing with them in their backyard. The rest of the trip, they kept asking if we could go back there and play with "Douglas and Jackson". We kept telling them they would have to wait until the family reunion to see them again. They weren't too happy about that. I'm glad they will have something to look forward to when we go!

After our visit with them, we met the twins back at the hotel. Sophia was blitzed and needed to go to bed, so I stayed upstairs while they went swimming. When they got back we all went to bed. It was a long day!

Friday was almost as busy. We were planning on going to a Easter Egg hunt at Pioneer Park at 9:00 am. We slept in (I'm not complaining) and missed it. We scrambled to get over there because the sign said it was from 9 -11. We got there at 10:00 and it was already over. I have to say that I wasn't too disappointed because the park was PACKED! I think between that and the fact that it was so cold outside, it would have been miserable. So to make it up to the kids, we stopped at Walmart and got supplies to have our own Easter Egg Hunt. We took the stuff up to Grandma and Grandpa's, who had a fun time helping us fill the eggs and watching "the Hunt". We visited with them a bit more, and spent sometime listening to Grandpa play the piano, and then the kids played the piano and sang songs. We only stayed about an hour and 1/2 because Grandpa just got done giving a blessing and we knew he was pretty tired!

After their house, we headed up to "the BYU" as Boston puts it. We had lunch at the Cougar Eat and then we walked around the bookstore. Ben ended up buying matching shirts for him and the boys. When we got back to the hotel the boys didn't waste anytime putting them on. Sophia was so tired by the time we got back to the hotel, she went right down for a nap. After about an hour I joined her. When I woke up, the kids and Ben were gone. I texted him to see where they went, and he had taken them to the dollar movie to see National Treasure 2! I wished I wouldn't have gotten up! I was still tired, but woke up because I felt guilty that I had abandoned Ben with the kids, and he had taken them to the movie so I could rest. Isn't that the way it goes! I used the time, I had alone, to get the kids Easter baskets ready, so it all worked out! When they got back we got dinner at Wingers. They moved their location to the South Town Mall, which is a much better store/ atmosphere. The kids were full of popcorn, but amazingly ate their dinner. Aubrie was sold on another serving of Ribs and the boys loved that they had penne Alfredo! After dinner, we searched the mall for a toy store because Boston's money apparently was burining a hole in his pocket!! Both boys brought their wallets, and Bostons wallet was in his back jean pocket the WHOLE trip! They just wanted to buy something. They had a Game Stop in the mall, and he finally decided on a game that had a whole bunch of those 80's games on it (Pacman, Galaga, etc). It was a good pick, and Ben made up the difference in price. I told Ben that Boston has plenty of money and could have paid for it himself. Ben only made him pay a dollar. I hope they don't get a warped sense of how much things cost! LOL

After dinner, we went and got ice cream at the BYU Creamery. Sophia was beyond tired, so we took turns walking around with her. Amber and Amanda met us there, so the kids had fun eating ice cream with them. They were huge helpings and so Ben and I didn't order anything for ourselves, knowing we would have left overs to finish! Of course, Ethan ate all of his being he is the ice cream King, but Boston and Aubrie left us plenty to finish off. After the Creamery, we drove by the MTC and Ben took the boys inside to take some pictures. Then it was back to the Hotel for swimming, while I stayed in the room with Sophia. It was nice to have some peace and quite, so I didn't mind being up there by myself. When they came back, the kids played the new DS video game while Ben and I played cards with Amanda and Amber. Then it was bedtime!

The kids woke up to Easter Baskets full of Candy, bouncy balls (their "new" thing) and eggs filled with some money ($3 total). We then talked to them about Easter and then we packed up and headed for home. The trip home went very well. We only made a few stops for gas and treats, and Sophia did well considering she didn't have as many opportunities to stretch and crawl around. Ben did make a stop by some snow on the side of the rode, and they played in the snow for about 5 minutes. They sledded down on their bottoms... CRAZY!! Instead of taking a lunch break in town, we stopped off at a nice rest stop in the mountains, about 20 minutes out of Kanab. I made some sandwiches for the kids and they had fun playing and climbing the hill. Sophia loved crawling around on the grass and we were busy making sure she didn't eat pine straw. After about a half an hour, Ethan tripped over some type of sprinkler head and scraped up his face. That ended that picnic! We pushed through the rest of the trip, only stopping for occasional bathroom breaks and snacks. Sophia started whimpering the last half hour of the drive, but overall did so well!! When we got home, we played out back with the kids for about and hour, and it ended up in a water fight! That lead straight to bath time and then bedtime!

The trip turned out to be wonderful! Ben said it was one of his most favorite family trips. It was nice to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa and other family members, and just to have memorable times with our kids. There were so many funny things they said and did. Even though they can drive us crazy sometimes, they bring us so much joy and happiness. I just think of Boston's hat, Ethan's laugh, and Aubrie sweet motherly instinct as she took over with Sophia in the back. I'll end with funniest comment made the whole trip. Ben had to pull the car over to the side of the road so Ethan could pee. Boston was in the very back and couldn't hear what was going on. As Ben was pulling over Boston said "Dad, why are you pulling over? Do you have to fart?" (Not my favorite word in the world, but we couldn't control our laughter!)