bbrrrrr!!!

So we are all snuggled up in our nice Hotel room in Provo, Utah right now. We are enjoying the heater and our blankets! Yes, we are totally "Phoenicianized" for sure! Temperatures in the 30's and our thin blood do not mix!! Why do we always come up to Utah in the winter?? I guess it keeps us from every getting the crazy idea that we should move here. I'm sure if we came in the summer, we would be thinking differently, knowing we had temperatures in the 110's to go back to. This time, before we came, we hit Sport's Chalet and bought some nice snow coats, bibs, gloves, etc. We also picked up some sweet sleds, and sled/snowboards at the Walmart here. So we are hoping for a great sledding experience!! That is what's on our schedule for tomorrow.
Yesterday we left our house at 12:30 for a long 10 hour drive to Utah. We were supposed to leave Sunday, but our suspension on our car went bad Saturday night, so we had to get it fixed on Monday. Luckily they quickly fixed the car, so we were able to leave and get here before Midnight! The trip went well. Sophia hardly cried. She mainly cried because she had an awful cough that kept waking her up. I think we are finally past that awful "traveling with baby" stage, or maybe she was so sick it just took the fight out of her. She coughed all last night, and she was in my room, so I didn't get much sleep. Luckily she was doing better today!!
Today we filled our day with as much stuff as possible! We started off visiting Ben's Grandparents, who are probably the greatest people I know! Unfortunately, the kids had colds so we made our visit very short, and the kids only came in for a quick "hi"! We then visited Ben's Aunt for about 30 minutes, and then headed to pick up a few essential items at Walmart...including snow boots! We were able to get the boys boots there, and they were really good ones!! Only at the Walmart in Utah do you find quality boots! They didn't have anything for Ben, so he went to Sports Authority in the mall. He came out with boots for me and him! Mine are cute, but I really didn't need them. He is in the spoiling mood lately, so I guess I should just learn to enjoy it! I'm now styling in my new fur boots/coat! Funny I'm only going sledding....not skiing or anything!! I then ran in the mall, and was able to FINALLY find some boots for Sophia...so now we are all ready for tomorrow!
After our boot purchases, we met the Hellewells (great friends from the College Days) at Cafe Rio! Yep, Cafe Rio is within walking distance (not that I would walk in this weather) from our Hotel. I would eat there for lunch and dinner the whole time I was here, but I don't think my kids would like me very much if I did that! After lunch we all headed to the BYU bookstore. Eight kids (our friends have 4) running around in the bookstore wouldn't be my number one choice of activities. They all were running around, and bouncing the basketballs around the clothing department. I'm not one for cramped spaces either, so I was ready to get out of there. Boston used his money to buy a BYU basketball, so the kids took that to the Commons area by the Cougareat and played keep away for about 20 minutes while Kristen waited in the long line to purchase some things. I'm sure the college student's were ready for us to leave!
We all went downstairs to go bowling, to find out that everyone else must have had the same idea. It was packed! It was about a 45 minute wait, which we spent playing air hockey, pinball, Galaga/Ms. Packman, and any other thing we could waste quarters on. Amber had some free time, so she met us and got to bowl with us. The kids had a fun time bowling and Ethan scored better than me, even. Of course, I was a little out of sorts after I took a fall. Sophia started running down the lane and I RAN after her. Apparently they WAX the lanes, which I wasn't thinking about. So running and waxed floors really don't' go together. I wish I had the fall on video. Apparently my legs went over my head, and Ben said the whole place was watching. The ironic thing is that Ben had the video camera out only a few minutes prior! Too bad, or we could have made some good money from America's Funniest Home Video! I'm sure I'll be feeling my fall tomorrow! It hurt so bad when it happened, Ben had to come get Sophia from me and I was crawling off the bowling lane! It was pretty funny though.
After we left BYU, we headed towards Salt Lake, after having dinner at Wingers. The kids did well...even Sophia. Sophia actually has done very well on this trip. She has accommodated for naps, etc. Of course, she always wants Ben, but that's nothing different. All my kids do that at this age, and then it changes when they are about 3 years old! After dinner, we went to the Salt Lake temple to see the lights! It was so cold, we all had to bundle up in our snow jackets and gloves. We discovered that EThan's jacket is about 2 sizes to small. Apparently Boston was much smaller when he was 4! Ethan loved it though, and insisted it was perfect! The lights at the temple were beautiful! I LOVE going to temple square. It reminds me of my wedding day, and how much better our lives have become with each year. I think of how little we really knew each other then, and how we now finish each others sentences and read each others thoughts! Marriage is definitely not a one day event, but a life time event, which becomes sweeter with each year!
Ok...sappiness over...after the lights, and a quick stop at Krispie Kreme, we came back to the Hotel so Sophia could finally go to bed. She was so tired she didn't' even take a bottle! (No comments on the fact that my 20 month old takes a bottle!) Ben took the kids swimming, while I cleaned up the hotel room! (Yes, I have to be organized or I go crazy!). Now we are watching Jumanji at 11:00 at night...we are definitely on vacation. Hopefully Sophia sleeps better tonight!