Day 7: Good-byes to Utah family and drive to Idaho, July 18, 2012

This day was difficult.  First, though, all the Utah family presented K, C, and J with presents.  Since we do not live close and K and C just celebrated birthdays, they thought it would be a great time to celebrate.  J's birthday is in two months, so he got his presents early.

 Now, for the difficult part:  good-bye.  Oh, how we love our family in Utah.  We love visiting, we love being there with them.  We hate, hate, hate the good-byes.  After saying good-byes and all the emotions, we were off----but, they surprised us with a new tradition learned in Boston:  The driver turns up the radio really loud and the ones in the car wave while the ones outside dance and run along the side of the car waving.  I wish I had my camera ready to document this moment.  It did bring on the waterworks nice and strong for us--especially K and I...we didn't stop crying for about an hour.  We love our family!

This was, however, a very bittersweet day.  I missed CK so much and I was excited to be reunited with him.  After the hour of crying, I switched to being excited!  Grandma K had planned a girls' night to include K.  As soon as we got there, the girls, including K and A went to work, crafting, playing, cooking, and eating.  It was a difficult transition for K, but all the girls and Grandma were so loving.  

While the girls were playing, the boys and I walked over to the school playground.  C and CK went and played catch and J "disinfected" the playground by scooting all the gravel off of the steps.  It was a beautiful night.  We loved the cooler weather.  Having nights actually cool off is awesome!!

Day 6: Downtown Salt Lake, July 17, 2012

Day 6 we went downtown.  L and I are such planners, but this was difficult to figure out all the logistics.  We had C working and then scouts and Young Women that night.  We talked forever to figure it out, but we thought we had it!  It didn't work out quite as we planned, but it was good enough.  :)

We took the Frontrunner train down.  It was so nice to be able to sit and chat and not worry about traffic and parking.  All the cousins seemed to enjoy being together as well.  :)

It was so nice to see them all together, particularly to see J and G as they have grown up.  They are almost the same age and they enjoy being together.

We get to see the Salt Lake Temple almost every year, but it still is such an awe-inspiring site, particularly for J.  He absolutely loves temples-all of them.  He loves to be around them and he was so excited to be there this time as well.  

 All the kids have electronic devices and they were all taking pictures.  When they weren't taking pictures, they were playing in the water.  It was a very hot day and very refreshing!

We took the opportunity to go up the Church Office Building elevator to view all of Salt Lake City.  It was cool to see the buildings on all sides.  We especially loved seeing the temple.  From this height, it looked so small.

 Here we all are:  

Front:  G, C, J, and CR

Back:  L, K, me, and S

 We were so blessed to see Mami and Papi (XDH's parents).  I can never express adequately how blessed I feel to have them still in my life.  They are amazing people and there would be a huge hole if we were not still in contact.  It was difficult to see them only a couple of times this trip.  These pictures were when it was almost good-bye.  That was difficult.  :(

 Before good-byes, we went over to the Church Museum.  Papi is always full of fun and silliness, including wearing a skirt to dance!

 Then, we walked over to a new mall there.  I loved this picture with K taking charge of all these cousins.

This new mall has a couple of fun water features where the kids can play.  Since it was a hot day, they LOVED it!  :)

 Finally, headed home after a busy day.  JM, K, and I took these four little ones with us.  We enjoyed them and JM and I enjoyed some needed adult conversation.  

 And thus the end of a crazy busy day.  I am so blessed to have so many families that I love so much.  This family is absolutely amazing.  Their faith and dedication to the gospel, their families, and each other is amazing.  Their love for me and my children is a huge blessing in our lives.  We wish we lived closer and were able to see them every week instead of once a year.  How blessed we were on this trip.  So worth all the miles.  I would do it again-pregnant or not-so worth it!

Day 5: Enjoying Utah family time, July 16, 2012

 Monday, we had a plan all worked out to go downtown.  Then, a big storm came through-right during the time we would have to have been driving.  We watched the weather and tried to decide if we were okay.  After talking to Papi and Mami and hearing about the weather they were receiving, as well as watching the news, we decided to safe and stay home.

Luckily, we had already had all day with the cousins playing together, working on their movie, and S practiced facepainting, since she was going to help Z (sister-in-law) with her thriving business.  They did a great job and J really wanted to be a tiger like last year-and he got it!

 Then, we took the kiddos out for ice cream, just to get out of the house.  We had a great time.  This picture is not great of the three of us, but I love these women soooooooooooooooooooo much that I had to include it!  How very blessed I am!!!!!

Day 4: In Utah, church, and family time, July 15, 2012

 Cousins after church.

 The cousins always make a "movie."  Here they are rehearsing-see the camera ready to film!

 The youngest four didn't fit at the big tables, so they got their own.  They enjoyed it!

 K with two of her cousins, C and S.

 And, here are the boys.  C with his cousins, S and CR.

Finally, part of why we all got to meet together Sunday afternoon is to celebrate the birthdays of these two ladies.  On the left is L, a dear family friend that I was grateful to see again on this trip.  On the right is my dear sister, L.  She had just had a birthday a couple of days before and it was wonderful to gather together and celebrate.

Total for dinner that day, we had 9 adults and 10 kids.   It was a fun and wonderful full house!

Day 3, Drive to Utah, July 14, 2012

From Denver, we drove through Wyoming to get to Utah/Idaho.  We had to work to plan my walking stops to be able to stop at Little America, but, as the kids said, "It's TRADITION!"  So, we stopped.  It was great to have a walking stop where I could walk around the hotel buildings and not just a gas station.  The kids loved being able to stop and play on the playground.

 A favorite part for K and A was that it rained a little while we were there!  They got to use K's new umbrella!

When we made it to my Sister-In-Law's home, we got to rest for a bit and then CK's parents came to get he and Aubrey to go spend four days in Idaho.  It was so hard to say good-bye, even for such a short time.  It was so worth it, though, to spend time with this part of our family!!!  I love my sisters-in-law and my parents-in-law and even though XDH and I are no longer married, we still have the bonds of family that bind us together.  Our kids love each other and enjoy "cousin time," and we love each other and the challenges of the last few years have brought us all closer together, rather than creating a wedge between us.  What a blessing!

Day 2: Colorado, July 13, 2012

 It was so nice to be in cooler Colorado weather, although it was super hot for Colorado-upper 90's, maybe even a hundred or two.  Still, it cooled down at night and the kids could comfortably play outside in the morning and CK and I could enjoy an evening walk each night.  I love my parents' big backyard.  :)

 My brother, S, loves games, particularly strategy games.  So does C.  They enjoyed spending time together playing around our running around and S working.

 My parents also own many "sets" of toys from when all of us kids were little.  Their grandkids love them.  J and A had a blast playing with these sets together-even though they didn't have much space (since C and S were playing their game on the floor).  :)

 We have a museum pass to a local museum (Thanks, Santa!) and part of the blessing is that the museum shares a reciprocal agreement with other museums, including one in Denver.  So, we went.  It was fun.

One surprise as we entered the museum, a dear friend from highschool, M, was just leaving with her cute family.  We haven't seen each other in years, although we have maintained some contact-Facebook, of course.  :)  We only had a couple of minutes, but it was a blessing to me!

 We let each child choose an exhibit that they most wanted to see as a family.  C chose this overlook that lets us see the view of Denver.  It was very pretty and very HOT!

 J and A especially enjoyed the dinosaurs.  I think J loved it the most.  A loved to check to see if the bones were actual bones or replicas.  It was interesting to read carefully and find that most exhibits were part of each.  Very cool.

We found it very interesting to listen to this gentleman.  He was working on some dinosaur bones behind the glass.  When he saw us watching, he opened the window and shared about the work that he was doing.  It was neat to hear and it sounds like way too frustrating a job for me--like a puzzle that might or might not have all the pieces.

 After we got home, CK and I had the opportunity to go visit one of my best friends EVER!  She has been a strength and support to me and we have both had some challenges that we have dealt with together.  I think she is amazing.  She moved just a mile away from my parents about a year ago.  This time, we visited, both pregnant (me about 6.5 months, her about 8.5 months).

Here she is with her daughter, Q.  I love Q.  I wish I could still see her grow.  I have a bunch of pictures of her doing yoga, but they all turned out fuzzy.  It was so fun to watch and she just loves attention and phones!

What a great day!  :)  Day 2/15 completed!

Day 1: Drive to Colorado, July 12, 2012

Finally....Pictures!  We began the long journey and started the drive to Colorado.  Getting out and walking every hour and a half worked out better than expected!  The kids did well in the car and they needed the more frequent breaks almost as much as I did.

While I have made this trek nearly annually since 2002, this was the first time that another adult has been with me.  I am so grateful for CK and his sacrifice to come with us for the entire vacation.  He had to work on the road, but he chose to do that to make sure my little 7 month pregnant self would be okay.  I am so blessed!

We hadn't seen A for nearly three weeks and the reunion of her with K, C,  and J was precious.  I am so impressed with how they love each other as siblings, never with the nomenclature of "step" siblings.  What great children I have!