Hey y'all!
So, this blog is about our trip to Utah. I want to mention that hangin' with my mom in Utah was so much fun. My mom is unfailingly cheerful. Every minute, of every day. So, its easy to be with her : ) This time was especially fun though, as literally she dropped everything in her life to take care of sick me, and my kids, and then when I got better, went and did almost everything with us. All along, being the sunshiny Grandma my kids adore. Thank you mom. : )
Ok! So, you know how none of us go to the tourist spots we live by? Well, when we went to Utah, we did it all! I think the only tourist traps we didn't go to were Lagoon, and the Kennecutt Copper Mine. But I had to save something for next time! Look how much fun stuff there is to do in my favorite state of all, Utah, baby!
#1. The Lehi Family Center.
Check this indoor, INDOOR, waterpark out! It is AWESOME! Seriously like raging waters inside. And its only like, three bucks to swim! Can't beat that, people!
2. The Ogden Tree House Museum. This place ROCKS!!!! It's across from the temple, and it is WAY WAY better than the Salt Lake City Children's Museum. It brought out all my kid's ambitions in life. See....
...become the President!
Kurt might want that too.
Kyle just wants the markers
Kurt wants to be a painter like Monet...
...he just can't decide which color to use.
Kyle wants to learn to play chess...
...and he wins!
We also found that our three boys do in fact like dress up....
3. The Hogle Zoo
I have been going here since I was a tater tot. I love this place! Cheap, and awesome!
Here are my three cute boys with some ugly woman. Good thing she's at the zoo.
Aww.....I love my cousins very much. This is Elena. My sister in law once said she had never met a girl named Elena who wasn't beautiful. Too true. I hate you gorgeous Elena. j/k This is her hubby Andrew. They are a cute threesome.
My other gorgeous cousin Laurel and her daughter Claire. They came to look at that ugly woman. Just Kidding. She makes me laugh like crazy!
When the bird show was over, they announced kids could donate a dollar to the bird (i.e. zoo) I RUSHED my kids down so they wouldn't have to stand in line. We were the 2nd people, and the 2nd to last people. Come on, people! DONATE!!! These animals don't exhibit themselves!
Cleve, becoming one with a...whatever that thing is. Muskrat? Well, his name is Timone.
Ahhh, the Lion Fountain. A family tradition. They drank, I provided the sound effects.
ROOOOAAAAR!!!!
Kara Lily BaughI love baby girls!
Is this a radiant new mother, or what? Congrats, Elena!
5. Hiking in Utah
If you don't go hiking in Utah, you might as well live in Death Valley. It's like, people in Antarctica who hate the snow! Behind Kurt and Cleve is Bridal Veil Falls. We were going to hike there, but there was a fire. So we went up Provo Canyon, the most beautiful canyon ever water carved and found a cool park/hike way up back maintained by the forest service! I love Utah.
AAAggghhh! The ugly woman escaped from the zoo! And stole the baby!
My mom is the perfect Grandma. She loves her grandkids so much!We hiked for .04 miles, and then were exhausted. Training will commence soon.
6. Thanksgiving Point
The Barn
What can I say about Thanksgiving Point? Nothing. It's a perfect place. They have a working farm! My kids LOVE it! Kurt loves beef. See him with his tongue out saying yummy?
Mmmmm....Beeef.
7. Thanksgiving Point
The Gardens
55 acres of manicured grass, flowers, trees, waterfalls, paved pathways, a scret garden, fountains, a koi pond....if the Celestial Kingdom doesn't look like this I'm not going. See how much Kyle loved it too?
Kyle still living it up !
A huge hill of grass? What are little boys to do? Need I ask? Roll of course!
How adorable is my baby, I ask you.
8. Temple SquareYou cannot go to Utah without going to Temple Square. That would be very unmormon of you. And if you're not mormon, that would be very un-normal of you. Any temple square is special, but I really love the Salt Lake Temple. Something about that 40 years of dedication, and the fact that it will be standing through the millenium.
Our Family is Forever.
Kurt really wanted inside. When I told him we couldn't go in, he thought he had gotten the better of me by peering into a window! Too bad for frosted glass!
9. My friend Angel
You can't stay at the temple forever. You don't want to lose that feeling though, so when you leave the temple, you go to Angel and William's house. The personification of the word Angel is in this pic with a pink army shirt on.
10. The Mayan Experience
A very cool restaurant where you watch cliff diving. Another of my cousins, Gordon, chose to be the cool Uncle (cousin, and 2nd cousin) at a table of 6 kids. It made me smile the whole night. He is so sweet.
So, which interested my kids more, the cliff diving, or the fountains/sculptures outside? Well, what do the pictures say?
Claire. I want a girl.
Shades of her mom. Always wanting to help out where she's needed!
11. As our vacation drew to a close, Joe flew to Utah so he could drive home with me. He was very very worried that something might happen if I drove alone. Murdered? Flat Tire? Drive into a ravine? No, Joe was worried I wouldn't be able to go to the bathroom. A valid concern. What a sweet hubby. My mom watched the kids so we could have a cool date, well, a whole night, at the Armstrong Mansion in Salt Lake City! Check out this hotel room. Cool bed, cool bathroom, but then a "secret" staircase up to a "secret" attic where rests a magnificent swimming pool masquerading as a bathtub! AWESOME. We also found an extra room, as you can see below. The only weird thing was the next morning, and being surrounded at breakfast by a couple dozen newlyweds. I am serious. We were the only couple in the entire mansion who had not been married the day before (08-08-08!) I felt very old. And loud.
Mr. Armstrong
Our Extra Room!
When it was time to return to California, at the end of a long, fun two weeks, we were given a beautiful sunset to drive off into. It was awesome. and one day, we too will be Utahns.
Look how much Kyle missed Dad!
When we got home, Joe had surprised us by putting in grass! Heck yeah! Look at how my kids loved that grass!
And thus, this post ends.
It was the best two weeks of the year!
We love you Grandma White!
It was the best two weeks of the year!
We love you Grandma White!
