Spring Break in Utah 2015

Dave took Friday off work so we could head to Utah and get there in good time.  We were so excited to see Grandpa and Grandma Robinson and Grandpa and Grandma Jex, along with our other family.  We had hoped to make it in time for the BYU Spring Scrimmage, but we left too late.  Instead, we got to have pizza with Grandma and Grandpa Robinson Friday night, which was even better!  

Pizza Party with grandparents!

On Saturday we spent most of the day walking around BYU campus, reliving the glory days.  We started by driving by Wymount and showing the kids what the quad was like.  Carson said he remembered, but who really knows?  

Next we headed to the Bean Museum, which has been redone since we lived there.  It's beautiful!  We loved the exhibit about Elder Packer!  

They have a new little "play area" that the kids loved.

After the Bean Museum we walked by the Bell Tower and got pictures with the Y.  It hasn't greened up on the mountains yet, but lots of the trees were in full bloom.  It looked like popcorn was popping everywhere!

 We walked to the library and showed the kids where Dave liked to study down on the lower floor. Next up was the Wilkinson Center where we got BYU mint brownies at the Cougareat.  That was my favorite part of the field trip!  So yummy!!! 

Shhh! We have to be quiet because students are studying!

BYU mint brownies are the best!

  And we ended our little tour at the new athletic museum down by the Smith Fieldhouse.  We spent a LOT of time here, reading all the signs and hoping that Bronco Mendenhall would come out the football door and say hello.  No such luck, but it was still awesome!

Go Cougars!

Ty Detmer paraphernalia...Dave and I loved him growing up.

Where's Bronco?

Dad seems tall until you put him up next to Shawn Bradley.  Although, if you can see the tiny little gymnast next to him, Dave seems to be a giant!

Joely was probably the least impressed with the sports highlights...

This kid dreams of having his picture up there with all the greats.

Emma would love going to BYU someday.

1984 National Champions

And my claim to fame...the big guy in the middle (Dave Faires) was in the band with me all 3 years I performed and was a great guy.  Maybe that's me behind him in the picture?  Probably not, but you never know...

 Grandma Robinson usually has a puzzle going when we come to visit and the kids and I love to help her.  This time around, we may have been too helpful.  We helped her in the evening and got lots of the puzzle done, but the next morning we got up before she did and finished the puzzle...she was surprised when she woke up!

Helping Grandma with the puzzle.

Finishing Grandma's puzzle!

In the evenings the kids had a blast playing with Grandma Jex.  They made all sorts of fun contraptions to laugh about.  This was a ramp for the cars to race down.  We love Grandma's awesome imagination!

Pure joy for these kiddos.

And it just gets better from there...Grandma reads them bedtime stories while they take turns showering and getting ready for bed.  No one wants the night to end!

On Sunday we went to church with Grandpa Robinson and Aunt LaNea (who we hadn't seen in ages).  It was a beautiful Easter program.  When it was done we drove up the canyon to spend the rest of the day with Grandpa Jex, Aunt Myra's family and Aunt Sjani's family.  We played at the school park and then had a big spaghetti dinner.  Yum!

Playing at the school park.

On Monday morning Dave and I got up incredibly early (at least it seemed very early to me) and I took Dave to the Front Runner station in Orem.  Dave took the train to the airport and flew home so he didn't miss another day of work.  We sure missed him!  We spent the rest of Monday up north with the Whetstones and Coulams and had a great time.

On Tuesday we spent the day with Aunt Myra and Madi and Aunt Sjani, Atti, and Elli.  Aunt Sjani and her kids had come for the week as well but had stayed up in Heber with Aunt Myra.  We had a great day hanging out with our cousins!  We met up at the new Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point.  Thank goodness our pass to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science got us in free to Thanksgiving Point.  It saved us over $50!

Puppet show!

This is chaotic...

Joely's in an avalanche!

Emma's about to be eaten by dinosaurs!

Carson is trying to ski ahead of the avalanche.

Look out, Atti!  Sharks!

Lunch break outside by the golf course.

This room was by far my kids favorite.  They loved the physical aspect of it and that they could climb and drop and explore to their hearts content.

Joely pretending to be a sloth.

And Carson

And Emma

I know it's hard to see, but this won as the favorite for all my kids, hand down.  It's a serious of levels of bendy straps that the kids drop through to get from the high level down to the floor.  It boggles my mind because it seems like someone should strangle themselves, but no one did!

They were so sad to have to go...

We loved the tiny door for kids to go through.  Even Carson was too big!

 On the way home from Lehi we stopped in to visit Great-Grandma McClure.  She was sitting in her wheelchair in the hallway and was so full of smiles and laughs this time.  It was great!  We sang a few songs and visited for a few minutes before heading back to Orem.  I loved having time with my  sweet grandma and I really loved her big smiles!

 

One of my favorite ladies ever.

Emma is a monkey bar master.

 That night we had dinner all together with Grandpa and Grandma Robinson and then we headed to the park down the hill to play.  Even Grandma Jex came!  The kids were ready to get more wiggles out before it was time for bed.

Love these two ladies.

Myra and Madi

Those perfect green eyes...

Crazy girl!

The next day was our North Salt Lake day.  We drove down early and spent several hours with the Whetstones and the Coulams.  It was actually April Fools day, and the kids and Sara had fun pulling a few pranks on each other...

Why Abigail, what big EYES you have!

Sara told the kids she had some yummy brownies for them.  She really did... Brown EEEEs!

Evelyn, Natalie, Joely, and Lucy

Emma, Henry, and Natalie

These three buddies are all silliness!

 

The best part is that the three of us moms have a blast together too.  Yay for friends!!!

The whole kit and caboodle of them...10 of them all together so far, soon to be 11.

 We left North Salt Lake a little early, hoping to beat the rush hour traffic.  Our next stop was to meet Aunt Eliza so she could take Carson to the archery range.  He was incredibly excited about that! 

Bull's Eye!

Just like Robin Hood...

Joely was sad that she didn't get to ride in Aunt Eliza's car, so Aunt Eliza promised to take all the kids out for ice cream after dinner.  What an awesome aunt!!

At Cold Stone with Aunt Eliza

These kids love their Aunt Eliza!

 One of the best parts of our trip to Utah was having dinner with Grandpa and Grandma Robinson each evening.  We loved cooking and then gathering around the bar to eat dinner together.  We just can't get enough of these amazing people of ours.

Silly Grandma and Grandpa!

 

 Wednesday night and Thursday morning we packed all our stuff up and cleaned before saying goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma Robinson.  Then we were off (although late) and on our way to Laketown to see Great Grandpa and Grandma Jex.  We haven't been to see them (other than at the reunion) in ages and it was a blast!

The first thing they beeline for is the tire swing!

They're getting big enough they can pull each other up...hallelujah!

I love this picture of Madi!

We didn't bring big coats and it was COLD in Laketown, so the kids bundled up in layers of jackets...

The big kids having a blast running the tire swing.

Going up...

It seems like the kids are always tackling Uncle Craig.  What a good sport!

Madi's loving it.

I couldn't get enough of this cutie with her colorful hat and beautiful smile!

She's gorgeous!

So is Emma!

I love her happy smile.

Always willing to let me take pictures of her.

I think she looks like she should be in a winter catalogue for children's outerwear.

No trip to Laketown would be complete without Dutch Oven potatoes and the first hot dogs of the year roasted on the fire pit!

Decorating Easter sugar cookies in Grandma's kitchen.

Jex Men.

Carson and his beautiful great-grandma.

The kids were getting their sleepy feeling on before the long drive back to Aunt Myra's.

And our famous "one child is always grumpy" pictures with Grandpa and Grandma Jex.  Emma cracked a little smile...

We got into our 3 different cars and drove back down to Heber.  It was late when we got back!  But we got to see Grandpa Jex for a few minutes and then it was time for bed.  The next morning we slept in and then loaded the car up to return home to Johnstown and Dad!  What a fantastic trip we had!