Road Trip to St. George

My mom & I drove the kids over to St. George over Spring Break to visit my grandparents. I absolutely love being there. Poor Cole was on a mission to ruin the trip from the start. It all began when he threw up all over himself an hour into the drive. I should have known... That first night we stayed in a hotel partway and Cole woke up screaming every couple hours and I could not calm him down. I heard some people in the hallway talking about the crying baby. It was a low point. I was mortified! Then he pretty much struggled sleeping and would throw his food at my face or around my grandparents clean and beautiful home the rest of the time. Which led to more screaming and crying. Even with all of that, it was so worth it. I love my grandparents so much and appreciate any time I can have with them.

The view from near my grandparent's home. They have a view that makes me relax instantly! I love the red rocks. St. George is a beautiful place.

One of those mornings.... I was able to get an extra hour of sleep with Cole sprawled across me. I will take it!

For some reason, he liked to "pretend sleep" in Grey & Elise's beds but not his own.

We spent Sunday afternoon at the temple trying to burn off energy and enjoying the beautiful weather. The St. George Temple is one of my favorites.

They all wanted to touch the doors of the temple. Grey wanted to do a ninja pose.

And Elise of course wanted to dance!

We went on walks in the morning with my grandpa and his friend Budd. They walk 3 miles every morning. Budd is in his 90's!! What an example.

After an evening of hamburgers and chocolate malts we took the traditional family photos. As you can tell, my kids were awesome. They just do not understand the importance of a nice family photo--obviously.

 FOUR GENERATIONS! The oldest daughter (my mom), the oldest grand-daughter (me) and the oldest great-grand-daughter (Elise). What an incredible legacy!!

Jared missed us a lot! We got home and he had cleaned the house and surprised me with flowers, pizza and chocolate. He bought each of the kids a little chocolate bunny too. What a sweet hubby. Maybe I should leave him to fend for himself more often. :)

My name is Christina. I have a problem. When I was unpacking I noticed I had packed SIX pairs of shoes for a 6-day trip. No wonder my suitcase was so heavy.

Spring is HERE!

Spring might just be my favorite season. I love the big, huge snowstorms followed by 70-degree park days. I love the birds chirping and the green buds coming out of the ground. I love the warmth of the sunshine. I love being able to put the kids outside to eat instead of making messes inside the house. I love ridding my closet of bulky, itchy sweaters and replacing it with bright colors, light cardigans and sandals. It really is wonderful!

We have spent practically every warm day at a park. I even went to the park three times yesterday. Once to run, another to play and another to bike and play.

Spring also means sharpening up on swimming skills with lessons. Elise prefers dancing around the pole instead of getting water splashed in her face.

Hmmmm....

We have been talking a lot of politics around here regarding the new gun policies. Apparently that stuck with Grey. He made a "Get Well" card for his cousin Ryan during primary. Nothing says "Get Well" like a gun with a smoking bullet. At least it says, "I love you."

Trouble

Elise & Cole are my troublemakers. Elise is better now that she is getting older, but she still has moments. Luckily she didn't cut off too much, but this is the second time in the last little while she has taken scissors to her hair. The first time she cut off a huge chunk up to her ear in the front.

And Cole likes to color. Everywhere. Including the backs of our chairs in the front room.

Cousins Sleepover

We took my niece and nephews for a cousin sleepover a few weeks back so their parents could enjoy a night alone! We had such a wonderful time eating pizza, watching movies, playing and going for walks. We are so blessed to live near family. Our kiddos are lucky to grow up with their cousins!