Annual Utah trip!

Now that school is out, we headed off to Utah on July 1st. Due to scheduling conflicts with Jason's family, though, we couldn't actually arrive in Logan until the 3rd. So, we took a very slow drive with a couple overnight stops.
We spent our first night in Baker City because Jason has been curious about that town for forever and really wanted to look around. We decided to spring for a night at the fancy old-fashioned hotel The Geyser Grand. It was a beautiful spot and the people who worked there were SO nice. In the morning, the complimentary hotel breakfast was the gorgeous buffet of fresh fruit, breads, and a chef making custom omelettes - and we had the entire thing to ourselves. The guy was so nice, he sent us off with a big take-out box full of fresh fruit for our drive. We love the Geyser Grand.

There was a great art installation on the main street: life-sized zoo animals - sort of Jumanji-style - on every block. Christian really wanted his picture taken with every single one of them.

On our second day, we drove about two hours to Boise (big drive!) for our second night out on the way. We did my new favorite thing and played the Hotwire mystery-hotel game (go on their website and choose to stay in a mystery hotel for a slight discount) and ended up in a super fancy hotel right in downtown Boise. The thing we discovered staying right downtown is that Boise has been redeveloped and has an adorable/hip/cute/very pedestrian friendly downtown now. Tons of restaurants, cute shops, we even found Seattle-style artisan/organic/fancy gelato. The kids felt totally at home and kept saying we need to go back to Boise again. Who knew?

Before we settled into our hotel, we checked out the raptor preserve where we got to see giant birds from all over the world. 
It was a great day!

 Hotel had a pool! Bonus!

These two always share a bed while Austin sleeps as far away from them as possible. Haha! Christian has mixed feelings about this, but Nathan loves a good snuggle.
Also, in our household (much to Jason's chagrin), hotels are for watching the Food Network. Our kids can't get enough of it.
The Utah leg of our trip was as great as always! The kids had a blast free-ranging with their cousins, having a Mario Kart contest, hiking in the canyon, and spending time with uncles, aunts, Grandma Judy, playing chess with Grandpa Bryan. Also, we had a redo of last years epic fireworks show on the street thanks to Aunt Karley's excellent taste in fireworks. Austin lives for this whole day - including the small town Hyrum parade where they drown children in cheap candy.
Can't forget that we also celebrated Jason's birthday with two homemade cheesecakes, but I didn't get a great photo.
Oh! And Uncle Adam taught Austin how to ride a bike in under 30 minutes. It was a very efficient business. Sometimes all you need is a patient uncle and a suburban street.
The trip always goes by way too fast, but we are grateful for these few days every year.

 Nothing better than small town America on the 4th of July! Especially when you chance upon a tank on your walk from the parade to the car.

 These two still love each other tons. Stella seems to have gotten the growth spurt that Nathan is still wishing for, though. I think she'll be taller than him for a few years.

A six-kid slumber party! They were so good and actually did really well sleeping.

We drove home in one day again and that completes our first road trip of the season. Stay tuned for August when we head south.

Arizona

Since my grandparents didn't come home for Christmas this year, I decided to take a brief solo trip down to Phoenix to see how they were doing. My grandma wanted me to come at the end of February so we could catch a street fair, so that is exactly what I did. I also assumed that since I was going at the end of February, I could pretty reliably depend on some warmth and sun and 70 degrees. Unfortunately, 2019 is not working out quite like that for much of the country. Record cold everywhere including Arizona and the day before I got there, they received some snow. So, I got sun and 50 degrees, and to witness the spectacle which is everyone losing their minds over snow-capped mountains in Phoenix.
I had a wonderful visit. It felt really nice to be doted on. We went out to their favorite restaurants, we walked around the Fountain Hills street fair and talked to lots of artists - my grandma is already planning a trip for us up to Whidbey Island to see the glass studio of one of them. We took a drive to get closer to snow and ended up going all the way to Tortilla Flats, Canyon Lake, and getting stuck in insane traffic on the way home because everyone else had the same idea. And that was just Saturday!

 Superstition Mountain with snow. A first for my eyes.

 This grandpa of mine is just the best. I'm glad he's kept his sense of humor all these years.

Canyon Lake at sunset. I snapped this photo from the backseat while my grandpa was driving some pretty windy roads. Quite a view.
On Sunday, we went to see my Great-Aunt Bea, who I have always adored. Then we watched the Oscars together.

 I can't even express how much this visit meant to me. I love this lady so so much.

Mid-Oscars here.
And on Monday I flew home.
I'm so glad I went, and I will try so hard to go back next year. It was so good to see everyone looking and feeling wonderful. I am so lucky to still have grandparents and I do not take that for granted.

Nathan's ordination

The church changed its policy regarding advancement from Primary (kids' Sunday school) to the youth program. Before, it happened on a child's 12th birthday, but as of January, it is now the January the child turns 12. So, while I thought I might have a good 6 months to prepare myself for my oldest son being of age to pass the sacrament and wear a suit, it was thrust upon me practically overnight.
Since I am currently working in the youth program, though, and have an 11yo-turning-12, I really appreciate this change. Before, there was this weird almost-year of limbo where the kids were sort of too old for Primary, too young for the youth program - it just came with a bit of a jolt.
So, when we got the news, we went out and bought Nathan a suit (what the heck am I going to do when JC Penney closes?), and asked Jared if he wanted to participate. We are so grateful for his support. He was able to fly up this weekend and everyone was excited to see him.
Christian has been waiting to see Jared so they could have a "slow eating contest" since we have been telling him for a long time that the only person who could compete with him in the slow-eating department is Jared. After this week's D&D club, which Uncle Jared got to join, we went to India Bistro's buffet for lunch and the two of them slowly ate for an entire hour. It was pretty hilarious.

Jared's not moving super well these days since he tore his Achille's tendon last fall, so we kept Saturday pretty low key except for lunch and a walk to eat gelato.
On Sunday, we all went to church with Nathan in his shiny new suit. Jason ordained him with Jared's help, and now he is officially a deacon. My baby is growing up.
I'm also grateful for the ward's support. So many people congratulated him and it felt so good to feel that whole village-vibe where everyone was simultaneously rooting him on and also mourning the fact that he is growing up really fast. I just know everyone will cheer him on when he passes the sacrament for the first time.
Nathan is already loving the youth program way more than primary/cub scouts, so he's totally fine with this new development.
Jason (who can indeed be sentimental sometimes) was reminiscing about the fact that it wasn't that long ago that we brought Nathan to church for the first time - into the very same chapel. This parenting-thing really does go by pretty fast.
Here's our big guy with the obligatory suit photos:

We are so grateful for our big boy. He has the purest and kindest heart, the best of intentions, and is such a good example for his brothers.

Family Picnic

My youngest sister is moving to Germany for three years starting this fall, so we decided to get the whole family together one last time. The older we get, the busier our lives get, and the harder it is to do this.
We had a picnic at Pine Lake Park over in Sammamish, and it was a truly lovely spot for a get together. We ate lunch, the kids played, we took some pictures, and then the kids got to go float in the lake for awhile. I bought them a giant blow-up orca (a dream from my own childhood) and they had a blast with it.

 Look at that sweet baby niece of mine! I love how at family gatherings, my sister just hands her to me.

Poor Jason. He is known far and wide for always having his eyes closed for important pictures. It just is what it is. We were all laughing pretty hard during this series of photos because it was like herding wild cats just to get everyone to be still, let alone look at the camera. This is as good as it gets.

We were joking that the orca needed a motor. Also, the water was less than a foot deep there, making it all the more hilarious that they were floating on a huge whale. This feels like quintessential summer fun for kids to me.
So, bittersweet occasion, but now I have a good reason to go back to Europe soon.

Epic Road Trip of 2018: Part 1 - Logan!

July 1st - 8th:
We left early on the morning of the 1st of July, and drove all the way to Logan. I decided last year coming home from Logan, when we did it in one day, that from here on out, it would no longer be a two day drive, and so it now isn't. I do the driving, I make the rules. We got to Logan around 9:30pm. Never underestimate my determination when driving somewhere. The kids were so thrilled to see each other, nobody fell asleep until midnight.
In Logan, we played games at the arcade, played laser tag (which I am apparently really bad at two years in a row), the kids had lots of hours of unsupervised play time to play Mario Kart and have karaoke contests and wander the neighborhood, there were fireworks, we hiked at Tony Grove, drove to Bear Lake for shakes, checked in with Jason's grandma who is now 100, and there were many chess games. Also, the kids ate enormous amounts of candy acquired at the arcade and at a very all-American 4th of July parade, due to the aforementioned unsupervised play time. It was every kid's dream week. We do love our yearly trip to Logan. I'm pretty sure the kids will grow up looking back at their summer weeks in Logan as golden times in their childhoods. I love how well they all get along.

 This photo just totally sums up not only Christian, but his relationship with Jason. Just his little shadow, wanting to do everything he does, and very much thinking he is capable of doing so.

 It's pretty cool when you have an aunt who brings you awesome random gifts because she knows you will make this face. Best pop-up book ever.

 Uncle Adam is just full of the kind of fun that these kids normally don't see. They were shooting a watermelon with paintballs.

 I attempted cream puffs (well, profiteroles) for Jason's birthday, but for reasons I still don't understand - because I did a ton of research, and I've made them before - they did not turn out, so he had cherry pie for his birthday instead. I'm glad he got to celebrate with his family.

 Setting up a "battle" with firework-tanks. Jason and Adam risked life and limb to light them all at the same time, which the kids found completely thrilling, and Jason's mom did not. I was thinking about how what everyone needs on the fourth of July is a slightly crazy relative willing to blow up a bunch of stuff, and also a relative who is very vocal about expressing the dangers associated with said explosions. It just makes it all so perfect. Before and After:

 Tony Grove is pretty much one of the most spectacular and peaceful places I've ever been. I suggested we visit again. It was a lovely "hike" (it's like 1.5 miles of relatively flat terrain). So many wild flowers.

 My little walking buddy. He was the youngest one there.

 Nathan with his east-coast-cousin that we don't see very often. I wish we could spend more time with this kid because he and my kids have a lot in common in the smarts department. They could have some pretty engaging conversations and play some great chess.
Another thing that this photo reminds me of is the fact that over and over again on this trip, I was struck by just how friendly Nathan is. He just made friends wherever he went, and had everyone laughing with his crazy stories, and kept everyone busy with his made-up games. This is just such a gift and I'm grateful for the tone this big kid of mine sets. He is totally content to include everyone, no matter age.

 Some of that unsupervised play time. This was Austin treating everyone to Bon Jovi karaoke. And believe me, he took it VERY seriously.

 My sweet niece insisted on this picture (a re-do of one I took a couple years ago). I'm so glad she did because it turned out so great. I sure love these kids.

 A random but not unusual moment. Uncle Jared is so patient, and so invested in his naps.

The big goodbye. It always sucks to drive away at the end of our visits. Nathan was bummed for at least a couple days. He just loves all these girls so much. Austin did better on this trip than he ever has before. He was right in on the action, including even participating in the 7-night slumber party in the family room - a first for him. Christian is good at fending for himself and staying in the game also. He has a little bit of trouble breaking into friendships between other cousins who see each other more, and that bums him out a bit, but he has a good attitude about it. Considering how late bedtime was every night, the fact that the kids stayed this cheerful and friendly the entire time is pretty much miraculous. We all have really really good kids.
Jason left on Saturday morning to go back home. He had hearings to attend and work to get done. We left on Sunday morning for the rest of our two week journey. It was really hard for me to say goodbye to him this time around - I was a bit nervous about the fact that I was going to be spending the next two weeks driving the kids to a bunch of places even I had never been. Thankfully, I was distracted by getting convinced to go on a hike that turned out to be about 4 miles straight up the side of a mountain and then 4 miles back down again. I am impressed that I was able to do it so well - it was intense. After that I was too tired to think very closely about what I was about to embark upon. I'm grateful to Jason's family for just accepting me in as one of their own whether he is there or not.

Vegas 2018!

Jason's brother decided to get married over Memorial Day weekend, so off we went to Las Vegas. Airfare deals meant we needed to stay a couple extra days, so we turned it into a bit of a vacation and were there for five days. It's always an interesting thing to vacation in a place you don't really enjoy, but we made the best of it. I'm trying to show the kids that Vegas is fun in its own way - sort of a spectacle kind of way. I have SO many memories of Vegas and I laugh every time I think of how many times I've actually been there - to a place I sorta hate. Alas. I know it pretty well, so I gave the kids quite a tour this time. 

The kids and I flew in on Thursday afternoon. Austin and Christian were oddly nervous about flying, but it's been a couple years for them, which is a lifetime for kids. Aside from a bumpy landing, it was a great flight, and the nerves were chilled. 

We checked into our hotel, and then hopped on the monorail to the strip (I found us a hotel slightly off the strip, with a monorail station right outside its front door - win). We had dinner at Caesar's Palace, walked to the Bellagio to watch a water show, then had ice cream across the street at Bally's. The kids were totally enthralled with the water show and couldn't wait to bring Jason back to see one. 

On Friday, we had a pretty low-key day. We checked in with Jason's family in the morning, then had lunch with Heather in the afternoon. There's never enough time to catch up, but I was grateful for the couple hours we got. Then we picked up Jason from the airport, and had dinner with Jared and company. 

Saturday morning we introduced the kids to the hotel's breakfast buffet, which they were pretty stoked about. It's not Vegas without at least one trip to some mediocre buffet, right?

Then we went to Jared's wedding which took the entire rest of the day. I'm going to choose to not go into the part about how weddings, unfamiliar places, large groups of people, and periods of boredom, don't work well for autistic children. I feel like I spent my whole day attempting to avert disaster. I was exhausted by the end. The wedding was lovely, though. It was the sweetest thing ever to see Jared so happy. And also the sweetest thing ever to see Jason perform an impromptu ring ceremony before the reception. The (other) kids had a blast playing with the cousins and did a great job entertaining themselves for hours. 

On Sunday, we went over to a different hotel where Jason's other brother was staying and had a very frigid swim in their hotel pool. Then we had lunch at Grimaldi's, because apparently when you are in Vegas, you eat at restaurants that they only also have in New York city. After we said goodbye to the cousins, who were driving back to Utah, we took Jason back to our hotel to get some work done, and I took the kids back to the other end of the strip. We went to the M&M store, made a quick trip into Excalibur (the kids were SO curious about the castle-hotel, but it's kind of gross inside), then we walked around New York, New York and had dinner at Shake Shack (another New York restaurant because why not?). Shake Shack turned out to be *really* good and I'm hoping we get one in Seattle one day. After dinner, we walked to Paris Paris (a BIG walk) and caught the monorail back to the hotel. 

Monday morning we decided to get out of town so we checked out Red Rock, which was so cool. Lots of cool vistas, some wild tortoises, and a pretty drive. Something about Red Rock freaked Nathan out, so he was there, but is not pictured.

 (Austin insisted on festive dress for Memorial Day.)

(Bald eagle - Austin's spirit animal.)

After that, we met Jared and company, and Judith, Caroline, and Bianca for lunch, then swimming in our hotel pool. The kids had so much fun. We ended up swimming for a couple hours. 

Afterwards, Jason and I took the kids back to the strip one last time for a crazy dessert at the Venetian (Black Tap), and then a walk around that end of the strip including, of course, showing Daddy a couple water shows at the Bellagio. The volcano at the Mirage kind of freaked Austin out. Dessert at Black Tap was impressive-looking, but the appetizers were actually way better. Christian was a huge trooper, but he was SO tired through the whole evening. He spent a lot of time on Jason's shoulders or in my arms, and almost fell asleep on the monorail back to the hotel. 

(The best part about a Bellagio water show was watching Christian watch it.)

And some obligatory hotel-sleeping photos, because these two make cute bedmates (while Austin was in a rollaway bed on the other side of the room - he needs his space). 

We came home Tuesday morning. Christian slept almost the whole plane ride home. I have to say I did not enjoy coming back from a vacation on a Tuesday, because I had to hit the ground running and am SO tired. I'm sure I'll catch up eventually. 

And so, we made the best out of Vegas - very strange place though it is. And another win is that Nathan survived all those casinos without a single asthma attack. Such a relief.