Utah, Wabasha and first day of school

It has taken me weeks to finish this post.  Disregard my past tense and present tense faux pas.  I'm too pooped to rewrite.

We have been having the best time in Utah.  The old cliche a vacation from my vacation may apply to me when we return to Minnesota.

Last week we went to Lagoon.  I haven't been there for almost 10 years.  I couldn't believe all of the new rides. We arrived just after the park opened.  I figured we might make it until dinnertime.  To my complete surprise we left just before closing.

My entire side of the family, minus my Dad and Chad's family came.  We had so much fun.  The kids had a ball riding rides and running around with their cousins.  We packed in loads of food for lunch and dinner and enjoyed Lagoona Beach (where Alexis was lost and found playing in the lazy river by herself.  I think I almost suffered a slight heart attack with that one).  Sammie and Kaysha took Jacob and Trevor on some bigger rides.  I think I laughed out loud when we first drove into the amusement park area.  Kaysha looked to the side and said, "Jacob, that's Wicked."  Jacob turned his head to the right and immediately said, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no."  After the Wicked Twister at Cedar Point amusement park last year I think anything "Wicked" is officially banned in his book.

I was able to ride the old white wooden roller coaster with Trevor.  I wasn't sure if it was going to be a bit much for him, but he insisted on going.  As we were riding up the initial hill he looked and me and said, "Does this go straight up and down."  I said, "Well, yes, it goes up and down."  He said, "Oh NO.  That's it.  I'm done."  I told him that he didn't have a choice and he had to ride.  He was petrified.  At the end of the ride he was shaking a bit.  He recovered a minute after the ride and a few hours later said that he wanted to ride it again.  I wasn't sure I was game for that, but took him anyway.  As we we were slowly making our way up the hill I looked over at him and said, "Trevor, are you OK?"  He looked at me in all seriousness and said, "This is the part where my stomach expands."  I just looked forward and tried to keep a straight face.  I love that he goes out of his comfort zone in some things.

Lexi's shoes gave her the added inch that she needed to go on some bigger rides.  She is an animal, but at 9:45 p.m. she was a disaster.  She sprawled on the pavement whining, exhausted, and ready for bed.  Overall she was a little trooper, especially since I didn't have a stroller at the park.

Trevor on the planes

Lexi on the planes.  I was her co-pilot.

"Lexi!  Smile for the camera!"  This is what I got.

The smile quickly changed when she saw the boy.  "Well, Hello."

Jacob on the planes.

Kaysha, me, Kara, Sammie just before riding Wicked

EXHAUSTED.

The following day my Dad took the boys camping in the mountains.  It ended up being a boys night out, so the girls had a night out too.  We ended up going to a community production of Aida.  It was a first for Lexi.  She can't sit through a movie, so I wasn't sure what this would be like.  She was mesmerized.  The last half hour she was ready to leave, but the show was 2 1/2 hours long.  Lexi and her cousin, Nikki, sat by each other during the show.  At one point the male lead takes off his shirt while looking at the female lead.  As soon as he ripped off his shirt Nikki loudly said, "EW, gross!"  The row in front of us and behind us whipped their heads around, saw the little girl who said it and we all stifled giggles.

Wayne's mom also stopped by with some new church clothes that she bought for the kids.  Lexi adored her beautiful Cinderella dress and didn't want to take it off.  Jacob obliged us all by trying on his new suit and thanked Grandma for buying it for him.  Trevor ran away and said he didn't want to try on church clothes.  That he HATES putting on church clothes.  I finally convinced him to try them on.  He agreed as long as he could change in private.  Once they were on I said that we needed to go and show Grandma.  He freaked.  I picked him up and carried him into the living room.  As soon as I put him down his head was like a bull coming at me again and again (I think to hide).  He then ran into my Mom's room.  I followed him.  He looked at me with misty eyes and said, "You can't randomly  take me out there.  I . . . . am NOT a toy."  No bud, you are not a toy.  He hates any kind of attention.

My poor Mom enduring one of Lexi's beauty salon efforts.

A few days ago we went to Thanksgiving Point.  It just happened to be Two dollar Tuesday.  It was crazy there.  I parked where I didn't even know they had parking.  We thought the kids would have a ton of fun at the Dinosaur Museum.  Well, you win some you lose some.  Lexi full out punched Trevor while we were there.  He came back at her with vengeance.  I had to stick both of them in time out in a corner of the museum.  We waiting in line for 30 minutes for them to ride a pony.  The temperature was nearing 100 degrees.  I think the crowds and heat just did them in.   The best part of Thanksgiving Point were the 50 cent soft ice cream cones.  We could have saved ourselves a lot of grief by just driving through good old McDonalds.

Yesterday we went to the Discovery Museum at the Gateway.  My sister, Ali met us there with her kids.  They played and played until it was obvious that we all needed lunch.  Jacob was thrilled to FINALLY use some of his money.  He, of course, learned that some of the arcade games are a complete rip off.  All of the kids bought some gum at the candy machines.  We enjoyed Subway sandwiches and were finally able to pull the kids away from the teeny tiny arcade.  After lunch Ali took her kids home.  I had been promising my kids that I would take them on a train.  The free ride zone includes Gateway, so we rode TRAX to Temple Square.  It was so fun to show them around.  We went into the Tabernacle (where general conference used to be held).  Trevor later said, "We saw the Tabernacle.  Where General Monson used to be."  We walked through the visitor center.  I was amazed by how much they actually wanted to see.  We saw Legacy.  I think this could be my favorite church movie.  The boys watched the entire thing and couldn't believe that those events actually happened.  I will forever be amazed by some of the things that the early church members went through.

STRUGGLING.  She threw an even larger fit after I took the picture. 

The next day I drove with the kids to Logan, Utah.  My sister, Kara, lives there.  We stopped about an hour into the drive to eat at Maddox.  I remember going there as a kid and loved having the food delivered to our window.  I soon realized that what the kids really needed was to get OUT of the car.  We found a picnic table and ate our food there.  Jacob said again and again how delicious the fry sauce was.  I bought a dozen rolls to take to my sisters house.  Maddox has DELICIOUS rolls.  After their tummies were full we climbed back in the car and finished the drive to Logan.  The kids had been looking forward to riding the motorcycle with Uncle Andrew.  He didn't disappoint.   Andrew and I went to pick up our packets that evening to run the Top of Utah half marathon.

Jacob and Nikki putting on their show.

I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to get ready for the race.  We left the house just before 5:00.  Caught the shuttle that drove us up Blackfoot Canyon and ended up having a little over an hour to burn before the start of the race.  Just as we were getting ready to start I went to turn on my Garmin.  The thing was dead.  I thought, "You have got to be kidding me."  I rely on my watch way too much.  I would randomly ask runners along the course how long we had been running and what our current pace was.  When one of the girls told me that we were running a 6:46 pace I was pretty happy.  Just before the finish I saw my Mom!  My Dad was further down to take video of me crossing the finish line.  This was my first race my parents have actually seen me finish. I finished the race is 1:40.  A personal best for me.  Wayne looked up my time online and saw that I was 34 out of 1298 women runners.  I was pretty excited about that.

Later that day Andrew and I took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda 2.  It was adorable.   That evening Andrew took the kids pictures at the Logan temple.  Thank you so much!  We love them. 

Trevor refused, REFUSED, to put on his dress clothes.  I keep telling myself to choose those battles.

AND the bribery for smiling for the pictures.

Jacob didn't need bribery, but he was thrilled to have one more go about on the motorcycle.

My sister, Ali, had her two week old baby, Kate, blessed the next day.  I was so excited to actually see her blessing. 

On Monday I went to the Holladay Aquatic Center with Wayne's mom.  We also had an early birthday celebration for Trevor that night.  They gave him a remote control dinosaur.  I'm pretty sure he slept with it that first night. 

Behold, the messiest eater ever. Good thing she's so darling.

 Tuesday we went to Tracy Aviary in Liberty Park.  I rented a wagon and pulled Jacob and Lexi.  You read correctly, Jacob and Lexi.  I think the condor was my favorite.  Right next to the Aviary are a few rides.  Wayne's mom bought a few tickets so the kids could choose something to ride.  Jacob and Trevor chose the swings.  Whoa.  These are not little kiddie rides.  The swings kept going faster and higher.  Trevor's face was priceless.  The fact that he wants to keep going on these rides is what makes me laugh all the more.  Lexi was too little for the swings, thank goodness, so Lexi and Barbara and I went on the rickety old Ferris Wheel.  I was relieved when that was over.

Of course the kids spotted a huge playground on our way to the Aviary and begged to go.  I was exhausted.  Heck, this post is exhausting me.  We did not have one easy day.  I told them we could stay for 30 minutes.   An hour later and we were on our way.

Thursday we went to This is the Place Heritage Park.   The kids loved the schoolhouse, train, petting zoo, pony ride, and digging for gold.

Oh my goodness.  When the teacher asked for a volunteer I had no idea it was for something like this.  I thought Trevor would be so embarrassed.  Thankfully, sigh, thankfully he thought it was fun and silly.

Jacob had no problem helping out either.

We had an "easy" day at the Gateway where the kids played in the fountains.

Friday was Trevor's 6th birthday!!  I can't believe it!  I've heard people salivating over the Costco chocolate cake.  What better time than to try it out.  I also bought some pizza to celebrate.  That evening I met Wayne's side of the family at The Roof to celebrate his parents 50th anniversary.  Of course Wayne was the only child not present.  I think I'm at least counted as 1/2.  We laughed and had so much fun hearing crazy dating and childhood stories.   I still think the best is how Beth answered Roger's proposal with a candy bar letter.  HA!  I'm still laughing.   Have I said how thankful I am for his family? 

I think Trevor wondered if these candles would be difficult to blow out like those on his other cake.  Wayne's mom thought it would be funny to light trick candles.  Check out the effort. 

Captain America shield with flying discs. 

Wayne's Mom and Dad exiting the limo just outside of The Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

Saturday we caught our flight back home to Minnesota.  A two and half hour direct flight is INCREDIBLE!!  I was SO happy to see Wayne.  The only thing that would have made the trip better was to have him there.

A few days after returning home we drove to Wabasha.  It's right along the Mississippi River.  We stopped by LARK toys and let the kids ride the carousel and eat ice cream.  Then we drove over to the river.  Hoped to spot some bald eagles with no luck.  Then drove over to Wisconsin to Nelson Cheese.  It's a happening stop for those motorcycle riders.  I, of course, had to buy some Wisconsin cheese straight from the dairy.

Trevor's nasty little toy that he bought at LARK toys.  A rubber chicken.  When squeezing a rubbery liquid like egg pops out and sucks back in when no pressure is applied.  Gross.  His birthday money.

The next day was the first day of school.  Here are my handsome boys.