The Annual Piligrimage

Summer appeared and so we made the annual pilgrimage to the motherland. Utah. As we boarded the plane I was counting blessings left and right. First, I wasn't driving. Hallelujah! The kids had their own bags full of whatever they wanted to entertain themselves and knew the drill. It's been a long time coming, but these kids have gained some independence and it's awesome!

 As we got on the plane I recognized a girl and her baby, it took me a while to figure out where I knew her from. Then I realized, I didn't know her. I read her blog. I already knew we had a lot in common and really wanted to introduce myself, but felt silly. I approached her toward the end of the flight. We chatted for a while and have emailed back and forth a little bit. She blogged about our meeting here. You have to dig, but it's there. And, it's me, even though my name is spelled wrong. Anyway, it was a little highlight for me and I hope our paths cross again sometime.

On to the trip: I love being in Utah for Pioneer Day on July 24. Great-Grandma Jackie, her sister and their families always set up shop super early for the parade in Ogden and harass all the participants. Grandma Bonnie was stocked with cases of silly string and plenty of treats for everyone. Such a fun way to start off the holiday.

 Once Kirt got to town he was ready to take the kids on a tour of his old college hangouts. We hadn't been to The Pie for far too many years. It was delicious. Don't let me forget that place. Always a solid choice.

 Then we took a walking tour of the University of Utah campus with Kirt acting as tour guide. We took the kids through the library and a few other buildings on campus. Things have changed a lot in the years since Kirt studied there. At one point, he painted an image for the kids telling them about walking around campus with snow on the ground and a hot chocolate in his hands and those kids were sold. Even Owen is ready to go to the U if it includes hot chocolate.

 We were so lucky to be able to be in Utah for the blessings of the 2 new babies on my side of the family. Abby and Libby (and I guess their husbands, too) waited to bless Maggie and Finn when we could be there and we were thrilled. It was such a special day in my mom's backyard with lots of family and delicious food. Grandma Leslie was in heaven with all her grandkids together.

 Next pic is my Dad, his wife Laura and my Grandma Arnold.

 We hit a few Raptors games while we were in town. Tickets were super cheap, the weather was incredible (minus a few raindrops one night) and we had plenty of room for the kids to run around. They stood down in front by the field and players constantly were walking back and forth giving the kids high-fives. The trip to Farr's for some chocolate peanut butter ice cream didn't hurt either.

 Owen caught a ball and later had it signed by all sorts of players and Oggie the mascot. Grandpa photobomb.

 When Finn and Maggie were born, I tried so hard to get up to Utah to spend some time with them by myself. I booked a few plane tickets and in the end, our lives in California were just too busy to get away. I sure wish I would have had that time by myself because once we were all there, Miss Tessa Jane could not get enough of these babies. I was constantly fighting with her to get my hands on them.

 Owen and Cal were more interested in the babies than I thought they would be. The didn't pass up too many opportunities to snuggle those little nuggets either.

 Night 2 of our baseball extravaganza. Girls photo (plus Finn!) I'm not so good at making plans and having a schedule when we're visiting. Everyone is so patient with me and when I throw out the all-call last minute text they pull it together and show up.

It looks like we're headed to the Beehive State for Thanksgiving in a few weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing those babies again and how much they've grown. I just wish we could have July weather when we're there. They're already getting snow and I'm not a fan of the cold and ice that come along with it!