Trip to Utah

Jared and I made the trip up to Utah with the four boys on a Wed afternoon. The boys rode up with new books from the library, bed pillows, fun snacks (fruit snacks and red vines), borrowed DVD's and action figures. I was a bit stressed packing up the car, making sure the house was clean and trash taken out, and getting out the door on time (waiting for Jared to get back from work and eating lunch after having fasted).
We made a few pit stops and arrived in Cedar City with no real meltdowns or problems. Now that Levi is front facing (a month early), he was able to be entertained by the scenery outside, snacks and his brothers. Much better than before! The Lunt's weren't home, so we just played outside in the cool summer night and ate some frozen pizzas. We stayed up til midnight catching up and then left early at 8am for the drive to Provo.
Jared wanted to show the boys his old BYU stomping grounds. Sure was busy with summer students and I know Jared had a lot of emotions being there. We showed the boys the wall where mom and dad first met (by the library) and checked out the expensive bookstore (later tried finding cheaper BYU memorabilia at Ross and had no luck). The mountains were stunning and gigantic. We showed the boys where Mt. Timp was, with the princess laying down. We also counted how many temples kept popping up.
Next was the Dennison family, Eljse and Jay, our friends from Gaithersburg, MD. We had already stopped for lunch at the Firehouse subs ($20 for 3!?) and so we just sat in their gorgeous backyard and had ice cream sandwiches. The boys were a bit shy and didn't know what to do, so our visit was not too long. Fun to talk about old memories and the bright future of our young families.
On to City Creek and Temple Square. Paid for parking and explored the new businesses, water fountains, flowers and special statues. Austin loved peeking inside one of the temple replicas (I didn't know that they had a huge conference room and white piano on the top floor) and Wesley had lots of questions about Joseph Smith. Our boys are learning our religion :)
We then raced off to Meg and Clinton Christensen's house for spag and meatball dinner. We were starving! They live in Olympus Cove and it was a lush and green area with lots of rich folk! Meg has such a genuine and open personality, I love being around her. Her kids were sweet and inviting. They anxiously awaited our arrival and we were really grateful to stay there.
The night passed quickly as I visited with my good friend Julie Boam, walking in the neighborhood and enjoying the sunset. We then came back and discussed all the family drama that we love and played a game of Dominion over chocolate chip cookies.
We left early the next morning for Ragnar and didn't return until the following evening. I was so engorged and anxious to see baby Levi! The reunion was sweet. The boys had had fun with Tio Gavin and we also visited with Aunt Martha/Uncle Daryl. Cafe Rio was even waiting for us in the fridge! We were exhausted, but stayed up late again chit chatting.
Sunday Morning I got up early (exhausted having been up with Levi and not having slept anything from Ragnar). I made all 12 people homemade bread french toast with caramel syrup and fresh fruit. I was happy to do it and even cleaned up :) The children gave the dad's Father's Day cards and I helped get the girls' hair ready for church. Church was really special b/c we got to listen to Meg and Clint speak on Father's Day. I loved listening to their childhood memories, and it was really cool b/c this stake/ward is where they both grew up! Tia Estela and Uncle Ellis showed up, with primo Kurtbob. I wanted to spend more time with them, but we were quickly coming up on evening and had to drive back to Cedar City. Next time I will plan a longer visit.
We stopped by Flowell, UT where my good friend Suzette Trimble and her family were in town from MD for the weekend! Her parents are now mission presidents in Holland. We were super excited to see them and meet their sweet kids. Mac 'n Cheese for Father's Day dinner.
Last stop was Cedar City where we arrived around 11pm...the kids then played Wii 'til midnight! I guess that is what vacations are all about...no routines! I looked at Rochelle's Mrs. America pics, she talked nonstop about every subject under the sun and we had a great time flossing in the bathroom together as we discussed life.
Early morning spin class at 7am with Rochelle where I looked at my old employer Gold's Gym. Sure was smaller than I had remembered. I loved seeing Rochelle teach b/c she was my mentor as a spin instructor. I didn't expect Jared to be packed up and loaded with the boys by 8am, but he WAS! So, I got in the car nasty and sweaty and we headed on our road trip home. Levi had had it by the last hour, so red vines saved the day and made huge messes.
Home. Sweet. Home. Then Jared went to work while I unpacked the chaos.

Kitchen remodel

As I write this, my kitchen is being stripped and sanded down. Primer will go on later today. We are all going to be high as kites off of the fumes! A huge plastic tarp has been draped from ceiling to floor. I feel like I am living inside a fish tank. I can't handle the mess. I have lost my patience more than one time with my boys as they are shimming under the plastic to get to the garage, or complaining about why we they have to eat outside (no kitchen table, it's full of STUFF from countertops).

The Ashton's came over and helped us paint 'til 1am on a spontaneous Sat night. So grateful to have good neighbor's who loved surprising Jared like I did! Dustin worked quickly in 2 hours to get it done, and had to run to 2 Home Depots for the right paint. So glad they came through for us.

(1 month later) The final pics are beautiful. People have said how open, larger, brighter and more inviting our kitchen now feels. We really feel like this was a great investment. We spend 85% of our time in the kitchen and I am so glad that we can enjoy this beautiful room together.