Visit to Utah

We just spent a week and a half in Utah and this trip was ALL about the family. We hung out with my sisters and their kids every day and had a fantastic time. It was busy, but fun and we hit a wedding, a birthday and everything in between. This did however mean a lot of driving, which made Asher sleepy and Beckett mad (he really started to resent his carseat). We were even able to visit with my grandparents, on both sides, which is a real treat and not something we always get to do. I, of course, was the crazy mom walking around with a camera in her hand every second, documenting every moment I could. I didn't want to miss a thing!

Kayla turned 20 the day we arrived (Woo-hoo, and good-bye to those teenage years!), and it was so fun meeting her handsome little guy, Troy. He's only 3 weeks younger than Beckett. So fun for cousins to be so close. They both stared at each other and drooled a lot since they're both teething like crazy. We also met (for the first time...ridiculous!) Laurie's two gorgeous little girls, Allyssum and Jocelyn. Such cuties. It's so much fun to see everyone's families growing. We did miss Ryan and Danna who just missed us by moving a month before our visit. The boys loved hanging out with their cousins.

We hit Thanksgiving Pointe a few times. Somehow in all the years we've been going back to Utah, we'd never been there. I loved the gardens, and I don't think we saw half of them. Next time for sure. The first day we went, it was "$2 Tuesday." This bargain is NO secret. What a mistake. I think every family within 50 miles came. We knew it was going to be a bad idea when we were backed up just getting off the freeway. The next couple of times we went we made sure we were paying full price, and it was well worth it. Besides the gardens, we visited the Farm, and the Dinosaur museum, both of which were fun for all ages. The day we visited the Farm, my dad took work off to hang with his daughters and all the grandkids. It was so much fun, and every one of those kids just adores their grandpa. He's got a Donald Duck impersonation that he reels them in with from the beginning, and from there its all milkshakes, walks, shoulder rides, motorcycle rides and teasing. Asher asked him to take a walk one evening and he went with him then and there. I think it really made him feel special:) I had to laugh when I heard that Koleson calls him grandpa Donald (my mom is Grandma Daisy). So cute! It was nice to have him to ourselves for that afternoon.

During our first visit to T. Pointe, we had a small (but monumental at the time) disaster occur. We were packing up to leave, putting kids in the car, etc. Corey grabbed the car seat off of the stroller to put Beck in the car while I emptied the stroller out to fold it up. He'd been playing with him a bit earlier, and Beckett had fallen asleep, so we just laid him in the seat and covered him up. He'd never been buckled back in. Before I knew what had happened I heard Corey say, "Oh no!" I looked over and saw my sweet baby laying on the pavement face down. Because he had been sound asleep, it took a second for him to start screaming. I think I screamed first...some sort of blood curdling, scared, protective momma scream. I totally freaked out for a few minutes, crying and holding Beckett, trying to decide if he was okay or not. In the end, he was, and his scrapes were all but gone 5 days later. The poor little guy! It was an awful moment. Corey felt terrible! We were just so relieved he was alright.

Beckett sporting his road-rash:(

We also paid a visit to temple square, specifically the roof of the conference center. Somehow we never make it that far and have always wanted to see the view and all the plants up there. The morning we went, Asher was panicking and absolutely did not want to go to the temple. He mournfully wailed to us: "I don't want to go to the temple! I don't want to get married!" I guess we need to start teaching him the other reasons people go to the temple, because the poor kid was terrified that with one visit to the temple we'd be pawning him off! After assuring him that he absolutely would not be getting married for a long time (at least 20 or so years!), he agreed to go with us.

The Discovery Gateway children's museum was a riot. The kids ran around and had a fantastic time. What a cool place for young kids! The favorite part was the area where the kids get to try out different "jobs" like a fireman, postman, grocery clerk, etc. Asher was a Postman Extrordinaire. He ran around delivering mail to all the mailboxes...at one point a little girl opened a mailbox and innocently took out the letter he had just delivered. He pushed her down, snagged the letter and put it right back! We'll be working on the don't-push-girls thing. He takes his mail delivery very seriously. He spent a fair amount of time ringing up groceries too...hilarious to watch how diligent he was with his customer service skills. Beck just watched, drooled and snuggled...fine by me!

We had an especially unique opportunity to get a guided tour of Centerville, which is where my Grandpa Pettit grew up. He told us stories, showed us pictures and took us to all the spots he had special memories of. I'd never heard any of them, and I thought it was wonderful to hear him tell about his growing up years first hand...priceless. My favorites were the skinny dipping one, and hearing him tell of the things his mother did (making butter for the store, and taking him to find castaway toys at the town garbage dump). He grew up during the Great Depression and things were never taken for granted. There are even plaques around town; the one at the fire station in particular notes my great grandfather and the auto shop he once owned and lived at on that very site. I love family history and was so grateful to hear him reminisce and help me to learn more of my family's rich past. I could just about picture those pesky Pettit boys tipping toilets (gasp!) and sledding down the center of town in the winter before succumbing to a chili pie to warm them up.

Thanks everyone for making the time to hang out with us and for making our trip so memorable. We felt so loved and had an amazing time. We love you and miss you all already. Til the next time!