We got to western Colorado and Shad and I both had the same thought: "Dang! I'm glad we live in Kansas because that's way prettier than this!" Sorry, Grand Junction, you may have mountains, but I'd rather have prairie grasses and cornfields over sagebrush.
Nothing!
We visited Shad's grandma a couple days, which was the main purpose of our visit. She wasn't feeling well the first day we visited, but she was peppy, energetic and spunky the second day. Just the way we remember her.
We stayed at Suzanne and Tyler's house (my aunt and uncle), and the kids all enjoyed lots of cousin time. Dancy, Katie, Emmie, Drew and Tommy watching Big Hero 6.
Ruth's last day of work was the day before we arrived, so she spent pretty much every day with us while we were there. It was so great to have so much Ruth time! Because she's the best. We went up to visit Shad's cousin Stacey one day. We had a fun time with Stacey, Cole, Oliver and Greyson at their apartment swimming pool, which is right outside their door because they're the managers. Ruth and Shad took our kids to a park to use up 6 cans of silly string Ruth had left over.
She took us to the airport she used to work at. It's a flight school, and shares runway with a military airport. We had a picnic lunch out on the tarmac, and saw several planes come and go, as well as an Apache helicopter.
Thai food is delightful! Why don't we have it in Norton?
Love my Kates!
I have no recollection of this.
Tom and Katie in the pilot's seat!
Uh, watch out, y'all! Looks like the copilot is on something. Incidentally, I wouldn't trust the pilot, either. He's known for running forwards while looking backwards.
Airplanes!
Shad took Tommy for a quick temple visit while the rest of us slept in the van.
Lego Store!
We spent a day on Temple Square, followed by dinner with Shad's uncle Brad and aunt Teresa.
Top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
This nice older guy asked if I'd like him to take a picture of all of us. He was surprised when I said yes. His wife never lets him take the pictures. He took several, because he knows what pictures are like with all those little kids.
Day at the zoo! We went with Shad's cousin Aimee and her daughters, Arielle and Alyson; cousin's wife Michelle with her kids, Kai and Keira; cousin Stacey with her sons, Oliver and Greyson; and Ruth and Will. We had just about the best group zoo trip we've ever had. No one complained about the weather, or how long we were there, or what animals to see or not see; we were all just happy to be there and spend time together! For 5 hours!
Owl display
Animatronics (I think that's the term) dinosaurs throughout the zoo.
Ruth and Dancy
Oh good! Someone took a picture of me imitating the lion. Okay, so he was doing this weird soundless roar, and some kids told me that it was a mating ritual or something. It was interesting, and I've never seen it before.
Took 5 tries for him to take this picture.
Dancy has this newfound love for monkeys. It seems to be replacing her zebra obsession.
The children of the cousins...with most of the parents.
So many things to climb on!
So there was this peacock feather behind a fence, just out of reach, and the fence had a sign on it saying to stay out. I lamented this to Shad and he said, "Haven't you watched enough White Collar?" So I went back and got my peacock feather anyway.
Did you know that lion head drinking fountains are the coolest thing ever? Well they are.
Carousel
Throwing pennies into the fountain.
Hey guess what! My boy turned 10! He asked for grilled cheese and sausages for dinner because he thought everyone would like that. He's such a people pleaser. It was a delicious dinner. He got a Lego pirate set from Ruth and Will, and a new tie from his sisters. He loves ties. He got the rest of his goods at home: Green Lantern vs. Sinestro Lego set (which was missing pieces and we're waiting for those to arrive in the mail), Lego Harry Potter years 1-4 for PS3, and a Pirates of the Caribbean Look and Find book. I'm planning to have a birthday party for him at the end of August when we won't have to worry about his friends being out of town.
Look at that girl's nasty spit up!
Tom climbed a tree.
Our last 2 days in Utah were spent at Suzanne's house, babysitting her kids while she and Tyler got a vacation to California for a week. Other people took over after we left.
Driving back to Colorado, the kids enjoyed seeing all the red dirt and rocks. I told them the story of how Colorado got its name: When the Spanish Conquistadors came up from the south, they were amazed by all the red dirt, so they called the land "Colorado," meaning "color red." Shad hadn't ever heard the story before, so he thought I made it up. It's truth!
