Retreat!

This was sadly the last year that we get to go to the Pediatric Resident Retreat.  It has been such a treasured weekend away - a real highlight of each year.  We are glad that Dan will be graduating though. :)  This year was just as fun as the previous 2.  All 66 (give or take) residents and their families are able to take a weekend off from the hospital due to the generosity of the attendings and the fund raising efforts of the residents.  Here are the highlights from the weekend.

The weekend kicks off with bowling:

 

 Bowling in style

 

  Proof that even with bumpers, I didn't break 100 (I'm the 2nd "E").  Dan is not to blame for his low score:  Last year, I did most of the chasing after the kids, so this year Dan did it.  And while he was busy, I would bowl for him.  Don't you love how Jonah beat out Kevin and Elena?

 We spent some time enjoying the unseasonably warm weather Saturday morning while Dan was doing a ropes course with the other residents.  We also went swimming in the resorts indoor pool, but there's no pictures of that of course.  The next 3 photos are from our walk.

 

 

View from the balcony of our suite.  The trees were just starting to change in early November and it was gorgeous!

 Elena had a gift card to get a free wax hand and to make her own candle at the Yankee Candle flagship store.  Since it was close to where we were staying, I took her one afternoon while the boys napped.  What a fun mother/daughter date.  I could've spent the day at that store.  I had no idea that Williamsburg Yankee Candle was the size of a mall with about as many little shops inside!

 Her hand is pink and making the "I love you" ASL sign. She had such a great afternoon.  I love this girl!

  Since we are such cheapskates that don't usually eat out, one of my highlights of the weekend, is the yummy food served buffet style.  All you can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner!  The final night there is a dinner dance.  This year it was semi-formal and the theme was Harvest Ball.  Dan decided to take the theme in a different direction and this is how we dressed.  It's just as well, I'm not sure that I have anything that would qualify as semi-formal anyway. :)  It was a lot of fun and we got really into it: blacked out teeth, painted on freckles, and Dan even stuffed the belly of his overalls.  It was grown-up Halloween.  Don't worry, the kids got involved too...

 Aren't they adorable country folk?

 Jonah's favorite thing he did all weekend was playing with the room phone.  We unplugged one of them and let him have at it.  "Hello" was repeated hundreds of times.  He is always watching/listening us and then copying.

Sunday was a mixture of packing and playing while Dan was in a class.  When he got done, we played at the park and headed home.  We had such a great time.  In the future, I hope that we take the time to go on little weekend vacations here and there even though they won't be mandatory and or free.

Trunk of Treat and Trick or Treating

  Aunt Bethany came to hang out and help out at the Trunk or Treat.  This was our first year at the Trunk or Treat since we moved here because in the past, it has been on October 31st.  The kids had fun seeing their friends in their costumes.

  When we saw this family in awesome Wizard of Oz costumes (including Auntie Em) but lacking a Cowardly Lion, we had to let them borrow Jonah for a quick picture.

Our family of pumpkins.  On the bench: Jonah and Dan.  Down below:  Elena, Kevin, me

 October 31st and time to head out!

 The first house of the year.  We will miss these meighbors - they moved the next day!  Jonah's not in the picture because he wasn't too eager to approach the ape.

We went to a great party the weekend before Halloween, but Dan and Jonah had to stay at home because sweet Jonah was sick.  We are just about done with all of the Halloween now.  The good chocolate was gone pretty quickly - we're down to Dots and the like.

3 random October pictures

Kevin is flying.  He's balancing on a drum and allowing the wind from the fan to blow his cape.  He's such a fun boy!

This might be one of my all time favorite pictures.  I took it on Dan's birthday.  They are all watching a movie/something on the IPad.  Priceless.  I think it totally represents how it feels to be a parent to 3 young kids. :)

Go Cougars!  Whenever there was a game that started before the kids' bedtime this season, we headed over to my parent's house to watch it since they have cable. Plus they are excellent company. 

Utah trip 2013 (Part 2 of 2)

Week 2 was a lot of fun and just as busy as our first week in Utah. I like to be busy on vacation.  What's the point of traveling if you don't get out and do/see new things?  Dan's mom was awesome and totally on board with doing whatever I had planned.  First, we went to the Hogle Zoo.  I had never been before because I didn't have kids when I lived in Utah and until now, we had only visited in the winter.  It was great! 

The best part was getting to go to the zoo with my old roommate, Kathy and her daughters MaryKate and Grace.  Kathy and I met and bonded freshman year and roomed together sophomore and junior years. (I was married to Dan for both my senior year and super-senior year - you don't graduate with 209.5 credits without going to school for 5 years.)  Kathy was amazing roomie: Even as a 19 year old, she was a great cook, fabulous home decorator, a generous friend, and a hilarious chica.

MaryKate and Elena

They had many Lego animal sculptures scattered around the park.  Is "sculptures" the right word?

The splash pad (plus lighthouse slide) was new to the zoo apparently and the kids loved it.  Bummer that is was slightly cool and sprinkling, but kids don't let a little thing like the weather bother them.  Of course Kevin loved the slide and went down it repeatedly, but Elena was not a fan.

Abuelita y los nietos.  Our kids are actually Dan's parents' youngest grandchildren.  But there are 9 1/2 great-grandchildren competing for their attention. :)

My niece Emily is holding great-grandchild #8 (I really hope I'm counting correctly - it's late at night right now).  Baby Jamison is adorable!  His mom Caitlin was so nice to give birth before I had to fly home.  Dan missed meeting him by just a couple days.

4 generation picture!  Great-grandma (Lydia), Abuelita (Barbie), Mom (Caitlin), Dad (Ben)

My cute little man running around in a mall play area.  I actually bought myself 2 shirts, a shirt, and a purse on this day.  It wasn't my birthday or anything.  I must've been feeling the euphoria of being "on vacation". :)  My brother came to the mall with us and it was good to see him again.

Another day, another outing.  The kids were begging to go back to Thanksgiving Point and it was free (with our zoo/science museum card from home).  This time we took cousin Jesse and his sister Emily along and that made it extra fun.  In this picture, Kevin wanted to be under the dinosaur foot like it was crushing him.

Even the big kids can have fun digging for fossils.

It was so hard to pull everyone away from these sand turntables, but this was only the second room and there was so much more to see!

I'm missing a picture of when I was able to visit with Tracy in Lehi, so you'll just have to trust me that it was nice to see her and talk.
On this day, we took the train to Salt Lake City.  Thanks to cousin Sam's tip about buying a certain kind of ticket to travel all day for one price, it was affordable and fun. :)

I'm so so glad that my sisters in law came along too (Barbie stayed behind to help Caitlin with the baby)!

In the Assembly Room at Temple Square

One of the visitor's centers had a model of the temple with the walls cut away to show you what it looks like inside.  It was really cool.

Amy, Kathie, Mom, and me.

The Salt Lake Temple

Cute kids

This was on the roof of the Conference Center.  It is really warm up there in the summer with all the sunlight bouncing off the granite.

Inside the Conference Center checking out the waterfall.

Uncle Lloyd loves babies and babies love him.  Jonah was not an exception!

I don't have a picture of our shopping trip, but on our final afternoon there, I went to an amazing store called The Wood Connection.  I went with Amy and Emily.  I would have bought 75% of the contents of the store if I could have.  (I usually only feel that way in children's book stores.) They sold wood letters and decorations.  Just plain wood, but then you can paint them and cover them in scrapbook paper and feel awesome because you made something.  I spent $50.  Dan thought it was hilarious, "You spent $50 on plain wood letters?"  I love them.  I have already made the first two (pictured below).  I still have a "JOY" for Christmas, a haunted house, and 2 acorns to make when I get a chance.  Next time, I'll have to buy 1 for spring and 1 for summer.

 

We had a big family meal the night before we left.  It was so good to see the family one more time!  Everyone was so sweet to put a pause on the many things going on in their lives (school, work, etc.) and come to hang out at Abuelo and Abuelita's house several times while we were visiting.  And Dan's parents were amazing hosts: great company, good food, toys for the kids to play with, and a very nice car to borrow for our many outings.

Fun in the backyard:

 

 An unplanned grandparent picture.  I just called them all over and snapped away.  This is the best "smile" Kevin could muster after waiting a while for Jonah to finally look up at the camera.  I really like this photo.

We were so sad to say goodbye, but Elena needed to start first grade, so we headed home.I took a quick photo during our layover to record for posterity the time that I traveled with 3 kids by myself. It actually went great.  The hardest part was lugging around the car seat.

The next day was Labor Day, so Dan and I took the kids to the beach. It was, of course, great to see Dan again.  We really missed him while we were in Utah and he was back home working.  Grandad came along to the beach and brought his bodyboard.  It was a big hit with everyone - especially Elena.

The trip to the beach and the general lack of sleep really helped the children to adjust quickly back to EDT.  That was a good thing because Elena had to start school the next day.