Chicago

We decided to stay 2 nights in Chicago so that we could take a break from driving, and do some sight seeing. When we got there, we were able to have a home cooked meal! An old friend invited us over for dinner. Even though we are a pretty big bunch, Nicole still wanted to be hospitable. We couldn't have refused after so many meals out. It was delicious, and it was really great to visit and catch up after all these years. Plus the kids got to play with other kids, and toys, and run around outside. It was wonderful. My only regret is that I didn't take any pictures.

We stayed right in the middle of downtown Chicago. We could see the Willis Tower from our window. It was nice. The next day we started out very touristy by buying tickets for the double-decker bus/trolley ride and making our way to all the sights.

It was pretty cold that day. It was funny because B.A. really wanted to bring her jacket but I gently encouraged (forced) her to leave it. I didn't want to end up holding everyone's jacket by the end of the day. Turns out, we all wish we would have had them. Ha ha! That's what you get for listening to me. It was windy, and even more so on the top of the bus.

The tour bus turned out to be totally worth it. We got to see all kinds of things we wouldn't have otherwise, and we learned a bunch about Chicago too.
I couldn't believe how big the lake looked. It looked like an ocean.
Navy Pier.
We had to have Chicago dogs! They were great, except the peppers were a bit hot for the kids. And the sweet potato fries were yummy.
Do we look freezing? We were.
More tour bus pictures.
Hershey's store. I didn't think much of it, but the kids loved it. They all got a free chocolate bar. We also went to an American Girl store. Rich people probably love that store. Non-rich people, not so much.
Here we are at the top of the Willis (Sears) Tower. I couldn't figure out how to get a picture of the view and the kids. So we'll settle for their silhouettes and the cool view.
There is a glass bottom cage-like area that hangs over the 103rd floor of the building. It was a little unsettling to say the least. In fact, it took me a few minutes to get up the courage to go out there. I just couldn't see how the stupid thing even held together! And then I had to wait while all the kids got their fill. In my head, I kept picturing the wall falling off. It wasn't pleasant.
There is just something unnerving about your kid hanging over a super tall building.
And more tour bus pictures. This one was actually a trolley.
The Bean. I think it might have another name, but that is what everyone calls it. It was really cool!
And it made for some great pictures!
Just one more picture of the fam and the pretty city.

We had Chicago-style deep dish pizza that night. We waited for more than an hour. It wasn't a big deal except we had to go get Wesley from the "day care" by 9. All the waiting basically took up all of our eating time. We scarfed our pizza and hurried to get him.

I loved Chicago! I almost liked it as much as New York. I am very glad we decided to stay.

Omaha and Iowa

Next stop - Omaha.

Nebraska was interesting. There were farms everywhere. There was never a time on the drive that there wasn't some kind of farm house or crop to look at. That was interesting to me. On the drive to Arizona, there are little towns here and there, but you go for miles and miles without seeing signs of people. I guess that is because it is so flat and you can pretty much settle anywhere.

"You are nowhere." Ha ha. That is funny.

They aren't kidding.
They are faking.
See! They didn't have to share one bed. Just for the record. This was just for fun.

I thought Omaha was beautiful. It was really green and hilly. We pretty much just found our hotel, went to get dinner, and went to bed. Uneventful still, but nice.

The next day we drove through Iowa on the way to Chicago. Nate had heard about this Maid-Rite place, so we decided to try it. We will probably never get the chance again. It was good! The people in Iowa are extremely nice. I was glad we stopped there even though it put us back about an hour.


Did I mention how windy this trip was?

It was really cool to see Chicago on the mileage signs. So strange, but cool.

Cheyenne

I know these posts are boring. But I don't care!

We started our new life on May 3rd. That is the day we left our hotel in Sandy and started our drive. Our first stop was Cheyenne. Honestly, there isn't much to say about it. The drive was uneventful, but manageable. There wasn't much to look at on the drive, but we stayed entertained with electronic devices.

Here we are pointing to Cheyenne on the map. How cute! Isn't that special?

This is driving into Cheyenne. I learned that it is not a big city. Not that I was expecting a big city, but dud. There isn't much to it at all.
The hotel room was big, and that is important. It reminded me of those hotels you see on haunted house shows. I knew if I thought about that too much I would get freaked out, so I thought about other things.
They had these painted boots all around the city. Kind of like the moose in Park City. They were kind of cool. For cowboy stuff, that is.

It was so windy! I'm pretty confident that it was the windiest wind that I have ever been in. We were told that is pretty much how it is all the time. I'm just glad it wasn't a snow storm.

That's it! We didn't do anything interesting there. I was tired. I was still trying to recover from the late night at Jake and Rachel's. And we just wanted to get going.

30, 5, 252

This was the girls' last day of school. They got lucky this year and got to skip their last 5 weeks of school. I am going to "home school" them the rest. I was sad for Dare because she didn't want to miss any kindergarten. She loves school, and she loved her teacher, aides, and classmates.

Mrs. Brown

Dare got a little teary. Her face is a bit red.

I didn't get a picture of all her friends. Elise is who she played with the most.

Rhon's class. She got a shirt with a picture on it and all the kids signed it. Rhon did not have tears. She's a rock.

Savvy

Miss Peterson

Tori

B.A. didn't get sad either. I was surprised. Even though she looks a little crazy in this picture.

Savannah

10, 6561, 84081

Utah. We lived there for 9 years. A lot longer than I expected, but it was right and we loved it. All of my kids were born there. All of them with the same doctor and the same hospital. (Except G. He was born in the new one. But it was essentially the same one) We lived in a duplex, an apartment, and a house. I wish I could have enjoyed the last days I was in Utah a little more. It was kind of crazy and hectic. I will probably forget a lot, but these are the things I will miss about Utah. Mixed in with some pictures of our last days there.

1. The mountains, of course. I know that is a given but I couldn't leave it out. The mountains made me stop and look almost everyday that I was there. Especially around the changing of seasons, and on super clear days.

2. My neighborhood. I already said this but it really is the greatest place to live. The people who buy my house will be lucky to be there.

3. Leatherby's, Red Iguana, and Mountain Mike's. When I visit there is no way I won't go to Red Iguana. In fact, I might visit just to go to Red Iguana.

Here we are at Leatherby's for the last time in a few years. We spent a lot of time, and consumed a lot of calories, there. We got to the point where we didn't even look at the menu. I'm sure the servers got sick of us because our orders were so complicated. Delicious!

4. North Star Academy. Great school. I will never forget how awesome all of our teachers are. Plus, the girls got a great education that prepared them for the international schools. I'm not going to miss the drive though.

5. Having a church (or two or three) within a mile of my house. Having a lot of Mormons around isn't so bad.

We spent a few of our last days in Utah looking for shoes for Nate. Nice outfit, huh? If you don't know him very well, he is particular to say the least. It's okay though. He is happy with his selection and we were able to spend our time like this...

Playing with the camera!

Mads loves to take pictures.

6. Fry sauce. I don't even like fry sauce. I've only ever eaten it at Red Robin, and then very little. I just like that I could get it if I wanted it. Pretty much anywhere.

7. Temples. I lived within a half hour drive of 7 (about) temples. We watched the Oquirrh Mountian Temple being built. We drove by it almost every day, and I was able to clean the Celestial Room one night. That temple will always be special to us.

The kids were able to take swimming lessons the last month that we were in Utah. They loved it. Too bad the last class was cancelled.

8. The weather. I'll admit, there were a few late winters that I wished it would warm up, but for the most part, I loved the weather in Utah. The springs a falls were amazing. The summer was warm, but cooler at night. And the winter brought us snow that was beautiful and fun to play in.

This was the last night we spent at our house. B.A. was a little sad.

9. Outdoors. We camped, hiked, rode bikes, and went to parks. I will miss the open air, and large spaces. I think apartment life will be challenging.

10. Costco, Smith's, Harmon's, Walmart, and Target. Yes, I have a Costco and grocery stores, but I think I will miss the familiarity. I think about that crappy Jordan Landing Walmart every time I need something. And the Costco here doesn't have the same stuff! It is very disappointing. No more uncooked tortillas.

This is as we drove away from our house the last time. Watch out for Wesley. If he gets mad enough, those glowing eyes will shoot lasers at you.

Check the Cable

I have so much to catch up on!

But I am finally online in my new home. We were having issues with our internet connection. That is not good. Very bad.

Just a few thoughts that I am having right now...

- I don't want to get lost driving around anymore. I don't want to buy a GPS either. I'm in a pickle.

- DC is beautiful. The trees are huge. And they are everywhere. The homes here are amazing. Like from a story.

- I miss Nate's beard.

- I made cookies the other night with only a tablespoon measure. Just for the record, that is 4 TBS white sugar, 20 TBS of brown sugar, and a whopping 44 TBS of flour. And I used a baking sheet that only fit 6 cookies on it. But they tasted like home. So it was good.

Here are a couple of pictures from our trip to Arizona that we took at the end of March. I will probably never get around to blogging about it.

I know we only saw these guys once a year, but I miss them already!

'Twas the Night Before...

There are no pictures for this post. In fact, I haven't been thinking too much of blogging the last few weeks. Especially the last few days. I had all kind of ideas about my blog posts that I would do for my final days in Utah. Those will have to wait because all I can think of is this will be the last night I spend in my house. Ever.

I'm not going to lie. It's kind of weird.

I love this house. I love that we fell in love with it the first time we saw it. They didn't have anymore available, but then a couple weeks later we came to see it again and there was one! We were so happy. This is the first house we ever bought. The first house that has ever been mine. I love our front room with the bookshelves. I love the kitchen with it's yellow paint. I love the front patio. I love that our kids grew up (so far) here. I love that we let B.A. choose what color of paint for her room. And it is still that color. We brought both our boys home from the hospital to this house. We rode bikes outside countless times. We painted. We fixed. We mowed lawns. We had a garden, and planted flowers in the front yard. We even put in a beautiful new floor! Even though our driveway is super steep, I love that our house is high. We have a great view. I love our neighbors. We have the best next door neighbors you could ever wish for. On both sides. And two houses down on each side. I will probably never live in a neighborhood like this again.

I'm kind of sad. I wonder what it will be like to live in a new home, with new neighbors, and new views.

That being said, I hope someone buys it. Soon.

My Bed

Don't even ask where I was supposed to be sleeping.

Chill

I'm not going to lie. Before I had Mads, I didn't really care about having a boy. I thought I was going to have all girls, and I was okay with that. I was in my girl groove. Very comfortable. When they told me my baby was a boy, I was a little shaken up. A little freaked. It took me a few months to get used to the idea. Good thing I had that long before he came. Right away having a boy was pretty much the same. All except for the fact that when he peed when he didn't have a diaper on it squirted rather than dribbled like a girl would do. One time while changing his diaper, he peed. I remember being pretty impressed with the speed and distance a little boy part could create. It went right over his head and about 3 feet behind him onto the floor.

But shortly after babyhood he became "boyish" quickly. And I like it. I'm glad he is mine.

Mads at four...

You have bad dreams a lot. Sometimes you wake up screaming. It makes me sad. You sleep in my bed more often than not.

You still carry your Dark Dark Blue Blanket everywhere.

You love to quote Nacho Libre.

When you draw a picture, there is always a person fighting a snake. I love them.

Video games are your favorite. We have limited your game playing to Saturdays only, so every day you ask me if it is Saturday. If not, you ask how many days until Saturday.

You love to eat. You savor your food and enjoy every minute of eating. There is nothing you won't eat.

You still have the most expressive face ever. Lots of looks.

You are reading a little, and you still love to have me read to you.

You are asking a lot of questions.

You are taking swimming lessons for the first time. You love it. You tell me you can swim, but then you sink like a stone.

You are a groover. If you hear music, you will dance. It is awesome.

You love Vampire Weekend. Your new thing is to ask me what the lyrics mean.

You love playing outside. You love your new scooter.

You always ask me when we are going to fly on a plane.

You will put yourself to bed when you are tired.

I hope you let me carry you to bed a few more years. You are a cool kid. I love you.

Flood

The other day I told Mads to get dressed and this is what he came up with...

He looks like a miniature person with a huge head!

Explanation: I sold his and G's dresser. At the time all of their clothes were in piles on the floor. I guess it was hard for him to distinguish between his and G's clothes. He put G's pants on and that is his shirt but the buttoning job is awesome. The picture doesn't really do it justice. You know how there is often an extra button on the inside of the shirt? He even used that button! It was hilarious.

He was so proud of himself too. I felt bad making him change.

Four? Gimme a break, right? Wrong!

Mads turned four this week. He has been asking when he turns four everyday for the last 6 months. He was so excited when it got closer. Finally the day came. As soon as I saw him I told him happy birthday. Then I told him how cool it was to be a four year old. He said, "I'm not four." I told him he was, and he said, "I don't feel four." It was pretty funny to me. I think he expected some sort of change. He told me maybe in eleven days he will be four. It took quite a bit of convincing, but we finally got to believe he was four. (That is, until the next day. We had to convince him all over again.)

He got into it a little more when I told him he could play video games. (He is usually only allowed to play on Saturdays.) Then he got to choose what he wanted for lunch. Arctic Circle. Corn dog. Playplace.

When we got home, he made sure Dare knew he was special. "It's my birthday, and I can do whatever I want!" is what we heard from him a few times. It's true! He got to play what he wanted to play, and watch what he wanted to watch.

Later, Grandma and Mark came over for some cake and ice cream. He got a new scooter, and helmet. He was pretty stoked about his Ben 10 helmet.

1000 Piece

I LOVE this picture!

There are so many stories being told in this picture.

I wish I could make it into a puzzle. Maybe I can.

Bones

Well, the floor is done. It has consumed my life enough, so we decided to finish it. And you know what's worse than a month of hard work to make your house look better? I'll tell you. A month of hard work making your house look better only to move a few weeks later. Yes, I'm moving. I'll go into that later. I have a lot of catching up to do first. Anyway, the floor looks awesome! I love it. The kitchen is my favorite part. It just looks so nice.

Here is Nate working so hard. This was near the beginning of the process so I was still in a good enough mood to take pictures.

One of the highlights of the process was the day I didn't have time to make the kids lunch so I let them eat chicken right off the carcass. I just threw a couple of pieces of bread at them and called it good. It cracked me up! They loved it though. They thought I was an awesome mom that day even though I knew better.

Looking back now, I'm actually pretty impressed that they were dressed that day. Maybe it was one of those days that we crammed in a trip to the grocery store and I was able to throw some clothes on the boys. No shoes though. Who needs them? It was probably at least 35 degrees that day. That is perfect barefoot weather!