Presidents Day Weekend

You know I keep thinking that life is going to slow down...and then it doesn't. Just when you thought our mundane routines would carry us through to the summer, we get a quick weekend visit from Nichole, Tyler, and Kate. They decided to come to enjoy a little snowy weather for the long holiday weekend. Tyler and Kate were so excited to play in the snow. Nichole was just a trooper for bringing them up! Life a true AZ native, she doesn't like being cold. It was a quick weekend, but we managed to fit in some fun activities and quality time with family. They arrived on Saturday (16th) at 2:00 p.m. I picked them up and headed straight to Midway where Jeff, Danny, and Jonas were waiting with snowmobiles. Jeff took Danny, Tyler, and Kate on a two-hour snowmobile ride up in the Wasatch mountains while Nichole, Jonas and I roamed around Midway until they were through. Tyler and Danny loved it! Kate got a little too cold, but she was still glad she went. We met up with the Tanners and everyone at 5:00 p.m. to allow the little boys to ride on the machines. Only Jonas and Nolan were brave enough. Camden and Lincoln simply enjoyed playing on the sleds.

Finally, we loaded up the machines and headed to the Ice Castles. Jeff took me to the Ice Castles on our first anniversary, and they were just as fun this time! It's amazing how they can create this little ice fortress complete with a fountain and ice slide! Jonas loved the ice slide. I think he would have stayed for another hour or more just going down the slide. However, after about an hour, those AZ natives were a little too cold so it was time to pack up and head down the mountain.

The following day (Sunday 19th) was pretty normal. Nichole, Tyler, and Kate had stayed with Krystle so we got up and did our normal Sunday activities before heading to Krystle's house later that afternoon. There we simply hung out and enjoyed each other's company. For dinner, we were invited to join the Tarwaters at Don and Sandy's house. We have always been close to these cousins so it was fun to associate with them too. That night, Jonas got to spend the night with Nolan and Camden. He was so excited! I think he would try to live with them if he could.

Monday (18th), Tyler, Dallin, and Danny went to Park City to go snowboarding all day. The rest of us, including Kaia, went to Salt Lake City. Another reason Nichole and Kate came to visit was to see a couple of church history sites so that Kate could pass off a personal progress goal for church. We first visited the Church History Museum. Krystle and I spent most of our time corraling the little boys while Nichole, Kate, and Kaia enjoyed the artifacts and history. Yet, I was still able to find little moments when I captured the boys' attention to tell them about the great heritage of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I loved being able to share my faith with them...even if it was only in small bursts of time throughout the museum.

After the museum, we walked around Temple Square before going to eat at Cheesecake Factory. You would think it would have been a total circus with 4 small boys, but they actually did pretty well. (Note to self: if you feed them they will sit still...for 15 minutes!)

Our final stop was the Beehive house. Brigham Young built this house. It was originally his office as the president of the church and the governor of the territory, but he eventually built a house onto it. We heard stories of those that lived there and those that visited. I don't know if Jonas understood anything about our visits today, but I enjoyed sharing it with him.

Nichole, Tyler, and Kate flew home on Tuesday afternoon. We had just enough time that morning to go to Rock Canyon park where Kate could sled. She originally wanted to do this on Saturday, but snowmobiling won out. However, I still think she enjoyed racing down the hills and catching air as she flew over the bumps. Nolan and Jonas were the only little boys brave enough to give it a try. Tyler went down once, but Dallin (who stayed home from school) and Kate were good enough to go down with Nolan and Jonas.

Afteward, we grabbed some lunch and killed some time at the University Mall before I took Nichole, Tyler, and Kate to the airport. It was a quick weekend, but a fun one! I wished they lived closer, but am grateful for how much I do get to see them.