Week with the Tanners!

This week was Spring Break, and we were fortunate enough to have my sister, Krystle, and her three boys (Nolan, Camden and Lincoln) stay with us for the week. Krystle and her little family are moving back to Utah! We are so excited to have them closer!! Jordan got a job in SLC so they'll be moving to north Utah County or south Salt Lake county, but that's so much closer than Houston. In any case, Krystle and Jordan drove out with the boys on Easter weekend. They got to Utah late Sunday (4/1) evening then Jordan flew back to TX on Monday to finish packing up the house. Krystle stayed until Friday (4/6) then flew back as well - leaving the boys here while they drove the moving van from Texas. Needless to say, our Spring Break was CRAZY!! I have a new appreciation for moms who have multiples (twins, triplets, or more!). We had 4 boys ages 4 and under for one week. At first, Jonas loved having some little boys around to play with, but by the end of the week, he eagerly informed me that he was "done sharing". Poor kid has never had to share his toys or my attention. It was a rude awakening for him, but he was a trooper. For the most part he did ok. I could tell he was trying. (I could also tell he knew when he was going to get in trouble and would quickly hand over whatever toy if he saw me coming his way.) It will be good to have his cousins around so he can learn to share and take turns better. I think that's a struggle we all have to an extent, but as adults we're not allowed to cry and throw a fit if forced to share (although even that is debatable in some instances). I guess it's a learning process for life.

To maintain our sanity, we kept the boys busy but not so much that we were stressed out. On Monday (4/2), we just stayed around the house while Krystle and Jordan completed some errands here before Jordan flew back to TX. I had some leftover Easter candy and plastic eggs so the boys and I hid eggs again. Actually, the boys hid their own eggs then would run back and "find" them. We spent at least 20 minutes doing this. The rest of the day, the boys enjoyed "working" with Dallin out in the shop, climbing on the tractor, jumping on the trampoline, etc.

Tuesday (4/3), Krystle and I decided to venture out. We took the boys to the Springville Museum of Art for their monthly "guppy group". I have taken Jonas to this group since its inception last fall. Each month the museum volunteers pick a theme then present activities, songs, and art to go along with that activity. This month we learned about letters. In our first station, the volunteer would show us a letter and we would find an object starting with that letter in a piece of art. In the next station, there was a "mystery" bag that the volunteer would pick an item out of then match a letter with that item. Finally, the boys were able to decorate a paper with the first letter of their name. I think that was their favorite station.

After the museum, we did a Costco run (and provided a healthy hot dog and samples lunch for the boys) before returning home. That evening, we took the boys to Sip 'N for a soda and cookie then let them play at the park.

Wednesday was another day spent at home. Krystle's boys just loved being able to be outside and run around without fear. We played on Katie's playground, swung on the swings, and jumped on the trampoline. Danny even took Nolan and Jonas on rides on his motorbike. (Camden didn't want to.) After lunch, we took a walk around the loop to see some of our neighbor's foals. Once Jonas went down for a nap, Nolan decided to try the zipline and I took Nolan, Camden and Krystle on a little side-by-side ride.

Thursday we ventured out again. The weather was turning colder and it was supposed to rain so there weren't too many outside activities for the rest of the weekend. Welcome to Spring in Utah! You can never count on good weather. Anyways, we took the boys to the library to let them play in a different environment. They seemed to enjoy themselves. Afterwards, we drove over to the temple to let the boys walk around. They were definitely more interested in the water fountains than anything else.

When we got home, I took Nolan, Camden and Jonas on another side-by-side ride so Krystle could have a little break. We visited my friend's house. She teaches equestrian riding and has a bunch of horses. The boys liked seeing all the horses but the mini one was their favorite. The rest of the afternoon, we enjoyed playing outside before the rain came.

Friday (4/6) was a rainy, dreary day. Luckily, our plans didn't include too many outside activities. Today was Laurin's birthday so we all jumped in the car and drove to Ogden to spend a few hours celebrating with her. We met up at the Hill Aerospace Museum to let the boys see all the cool old planes. Unfortunately, there weren't any planes for the boys to climb in or on, which proved to be very distressing to Camden and Jonas. Still, I think they liked seeing the variety of planes and we did find a "cockpit" for the boys to climb in (aka...an old photo booth that wasn't working any more. Laurin brilliantly told them it was a plane so they could feel like they got in a plane. They pushed the buttons and posed for funny pictures).

After the museum, we went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch. I was glad that we were able to celebrate with Laurin. It's hard when kids grow up and move away. It's weird how many things change. It's weird to think that she's been home from her mission for a year. We are super proud of the woman she is...and is becoming. We are excited to see what this new year brings.

On the way home, I dropped Krystle off at the airport. The next 24 hours I had all the boys! Luckily, I had my older boys (Jeff included) to help out. Saturday (4/7) was a little harder for everyone because the Tanner boys missed their mom and there was only so much we could do inside while it rained outside...all....day! The boys played with all the toys, had nerf wars, played games, and helped me make cookies. I was sad to drop them off at Jordan's parents' house that evening...and minorly relieved for the break. (Is that bad to say? I have a new appreciation for all of Krystle's hard work! Juggling three boys at once is not for the faint of heart!!) I loved having my sister and nephews in town. I love that they will be living so much closer! I love family! That's what life is all about.