After Lily's dental surgery she recovered really quickly. She only had one dose of the pain killer they sent home with her. So we packed up and headed out to visit family the very next morning. For this trip it was just the girls and I. Gordon had to stay home to study. I was worried because it was a 12 hour drive that I was doing alone. Lily really stepped up to take care of her sisters since I couldn't be the one doling out treats while driving. The girls watched movies and did really well. We stopped every two or three hours for a stretch and a bathroom break. So I made it, without falling asleep! Hooray!
We stayed with my sister, Amber, since she's the one with the kids (cousins) but were able to draw in several of my family members who live nearby to come and play with us too.
Our first day we went to a place in SLC that was a cute village. I don't recall the name. It was a freezing cold day, where the temperatures felt even colder because of the wind. Brrrr!
We ate lunch, then explored a little. We fed ducks that looked domesticated since they were so friendly and unafraid of the kids.
The kids at lunch (what a crowd!)
The Moms (two of them are Amber's friends who met up with us)
The village had a candy shoppe. We let the kids each choose a candy (the highlight of their trip!)
The second day the wind died down and let us have a pleasant day. We took advantage and had a picnic at the park. I didn't take my camera, so
pictures can be found here. Later that day we stopped by a feed store and held chicks and ducklings. They were so cute and all the girls were convinced we should take one home. We mean parents held our ground and didn't give in, we didn't take any birds home with us.
Saturday we went to
the Utah House. This was a field trip for the adults. It's a house built trying to be the most efficient it can. They have carpet made out of recycled water bottles. The fridge is extra insulated. It's landscaped with the trees in just the right spots to give shade to the windows that would get too much sun. It gave us ideas of things we could do to our own houses (someday when I own a house again). :) The girls weren't too impressed though. This was Abigail's take on the whole thing.
Sunday we drove the twelve hours home. The weather wasn't encouraging. It was snowing and windy, the visibility was low. I was tempted to turn around and wait another day to make the drive. But once we were past Spanish Fork Canyon the snow stopped. The wind didn't though, I tried to take a couple pictures to show you...
We had dust storms the whole rest of the way. At one of the gas stations I stopped at the satellite had been knocked out and they couldn't dial in for credit card purchases. I was the lucky first customer right after that happened, so it was with my card that the cashier had to call on and figure out why she was getting weird messages.
Here are the girls on the way home:
