Weekend with mom and dad

Mom and dad were here for the weekend and it was perfection. They got here around 4 on Friday (with balloons in tow... princesses for abigail and sports balls for brady) and we hung out and then went to the Hilliers for Nate's birthday dinner. Delicious steak and potatoes for dinner and make your own pies for dessert. Hanging out was so much fun. Especially seeing Steph. And at the end when dad was helping Klaudette with her phone and "hallie" and "bongo."

Saturday was a day of work. My parents earned their keep this weekend... Especially Saturday.  we did have an amazing breakfast.  christopher made us french toast and we topped it with some delectable peaches that mom and dad brought and added cream cheese to the mix.  along with the regulars... butter, syrup, powdered sugar.  it was heavenly.  but after that it was a whole lot of sweat and hard labor.  mom and i worked in the yard pruning and hacking at dead branches and pulling out bushes and tree stumps and just totally going through the backyard.  we made three enormous piles of branches that dad and christopher hauled down to the tall grasses near the water retention area.  it was amazing.  dad also fixed our upstairs toilet that would sometimes run too long and dad and chris [with quite a bit of trouble] managed to reverse the doors of the fridge/freezer in my garage since they opened toward the wall and it was tricky and annoying to get to things.  we started working sometime around 10am i think and we didn't stop working til late afternoon around five or six.  brady was a gem and slept in til 1pm.  so it was super nice to have that uninterrupted time to work in the yard and not worry about having to put him down for a nap.  the kids just kind of floated around the house while everyone was working and it was all great.  we went to texas roadhouse for dinner and then chris took the kids home and got them to bed while mom and dad and i stopped by home depot for a few things (spider spray, caulk and gun, razor blades, and a saw).  after the kids were in bed, we played sequence and ate kettle corn.

sunday was great.  we had ward conference and i didn't even try to put brady in nursery.  i just took him with me to second and third hour and i loved actually hearing lessons in sunday school and relief society!  amazing!  after church, we came home and binged on random food from the fridge and later, honey grilled hamburgers for us.  as mom and dad loved to comment... we ate a whole lot of red meat that weekend.  our adventure of sunday afternoon was that abigail's balloon escaped to our great room ceiling.  dad and abigail had this plan to turn on the fan so it would fly to the side of the room closer to the stairs.  well, it just got tangled in the fan instead.  luckily, my dad can solve anything and devised a plan that involved hockey sticks ("double hockey sticks" as he liked to call them) and masking tape.  it worked like a charm and with mom dashing to the rescue, we were able to secure the princess balloon once again.  fun was had by almost all.  ; )

monday, we woke up and got to work.  mom and i did some sorting of boxes in the basement to get a bunch of stuff together that we could throw out with recycling.  dad's big project was my master shower.  out with the old and in with the new.  old caulk is a disgusting thing.  i would never have been able to stomach that by myself.  also, the drains for my master shower and sinks... they're perfectly clean now.  i spent most of my last hours with mom and dad convincing them that they needed to come back before and after their conference trip.  they're such lifesavers... it would have taken me absolutely forever (if ever) to accomplish all of this stuff without them.  it makes such a difference for my mood being able to knock out some of these big/long standing projects that i've had on my mind for the longest time.

so yes, it's a little sad we didn't get to go to the pool or go on bike rides or go hiking or see the chihuly exhibit at night or do any of the other fun activities we thought of.  just call me crazy, this was just way more satisfying.  i gave a talk in church recently about what i learned from my parents growing up and i focused a lot on my dad and how he was always working and getting things done and being productive and enjoying it and now i didn't enjoy it as a kid but now i do.  well, this just sealed it.  i'm a convert to the pleasure of a little hard work.

crossing my fingers they come back next month.  ; )

last day in atlanta

i woke up and got packed and ready and we were actually out the door by 11!  once again experiencing almost no travel/packing anxiety!  i truly never expected to see progress in this area of my life but for some [very unexpected and unknown] reason, it's been happening... even if it's temporary, i'll take it!  it's AMAZING!

brady saw this picture of my dad and kept saying "chase!  i want chase!"  ha.  chase is my cousin's kid... family genes run strong.

we went shopping for toilets at lowes.  my biggest regret of the trip is that mom and i didn't have more time to run errands like this or tackle any organizing projects.  i blame brady and that i had to take a 2-3 hour nap with him every afternoon instead of having that alone time with my mom.  maybe next time?

brady was sooo tired all the time (i think waking up during the night and cosleeping with me the rest of the night left him as unrested and tired as i felt.  he fell asleep as soon as we left lowes and was still out cold when we arrived at fat matt's to meet dad for lunch.

so even though people are getting arrested for this sort of stuff these days... we chanced it and left him in the car.  see that rolled down window above abigail's head?  that's brady semi photobombing the picture.  lunch was superb and abigail was well behaved and brady slept through the entire thing.

still out when we got back to the car after lunch.  don't worry... we checked on him VERY frequently while we were eating and were within earshot of him as well.

not sure how we lucked out with such pleasant weather in the middle of july but it was amazing!  so so pleasant!

we went to the atlanta botanical gardens for a few hours and it was wonderful.  all of my pictures from that are on my big camera and will have to be posted later.  like every other time, abigail wanted to be pushed in the stroller and brady wanted to be held.  we had our arms full.

we stopped in the cell phone lot to feed both kids (mostly brady) before the flight.  lots of mandarin oranges.  i had to wake brady up to eat and initially he was so upset that he wouldn't, but when he did... man, the kid downed so much food!  a full belly = a happy brady.  also, i rigged abigail's beach bag (from her wonderful aunt bekah) so she could carry her own snacks and entertainment and it worked pretty well.  abigail and brady were both really well behaved during the whole travel experience.  in the airport, on the plane, and in the denver airport.   

abigail shared a brief but precious friendship with this girl when she complimented abigail's shirt and sandals.  they sat next to each other on the train and talked about their trips.  this girl was several years older and probably four times abigail's size but neither of them cared.  i love kids' lack of prejudice in that regard.  i was sad they couldn't visit more at baggage claim.  as i said, it was a very brief friendship.

brady and i were feeling pretty amazing about how well our travel experience was going.  and he totally rocked it on the airplane and both kids got tons of compliments on their excellent behavior.  the last 30 minutes of the flight the kids were having trouble breathing from laughing so hard and i kept thinking "what? we're almost landing?! i could do another two hours if i needed to!"  that doesn't frequently happen.  ; )

i got one of our bags and they instantly sat down to rest their wearied traveled feet.

and they thought these things were the funnest things ever.

so that entertained them until christopher arrived... which took him a while due to airport traffic and once again i was thinking... we could do this for another hour if we needed to!  but luckily we didn't and that was great too.

it was a really great day.

abigail's birthday some more

non iphone photos from abigail's birthday

saturday

saturday morning was supposed to be palling around (to see chris's grandma and then have lunch with my aunt libby) with mom and the kids but friday night after lisa's show, mother started feeling sick and spent the rest of the night (until morning) throwing up and feeling terrible.  sooo, we were initially hoping it was just some dinner that didn't sit right but it became apparent that it was some sort of 24 hour bug.  so saturday morning abigail and brady and i slept in til 9 or so but then discovered that mom was sick and i'm not authorized to drive the rental car (and dad was at church training all day... their reason for the visit to utah).  so then i was going over as many options as possible of how to best use our remaining hours in utah.  the thing that worked out was calling chris's aunt (see... i married into the family and just treat them as my own) and explaining the situation.  so she came by the hotel to pick up me and the kids and we all went to grandma virginia's house for a nice visit.  i am 100% in love with chris's grandma virginia (my father in law's mother) because she is absolutely adorable.  her voice is sweet and her mannerisms are sweet and she's funny (my favorite is that she always says "i'm going mental" because she's lost much of her memory) but really because she is an absolute saint.  really, everyone that knows her will tell you the same thing.  when we were deciding potential names for abigail, we were trying to figure out a way to name her after grandma virginia.  but with a name like belva virginia... it wasn't happening.  but brady's middle name is robert (for grandpa hillier) so that's our link to these precious grandparents.

anyways, grandma virginia lives alone now and can barely see.  i can only imagine how lonely that must get.  i wasn't aware she knew i was going to stop by, but when i went to her house and saw this on her calendar, my heart melted and i was so grateful that i was able to find a way to get the kids and myself over for a visit.

yes, hillier is misspelled.  and yes, that is her last name too.  i told you she's precious.

 

 

chris's aunt is always giving abigail tons of clothes and dresses and stuff and this time she brought clothes and shoes but also this minnie mouse hair set.  brady's is the curling iron.  they had fun with it while we were visiting.

now tell me this isn't the sweetest thing ever.  and see grandma virginia's shirt?  when we got out of the car abigail was freaking out because she and grandma have the same shirt.  she was talking about the sweater she was wearing in this post.  love it.

i adore this woman.  through and through.  her heart is really as pure as they come and she is one in a million.

and then we got back to the airport at 12:30, just in time to check in on my mom in the hotel room and get our stuff to the curb to wait for my aunt libby to come pick us up and take us to the airport.  the plan was for all of us to go out to lunch... but i guess hitching a ride to the airport is second place.  

this was the setup i used to single handedly get all of us and our stuff to the counter to check in.  that cheap stroller doesn't steer with one hand (especially with 100+lbs of stuff on it) so i was awkwardly squat pulling the stroller (by the carseat) and my rolling carry-on bag.  and i got plenty of audible "she's got her hands full" comments from people amused by the spectacle i was putting on.  also, i asked abigail to stand by the bag and smile.  this is what she gave me.

have no fear.  brady was doing fine under there!

and i'm so sad i missed temple square!  next time for sure.  maybe i'll even take advantage of the free shuttle!

 my honey and mark, john, and nate arrived at the other end of A, so we waited by the escalator for a minute and met up with them.  abigail was thrilled. 

honey told me all about his crazy week (because this was the first time we'd actually talked all week) as we drove home... with a quick stop by the office so he could pick up a few things.  of course both kids passed out in the car.  and going right along with tradition, brady woke up when we arrived and abigail stayed fast asleep.  i let her keep sleeping in the garage for an hour or two and finally unbuckled her and carried her up to her crib.  she woke up when i put her in but was fine once i brought up her pink nalgene sippy (ocd much?) and... slept until 9 am the following morning.  almost 16 hours straight.  this trip wore her out.  brady, on the other hand, didn't go to sleep til after ten.  and woke up at 2:30, didn't go back to sleep for 45 minutes, and then was up again by 9.  that kid.

when we got home, i started the search for my keys, which i'd put in a "safe place" during the trip.  emptying out my purse looking for my keys, i found the rest of my ruby snap cookie and was just savoring a bite when...

i got this text.

fyi, i did NOT text her a picture of my mouth.

 but really, i am soooo craving another maris right now.  apparently you can buy the frozen dough balls and bake them yourself... which is what lisa was eating.  a little less expensive... and you can eat it hot.  mmmm.  

 

 

and then i called lisa up on the phone and made her talk to me for an hour.  because i missed her so badly.  and because i have a hard time returning home from trips.  it's always extremely bittersweet for me.  and christopher wasn't there to comfort me (when we got home and i was looking for my keys, he realized he left his ipad on the plane in the pocket of the seat back in front of him.  so he had to call the airline and go back to pick it up.  annoying mistake but thankfully it wasn't lost for good!

so that's a wrap!  this took way too long but 24 hours after our return... and my whole three day trip is documented!  now i can relive it whenever i want!  i'm already trying to figure out when i can sneak away to utah again... who knew it could be so insanely fun out there?!?!  i'm in love.

brigadoon

and then it was time for the play!!!  which was pretty much the whole reason behind this trip anyways!  

my first time at the hale theater.  the crowd was very... geriatric.

we struggled to get a decent shot with an iphone (even had the girl behind us take a pictures with her phone and text them to me.  ultimately, this was the best shot... but only in black and white.  it was worth the trouble though because this was the only picture i have with my parents... from the entire trip!

it was a circle stage down below.  so so cool.

after the play.  the guy on the right was the male lead that does the tues, thurs, sat shows... but he was filling in that night.  as lisa said earlier in the day.  "yup, gonna kiss someone new tonight."  she's so funny.  and that guy was cute.

pretty much everyone in the entire theater cleared out before i made my way to give lisa my biggest fan adoring praise.  while i waited i talked to the two guy leads.  one commented that lisa has had more friends attend her play than he has... and he's from salt lake.  lisa confirmed later it was true.  ha poor guy.  weed just has really loving friends.  and she's that good.  so then we talked forever in the lobby while dad took a million and one candid shots.  some of them were actually pretty funny.

 

 

 

this one was the best.  as weed untangled her wig hair from her fingers.

 back at the grandparents, abigail had asked for a blanket and put herself to sleep on the sofa.  it was after 10 and she'd been awake 15 hours so i can't really blame her.  goodness she's cute.

and then we made it back to the hotel.  abigail stayed asleep as we took her from the grandparents, to the car, got her buckled, drove to the hotel, unbuckled, carried all the way up to our room, laid in bed, took off her pants, put on a diaper, and tucked her in.  that's one sleepy girl.  

 

brady stayed awake while we drove to the airport, so after a few squeeze applesauce packets, i got him ready for bed.  and at midnight, when everyone was in bed and the lights were out, i nursed him and laid him in the crib (awake!) and for the first (and only) time the whole trip (with the exception of the car seat), he put himself to sleep without a fuss!  and slept all the way until 9 the next morning!  hallelujah that was great!  especially because i got to snuggle abigail all night too!  now, that's what i call a good night's sleep!

weed

a little before one, we made it to lisa's house in the stratosphere.  it is on the mountain right by the U.  not the university, the actual "U" on the mountain.  as i put the car seats in lisa's car, she gave abigail this little brave doll that had been hanging out on her back seat.  well, that little doll was abigail's bff for the next several hours.  what an imagination this girl has!  she was a constantly singing and making up dialogue with this little merida.

abigail even moved her feet to help her walk on the driveway.

 weed took us to this great little breakfasty sort of brunch place.  judging from my experience there, this is where every hipster in the greater salt lake area chooses to brunch.  i don't blame them though, the food was out of this world.  weed and i split an omelet (the johnie boy?  i can't remember... it was a special written on the chalk board) and then shared with abigail off of our plates.  the flavors were impeccable.  the sausage was PERFECT.  i haaaaaave to go back here next time.

they split our order for us on two plates.  so really this was only half of the order.  i have no idea how anyone could eat an entire order themselves.  omelette, toast, and "park potatoes" (hash browns) served piping hot.  mmmmm.

abigail's favorite was the toast... loaded up with the mixed berry jam of course.

her napkin looked like a blood bath.

with good reason.

 

 

photography by abigail.

after we finished at the park cafe, we headed to the actual park (liberty park), directly across the street.  it was gorgeous.  and all full of fall.  crunch autumn leaves everrrrrrywhere.

 

i was in heaven

 we thought it'd be fun to feed the ducks but we all forgot to save some toast from our brunch.  ohmygoodnessitwassoooooogood.  luckily... cheerios to the rescue!  so we walked around to find a warm place in the sun.  we headed to the little peninsula (with another gazebo!) and there were a million and one eager to eat ducks.

 

 

we found some trash that we thought should be thrown away before it blew in the water or injured a duck.  i was holding brady so i gave lisa a stick and told her to go throw it away... y'know, since i was holding brady.  i'm a really great friend.

so. many. ducks.  we kept calling abigail "fearless" because how on earth was she not afraid of all of these giant birds surrounding her?!  lisa helped her name them so by the time brady and i got there (and i'd had to take a short phone call) they were affectionately referring to brownie and blackie and ummm, i can't remember the rest.

see that little mud puddle by her feet?  eventually her foot slipped in and her foot was covered in a thick coat of mud.  so i used baby wipes to clean off her foot and while i was cleaning her shoe, she walked away.  i couldn't figure out why lisa was laughing until i looked up and saw abigail hobbling, half barefoot, down to the water to visit the ducks.  i love that kid.  

see?  literally across the street from the park.  just heading back to get the car.  the one covered in weird berries.  and don't let the empty parking spaces fool you... this place was booming when we were there, but when we returned after visiting the park, it was closed.  otherwise, you wouldn't find any available parking.

by this time, both kids were tired, so we all hopped in the car to drive around sugarhouse and look at all the cute houses.  we also happened to see a chocolate shop and thought it'd be fun to stop in there.  ummm, it was super gourmet, high end chocolate (like $80 for 3 lbs) and looked like the receptionist waiting area in an office building.  but the guy in there was nice (utah state grad student) and let us each have a sample (that originally would be $1.50 for a single little square of chocolate).  lisa got a caramel, i got a dark chocolate truffle, and i can't remember what abigail chose.  but they were all wonderful.  luckily, the guy was more interested in chatting it up with lisa than trying to sell us any chocolates.  

at 4:30, we went to chris's grandparents' house to drop off the kids.  i talked to them weeks ago and they said they would watch the kids for me while my parents and i went to see lisa's play.  when i talked to them wednesday night i told them we were going to see brigadoon at the hale theater and they said they'd just seen it monday night and that it was phenomenal.  raved about it.  then i told them my best friend was the lead.  i felt pretty legit.  chris's grandma couldnt' believe it and went on and on about how amazing her voice was and even went to get her program to confirm that we were talking about the same lisa zimmerman.  ha.  i'm friends with a celebrity.  so when lisa and i showed up to drop the kids off, grandma joan just kept telling lisa how awesome she was.  it was a lot of fun.  pulling away from their house lisa asked, "do you ever get nervous around chris's family?"  ummm nope.  actually, most of the time, i forget they're not my own.  ha.

so then we drove to the citris grill to meet my parents for dinner.  and i took a picture of this merida doll in case abigail asked about her later... at least i would have a picture.

we got to the restaurant at 5 because lisa needed to be at the theater by 6:30 for hair and makeup.  well, this place was cozy and intimate and didn't get busy until later.  and even when it did, it stayed quiet and we were in our booth, never noticing anyone else in the restaurant.  i hate when restaurants are too loud and this one was perfect.  also perfect?  these two things.

spinach artichoke dip (this was only a half serving!) and the apple pecan bread pudding with caramel pecan sauce (in this family, we eat dessert first... or in this case, with/as our appetizer) were both fantastic.  each bite was the hardest choice ever deciding which one i would go for.

lisa got a half order of the cobb salad and i got a half order of the shrimp scampi and we shared.  

dad got the maple cured pork loin and mom got the butternut squash fettuccine (both half servings and they were plenty!) which were also great.  so much good food.

we finished a little after six, moved the carseats over again, and wished lisa good luck!  and then mom and dad and i killed time at rei for a bit.  and got abigail a new nalgene bottle (since her other one got lost in the previous rental car) and got brady a green nalgene bottle (because they are the best sippy cups ever) and did NOT get the maple bacon chocolate the cashier was trying to sell dad on.  i couldn't even say "chocolate" without wanting to barf.  so so full.  so much sugar.  so much food.