A Fall Visit with Grandma & Grandpa

My parents came to visit. It was the first time they had been out here in the fall.

When they first arrived, my dad was not feeling all that well. Carolyn sensed it, and made sure she spent some time cuddling with him on the couch.

Once he started to feel better, he decided it was time to do a project. In previous trips, he has taken scrap wood and built stairs leading from the driveway to the upstairs garden. I believe this corner is now finished, with the new wooden gate he built from old cedar we removed from the other side of the house. While he was building, my mom and I went to a movie.

One day, we all went to a park/farm where there was a farmer's market, wagon rides, a hay maze, a pumpkin patch, and lots of Carolyn's friends.

I told Carolyn that she could stay home from school since G'ma and G'pa were in town, but on Monday, she insisted on going to school because it is pizza day for lunch, her class goes to dance studio in the morning, and she has "musical theater" club in the afternoon. She likes school everyday, but Mondays are definitely her favorite day. She was simply not willing to miss it. However, she was very excited when Grandma and Grandpa came to pick her up. She showed them everything, including the fish tank in the lobby.

On Monday night, Carolyn and Grandma had a slumber party. That meant that Grandpa got kicked out of the bedroom. Carolyn said that he could sleep in her bed, but we decided he was too big to fit in her bed, so she helped me set up a bed for him on the couch in the living room. After we got the pillows and blankets set up, she started to bring him all sorts of goodies .... next to his bed, she gave him a night-light, her best stuffed animal friend named "girl" the elephant, a glass of water, and some books. I think she felt kind of bad for kicking him out of the bed, so wanted to make sure he would be comfortable. (I wish I took a picture of the bed she made for him; it was sweet!)

On their final day in town, Carolyn decided that it would be OK to skip school, so we went to a place called Gardner Village. It is a little shopping area that was completely decorated for halloween, primarily with elaborate displays of witches. Carolyn was mesmerized with the witch flying in the sky on a bicycle. We did the scavenger hunt where we had to find all sorts of witches and ate lunch at the restaurant in the old mill. It was a perfect weather and a lot of fun. (oh yeah, and Carolyn who likes to dress up any chance she gets was thrilled to wear her witch costume for the day)

It was sad saying good-bye, but we always look forward to our next visit! And, this time, it isn't even that long of a wait. We will see you over Thanksgiving!

And the award goes to ....

.... the Cole's!

Jen and Pierce have been to SLC to visit us 14 times. Seriously, they are great friends!

On this trip, the boys played a couple rounds of golf, which meant that Jen got to experience, first-hand, how limited our options are when having to work around the needs and schedules of an unpredictable toddler. Nevertheless, we got out a bit and enjoyed their visit. All of the adults went to a new restaurant in town, followed by a rousing game of Scattegories afterwards. We also enjoyed a couple of sunsets and dinners on the deck. Jen and I tried to find the U of M alumni group to watch the season opener game, only to find a bar that was suddenly closed. Then, we found a bar that was open with a TV, only to have the game get rained out. Jen accompanied Carolyn and I to the zoo, while we all made it to Snowbird Resort for an Oktoberfest celebration.

I am proud to say that while at the Oktoberfest, Steve and I won a contest, by dancing with an egg balanced between our foreheads. We technically tied with another couple, but still received the prize -- two tram tickets.

After we had free tram tickets in our hands, we decided to go up to the top of the mountain. Great views. Very chilly. Jen and I hiked down to the chair lift, while the boys and Carolyn took the tram back down.

holiday

Most mornings Carolyn asks if it is "holiday" -- that means it is a day without school. If it is a holiday, her wheels start turning and she begins to plan her day. She tells us whether she wants to go to the zoo, the museum, visit with friends, or play outside. She quickly fills her holiday with fun plans of what she wants to do. Last month, she had an extra special holiday when Grandma came to town. She arrived on a Thursday (around lunch) and stayed until Monday. She got to skip school on Thursday and Friday, making it an extra long holiday. Our days were filled with lots of fun. Our first stop was to the zoo - of course. She always has to show her visitors Baby Zuri. Grandma let her have a pink ice cream cone too.

On Friday, we went to the aquarium. Then a restaurant called the Mayan, where cliff divers, fire dancers, and arial artists put on a show every 15 minutes. Seriously, the divers dove into a pool 30-40 feet below. It was pretty cool.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to the library. Then, she insisted that grandma read her every book she borrowed. Plus, she got to pick out a movie (Finding Nemo) that she watched with grandma and dad. She thought it was so sad - because the mom and all her babies die at the beginning. She cannot stop talking about how sad that movie was. Carolyn is very sensitive.

Later that evening, Grandma got to meet a lot of Carolyn's friends from day care at a birthday party at "Little Gym." Now, that was fun!

On Sunday, the rain and snow finally stopped, so we took grandma to the farm.

Carolyn and Grandma had a slumber party every night. We could hear them giggling and talking until late in the evening. In particular, grandma taught Carolyn two new games that she has loved sharing with us and her friends. The first one is to say, "I love you more than ..." Carolyn's favorite is "I love you more than cupcakes." She also learned "I see something you don't see, and the color is..." She is so amazed when we guess what she has picked. All holidays must come to an end. Grandma had to leave on Monday morning. When Carolyn woke up, she looked around and came to me with a sad little face, saying "Is Grandma already on the big jet?" Then, she said, "I miss grandma already." The next question was "Today is not a holiday, is it?" Nope. Back to our normally scheduled days.

Holiday

Carolyn learned a new word, holiday! And, oh how she loves her holidays!

On February 10th, my mom called and asked whether we would mind her coming for a last-minute trip, arriving on the 17th. ...... Do we mind? No way. Steve and I had been scrambling the week before because my trip to New Orleans (which had been planned for quite some time) suddenly was colliding with Steve's rescheduled sales meeting in Cleveland. We had thankfully found some friends who were willing to watch Carolyn for the time when both steve and I were going to be gone, but now even better, grandma would be here.

I do not think Carolyn even realized that both mommy and daddy were gone. Or if she did realize, she did not care because she and Grandma had a lot of fun on their holiday together. They had slumber parties every night. They did crafts and games every day. They baked cookies. They bought new ballerina shoes. And, Carolyn saw her first movie (Tangled) at the movie theater. She liked it, but thought it "was a little scary." When the bad guys came on the screen, she sat up really straight and said, "Help me! I have to go to the bathroom." The next time they came on, she turned to me and said, "I think I need to run away." In the middle of the movie, she decided she needed to sit in the front row so she could "touch the big TV" and "dance with the pretty girl."

Several times since Grandma left, she has asked if we can have a holiday. In her mind, holiday means that she does not have to go to school, and that Grandma comes with her bag of tricks and surprises!

THANKS, MOM.

I think this was your best visit ever because we really needed you!

Carolyn can't stop talking about her holiday.

October Visitors

First, Scott came. It was a short trip, filled with lots of golf, but Steve so enjoyed having his brother come visit.

Next, my dad came for a week. He helped with some front-of-the-house projects (he built new stairs going to the garden), and he enjoyed spending time with Carolyn. He even babysat one night, so Steve and I went to a movie. A great trip!

We love having family visit us. We wish we could see all of you more often.

Carol + Lynn = Carolyn

Carolyn's namesakes (and grandmothers) came to Utah: Grandma Carol & Grandma Lynn.

The visit was short, but we loved every minute of it.

We went to the zoo.

Carolyn learned what an ice cream sundae is.

We had a picnic at Red Butte.

The grandmas took Carolyn to a Gymboree class.

They taught her the "Jack and Jill" nursery rhyme.

We all played Scrabble.

Steve took them on a scenic drive over the mountains.

We enjoyed a Thai feast together.

And in general, Carolyn talked and sang everyone's ears off.

Moms, we miss you and love you. How we wish you got to see Carolyn more often! We try to keep the blog updated as much as possible with mundane activities, so you can experience her antics on a fairly regular basis, but I know that is not the same as spending time with her. Thanks for coming out.

This last photo is for you, Grandma "Care"

(C cannot say "Carol")