Really not sure how I am going to cram all we did in the last six weeks into one post, but here we go:
The
day after Noah got out of school, the kids and I got on a plane headed
to Utah. We spent a few days at my parents’ home in Park City before
packing
up my awesome white rental minivan and heading for California. My mom,
THANKFULLY, was able to accompany us and, man, was she a huge help! I
have to say that the kids did very well, especially Max. We stopped in
Mesquite, NV, at one of my favorite hotels,
the Casablanca. We got there in time for the kids to burn off some
energy at the pool.
The
next morning we got back in the minivan (which we joked was the “party
bus”). One of the many features I liked about was the fact that she had
a DVD player, which is priceless when traveling with kids. We made a
pit stop ay Peggy Sue’s Diner, something I have honestly wanted to do
for 20 years. Let me tell you, it exceeded my expectations. If you’re
ever in Yermo, CA, take the advice from the
countless billboards and stop in!
When planning our summer, I had two family events to schedule into our first five weeks. The first was the 80th
birthday party for Mike’s
Grandma Sandy. I say “Mike’s grandma,” but she feels like a true
grandma to me, too. She is one of the most amazing people I know --
such loving and giving woman. Her party was so much fun, and I was
thrilled that we were able to get so many great photos.
The second family event was a family reunion on my mom’s side, but more
on that later.
We
packed A LOT into our 10 days in Orange County: a trip to the beach, a
birthday party for Amelia (she’s FOUR!!), Grandpa Ray and Noah attending
a
car show; we were lucky to see so many wonderful friends! Last by not
least, we spent three days at Disneyland (separated by a day of “rest”
in between – ha!).
Mike’s
work travel schedule somewhat lined up with ours, so he was able to
drive on the return trip to Utah with me and the kids as far as Las
Vegas.
We stayed at Caesar’s Palace for two nights, which was fun but not
quite the same when you have you’re three little kids. I cannot tell
you how many sideways looks I got from Noah…let’s just say it’s an
interesting crowd.
We
spent the next two weeks back at my parents’ house. The kids always
love it because they get so much “cousin time” with Kai and Aria, and I
love
it because I get my “hiking in the mountains” fix. It never ceases to
amaze me how beautiful the mountains are. Mike and I cashed in some of
his Hilton points and stayed at the Waldorf Astoria at The Canyons for
our 7th anniversary. We went to
Main Street for drinks, shopping and dinner; it was such a cool
experience to visit Main Street as a tourist. If you’ve never been to
Park City in the summer, I highly recommend it!
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| We grabbed a drink at High West Disterally |
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| My sister-in-law is amazing at face painting! |
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| Amelia and Kai getting married, Noah officiated. |
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| Noah, the magician, sawed Kai into two! |
The
trip ended with the Parker family reunion. I think the last one was in
2009, so it was great to catch up with my family. What made it even
more
special was getting to see the land my parents recently bought outside
of Evanston, WY. I had no idea it would be so beautiful, and I
completely understand why my parents fell in love with it!
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| The cabin of the owner my parents bought their land from. |
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| Noah and Kai in their boating adventure. |
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| The kids all loved the HUGE fireworks you can buy in WY. |
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| We went tubing on the river on my dads land, it was definitely one of my favorite parts of the reunion! |
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| Noah and my dad floating down the river. |
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| My wonderful grandparents, Gary and Dorothy Parker. |
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| Great grandparents with all their grand kids. |
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| Nana and Papa with all their grand kids. |
