Road Trippin'

subtitle for this post 

We Shoulda Took a Plane 

Maybe the worse part of a family trip is the packing!  My mom was a HUGE help this time.  I think forever more I will make her fly in to help me at least pack.

We came home from church and immediately took off their clothes and organized them for church the next week.  We did this cool thing I found on Pinterest.  We put all the kids clothes in Ziploc bags.  I didn't get any pictures of that, but my older five kids fit into ONE suitcase for two weeks! It was SO handy while on vacation.  The suitcase stayed organized, and each day the kids could find their own clothes easily and get dressed etc.  I will do this forever.

 I put together the outfits then my mom would put them in a bag and label them.

Karl just laid there completely unaware that we were leaving him.

I really just wanted to play with this cute guy who was getting buried in all the piles of clothes.

Day One - 

Drove from Home to Rexburg, Idaho to stop over for the night and to visit my baby sister and her husband.

After five minutes in the car Harrison asked, "Are we there yet?"  He asked it at least 25 times throughout the day.  About halfway there we heard him mutter under his breathe,  
"We shoulda took a plane."
Remember the last time he went to Denver?  It was by plane.  Yes, it was WAY faster!!!

My mom and I were so tired that morning.  I was going on about 2 hours of sleep.  The result was I had the giggles most of the day, especially that morning.  Every time Harrison asked, "Are we there yet?"  I would start to laugh, and mom and I had so much fun coming up with new fun ways to answer the question.  All of which made me laugh even harder.  I was tired... OK?

The kids were so excited that they didn't go to sleep that morning after getting in the van at 4:30 AM!  They ate breakfast at 6 AM (I had it packed in the van.) In my mom's words, "We had to perform an exorcism on Bennett when he realized his mother forgot his milk."  At 9 AM they all started to ask for lunch.

I went to all this trouble to get the first Harry Potter Audio Book uploaded on my iPhone.  The plan was to stream it through the stereo in the van, but our DVD system uses the same station even if the viewers are on headsets.  The plan had been for the little boys to watch movies, while the older kids and adults listened to the book.  It did not work.  We were bummed.  Every time we tried to listen to the book instead of watch a movie, the little boys would start to lose it.  We got to the third chapter. 

Harrison under his blanket so he could see the screen on Glenn's DS while playing Mario Kart.

We had lots of Rest Stop fun.  Here are the kids in Idaho somewhere.  It was SO hot!

 After traveling all day I looked over at my mom and suddenly realized that her shirt was inside out!  It had been the whole day!  Hilarious!  Yes, I got the giggles again.

We made it to Rexburg, Idaho at about 7 PM.

We got to stay in a hotel that night with a pool.  We got pizza for dinner with Bailey and Garrett. We went swimming and visited.  It was really wonderful.  I was going on empty so I fell asleep before they even left our hotel room.  I had only gotten 2 hours of sleep the night before, so I was WASTED!  Thank heavens my mom was there to help all along.

 All six kids in their swim suits, eating pizza and ready to go play!

Bennett is very attached to Grandma.

Day Two - 

We got up and ate breakfast at the hotel with Bailey.  Lily showed the boys how to make waffles.  We packed up and checked out.  We then went to see Bailey's apartment and drop off all the maternity and baby girl clothes I brought for her.  I had seen pictures of their apartment, and she's told me many times how tiny it was.  I have to say that nothing could have prepared me for how small that apartment is!  Bailey has turned it in to a very cute little home for her and Garrett.

Five of the kids - up in the morning getting ready to eat and head to Denver.

Bailey loved getting to meet Theo.

My kids love hotel breakfast.

Lily taking a ride on the luggage rack.

 He really loves his Grandma.

We got Subway sandwiches and played at the coolest splash park I've ever seen EVER!

My mom took tons of pictures on her camera, and I uploaded them, but they apparently never loaded:(
The splash park had water slides and colorful sprinklers.  It was like a mini water park!

My older kids were really upset when they heard we were checking out of the hotel with a pool to go to a splash park.  They all had major attitudes and refused to put their swim suits on.  When we got to the park they were stunned by the awesomeness of it.  Needless to say I ended up having to dig their suits out for them so they could change in the van.

We said good bye and left Bailey, and headed to Denver.  I was so sad to leave her.  We didn't get nearly enough time with her and Garrett.

Heading to Denver through Rexburg added a couple hours onto our trip down.  I wanted to go this way so we could see Bailey and drive through the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole. I couldn't take any pictures because I was driving.  If you ever have the chance to drive through there I highly suggest it!
 Uh. May. Zing!
SO beautifully Gorgeous!!!!

As I was driving through the mountain pass I saw signs that said "Watch for Bears".  We told the kids to look for bears.  In fact the kids had turned off their movie, and were all pressed against the windows because the views were amazing!  As they were looking for bears they started to point out and yell what they saw.  Out of nowhere Harrison says very matter of fact, "Oh, I see some dead people"  WHAT?!?!
A few minutes later he said, "Whoa, I see more dead people."
Mom and I were laughing so hard.  Eventually he explained that the dead people were what the bears ate.
The boy has a very overactive imagination.

At one point we stopped at a view point.  I'm telling you it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. 

Glenn said that it was so beautiful it gave him goosebumps.
Lily said it was breathtaking.
I am really glad that my children appreciate these kinds of things.

As we came down out of the mountains we drove through Jackson Hole.  It was an adorable little town.  I seriously want to take our family there for a vacation someday.

After about an hour of driving we noticed a Huge cloud up ahead.  We determined it was smoke.  I Googled it and found out that a huge forest fire had started 2 days before in the National Teton Forest.  We were saddened to find this out.

The whole experience of driving through this cloud was so extremely eery.  I have seen forest fire smoke before after living in Utah for so many years, but never like this.  Once we entered the cloud it took us about 45 minutes before we got out of it.

As we got closer to the smoke the sun was still shining so bright on the farmland around us.  It felt like we were being absorbed into a black hole.  Once inside the smoke, it looked like a very stormy day and smelled like campfire.

After the cloud we drove and drove and drove through Wyoming.  Not much happened besides seeing lots of antelope and bits of the Oregon Trail.

Late in the afternoon Harrison asked one of his "Are we there yet's?"  After mom and I laughed we then heard him mutter, "I want to go back to Oregon."

I have to say, at this point I was thinking, "Oh no, we will have to make our way back at some point."  I was so completely exhausted by that thought!

Theo was just fine and happy when we stopped literally in the middle of NO WHERE, Wyoming.

When we gassed up in Laramie, WY that night Harrison noticed that Grandma was putting gas in the van.  He asked, "Hey!  Where are the guys that do our gas?"  I told him that they have gas guys in Oregon, but most other places we have to put in our own gas.  He really did NOT like that concept at all!  He smacked his head with his hand, and then said, "I just want to go back to Oregon!"  Yes, he was tired.  I must've been tired too, because I was feeling like smacking my head and yelling out, "I just want to go back to Oregon!!!!"

We eventually made it.  We earned a good night's rest that night.  When we got to Fort Collins Bennett woke up and realized he was still in the car.  He really lost it, and screamed non stop till we got to my mom's house an hour later.  He was literally hoarse for a few days after all that screaming.

So much has happened and we are just arriving at our destination.

Crazy Aunt Bailey

For the weekend of my birthday, it just happened to workout for my baby sister to come for a visit!  I was really thrilled, but not as thrilled as my kids!  They all LOVE Aunt Bailey!  Especially Lily.  Bailey is the older sister Lily never had.  They stay up late giggling, and chatting whenever they are together.

I had a super fun time with Bailey.  She got married last January, and is all of the sudden interested in crafting and home decor etc.  I had a lot of fun planning things for us to do.  We crafted Halloween and Christmas decorations, went to the pumpkin patch for my birthday, made and decorated sugar cookies, worked on Halloween costumes, cooked yummy dinners and laughed a lot.  

 One of the Halloween decorations we made - Cheesecloth Ghosts! 

Bailey drew and cut out all the bones for Harrison's Skeleton costume!  It was a HUGE help!  Jason drew the pelvis.  I then pinned them on, and then sewed them on.  My pregnant brain wasn't working very well at 2 am when I sewed it all together, and that almost explains the upside down pelvis on his front.  The pelvis on his backside is right side up.  I would like to blame this mistake on Jason for not pointing this out to me as I was pinning the pelvis on!  

Bailey helping Max with homework.

 You want some?  Harrison wants to share.

Glenn wasn't here.  He was sadly gone at Outdoor School.

 I made the dough, but Bailey rolled them and cut them out.  HUGE help!

Bailey and Harrison dressing up in Target.  Harrison was truly FREAKY!  He was doing this crazy, evil laugh as he ran around the aisles.  He scared Bennett, and another kid.  I heard the other mother trying to calm him down in the next aisle over, "It's OK, sweetie, I promise he's just a boy like you are."  I was laughing so hard I couldn't do anything to stop Harrison from being a complete crazed monster!

 Bennett, Bailey and I at the Pumpkin patch on my birthday.  Best Birthday ever... more on that later.

Good Bye Garrett & Bailey & Kylie!!!!!

On January 27, 2011, my baby sister Bailey married Garrett Hogan.  They have both been off from BYUI this last semester.  We were all invited to Garrett's parents home in Beaverton for a good bye dinner.  They left to go back to 'The Burg' - as Bailey calls it, this last week.  We miss them tons!

About 6 days after Garrett and Bailey left, Kylie left!!!  She is my other baby sister, just older than Bailey. She is working down in Provo and living with my sister Paige and her hubby down there.  She is then going straight to school in August from there.  She will be attending the Pratt Art Institute in Brooklyn, NY.  Aside from what Kylie what might think, I miss her TONS!!!

This is great practice Bailey!  Baby on hip while dishing up dessert for everyone!

Laura made a layered pumpkin roll with ice cream between the layers, then cream cheese frosting on top!  It was frozen and drizzled with freshly made Carmel sauce on top!  WOW! 

My mom and dad.  Sorry about the eating picture daddy:)

The 'kid' table!!!

Poor Kylie. 

This picture has Garrett's aunt Carol, Garrett, Bailey and Kylie.  I have been so lucky to develop such great relationships with my sisters.  They were 5 & 7 when I started College.  I was really concerned about how my relationships with them would even be possible.  I really wanted to know them like I knew my sisters and my brother who are much closer to me in age.  I am SO proud to say now, that these two, as adults, are AWESOME!  I am so glad to have them as my sisters!

Practice standing with Grandma.

But then Grandma threw him on the 'LUV' sack.  And he did not like that.

Bennett is tired, time to go home!

Hugs good bye.  I'm not sure that Harrison liked these hugs.  In the second picture, it looks like he is biting Bailey.  (My camera was acting really strange that night.  Sorry for all the 'yellow' pictures.)