Utah

We spent three weeks in Utah--we had a family reunion and a wedding to attend. The trip started out with an awesome plane ride to Minnesota (our layover) and got even better when our connecting flight to Salt Lake got canceled and we 'got' to spend the night in Minneapolis without any luggage. Luckily we had "Bear" and "Ah-ah" on the plane with us, but no blankies, "Lambies" for Katie, or pajamas.

The redeeming factor was that my sister Jenn lives 45 mins outside of Minneapolis and she and her 4 kids drove to eat dinner with us. And then she took me (and Katie) to Target to get some clean clothes and toothbrushes. It was really fun hanging out with her and the kids--and it was even more fun that it was so random and unexpected. I think it might have made the craziness worth it.

Sam, Katie, Ella, Maddie, Addy, Max, and Mark trying to hold Marcus in the picture

Because Marcus and Addy both woke up in the middle of the night and didn't really go back to sleep, neither Mark nor I really got any sleep that night. That made the next day so fun, but after a stop in Montana, we made it.

The next morning eating muffins that the airlines paid for--we all looked a little disheveled.

We arrived in Utah just in time for the Sanofsky Family reunion which was happening in the "Valley" (aka Eden and Huntsville). The first day we spent at the lake. Marcus spent a lot of his time chasing seagulls with Tom Nielson. Addy spent most of her time with her Aunts. And Katie discovered that she loves riding in a boat, so much that she refused to get off--she did go tubing with me one time. Luckily she is small enough that she just took up a small corner (and that Uncle Phil is a sucker and did everything she asked like taking one more boat ride when time was running out on the boat rental).

Grammy and Marcus

Aunt Rachel and Addy

Aunt Rachel and Marcus

Great Grandparents

Marcus and Addy really liked playing with Caroline--on a few occasions they attempted to climb in the pack-n-play with her.

After the lake, there was a nice catered dinner at the hotel where everyone was staying. The kids ran wild throughout the hotel, especially Marcus who raced up and down the long hallway stopping every once in a while to say "ready, set, go!" After the dinner and socializing, they did a wedding shower for Emily and Mike but at that point the kids were ready to sleep so we packed up and went to Mark's parents house to stay the night. The next day we went back to the Valley for some more family time. We spent some time in the morning going to a local petting zoo much to the delight of the kids. Katie especially enjoyed riding the horse.

Great Grandpa with cousin Nick and the kids at the petting zoo.

After the petting zoo, we went to a great little sandwich place. After eating, the kids enjoyed some ice cream and some time in the hotel pool with all the cousins.

On Sunday, after church most of the reunion group met up at the Sanofsky home for a BBQ.

During the reunion, Katie and Gracie (Amy's youngest) became best friends.

The next couple of weeks were adventurous especially considering Emily's wedding reception was going to take place at the Sanofsky home. It was a little crazy trying to make sure Marcus and Addy didn't destroy anything as preparations were taking place. The wedding went very well and coming shortly there will be a completely separate blog entry to highlight that event.

While in Utah, we were able to do a lot of fun things. The kids literally "lived the dream," a sampling of their activities included a trip to the zoo with Kara's family, a campfire dinner near the Ogden Canyon, the children's museum, the county fair with Grammy, Mike and Riley took Marcus and Addy to a large pond to feed the ducks, we all went to the movie theater to see "How to Train Your Dragon," and a picnic at local park. In addition, Katie and her cousin Nick spent a lot of time together playing and getting into trouble. Marcus and Addy loved playing in the sandbox and with the neighbors 4 bunny rabbits. I guess when you have kids all of "your" vacations are spent centered around kids activities.

Below are a few pictures from our time at the zoo and the campfire dinner.

It took a few pictures to capture this one.

Cousin Nick and Marcus

At the zoo, there was a little train ride which the kids absolutely loved.

My two little terrors at the campground.

Marcus throwing rocks into the water--a potential southpaw, much to Mark's delight.

Aunt Rachel with cousin Matthew and Grammy with Marcus.

During our trip, Katie and Grammy painted a little tea set. Katie spent hours playing with the tea set and even roped Grandpa into an afternoon "tea party."

(Also pictured is Benny, who all the kids loved so much. He and Katie became best buddies. He was still a little nervous around Marcus and Addy, it was probably because Marcus liked to lay on the floor in front of him and stare him down)

Mark and I did manage to enjoy some time together. As usual on our Utah trips, we spent as much time possible at Cafe Rio--we ate there 5-6 time--oh how I miss Cafe Rio. Maybe one day Cafe Rio will come east. Mark met up with a few high school friends and also managed to play a few rounds of golf.

I had a girls night with one of my favorite roommates from college, Heather Hoeke (of course we ate at Cafe Rio!) Mark and I also celebrated our 6th anniversary in Utah--we visited the temple and then spent the evening in Salt Lake shopping, eating, and watching a movie.

After a long trip it was time to go home, the pilot on our return flight was nice enough to let the kids check out the cockpit. After a long flight home, we both agreed that it may be a long time before all 5 of us get on a plane together. All in all it was a really fun trip.

Marcus and Addy enjoying one of the many treats given to them on the airplane to help them to be quiet.