Time With The Crook-side....

After our week in Idaho we ventured into Utah for some time with the Crook side of the family. My Mom graciously kept Presley with her for the first 3 days due to our activities planned. Activities that would be less fun toting a baby in a stroller. Our first stop in Utah was to visit some med school friends. The Flinders. Lacie fed us pizza and pop and let the kids play their hearts out. It was a great start to a great week.

Notice the bags under my eyes? Apparently late nights show on a girl my age. Lovely.

Next stop was our destination. Darla & Brian's house. Darla is Shawn's younger sister. They were willing to put us up for a few nights and it was fabulous. They are amazingly wonderful hosts. We had to get to bed early for our big day the next morning. Lagoon. The place where dreams come true. Well, according to Ethan who's never really been to an amusement park before. We were joined by Shawn's sister Rhonda and her boys Logan and Atlin, Grandma Angela, Uncle Clinton, Aunt Anna, and of course Darla, Brian, and their girls Alyssa and Aubrey. What a great place for a reunion.

After entering the park we were all so excited we didn't even know where to start. The kids saw the bumper cars so they rode while we formulated a plan.

We decided to hit the rides near the back of the park first. The wet ones so we could be a little damp through out the day. Sweltering heat wasn't going to hold us back. Rattlesnake Rapids it was. Because there was no line we went twice. Alyssa didn't want to ride so we switched out staying with her. Landon thought once was good. Jackson was angry we only went twice.

We hit all the kiddie rides next. There really weren't any lines yet. It was refreshing.


At this point we ate our picnic lunch and then took the divide-and-conquer approach. Bigger rides for bigger kids (including some for the Moms and Brian), little rides for little kids. We met up occasionally for little snack breaks. And to drink from the 100 ounce drink I spent a small fortune on. Brian also bought one. Refillable too. Nice. (Shawn later asked why I bought the small drink. Funny man.)

The heat started to get to us after awhile. None of us really wanted to put on a swimsuit and go to the water park. That's where the crowds were. Our line-free day was only getting better. We opted for the water fountain at the front entrance.

The kids were so soaked I had to change their wet shoes into flip-flops. Blisters were starting to form. And really deep wrinkles. Only signs of good times. This is where the pictures stopped. It was late afternoon and there was too much more to see. We stayed until closing. 11 pm. We were wiped out. But still relishing in the excitement we had experienced. I really felt my Mom's graciousness for keeping Presley. We never would have endured that many hours with her in tow. Thanks again Mom!

The next morning we had tickets for the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. At 10:15 AM. I was dragging kids out of bed at 9:45. Nobody was too happy with me. I only wish we had tickets for a later time. I think the experience would have been far greater. It was still great. But. It would have meant more if the kids hadn't been in tears from exhaustion.

That afternoon we just laid around. And ate. And then played at a park that evening. Early to bed because the next morning was a big day for us girls. The Deseret News 10k. Sounds easy to some. But I'd never run one before. All my sis-in-laws had. But never me. And Kate had come to town to run it with us. And to bring us Miss Presley. I had a hard time sleeping due to the excitement. And because Presley decided midnight was her bedtime of choice. 4:30 came pretty early. But I was ready. The race started at 6. Brian was so nice to be willing to watch my kids while we were gone.

My finishing time wasn't anything to alert the media about, but I finished 5 minutes faster than I'd hoped. Yeah for me! And. At the finish line I was able to see Becca. A good friend from a long time ago. She's a true runner and finished waaaaay before me. She is one of my inspirations. No pictures of her though. My camera was up at the car.

Not only did Brian watch my kids that morning, he bought all us girls pedicures. And then watched my 4 other kids while we were gone. Lovely. And so thoughtful. You rock Brian!

Because that day was the 24th of July, and a huge Utah holiday, everyone headed to Darla & Brian's for a bbq that afternoon. Brian set up their waterslide and the kids had a blast.

I realize as I'm posting this that none of the extended Crook family is represented here very well either. I guess I was too focused on being a mom than I was on photography. Sorry.

We were all missing Shawn pretty badly at this point in our trip. Every ride at Lagoon was followed by "Dad has to come here and ride that!" But. Our trip wasn't over yet. Still another week of fun was to be had. Another post. Man. These are looooong. What a great trip!