Zack and Madi rode in the back while Kaden and Pierscen were in the middle. Jodi brought a big bucket of toys and fun things for the kids to do. She had some really awesome ideas and activities.
The kids did surprisingly well. We stopped in Evanston for gas and a quick break. We only stopped once after that because Pierscen wouldn't take his bottle and was getting fussy. Kaden and Pierscen were both super tired, but neither would fall asleep. They were pretty funny actually. One would fuss or make a noise and the other would turn and watch the other. They both went into meltdown about 10 minutes to Ryan's parents. All things considered, I think that was pretty dang good.
Pierscen and I spent only a few minutes at Ryan's parents because Pierscen was so tired. We headed over to my parents and put him down for the night.
I think Pierscen really liked using the booster/high chair at my parents. It was sure a lot easier feeding him this way than in his Bumbo at home.
Saturday morning we drove up to Murray for a family reunion for my dad's side. It was held at a pavilion at Murray City Park. It was a really nice area! It was awesome to see my cousins from Richfield. I thought they might not come because it's a pretty long ways to go. The reunion was wonderful. Towards the end it really started to pour and instead of scattering, the adults bunkered down under the pavilion while the kids run around in the rain. If I hadn't had Mr. P sleeping in my arms, I think I would have gone running through the rain too! The next reunion will be in two years. My cousins and I opted for Fish Lake again like we did a few years ago, but they decided on the usual place in Central. However, we decided that we should just go up to Fish Lake a day or two before the reunion as cousins and then head down. That would be amazing.
Sunday Pierscen and I went to church with Ryan's family since we would be with my family for dinner. Sundays are the hardest. You want to spend equal time with each family, but it's so hard to do. And since Sundays are the day every one gets together you really want to make the most of it. Sigh...
Mr. P and Chelsey
It was really good to spend time with everyone though. Everyone but Paul, that is. He comes around now and again, but unfortunately he wasn't at dinner that night.
Afterwards, even though Pierscen was on the brink of falling asleep, we dashed over to Ryan's to say hi. Ryan's aunt and uncle were over and they wanted to see Pierscen too. We didn't stay long, but at least we made an appearance.
Traci and Mr. P
Monday morning, I loaded up Mr. P in the car and Sabrina and I headed out on our journey to St. George and back. Everyone thought we were crazy for trying to make that trip in one day, but we didn't want to stay the night, and as long as we had each other as company, I figured it wouldn't be that bad.
The main purpose was to go see Grandma J. She is 93 and we weren't sure when we would get to see her again. They were having a reunion for that side in August, but we weren't going to make it. So I decided I would do what it takes to go see her. And on the way we wanted to see Ryan's grandparents too. Grandma H was having a hard time accepting that Pierscen was doing okay. She seemed to be fixated on the pictures from his surgery and thought that he wasn't doing very well despite many attempts to convince her otherwise. So, we decided it would be best to go show her in person. :)
And boy was she impressed! She went on and on about how good he looks and how it was nothing short of a miracle. I couldn't agree more. We stayed long enough to feed him some lunch and chit chat for a little bit before it was time to go.
Before taking off, we walked over to see the new baby horses. In my mind, I imagined them being skittish and afraid of people, but that wasn't the case. They were super friendly. One of them even let Pierscen pet it's nose. (Don't worry, I was careful not to let him get anywhere near the teeth.)
We made it to St. George in good time. To our surprise it was raining quite a bit - but it's St. George... so it was still warm. :)
It was SO good to see Grandma J. I haven't seen her in a quite a while. She is still as witty and bright as ever. (Poor little P was a drooling machine! Look how soaked his shirt is! But he still has that sly little smile. I love it.)
It would have been blasphemy if we didn't put Pierscen on the sheep skin rug. That thing is legendary. I think of anything in the house, that little rug will cause the biggest war when it comes to who inherits it. Grandma has had it as long as I can remember. (I also remember it being a lot bigger than this... but I guess a sheep can only get so big.) Grandma says it has become tradition to put the baby on it while they still fit and take a picture and then do the same years later to show how much they have grown. Pierscen thought it was pretty cool and showed his excitement by running those crazy legs. (Thus the blur above.)
Sabrina was a total trooper. I love that girl.
I was able to lay Pierscen down for a short nap in one of the guest rooms and then called my aunt Lynda to say hello. She gave me my cousin Alexa's number and then said she would be over shortly. I called and left Alexa a message to see if by any chance she could come say hi. It was totally last minute, but she got my message and came right over. It was awesome to talk to Lynda and Alexa. And I got to meet Alexa's youngest, Annika. Alexa is less than a month older than me and Annika is her 3rd. So I am a little behind. What can you do?
We stayed for a couple of hours before heading back. I am so glad I had Sabrina there to keep me company. She is such an amazing girl. At times, very much 16 years old, but at other times... I am at a loss for words. She is SO mature. So wise. I found myself in awe listening to her as she described life and friends, ambitions and thoughts. Many times I found myself thinking, "Who is this girl?" It is no wonder that Heavenly Father saved her to come to America and be part of our family and the gospel. She is incredible.
I was surprised at how easy the trip felt (it's 4 hours each way.) I am sure the main reason is because I had Sabby to keep my company. It was a wonderful trip. It was SO great to get to see Grandma and Grandpa H and Grandma J. I wish we lived closer so we could see them more often. We are very blessed to have such amazing family.
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