Sundance with the Littles

I took the 3 littles to Sundance and we had the BEST most MAGICAL time. Parker asked if he could stay home with Tanner and went to work with him one day, went to Knott's with friends, went to Soak City with other friends, went swimming and played games with friends, went to Newport with Tanner and ate out for dinner, went to Top Golf with Tanner, and basically had the time of his life. It's hard seeing him grow up and grow out of wanting to be together as a family- but I get it. I understand him being almost 15 and not wanting to hang out with his mom and 3 little siblings while being home with his Dad and hanging out with friends all day is the other option. To be completely honest, it made for a much more pleasant time for the rest of us. There was no contention and I didn't have to compromise what I wanted to do with the kids.

SO! We stopped in Vegas to swim with Mona Kay and Laurel and the kids had a blast playing. I love Mona Kay and any time I get to spend with her is so fun. Then we spent the night at Jacob's. He has put in a pool and it was HOT so the kids swam and jumped on the trampoline and "saved" lizards while I basked in the afternoon light. It was so serene and peaceful. I stole some of Jacob's Easy Mac (hope that's ok) and fed the kids outside on the tramp before we all went in for showers and bedtime. They slept on little mats in the basement and I slept on the couch and we all slept sooooo well! I'm so thankful to Jacob for letting us crash at his house! He's the best!!!

We filled up with gas and got Chick A Lay for breakfast before cruising on to Provo. We stopped at Target for food, school supplies (this has now become a tradition- to buy back to school stuff in Utah) and fireworks! I let each kid pick out their favorite frozen treat to take up to the Cottage and boy were we so happy to arrive!!! It was a beautiful evening! 

We got all unloaded and I made a yummy dinner. We ate and enjoyed our special treats and took a nice long bath. I was the kids' hero for vacuuming up alll the bugs (oh how the tables have turned- I used to freak out about the bugs but I had to be brave since I was the only adult there!) We read some books and snuggled down to bed just as a huge thunderstorm rolled through the mountains and Jack had a hard time falling asleep so he came and laid down by me and ended up sleeping on my floor. We had that whole huge Cottage and 2/3 kids slept near me. Even with all the doors open, they wanted to be close. And I not-so-secretly loved it.

Our first full day in Utah, the kids were so excited to go to the Rec Center so that's what we did! We ate breakfast, got dressed, and headed down the mountain. Oh what a glorious site those mountains are! We swam and played for hours and Ella was so brave to finally go down allll the waterslides! She loved it! Rayleigh discovered the ninja warrior course and was determined to conquer it. Jack tried and tried too (it was hard!) and got blisters. I sat there and watched them and tears came to my eyes- my kids are extraordinary!!!!! And I love them so much!!!!

We cruised up to American Fork for lunch when everyone got hungry and was ready to leave the Rec Center. But on our way, we stopped by my Dad's house in Provo where he grew up and I was able to tell them a little bit about my Dad's childhood- walking to the movies and how his Dad (my grandpa and their great grandpa) owned a billiards hall. The donut place, Raised, was super yummy and hit the spot! The kids each picked 2 donuts to take home and enjoy later, too. Another thunderstorm rolled in while we were eating and cooled everything down. We snuggled into the car and enjoyed a pretty drive back up the mountain. The rain had passed and the pavement was steamy. It was so cool! 

We changed our clothes and went on a little nature walk. We went down to the stream and collected cool rocks, sticks, leaves, and flowers. We played on the big wooden swing and then walked down to where a beautiful new cabin is being built. It's seriously my favorite!!! Best location and looks amazing. We played around there for a long time, basking in the evening glow through the trees, listening to the babbling stream, and flying high on the tire swing. At one point, Ella was going high on the swing and lost her grip. She was hanging on with one hand and flailing back a little bit when she used her super strength to reach up and grab with the other hand again- She was a little scared but we said, "Ella! That was incredible! You were like Spider man!" and she did not let us forget that for the rest of the day. 

We walked up the stables and saw a cute little deer up in the trees but then some big thunder started rolling in and we were all alone up there. So, I suggested we run back to the cottage and we got there just in time because it started to rain! We took showers and baths and warmed up in the sauna and enjoyed chicken n rice for dinner with ice cream and donuts for dessert. That night I started to read them Harry Potter and it was the BEST! Can you think of a more magical way to spend the evening than cuddled up in a round bed under a sky of stars listening to your mom read Harry Potter while a thunderstorm rolls through the mountains?! The kids all fell asleep while I was reading and the thunder got SOOOO loud! Like, crazy loud. And the lightning was flashing in the sky 100 times a minute! It was nuts! I couldn't believe they didn't wake up! But I guess they were super worn out from our epic day. We all had crazy dreams that night, though!

Day 2 in Sundance our plans to see Sari fell through so we went BACK to the Rec Center. The kids love that place and run off to play as soon as we get there. I had to practically beg Ella to hang out with me. I went down the big slides a couple times with her and I want everyone to make note of what a good mom I am for doing that! See!!! I'm a fun mom!!!! We stayed until the kids were starving and we went to get McDonald's which they thought was so cool. It totally hit the spot but we were hungry 20 minutes later. We spent the afternoon watercoloring and making up funny stories about the bearded heads that watch over the table. We named them Jeff and Josh and we pretended to talk to them. Let me tell you: this was a highlight for me. It was hilarious! The heads explained that although they look a little scary, they are actually good guys who eat nightmares there at the Cottage. They told us about their friend "Windy" (she showed up) and she told us that "Thunder and Lightning" were fighting with each other about who got to sit in the front of Mother Nature's car. Rayleigh showed them an owie she had and they said, "Oh No! We need to call the ambulance. AMBULANCE!" Ok, I guess you had to be there.... but it was so fun and again, a thunderstorm rolled in. We got cleaned up, ate some leftovers, and read more Harry Potter.

We left the next day and got home in good time- we didn't have any traffic or problems. Before we hit the road, we bought Sundance Suckers and walked around the lodge for a minute. We stopped by Spencer and Mona Kay's again to pick up a toy Rayleigh left there and it was fun to see them again. It was good to be home and everyone hugged Parker. But I was a little sad to be back to reality so soon. I absolutely LOVED my time up in the mountains with my little adventure crew. Every single second was perfect and I found myself tearing up multiple times because my heart was just so full. I miss James and I'm so thankful for his legacy. I love the Cottage and I love Sundance and I love Utah. I'm so thankful we were able to spend some time up there. I'm thankful for the friends we saw along the way and the friends who made our journey safe and relaxing. Maybe someday we will buy that epic new cabin that's being built. :-)