2024 Girls' Trip

Since I had Jay, I've only spent two nights away from him. One time I left him with Matthew and the other time Katey took him for us right before we had Hugh. This weekend away, was an actual break, which I needed more than I even knew. Katey and Lindsay came to my house Thursday evening, then Matthew took us all to the airport. Security lines were minimal and we made it to the gate in plenty of time. It was Katey's birthday, so it was fun to actually get to celebrate a tiny bit with her. Katey and I lucked out with seats next to each other, which made the flight go quickly. Klaire picked us up from the airport and we went to bed shortly after arriving at her house after 11 pm. My internal clock woke me up around 5:30, but I was able to go back to sleep for a bit. We spent the morning in Buckeye, enjoying Klaire, Stanton, and Piper. Stanton adored the attention from Aunt Katey especially and Piper seemed to be okay with anyone who held her. We had great weather, and after lunch hit the road. Klaire dropped Katey and I off at Kara's house while she and Lindsay went to get her hair fixed. 

Lindsay, Me, Katey - waiting for our plane to leave

Katey, Lindsay, Me, and Klaire - driving over to Kara's

It was nice to have some time with Kara and her boys. They are full of energy, and such joyful boys. I kind of scared Jett when I crouched down to his level to say hello. Soon after the big boys (Ross and Levi) got home from school, they went to a friends house. Katey and Kara and I went on a little errand and then were about to go to a model home with Klaire and Lindsay got back. So, we all went to the model homes. I got some fun ideas for painting and for finishing our bathroom in the basement. The homes were beautiful and in some ways over the top. I could see myself enjoying a vacation in them, but never to live. We got pizza for dinner, and enjoyed it at a nearby park. It was a beautiful evening, and it was great to sit and visit without any interruptions. We checked into the hotel, and my sisters requested I ask for a room change, so I did and I was grateful they found us a third floor room. We went swimming that evening! Katey and Kara were the little fishes, Klaire and I were mostly hot-tub fish, and Lindsay was the fish out of water. Swimming feels so good and is so refreshing, but I didn't want to be cold so I spent most of the time in the hot tub.

Pizza night! 

We all slept until about 8 o'clock, which felt amazing. The room stayed so dark, and it was so quiet. Continental breakfast is a lot less exciting when you are gluten free, but they had enough options I still had a good breakfast. We painted our nails after we got back, and packed up all of our things before check out. Our first stop on Friday was DI. One thing all Bryce girls love is a good deal. And, we all found something! DI is much cleaner, with better quality stuff than the second hand stores here. Plus, you can find more modest things at DI as well. Oma joined us after we finished at DI. We picked her up, enjoyed some car snacks, and headed to Top Golf. Such a fun experience! I thought I had to hit all 20 of my golf balls for the first game all at once, but realized once I was done that you could simply click on another persons' name and they could hit whatever they wanted. I enjoyed watching everyone play, and was surprised by the end when I won! I am NOT a golfer! I definitely didn't win the second game, but we all had a great time. Like Kara said, it was fun to swing as hard as you wanted and it didn't matter. We hit the mall and enjoyed getting free See's candy samples and getting our rings cleaned at a local jeweler. Dinner was at 7 Brothers, originally only in Hawaii. It was so yummy! Oma treated us all to dinner, which was so kind! Lindsay headed back to Buckeye to hang out with friends and the rest of us went to Culver's for our ice cream treat. The patio was the perfect place to enjoy our ice cream, it was a little warm but the sun was setting and there was a nice breeze. Having time to visit throughout the day was amazing. Uninterrupted conversations as a parent are rare! I realized we didn't have to go to bed as late as we usually do when we're on vacation because we had quality time throughout the day. We didn't only have the hours after the kids were in bed to enjoy each other. We also operated to no timeline other than what we wanted to do. It felt so freeing. 

The whole crew together!

At the beginning of my 20 golfball stretch

I am sure my form is so good! LOL 

Victory pic

So much fun with everyone!

The Crew!

The crew at 7 Brothers.

Kara and I enjoying our burgers!

Sunday morning I slept until almost 9. I was so tired, didn't sleep great but slept until 9! Oma came in and was wondering if I was okay. It's amazing how much you can sleep when you don't have any official responsibilities. Hank and Levi were my Sacrament meeting buddies. I could feel Hank getting restless so I started giving him some big squeezes. He LOVED them, but was giggling so much that I had to stop. In the afternoon I got to video call with Matthew and the boys, which was great! I loved being able to see them, and as soon as Hugh bonked his head on the cement outside and was dripping blood, I ended the call. We had a great Cinco De Mayo dinner with taco salad and enjoyed the evening chatting. It was sad to see the Pollocks go home, but I am so glad they got to spend all of Sunday with us. 

Monday morning came quickly and we had the best time playing with Levi, Hank and Jett in the morning. The morning was cool, so we went to the park and played around. Levi and I played troll on the bridge and he wanted to play tag. He has some good speed, it won't be long until he can outrun me. Hank loved all the attention he got after Levi went to school. We had light saber battles and he made us lots of food from his play kitchen. I loved watching his joy and energy come full swing. He fell asleep within minutes of being in the car. Kara took us to the airport, and we arrived in plenty of time because our flight got delayed. It was nice to relax at the airport before getting on the plane. The lady made me check the size of my baggage and I was grateful when she didn't watch too closely as I shoved it into the size bin and pulled it out and walked onto the plane. Reuniting with Matthew and the boys has been wonderful! They were so happy to see me and I got great snuggles from Hugh before bed. 

Light saber war with Hank! 

Tuesday was full swing back to mom mode. I was much more patient and willing to roll with the punches than when I left, so I think the three day weekend was helpful for us all. My friend Janelle cut and highlighted my hair, and her daughters watched Hugh while Jay was at school. I was grateful I didn't have to get a babysitter in addition to the haircut. He loved the dog and the dog's bed, so I was very grateful the dog doesn't shed. Matthew got home that night from work, and it was very strange he didn't have any work to do. We had plenty to talk about as Germany is feeling closer and closer, so I'm sure most of our evenings will be filled with Germany talk and finalizing basement details. 

Hugh and the dog, Oreo

Hugh and Jay working on Uncle's birthday card

Wednesday I got to play pickleball and go to the paint store. Lila came with me to both, so she helped wrangle Hugh while I talked with the paint lady. I definitely appreciated the extra hands and Hugh loved the freedom. Jack helped me design and cut out our pinewood derby cars. I did mine, and Jack did Jay's. I am excited to see how they turn out! Jack's brain is a brain of efficiency so I think he was a bit disappointed on how uneducated I was about the pinewood derby car making process and that I didn't even have a design, but he was patient with me and we made it happen. 

Our basement is coming along! The drywall is coming to a close and I think we'll start painting early next week. I love seeing it come together, and am very grateful we have been able to do this right now. We are very blessed.