Our Week with Grandma

We were lucky enough to keep Grandma around for another week, after we got home from Utah. We were all in heaven and were very sad to see her go!

*please note all pictures are in total random and crazy order thanks to Blogger.

The girls sporting their Grandma Adams originals on Sunday.

Happy ladies.

Pepper trying to be the photographer.

Some afternoon outside swinging Batman around and showing Grandma the garden.

One morning Mom and I were going to take the kids to a playground but it was raining so we went to the mall play area instead.

Hazel is happy to finally be able to join the big kids in the play area.

This is how Morgan spent most of his spare time when we got home.

Grandma likes Chick-fil-A and the kids enjoy a good playplace so everyone wins.

On Saturday morning, Khan and William came to visit us for the weekend. It was a beautiful day so we headed over to the Nature Realm to let the kids run around outside.

Our rock climbers.

Watching the birdies.

After playing indoors, we headed out for a nature walk.

There is a really pretty spot on the grounds that has a lot of gazebos and hanging plants.

Oh, I just love this one! I could give her sqeezes all day long.

This one is hard to resist as well.

The great adventurers.

Such great matching smiles.

I love all the weeping willow trees. They have always been my favorite since I was a kid. It seems the next generation finds them equally exciting.

Pepper was very excited that she found a fairy garden in the Herb Garden.

We really had a great time, despite William's facial expressions in most of these pictures. It was a beautiful day and everyone had fun exploring nature together.

That night we got a babysitter for the older kids, Hazel was asleep, so that the adults could take Mom out for an early birthday dinner sans kids. We had such a fun time sharing stories and laughing and just enjoying the company. Cody has such a great family and I feel so blessed to be a part of it!

On Grandma's last Thursday morning with us, Morgan's good friend, Sarah came over to play and join us at a wading pool.

Three superheros watching a super hero show on the iPad.

They were really having a great time I swear!

This picture makes it look a lot warmer than it was. That water was freezing!

But I had to get in for Hazel to play.
 The sacrifices we make for these cute little people!

The crew enjoying a little picnic and warming up in the sun.

Everything is better when Grandma joins us.

Morgan showing off his amazing Coppertone tan line.
And this is after a week of not being in the sun every day again. This kid can tan...he did not get that from me!

I found these two deep in conversation many times.

We always love having family come to visit, especially visitors who love to dote on your children. Again, I cannot put into words how grateful I am for my mother-in-law and her willingness to road trip across the country with me. I am very lucky to have such a fantastic MIL. I really enjoy spending time with her and talking with her. I loved getting to hear lots of stories about her life as a teenager or young mother. So much fun to get to know each other better. The kids all loved having Grandma stay with us for the week and Cody and Khan were very happy to spend some time with their mom as well. Mom also, let Cody and I go out Thursday night to go to the Ohio Shakespeare production of Merchant of Venice. It was outdoors at Stan Hywet Hall on a gorgeous evening; we were having a great date, until Cody got food poisoning and spent the second act at the bathroom. It was a rough night and Cody stayed home from work on Friday, which would have been fun for his Mom's last day except for the whole sickness thing. But in spite of the ending, we had a fantastic time together and miss her very much. Please, come again soon...and feel free to bring Papa along:)

Utah Trip Part 7: More Virgin, Auntie Chamaine's visit and the Trek Home

Finally, we reach the home stretch of this mega-awesome vacation. We did our best to keep the party going even though Cody was not there anymore. That means lots of time in the pool and outside enjoying their fantastic yard.

We also went to visit Cody's grandmother Melba. The kids were having a great time playing with her golf balls and putter and generally running amuk. Then I asked them to take a picture and this is what Grandma got.

You'd think Great-Grandma Melba was trying to kill them.

I insisted on a retake and this is what we got.

This is more like it!

These two crack me up! It looks like Morgan is the town sheriff taking it easy at the local bar. Morgan picked out these toy guns just like the ones his daddy had when he was younger. Pepper picked out a little princess cd player. Grandma was ready to break it by the time she left our house.

Hazel's first oreo seemed to go well.

Grandma and I took the kids to a splash pad in Hurricane to try something new. For such a small town it was a great area for kids and very well thought out. I was impressed and the kids were pretty happy as well.

Making cookies with Grandma. She's such a sport about things like this.

Happy helpers.

Hazel happily destroying the family room while proud and patient grandparents look on.

On Friday night, Chamaine came down with her two girls (Ansley wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home with Kurt.) She arrived after my kids were in bed so everyone got to see each other first thing in the morning. They were pretty excited.

Hazel and Ellie getting to know each other.
Believe it or not Ellie is a few months older than Hazel, but she made our little Hazel look like a big girl.

Maizy and Pepper catching up.

On Saturday morning, we took the kids over to the St. George splash pad. There was also a family day event going on, so there was music playing and lots of extra stuff going on.

This face just makes me so endlessly happy!

Morgan is in the middle of the sprinkler. He spent a lot of time here while the girls were in the calmer area.

Spidey was wandering around chasing a teenage girl but we managed to flag him down so Pepper could get a picture with him.

Grandma and Papa came to have a picnic with us. Just a perfect way to spend the morning.

We tried out some nitro freeze ice cream on the way home. Not the brightest idea to give kids before getting in a very hot car. The ice cream was very yummy and smooth but melted super fast. The car seats were VERY dirty and Chamaine and I ended up drinking most of the ice cream on the way home. Oh well, we tried.

Pepper dancing around to her princess cd while wearing Grandma's gardening hat.

Morgan, Pepper and Maizy having a picnic lunch.

Chamaine braving the slide.

Maizy and Morgan snuggling up to color on the iPad.
Chamaine and I have always joked that her daughter, Ansley, and Morgan were betrothed from birth like in Sleeping Beauty, so we always try to get pictures of them whenever we get together. I guess since Ansley was gone, Maizy thought she'd make a move:)

The zebra rocking horse, always a fan favorite.

The squishy face was also a fan favorite. Especially, Papa. He was always trying to get Hazel to make this face.

Saturday night, Cody's parents went to a wedding, so Chamaine and I took the kids for a walk to tire them up before bed.

The skies over their home were not looking good.
Amazing display of nature's power but not good for walking. Especially, once the lightening began.

Before heading home, we took a break to say hi to some of the neighbor's horses.

Happily picking some grass.

We tried to watch the lightening for awhile before the thunder scared everyone inside.

Yay, for another generation of lifelong friends!

Sunday after church.

Pretty girls.

Grandma helping Maizy trim her bangs.

She was pretty thrilled about it:)

Pretty much my favorite picture from the whole trip.
Little Ellie just taking it all in.

Such a little cutie!

Our last day there. Pepper fell asleep running errands. I think the pace of non-stop vacation fun finally caught up with the poor thing.

Here are some videos from our last time in the pool:


Mom and I left Virgin, Wednesday morning around 3am. Pepper seemed a little off the night before but I didn't think much of it. Well, around 4 or 5am she started throwing up and had a fever. It was not the best way to start a very, very long road trip. Luckily, Grandma was there to help make it all better.

Pepper finally taking a break from throwing up and starting to get better.

I spent a good part of the morning driving and praying fervently in my head. I knew there was no way to get Pepper a priesthood blessing but that she needed extra help. I prayed that Heavenly Father would bless her with health. By lunch time she was mending and by then end of the day she was almost perfect. It was such a faith building experience for me and I am so grateful for the power of prayer. Cody's mom said later she was praying hard right along with me. I had also called a few other people, like Cody and my mom to ask for more prayers. We are so blessed to have the gospel in our lives and the lives of our families. It was a very long, very trying day but we all survived the 16+ day of driving and even managed to enjoy the hotel pool before bed.

I slept with Pepper that night, which meant I did not sleep well at all. Her fever came back and she was very fitfull. I was convinced she would start throwing up again but she never did. We slept in a bit and started out at 4am. Our original goal was to drive to cousin Robin's house near Dayton and spend the night there. Pepper was better on day 2 but Hazel decided to take a turn on us. The poor thing had a horrible diaper rash and pretty much screamed most of the day and only slept a little bit. The other two took turns whining and complaining as well. We stopped for lunch in Boonsville, MO, I do not reccomend by the way, at a horrible Burger King. Hazel pretty much screamed the entire time while the other two literally crawled on the tables. The service was terrible and took forever. That was definitely a low point. Mom and I had had enough and decided the only way to survive was head for home. So around 9:30 that night we finally made it home to Akron, after two very, very long days.
I am just so grateful to Cody's mom for being willing to go through all of that with us. She was amazing and I could not have done it without her.
This trip made me definitely re-think all future road trips, or maybe just road trips with babies and small kids, heehee. But in the end I would do it all again to have the chance to go West and see all of our family and friends. Such a wonderful and exhausting experience.
 Almost as exhausting as writing all these updates:)