Always Wanting What is Not

Yesterday while we were driving home from the beach, Jonathan stated, so matter of factly you would have thought it was January, "I wish it would snow." Then came jabberings from the backseat of snowmen and skiing, sledding and snowball fights. It reminded me of being a child and wishing that for just one day I could drop the temperature seventy-five degrees and roll around in a pile of frigid powder. 

Last February we did just that. After finding $99 flights that I couldn't pass up, I jumped on a plane with all five children and met Steve in Utah who was traveling for business. A cross country flight with a two, four, six, eight and ten year old and only one adult provided enough memorable moments for endless writing. However, the moment that will never be forgotten was when I arrived at the airport in Providence, R.I. to find that our seats had been scrambled, despite my meticulous planning. After one novice ticket handler brushed me aside, telling me I would have to solve the problem when I boarded the plane, his more seasoned, but perhaps less tactful, co-worker frowned at him and grabbed the microphone. I stood behind her, six months pregnant with my five small children, facing a hoard of professional looking travelers. She wasted no time in calling their attention to our unique family. "We have a VERRRRRRY sticky situation here . . ." she announced into the loud speaker and then referred to me and my brood before she began calling passengers out of the audience to forfeit their seats, which they too had meticulously planned. Fortunately this was the low point of our vacation, with everything improving from this point forward.

We arrived in Utah for several days of snowstorms which provided the perfect playground for our stay. We spent our first day sledding with the Hansens, enjoying hot chocolate under the beach umbrella Ann brought and then lunching at Training Table. The kids were overly joyed to be with their "Utah friends"!

We then met my brother Mike for an afternoon at the Olympic bobsledding course for the International Bobsledding Trials. Mike, who travels around the world, is always a great person to hang out with for a good, out of the ordinary time!

 

On Valentines Day, we joined our Ebert family for an adult dinner at The DoDo and then a birthday celebration for Ezra and Harrison, followed by a "fair" put on by the girl cousins. Emilie served as organizer, Annelise taught surfing lessons, Hadley was a magician, and Gaby instructed us in dance lessons, with Sophia serving as medical technician in the unfortunate event of an injury. The night ended with a cousin sleepover. Grandma Ebert never lets a birthday or holiday go by without a true celebration! 

We then met our Spendlove family in the Uintah Mountains for a day at the cabin. We snowmobiled with the uncles, ate Grandma's famous chili, made s'mores and hot chocolate and then turned the back yard into a labyrinth of snow tunnels.

We joined Grandma Rose and our Calder cousins for dinner at the Mandarin, which then ended in a sleepover for the kids that Jonny and Jenny, who our kids adore, generously hosted. 

We made our traditional trip to Temple Square where we toured the visitor centers, ate lunch at the Lion House, were led through the Beehive House by the sister missionaries, visited the Church History Museum and then watched the Joseph Smith Movie in the Legacy Theater. 

We bowled at Fat Cats with our Ebert cousins, a much anticipated event each time we come in town. 

We ate at Chuck-a-Ramma with Grandma Rose, another traditional spot for our children. Thanks to Grandma's ability, even at 96, to have known the best way to host her grandchildren.

 We made a day trip down to Lehi and spent the afternoon at the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum.

While the kids skied with Steve at Deer Valley, I took the little ones with my mom to Build-a-Bear for Ezra's birthday.

 We then continued our fun in Southern Utah with our favorite hike, Hidden Pinyon, in Snow Canyon. 

Later, we played in the sand dunes . . . 

ate at Blue Bunny Ice Cream . . . 

 and swam at the new rec center in Washington.

We then joined my family for a Mardi-Gras celebration, complete with "fake wine" and bead necklace making. (My mom is always looking for a reason to celebrate. If there is no obvious reason, she will find one!) 

We said our good-byes to my family and then met Grandma and Grandpa Ebert for one last time at Nielson's Custard before we were on our way to Las Vegas for our flight home. This time I was grateful for one more set of adult hands!

My impressions while writing this post were:

1. Since February, all seven of us have changed shapes, with some taller and some thinner.

2. I can't belive how traditional our trips back to Utah are. We do the exact same things each time, including taking photos in the same spots with the same poses, but we love it. That's why we keep coming back for more!

3. I wish I could bottle up my children and keep them young longer. I can not believe how much they have grown in just six months. They have long out grown many of the outfits in these photos.

4. I miss my family members who are no longer with us. 

5. Our family doesn't look complete without baby Mia.

6. I really appreciate how much effort each family member and friend puts into making our visits a celebration!

7. We are so lucky to have so many grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends to help raise our children.

8. If I can't come for a visit, the next best thing is digging up photos and writing about a visit.     

It's a Beach Day!

Today had to be the record for the hottest day of the year. So when the question, "What are we going to do today?" started coming in from five different directions, the obvious answer was "Go to the beach!" We headed north to Good Harbor in Gloucester and spent the afternoon and evening relishing in what we knew would be one of our last days of summer. 

From our beach chairs we watched a lobster boat hum around in the bay, sea kayakers paddle to a little island in the distance, and a couple of light houses stand guard on their rock cliffs.

 The kids spent the afternoon digging for clams, 

building sandcastles,

examining a lobster trap that washed ashore 

and crossing a sand bar, which was exposed during low tide, to a small island. 

After romping in the waves with her sisters and brothers, Emilie retreated to the beach and spent part of the day deep in her Beacon Street book. For Emilie, trading surf time for reading time was a first, reminding me once again that we are transitioning to a new stage. (Actually the reminder began when she brought a TIME magazine in the car with her!) 

With the sun ready to disappear, we packed up our castle molds, buckets and shovels, tossed the clams back to sea and slipped on our sandy flip flops.  I found myself cooking dinner at 9:00 p.m. and then tucking five exhausted children into bed at their suggestion, which I knew were remnants of a successful day.