Sleepless in Salt Lake

Okay so you know I don't really live in the city of Salty Lakes...but it just sounded better than the other option.

It's 2 o'clock in the morning. Are you up too??? No... I guess its just me and my deepest most thoughts. Oh and also that littlest who in whoville.

My awakeness I can attribute to a lethal sleeping combination of this this and this.

But as for hers I guess she was just missing me or maybe she felt the anxiety of the Jazz playoff game mommy and daddy were at. She had to wake up and greet us with the babysitter as the clock struck midnight. Daddy turned into a pumpkin and went to bed...something about having to work the next day. So he gently placed the littlest who back into her posh bed and dove into the bed.

It may have been midnight but Mom still had things to done. Friday is my happiest day of the week. My bestest housekeeper greets me all bright and cheery to give my home and soul a good scrubbing. Her Aussie accent makes me want to go down under someday. She brightens my day and brightens my outlook. But I sure have to work as hard as my underwire does each day...to get this house ready for a cleaning.

I finally laid my head on the squishy side of my pillow around 1 am (you see I have a squishy memory foam side and a fluffly down side to my pillow just in case the mood strikes me to feel supported by foam of engulfed by animal byproducts) but my heart was torn by the sounds of this littlest appendage of mine singing so sweetly in her posh bed. What is there not to sing about at 1am. She was laying on a swanky minky pink sheet, wrapped in a plush pink blankie, warm pink bottle of yummy milk, a soothing paci and her mommy and daddy back safe and sound.

I was sernaded for another 30 minutes before I couldn't take it any longer. I had to get that delicious thing out of bed and smooch her chubby cheeks. Did I tell you that she has gone from the whimpy 10th percentile to the 90th percentile in a year. I think I purposefully fatten them up so I can have those plump thighs to squeeze and cheeks to devour. I didn't just steal some smooches and disappear. I had to get that little nugget out of her bed and cuddle her. How could I not...she was standing with arms held out wide and hair a tousseled mess. We snuck upstairs and snuggled in the dark family room for the better part of an hour. We didn't talk much just snuggled and smooched and watched the lights in the distance. I felt sorry for the poor souls out traveling the concrete highways at 1am and not getting to snuggle their most delish one.

But as all things must come to end so did mommys stamina...but not baby she wanted to snuggle on...so we watched a few minutes of cartoons. My eyes were getting heavy and I knew this must come to an end. So I carried the princess down to her posh bed and smooched her again before bidding farwell.

I tucked my cold feet under the warm hubby and drifted off to sleep to small sweet sounds this baby of mine. It was if she was saying thank you,,, but it was me who was thankful she waited up for me. Poor daddy missed out...but maybe tonight he will get the pleasure. Oh least I hope so.

Spring Break Utah style

KIDS: Mom where are we going for Spring Break???

MOM: I don't know since your DAD canceled the San Deigo idea...something about heck the whole country is cutting back...why don't we.
KIDS: Well we can't stay home...all our friends are gone.
MOM: Ask your Dad when he gets home.

Later as Dad busts through the door not even able to put his briefcase down (well not really a breifcase more like a soft travel bag).
KIDS: Dad where are we going for Spring Break??
DAD: When is Spring Break???

KIDS: Tomorrow.

DAD: HUMMMMMMMM! I know we are going camping.

MOM: Hello! Mr...I would like to be able to go on Spring Break too..

DAD: What is wrong with camping???

MOM: Where do I begin...bugs...tents...mountain lion attacks...no running water...smelling like campfires...

KIDS: YAY! When can we go???

DAD: When I can convince your mother.

MOM: Give me a campsite like this or this and I might re-consider. Its called "GLAMping"

A few days later.
MOM: Honey, it is Spring Break and we have NO plans.
DAD: Oh, yeah.. I will work on that tomorrow.
MOM: AGGGHHHH!! I can't stay around here another day. Please take us somewhere...but not camping. (Say that while screaming and your head spinning off.)

Next morning.

DAD: I booked us a hotel in Zions National Park.

KIDS: YAY! When can we go???

MOM: Is it nice???

DAD: Yep we have a big suite with our own room for parents only.

MOM: YAY! And I will even hike.

So a hiking we will go.

And here are some gorgeous pics of what we saw.

But you have to visit for yourself to understand the monsteroisty of this place.

I guess that is why 2.7 MILLION peeps will go check it out this year.

Day 1: Drive 5 hours south. Stop and hike at the northern end of the Park.

Kolobs Canyon. Named after Gods home:Kolob

Day 2: Wake up from a good nights sleep in a nice soft bed.

Shuttle over to Zions National Park and hike all day until the kids beg to go back to the hotel to swim and sit in the hot tub. Thats my girls!!!!

Named by a Methodist Minster. For the 3 Partiarchs of the Bible. Most peaks had a religious name or meaning.

The orange mountain in front of Jacobs Peak...is named Mount Moroni for a Prophet in the Book of Mormon.

We must have heard 1000 times..."Look there is a catcus" She ran from catcus to catcus. Hey...whatever kept those 4 year old legs moving.

Avery gets a birds eye view. It was the only way to keep the cutie happy. She even could catch a few zzzz's on the fly...while being bounced around.

We were teetering on some scary ledges. I was scared all the time that one of my chickings would fall. So I kept them close under my wing.

These 2 ran out of steam on the last hike of the day...to the narrows....the place where the canyon becomes so narrow...you must wade through water sometimes higher than your head to keep on the trail. Water was too high so they weren't letting anyone hike all the way...but hubby just had to see how far he could go...so he took super hiker Reagan and baby the last mile.
I stayed behind and watched these monkeys scale every tall boulder they could find. Some were at least 15 feet tall. Too scary for me. I need a trail under my feet.

Day 3: We packed up and took a small 2 hour detour to Bryces Canyon.

Amazing how different it was.. they had these weird rock formations called Hodoos. It was much much colder there...no hiking just pictures along the way.

It's only 8600 feet higher than Houston. Talk about big change. Cold but cool to look at...people don't usually hike Bryces until May or June. I can see why.

FRUSTRATED.

Every time I open my blog to create a new post....I just can't. I am so frustrated with it.

I finally cleaned it up a little so that its not the colorful background that pops out at you...but it is the posts and the pictures. Isn't that what it is really about???

Right now when I open it... I see the twinkling picture of Mason and don't want to post anything else that will bury his picture. I have re-read his birthday post at least 50 times. I listen to the first song by Josh Grobin over and over again. I don't want this post to get lost and buried in all the mundane posts of our life.

I am also frustrated because it seems that I created this blog to be an online journal of our little family. And I hoped it would keep family and friends connected. But it seems like it is my dear friends that want to stay connected. Friends who want to see how the kids have grown...what experiences we are having here in Utah. Not our families. How is that?? We have 2 sets of grandparents...11 sets of Aunts and Uncles....and 23 cousins...but only 2 dear sister in laws care to keep up. I just don't get it.

But thanks to my dear ward friends...neighbors...distance relatives...and international friends who look and see what the Vances are up to.

Okay now that I vented.....I will keep posting....if not for anyone else....for me and my family. Oh I did learn that my dear hubby reads it...He has to keep up with how I am really feeling these days.