Have I ever mentioned that my brother lives in Scotland? His wife is a Brit. She came over to get her masters in Kinesiology (dance) at the University of Utah and through a round about way met my brother (via mail). He was living in Italy and she just started writing him because my Aunt thought it was a good idea. The hunch turned out well. My brother actually proposed to her before he even met her. Sounds like a love song doesn't it.
Well he came home, they got married and moved over to England right before their little girl was born and eventually migrated over to Scotland. As you can imagine, it's been a while since I last saw them; almost 10 years. I haven't even met 2 nieces and 1 nephew yet. So I was excited when I found out they were coming over for a visit. But due to airline restrictions on pregnant women traveling, their visit will hit in the during Christmas.
I was really excited for them to visit until I realized that meant that we would have to travel down to Utah for Christmas. I mean we have our own traditions that are deeply ingrained in us. This is mainly due to my LOVE of all things Christmas. We have certain music that we listen to and food that I only make at this time of year. My children have already anxiously asked if my family will allow us to make the same food on Christmas Eve. Or if we'll still be able to have our birthday party for Jesus on Christmas day. Add all of this to the fact that we won't even have beds to sleep on and that we'll have to discreetly transport all of the gifts with us. Which also means that I have to coordinate with Santa about our new location so that he and Rudolph can deliver the children's gifts.
I'm a little stressed/depressed/frustrated.
Stressed because I have to figure all of the logistics out for my family while trying to make their experience a good one. Depressed because we don't get to have our beloved Christmas time together. And also because I probably won't get a single good night sleep the whole time. Frustrated that I'm going through all of this effort for a brother I love but don't really like.
I know that going down to spend this time with my family is the right thing to do. Who knows if this opportunity will ever happen again. But to be completely honest the main reason we're doing this is my Grandma. Having all of her kids, most of her grandkids and all of her great-grandkids in the same place for Christmas is her idea of heaven. And I love my Grandma enough to make this happen before she passes away.
There is a silver lining though. I get to see more of my best friend! We're even having a girl's night out; just the 2 of us watching crazy movies, eating junk and talking the night away! I. AM. SO. EXCITED.
Ella
copyright Ella's Place
Showing posts with label utah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label utah. Show all posts
November 27, 2012
March 22, 2012
Spring Break
Spring break is next week! I think that I'm more excited than my kids. No homework. No waking up way too early in the morning. (I am not a morning person!!!) No lunches to make. No making sure my kids are dressed appropriately for the day. It's pajamas all day long!
We'll have to get dressed part of the time because we're heading out this Saturday to visit family in Utah. It won't be a super busy visit. We'll hang out with my Grandma Donna. I love my Grandma. She is one of the most loving people I know. She still has board games, puzzles and coloring books that used to be my Dad's. She's a bit of a hoarder but so are most kids of the Depression. But it's worked in my favor. My children love playing with the older toys just as much as I did when I was their age. She has a game from the 60's, Husker Du, that is my favorite game!
We'll stay with my Dad and step-Mom. My Dad is the best Popa. He gets down on his hands and knees to play with them and makes sure to give each of them his attention. He doesn't spoil them except when it comes to licorice. He always has Red Vines licorice. He manages to go through a whole bag of the family mix when we're there. He has been known to try and sneak my kids a piece when they are as young as 9 months. He says that he has to teach them what good licorice tastes like.
We plan on visiting the Museum of Ancient Life while we're there. They have the world's largest display of mounted dinosaurs. The best part is that you get to touch them. They want you to touch the fossils. My children love dinosaurs and to be able to touch real dinosaur bones is amazing to them. It's amazing to me too. Most places you only get to look. Needless to say, this is a very kid-friendly museum and we're super excited to visit.
We also have to stop by JC Penney. Sweet Cheeks starts kindergarten this fall. She registered last week and is so very excited. She's already requested a striped backpack. Do you know how hard it is to find a striped backpack? There are no striped backpacks up here so I went to the internet and found one down in Utah. So we are going make a quick visit to the store to pick it up. The things we do for our children......
And amidst all of this fun, I might be lucky enough to go on a date with my husband.
But don't worry, we'll be back in time to indulge in our "all day pajama fest" by Wednesday! Yay for lazy days!!!
************************************************Update*****************************************************
We had SO much fun. The Museum of Ancient life was amazing! It's not too big that you're walking non-stop but it's packed with so much interactive stuff. Not only did we get to touch some of the fossils,
but they got to dig up buried fossils in a sand pit.
It was perfect. We will most definitely be going again. We also got to spend some quality time with family. And I finally convinced my Grandma to go to the doctor about an open wound on her foot that's been there since November. I've tried to convince her that she needed to see a doctor about it but she kept delaying. This time I made the appointment and even drove her there.
All in all, it was a good trip. Sadly, school has started back up and I no longer get to sleep in.
Ella
We'll have to get dressed part of the time because we're heading out this Saturday to visit family in Utah. It won't be a super busy visit. We'll hang out with my Grandma Donna. I love my Grandma. She is one of the most loving people I know. She still has board games, puzzles and coloring books that used to be my Dad's. She's a bit of a hoarder but so are most kids of the Depression. But it's worked in my favor. My children love playing with the older toys just as much as I did when I was their age. She has a game from the 60's, Husker Du, that is my favorite game!
We'll stay with my Dad and step-Mom. My Dad is the best Popa. He gets down on his hands and knees to play with them and makes sure to give each of them his attention. He doesn't spoil them except when it comes to licorice. He always has Red Vines licorice. He manages to go through a whole bag of the family mix when we're there. He has been known to try and sneak my kids a piece when they are as young as 9 months. He says that he has to teach them what good licorice tastes like.
We plan on visiting the Museum of Ancient Life while we're there. They have the world's largest display of mounted dinosaurs. The best part is that you get to touch them. They want you to touch the fossils. My children love dinosaurs and to be able to touch real dinosaur bones is amazing to them. It's amazing to me too. Most places you only get to look. Needless to say, this is a very kid-friendly museum and we're super excited to visit.
We also have to stop by JC Penney. Sweet Cheeks starts kindergarten this fall. She registered last week and is so very excited. She's already requested a striped backpack. Do you know how hard it is to find a striped backpack? There are no striped backpacks up here so I went to the internet and found one down in Utah. So we are going make a quick visit to the store to pick it up. The things we do for our children......
And amidst all of this fun, I might be lucky enough to go on a date with my husband.
But don't worry, we'll be back in time to indulge in our "all day pajama fest" by Wednesday! Yay for lazy days!!!
************************************************Update*****************************************************
We had SO much fun. The Museum of Ancient life was amazing! It's not too big that you're walking non-stop but it's packed with so much interactive stuff. Not only did we get to touch some of the fossils,
My almost 2 year old comparing his foot with a Brachiosaurus foot.
My soon to be 7 year old gently brushing away sand to get to the elusive dinosaur bones.
My 8 year old blowing the sand out the dinosaurs eye socket.
It was perfect. We will most definitely be going again. We also got to spend some quality time with family. And I finally convinced my Grandma to go to the doctor about an open wound on her foot that's been there since November. I've tried to convince her that she needed to see a doctor about it but she kept delaying. This time I made the appointment and even drove her there.
All in all, it was a good trip. Sadly, school has started back up and I no longer get to sleep in.
Ella
© Ella's Place
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