Back before COVID-19 screwed everything up, my union at work voted on a new contract with Boeing, and one of the perks was 12 weeks of paid paternity leave. Emily knew immediately when to use a couple weeks, Cambri's blessing. So we packed up and headed to Utah for two weeks.
We decided we'd make the trip all in one shot, something our critics were quick to discourage. We made sure we'd make as many stops as necessary to allow the girls to stretch out, and if it came to it, we'd stop for the night.
Fortunately for us Cambri slept a lot and Hadley watched movies on her Kindle, so we really didn't make too many extra stops. Just that when we made a stop, we tried to find a park for Hadley to play at while Cambri got fed.
One of the parks we discovered was in Baker City, OR. It looks fairly new and has a lot of cool stuff.
This is just the slides portion, there is a whole other area with a zip-line, swings, and spinny things. Hadley had a blast running around and discovering everything they had to offer.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay too long because someone was poopy.
So after stopping at a Safeway so I could clean myself off, we were back on the road and on our way to Utah.
We actually made pretty good time, all things considered. So suck on that, you doubters.
* * *
One of the reasons we wanted to make sure and get to Utah by Saturday morning was because Emily's family had rented a pool. As always with the water, Hadley loved it. She even jumped off the diving board a couple of times. The life jacket we got her really keeps her up right and allows her to swim independently.
We have this little floatie for Cambri, and she kind of just hungout and lounged the whole time. It was really the first time she'd been in water for an extended period of time, and she was kicking away like we thought she would.
It really wore her out, though.
Hadley found a pair of goggles and didn't want to take them off for the rest of the time. She's really embracing the whole swimmer look.
* * *
On Sunday we blessed our little Cambri with a few close family members in attendance. It was a good time, and Cambri did really well.
Hadley, on the other hand, refused to smile or cooperate for any of the photos.
It was nice to have KC and Heather there. Cambri made sure to smile for them even though they refused to reveal their identities. #MaskUp
This blessing was a joint event with Shannon's tank of a baby, Sylvain. Although only 2.5 months older, Syl pretty much makes Cambri look like a tiny little doll human thing. His thighs are as big around as Cambri's torso.
It was a great experience, and everyone seemed to have a good time. There was enough cookies and milk to go around for days. Well, more like hours, but in our defense they were pretty good.
Like I said, Hadley just didn't want to cooperate for photos this time.
Here's another baby comparison. Again, they are only 2.5 months apart.
Like Hadley, and Emily before her, Cambri was also blessed in the same dress.
* * *
We took our next free day to drive down to visit cousin Ben's grave. Again, Hadley still wasn't in the mood for pictures, so it kind of made getting a good picture a little difficult.
We tried, though.
But in a way it still felt like she appreciated what we were there for.
I think.
* * *
Down in Meemaw's play room are tons of toys for the kids to play with. Some are even from Emily's childhood. Hadley particularly enjoyed the little keyboard/drums set thing. Of course she did, it makes noise.
Cambri is quite the little entertainer. This time showing off her tummy-time skills for mommy.
Smiles for days.
A few of our mornings consisted of finding some parks to play at. After playing at one park for a while, Thane and Hadley took Meemaw over to another playground, which ended up being chained shut. Stupid COVID-19.
What also went down, but is not pictured because they wouldn't allow phones or cameras, is we went to Meemaw's athletic club a few times to swim and so the kids could play in the splash pad. It also had a lazy river and a big slide that Hadley thoroughly enjoyed.
The many happy faces of Cambridge.
And Emily.
* * *
For dinner one of the nights we headed over to Uncle Dwight and Aunt Andrea's house for some pork chops. This gave Hadley a chance to play with Ray and Conor's toys.
Hadley grilled up some plastic burgers while making numerous fake phone calls.
* * *
Thanks to Meemaw for watching the girls, Emily and I were able to break away to Park City for a night. It was really nice to spend some alone time together.
We originally planned to stay up late and hangout, but instead were asleep by like 8:30 or something.
* * *
Thank goodness she has 14 more years before she can get a license, otherwise we'd all be in serious danger. In the meantime, she really enjoyed cruising around in this little guy.
She also tried multiple times to ride around on Vinnie. That mostly didn't go over well.
Cambri rolled over so she could be next to Hadley while she took a break from playing to watch one of her shows.
"Hey, save me a piece of that corn!"
* * *
One of the days we drove up to Logan to visit Emily's brother, Damon, and his wife, Sarah. They took us to their swanky athletic club so the girls could swim for a bit.
Cambri did some more lounging, although without shade she didn't really last long before she was done.
Hadley, on the other hand, motored herself anywhere and everywhere she wanted to go. Everyone took turns following her around because she's getting to be pretty quick.
Yep, it wasn't long after this that she decided it was time to hangout in the shade.
I know what you're thinking, why does she need a life jacket at the splash pad? Watch the video below. She would just take off and jump in the pool.
We didn't make it out of the changing room before Hadley crashed. She crashed really hard, too. It wasn't until the spicy smells of Indian food wafted through the air that she woke up.
* * *
Even though he may have acted annoyed at times, I'm pretty certain Vinnie very much enjoyed hanging out with the girls as Hadley played and Cambri watched.
* * *
On the 27th we celebrated Hadley's birthday. There is already a blog post about it, so go check it out if you haven't already.
She had a pretty great day. We are lucky to have her.
* * *
As our trip to Utah was coming to an end, we all headed up to Jordanelle Reservoir to soak up some rays and play in the water.
I didn't realize it was as rocky as it was, or else I would've come better prepared. Those rocks freakin' hurt bare feet.
Later that day Hadley showed Pops the proper way to water their plants.
Apparently part of that is to water one spot and one spot only.
Poor little girl had lots of exciting and long days. Good days, but exhausting at times.
The next day we drove down to Provo to show Hadley and Cambri where we attended college. Here is Emily showing Cambri how she can spin and holster any pretend pistol. Even showing her that she can do two at the same time.
We introduced Hadley to BYU Creamery's cookies and cream chocolate milk. She thought it was the best stuff ever. We eventually had to cut her off after she drank and spikes two of her sippy cups of it.
Go Cougs!
On our way back up, we stopped at Gma and Gpa Christensen's dwellings. This was about as close as we could get to them, and also had to don the masks during the visit. It was great to see and visit with them.
We then headed up to Sherry and Larry's for some smoked burgers.
Hadley selfies.
Meemaw wanted to get a photo with all the grandkids before we left. It turned out to be the circus you'd expect it would be.
Like trying to take any picture with a group, you win on some and lose on others, even within the same picture.
Then every now and then they all come together for a pretty good one.
It was determined that we'd fair better if we turned the TV on and let them sit on the other couch. It kind of worked.
Yep, that's a tomato Hadley is eating like an apple.
That was it. That was a rough summary of our time in Utah. It was a fun time that was had by all.
* * *
Since the girls did so well on the drive down to Utah, we decided to drive home all in one shot again. We left about 3:30am with the idea the girls would sleep for a good few hours, and it sort of worked.
We made sure to stop in Baker City, OR so Hadley could have some more time at the super cool park. There were fewer kids, so she got to play with the other gadgets that were being hogged last time.
Just trying to get as comfortable as possible for the drive.
That concludes this version of our trip. Emily would probably tell it a little different, but this is how it happened for the most part. It's always good to have an extended stay with family and allow the cousins to play. Hadley had a blast, and I think she will miss all the swimming and water activities, Cambri will miss all the cuddles from everyone, and Emily will miss Vinnie, probably.
Enjoy this video which encapsulates the essence of our trip. Sort of.
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