Staycation

Sean took off last week and we decided to have a proper staycation. It actually turned out to be one of the funnest vacations I have ever had! We were able to spend tons of time out and playing, but also lots of time at home getting things done around the house and just relaxing. Sean updated one of our computers external drives and we bought a new router so our internet and computer work so much faster now. We hung the last of the pictures, went grocery shopping, and did some cleaning =)

Monday:

We went to Costco then Sean went to a resident lunch with the new interns. Sean had an interview with a substance abuse clinic he has worked with. They are looking for a doctor to work one night a week. It’s good experience for him in something he really loves and it would be good money, but we are going to hold off till January and reevaluate. Sean’s 2nd year starts on Friday and he will start seeing 6 patients per half-day instead of 2-3 along with other responsibilities like doc of the day (filling in for away doctors) and being on call every 8th night or so. After Sean got back from his interview we stopped by the hospital to buy some discounted Lagoon tickets then headed down to Thanksgiving point to the Curiosity Museum. We just love all the fun museums down there! I was thinking that we weren’t going to renew for next year, but I think we probably will. Even if I don’t go down during the week at all, its worth it for the fun Saturdays we can spend there as a family. We started in the rainforest room, then moved over to the water room. We ran into my old visiting teacher from Albuquerque and our old bishop. It was so great to see the Norby’s and their now 4 adopted darling babies. They are such a neat family, they made me miss Albuquerque!

Alana’s favorite thing was the water table and the child size potties. She had no accidents while we were there!

Brett favorite thing was this new exhibit with the air pressure tubes and balls and such. He played here for so long!

Lizzie and Sean enjoyed napping =)

We stopped at a restaurant called Zaxbys for dinner. Sean and I both had chicken salads. Sean’s was a buffalo bleu and mine was a cobb. The kids shared some chicken fingers (which may be the best i’ve ever tasted) they loved them. We all shared a birthday cake shake which was divine!

Tuesday:

Tuesday was Lagoon Day. We knew it was going to be super hot, but all week was supposed to be hot, so we packed lots of sunscreen and went anyway. The park opened at 11 and we got in about 11:20. We headed straight for the Mother Goose Land. Our first ride was the carousel followed by boats, planes, cars, and helicopters. The kids probably rode 8 rides before we paused for lunch!

Lizzie did a lot of sleeping.

Sleeping in the Bjorn

We stopped for lunch after the swing ride and the kids were super anxious to get going again! I packed sandwiches, apples with marshmallow dip, carrots, string cheese, yogurt, and cookies. It was delicious! Brett took 3 bites then said he was done and wanted to go on another ride. We convinced him to eat a little more =)

After lunch we went on the water rides. Brett and Sean rode the log flume and Alana was sad she didn’t get to go, but just decided too late that she wanted to do it. Then the kids and I rode rattlesnake rapids. Alana was a half an inch too short but the lady let her go anyway. Alana hated it and I think she was too small, Brett loved it though and I thought it was fun too! After that ride we ran into our old neighbors the Duncans who lived below us when we first got married. They used to sing beautiful opera that we could hear through the vents. We got some frozen lemonade and took a little break.

Then we headed to the sky tram. Brett and Alana were particularly excited because there is a sky tram in Zootopia. We rode over and did the ferris wheel. Then the kids and I rode the Flying aces which kinda made me want to vomit. I took a rest while Sean and the kids went on the Tilt a Whirl which Sean later named the tilt a hurl. We drank some water then headed back to our stroller on the sky tram.

Our next plan was to ride the train. We waited, got on, took a picture, then got off because it broke.

Alana wanted to do the carousel again and Brett really wanted to do the splash pad so Sean took Alana to the carousel and Lizzie and I took Brett to the splash pad. Brett played here for a really long time! I ran around the park and gathered some dinner for us. Sean and I had teriyaki bowls and the kids had hot dogs and chips.

We ate some yummy dinner and Lizzie wondered why it was so stinkin hot!

Brett and Alana rode the bumper cars which Brett loved. Alana got frustrated because the car wouldn’t go. After she rode in a different car the second time and turned the wheel just like Brett we decided the problem was that she just didn’t weigh enough. Brett played a fun game where he threw bean bags at balloons. He ended up popping 4 and the nice lady let him pick one of the bigger prizes and she let Alana pick one too. Brett chose a giant blue bear which he had named Build a Bear. He sleeps with him and plays with him all day long. Alana chose a pink hedgehog. We then played a duck game where Brett and Lizzie combined their points to get a whale and Alana got a little turtle whom she has named mutton head =)

The kids wanted to ride the sky tram and ferris wheel again, so Sean took them on that while I took the stroller with Lizzie over to the other side. We rode the ferris wheel, then decided to start heading home.

The kids were exhausted out of their minds and we expected them to crash in the car, but they talked, laughed and played the whole way home =) They did conk out eventually! So much fun!! I love the tanned bruised knees and elbows that show how much fun they’ve been having =)

Wednesday:

We had a lazier morning at home after such a busy day on Tuesday. After lunch we headed out to West Jordan to drop off Captn Jack at the Big O out there. The check engine light had turned on and we wanted them to check it because they have been so good to us this year. We stopped at the gas station to get some snacks then headed into Salt Lake City to the City Creek shopping area. They have a dinosaur indoor playground where Brett and Alana played for about an hour. Lizzie drank a bottle and had a good nap.

We headed outside and looked in a few stores including the At&t store and Sephora. We made our way down to the splash pad where Brett got in his suit and made friends with this cute girl. They played in the blistering heat for a while. Alana had no interest in the splash pad. I went to gymboree and spent a gift card that Sean’s payroll company sent us when Lizzie was born. I bought 4th of July gear for all 3 kids. Then Sean went to Deseret Book to get some new garments and look around.

Of course Build A Bear had to come =) He’s bigger than Lizzie!

We ate at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, yum! Sean and I shared a lemon chicken and potato dish, Alana had macaroni, and Brett had chicken fingers. We all shared a piece of cookie dough cheesecake for dessert. We barely beat the security guard back to our stroller. Apparently City Creek isn’t like Disneyland where you can just park your stroller anywhere=) We got a call from the Big O saying that our car just needed a new wire to Cylinder 3 and they didn’t charge us for it! We drove out and picked it up then headed back home.

Thursday:

We met Mom and Dad Z at the zoo. Brett and Alana have been really into watching Wild Kratts lately and were really really excited to see all the animals. My mom bought a grandparents pass so the kids got in with her and dad and our friend Anna called in some free tickets for Sean and I, its nice to still have connections! Lizzie fell asleep on the front room floor while we were getting our sunscreen on:

My favorite part of the zoo is almost always the polar bears, but this time it was the lion cubs! There are 3 new baby lions that were born in January and they were so so cute! We watched them for a long time!

We went and saw the Elephant show which was really great! The elephants did better tricks than I had ever seen! Brett then wanted to go see the cheetah so we headed to the cat area, but unfortunately most of the cats are off exhibit because that snow leopard got out last week.

They had some fun meet and greet animals over there though.

I wore an american flag shirt and when I went into Brett’s room he immediately told me he needed a flag shirt too, so I pulled out his new 4th of July one.

We had lunch at the Bistro there, which is one of our favorite places. Alana and Sean had macaroni, I had a sandwich, and Brett had garlic knots. After lunch we rode the train, saw the lions again, rode the carousel again, and then went to check out the new playground. It was really hot and we were all really tired so we decided to head home after that.

One of my favorite things Brett would do was pull out the map and tell us where to head next. At one point he found the picture of the gorillas and told us to head over there.

On Thursday night we went to a resident meet and greet activity at the bowling alley. Sean went at 4 and the kids and I got there about 5:45. They provided pizza, bowling, and money cards for the arcade games. It was a lot of fun, although Brett and Alana were pretty exhausted and both ended up crying as we were leaving. All of Sean’s coworkers loved holding Lizzie and making her smile!

Friday:

We were planning to head to Provo and spend the day with Neil and Rebecca and attend the temple, but Thursday night we found ourselves so so tired. So we opted to hang out at home and invite Neil, Rebecca, Kaden, and Lexi up for dinner. We spent the day hanging around the house, taking a trip to Winco, and Sean made taquitos. We had a great time playing games with N&R and the kids had fun having water fights with the neighbors.

Saturday:

We went to Cracker Barrell for lunch with my parents, Grandma and Aunt Linda. Then we went out to West Jordan because Sean was giving physicals for some of the scouts in our old ward. I mowed the lawn while Dad trimmed and Mom took care of Lizzie. We stopped at Best Buy to get a new router (with a gift card from Mom and Dad Z =) Thanks!!) Then zipped home for some ravioli and sleep.

Sunday:

Sean learned Saturday night that a patient he was helping to deliver was in labor. So Sunday morning about 8:30 he headed off to the hospital to deliver a baby boy. He was done in time for 10 AM Stake Conference. We had Mom and Dad Z out for stir fry. I gave my Dad a haircut and we discussed their upcoming Disney World trip.

It was a great week and we were really sad to see it end! Hooray for Staycations, we will for sure do it again!