Fun with family....

We haven't posted anything in a while because to be honest, we have been overwhelmingly busy. I was fortunate, however, to go down to Provo the first weekend of March to visit with my sister Katie and her family, and as an added bonus, visit with Daniel and Kristi and Joel. The true purpose of the trip was to celebrate my nephew's and niece's birthdays, and to help my sister with the birthday party she had planned for a Mallory and seven of her four-year-old friends. With the best of intentions, I think my sister went overboard with the kiddy-prizes for her Princess and Princes-themed party: swords for the boys, wands for the girls, crowns for the all of the kids, prince and prince-themed prizes for each game, candy from the 'dragon' we 'slayed, candy from the 'dragon eggs' we 'recovered' from the the 'dragons lair', 'treasure' from the 'treasure hunt', etc. Each kid left that party toting two giant bags full of crap (I mean wonderful prizes).

Prior to the party I helped Katie prepare by decorating, cleaning, picking up a beautiful cake, and painting Mallory's toenails princess-pink. Amidst all of the hubbub I was able to reconnect with my niece and nephew - Elliot is now talking up a storm, and Mallory is as precocious as ever. And I checked in by phone with Scott every night - sharing my amazement at my sister's patience and energy to deal with the almost constant whining prompted by the kids being sick. Elliot, who was congested and coughing, would literally work himself in to a fit each night, and nearly every time he ate - coughing, hacking, and crying - and then he would throw up. In one day, I believe my sister cleaned-up three different vomiting events - one of those occasions occurred in the crib and also involved a removed diaper and poop (I'll leave that to your imagination). Needless to say, when I was painting Mallory's toes, and she was writhing around on the counter, trying to grab things, and moving her feet, I felt a surge of frustration and anger when she knocked the nail polish remover off the counter - I told Scott later, I almost lost it on her, but by some miracle was able to take a deep breath and control what I said. If nothing else, this trip made me question what type of parent I might be, under pressure, tired, and trying to put together a memorable experience for my child - in all honesty, I have my doubts. But I left my sister's home with a renewed sense of respect for what she does each day.

Elliot's Birthday:

Joel helped us get ready for the party and endured the back seat; Elliot was sick the day of his birthday and rather non-plussed by his gifts. Mallory had to help him get in the spirit of unwrapping before he found his groove.

Mallory's Birthday:

Everthing looked so loverly pre-party, but after the whirlwind that IS seven four-year-olds, Katie's house was a wreck. But, they sure did have fun, and Mallory felt like a true princess!

And finally, I was able to enjoy a little Barbeque with my brother Daniel, his wife, Kristi, and my brother Joel - we checked-out another Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives spot in Salt Lake called Pat's. Let's be honest, it was not as good as Gorilla's, in Pacifica, but we didn't have to wait for 2 hours, so that was a bonus.