From A to Zed

When we were living up in the Yukon we often played with Chase's cousin Katie and her husband Mike while visiting Calgary. Little did we know then that those few encounters would make it hard to leave them and after a few weeks we were trying to talk them into moving our way and they were seriously considering it.

Since then, we have talked and planned and hoped they would come visit. Hooray for us they did! They drove down to Salt Lake just in time for the Morris get together and then on down to Southern Utah as we spent the next 10 days laughing, lounging, and loving every minute that we spent together.

We had such a good time that the moments flew way too quickly. Chase and the kids and I all missed them the moment; nay- the second they drove away. Thanks you two for filling our weeks with so much fun and laughter! This post is for you- we loved our time with you...from A to Z (or Zed).

Aunt Katie:
Ok, so technically she's not really my kids' aunt, but she might as well be with all of the love, care, and hugs she constantly gives to my kids. You should see the way Kurt's face lights up when she walks in a room. You should see MY face light up too, for that matter.

Besties:
How funny it was to me that within minutes of meeting each other Katie began to feel like a best friend that I had for forever. We're just enough alike and there are enough differences that it just works. She is someone I met and immediately knew she'd be in my life for the long haul.

Cabin, Cedar Breaks:
While here, we took a trip up to show Mike and Katie Cedar Breaks and spend some time at the cabin. The boys fished and played outside while we played with babies inside. I love spending time with Katie because I'm constantly laughing, immediately at ease, and she's so good with my kids that I feel she's an extension of myself.

Drive:
During their time here, we put a good number of miles on their car and ours. They stayed in Mesquite so we were constantly driving to St. George, Cedar City, Sand Hallow and Las Vegas to see the sights, do some shopping and go somewhere new.

Emergency Room:
Never in my life have I spent an entire day in Las Vegas this way. To say we saw "the sights of Vegas" would have been an understatement. It's a long story as to why we spent 13 hours in the Emergency room in a sketchy part of town, but alas, it's not my story to tell. Just so you know, though I wouldn't vote to do it again, I would in a heartbeat just to be there for a good friend.

Floaties:
Among many of the goodies, trinkets and clothes Katie and Mike spoiled my kids with, the tip top of the list for Kurt are his shark floaties. He loves them! He loves the pool and loves to "swim" all on his own. You should see his face when Chase and Mike throw him back and forth in the pool. Already he feels like one of the big boys.

Guns:
Chase + Mike + time on their hands = guns.
I wonder Mike, will you ever trust Chase again when he wants to go "hunting" real quick? I apologize for anything he's done, will do or even thought of doing while in your presence (i.e. the deer on the side of the road. Oh! and the jackrabbit. Sorry 'bout that).

Hangin' Out:
What I loved about Katie and Mike's time here is that even when we were just hanging out we still had a blast. It says a lot about a person that can still have a good time, even when doing nothing.


Inner tube:
We spent a day at Sand Hallow out on the jet skis and inner tube. Katie was the bravest of them all and willingly jumped on first. It took the rest of us slight coaxing, though I'm sure Mike would have stayed on all day if he could just borrow Hulk Hogan's arms for the time being. I was a bit timid and really never got faster than 25 mph while on it, but we all laughed as Mike's face lit up like a kid at Christmas the faster and faster he went over the wakes.

Jet Skis:
The boys came up with the idea to rent jet skis while we were still in Salt Lake. You'd think they were planning an adoption the way they went on and on about their plans for them. Once we picked them up, we thought the boys were going to salivate all over them before we even got them wet.

Kurt:
Boy do I love this kid. Do you know what's even better? Finding someone who loves him just as much. Mike and Katie are quality people and Kurt took to both of them right away. They took him shopping and when he came back even I wanted to go with them the next time. He was spoiled with new clothes (the shirt was made for him!), toys and these AMAZING new kicks...

Las Vegas:
As previously mentioned, we spent a day or two in Vegas. The first was not what we expected, but we did drive down the strip at 2 am, found the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop (as well as the winding line outside. Do they know there's a separate entrance for locals?), and all of the smut Vegas can bring. I think two days and a suite at the Luxor was all they really needed. Katie went home with a few darling Coach purses from the outlet and Mike went home with some good fishing gear from Bass Pro Shops. I'd say the trip wasn't a total loss.

Mud:
Mud, mud, mud and more mud. Caked into this poor boy's hair.
I promise this boy was clean at one point in the day.
While at the cabin, Katie and I were in watching a movie with the babies and the boys were down at the pond fishing. About an hour after they left, we heard this timid little knock on the door. When I opened it, I saw this face....
and when he saw me, he made this face.....
I was torn between giving this filthy boy a hug and running straight for my camera.

I decided to hug him (getting filthy myself) and then running to get my camera before he walked inside.

Apparently, while he was out at the pond throwing rocks with the big boys he tripped, started to fall forward and caught himself with his hands (and his head) in the mud. Chase ran to him (but not after laughing hysterically first) and pulled him out. He tried to make him laugh and Kurt couldn't decide if it was funny, it hurt, or if it was just yucky.
When we brought him inside all he said was, "Dirty, Mama. Dirty". Yes Baby, you're definitely dirty! The water wasn't on inside so we had to use the freezing cold water from the outside spiket. I stripped him while cakes of mud fell out of his pants, his boots and his socks, while Katie warmed up the water in the microwave. We held him over the sink and felt horrible as he cried and cried. We were torn between laughing at him or crying with him. We settled instead for hugging him (when he was clean) and chuckling when he wasn't looking.

"Nam":
Some may think that I did a horrible thing. I took Ava to get her ears pierced. I took Katie with me and she made me laugh so I wouldn't feel so bad. She held a stuffed Tigger for Ava to look at while the ladies worked their magic. We decided that this was her "Nam". I won't be surprised if later in life she sees a Tigger and immediately has war flash backs. But look at this happy little girl. I'd say it's worth it.

Ouch:
One word: Sunburns. Yes plural. You can't take two Canadians, one whitey who hasn't seen the sun since 3 kids ago, and a guy who has the brightest farmers tan you know and NOT have them burn like fire, no matter how much sunblock they apply. Let's just say we got our money's worth out of our stay in Vegas because we took it ALLLLL in walking much slower than normal.

Pontoon:
On Saturday, the boys went to Sportsman's Warehouse. After that the girls went to a fabric boutique. Apparently we must have been gone for a long time because the moment Katie opened the door to her hotel room, all I hear is, "Seriously???? Are you kidding me????" Mike had bought a pontoon earlier in the day and I guess couldn't wait to get to the cabin to use it.

Queen Bee:
Again, Mike and Katie's amazing arcade abilities came in handy.
Our Queen Bee loves her little baby bee.

Rambo:
What would a trip be without a four-legged companion? Rambo was shy at first but by the end of the week was walking around the house like he owned the place (even threatening to lift his leg when unknown males were in his territory).

Sister Wives:
If you've seen the show, you know the bond Katie and I share (figuratively speaking, of course).

The Pool:
Over and over again, Kurt sees Katie and Mike and he starts saying, "Da poo, da poo!" No he's not being suggestive, he just associates them with swimming. And rightly so. Having eight hands with three kids sure made swimming so much easier.
Strange that I just realized this is our first- and only family photo with all of us together. I need to fix that!

Utah:
Where we live and hope Katie and Mike will too, soon.

View:
Having them here was great for us because though we've seen these destinations over and over again, it's like seeing them for the first time through their eyes. I mean look at these views- I absolutely LOVE where we live!

Whisperer:
As in Baby. I call her the baby whisperer. It's true. It's natural. It's wonderful! We were so lucky to have Katie around. The kids and I miss her every minute.

X-Ray:
In Vegas. Waiting 13 hours. Walked away with a number of x-rays and not much more to show for it. I hope it was still fun guys! Look on the bright side- you saw the REAL Vegas. Not many people do and live to tell about it. Not unless they watch COPS regularly.

Y:
Why?
Why do you have to live so far away?
Let's work on that.

Zombies:
Yes, I'll be the first to admit that after the buffet one night, we hit the arcade. Hit it and hit it good! The boys were pushing the limits on game tampering, almost schooled two 10 year olds at an old school zombie game and we walked away with close to 4,000 tickets (let's not talk about how many quarters it took to get to that number). What did we buy with those 4,000 tickets? I'd love to say we found those 10 year olds (they were a mini-Mike and a mini-Chase) and gave the stack to them (they were so proud of their 270 tickets that we didn't let it slip just how many the four of us together had racked up), but alas, we're just not that nice. Instead, we filled a goodie bag up with lots of cheap toys and balls for Kurt and loved every second of watching him play with them.

So there you have it. The most fun friends can have.

That is until they come back next time.

Come back soon you two!