RETURNING THE FAVOR.

Alright, back to it. You may be wondering why we were visiting Utah....it was not to convert to Mormonism. (Is that even a word?) Well, way back in April, we took a trip out to California, to visit a whole bunch of family and go to Disney Land. Nick's uncle, Jay, lived out in Anaheim at the time, and he generously offered for us to stay with him. Not only that, but he gave us his car to drive for the week too. He's a pretty awesome guy like that. Since then, he has relocated to Utah, and as a way to return the favor Nick offered to do some painting in his new house. So, it was a little bit of a working vacation, but we also got to spend time with family and see some pretty awesome things.

We arrived on Tuesday morning at 2am. Nick's Nana was awake to greet us and show us to our guest quarters, or the Garden Level, as Jay likes to call it. We had the whole finished basement to ourselves, which included two bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room. I told you he was a pretty awesome guy. We were excited to see Nana, but also exhausted, and none of us had trouble settling into sleep. We spent Tuesday hanging around, visiting with Nana, stocking up on groceries for the week, playing outside, and visiting with Jay and Nick's cousin, Jack (once they were home from work and school.) Nick and Jay picked out paint colors that evening, and Nick was ready to get to work Wednesday morning. It took him until midday Friday to complete the various painting projects, so in the meantime, the kids and I hung out with Nana. Here's how we kept busy...

Brother napped like a rock star. The first day there he took three naps, totalling five hours or something like that. The long voyage sure tuckered him out.

While Brother napped and Nugget rested, I sat out on Jay's front porch, reading and taking in the view. No joke, this is right outside his front door. Isn't it amazing?

We took full advantage of the west coast luxury...In-N-Out Burgers. We were blessed with one just down the road from Jay's. They were divine. 

We played outside lots. The weather was warm and sunny. This is Jay's dog, Lucy. She's one loved pup. Nugget and Nana had fun hitting golf balls for her to chase.

Brother had fun outside too and thought his sock hands were pretty amusing.

We explored the nearby park. It was pretty awesome having the mountains as our backdrop. However, there was no shade, and no swings, so the park was short lived. 

Come Thursday afternoon, we were getting a bit stir crazy and I was out of ways to keep these kids entertained, so we resorted to this. Watching Daddy paint. Which I guess is better than watching paint dry. Anyhow, Brother was fascinated. 

As Nick neared the end of his work, the garage doors were his last project. Jack was a hoot and kept asking his Dad if he could skip school to help Nick paint. Jay squashed that idea pretty quickly, so Jack settled for helping once he got home. He and I tackled the left garage door, and although the two of us together were still slower than Nick, we had fun.

 Nugget even joined in, and worked diligently until she had this whole square covered perfectly.

Brother had an absolute ball taking a sink bath. Arms were flapping, water was splashing everywhere, and all of us were smiling and laughing at the sight. Until this, I'd still been using the little sling in his baby tub at home, but after seeing how much he enjoyed this, he now sits up in his tub at home too.

Sister rarely naps these days, although she'll still take a 'rest time'. She's a busy little lady, so it's no wonder she crashes hard at bedtime! I could watch my babies sleep for hours. So sweet and peaceful.

Alright. That's enough for tonight. Bare with me, as I'm about halfway through my pics. Two more posts and I think I'll have it covered.