Palm Springs

We had a great vacation a couple weeks ago! My parents own a Marriott time share down there and we try to make it at least every 2-3 years. Ellie was Sophie's age the last time we were there.

Ken was really hoping we could take his car on our trip. It definitely wasn't my first choice of the 2 vehicles to drive, but I tried to make it work out this ONE time only. :) My sister was kind enough to take Ashlan with her so she could have somebody help with her girls. However, in order to meet them to switch off we had to drive both vehicles down to Orem since we all couldn't fit into his car. After loading up we situated the other 3 girls in the back seat of his car and headed off. The drive there wasn't too bad. Sophie did amazingly well and slept pretty much the whole way. It was hard keeping Ellie and Caitlin's hands off of her though being so close quarters, it was just too tempting for them. We made a stop in Paragonah at my Grandma's house, St. George to eat at In-N-Out, and then on to Vegas to stay the night.

After filling up on the breakfast buffet the next morning we were on our way! We went the back way to avoid rush hour traffic. Half way there we stopped off at some rock formations and let the kids get out and play -- yes, that included the guys practicing Parkour. It took us another 5+ hours from Vegas to get to our destination. I would have to say that it didn't take as long as I thought it would, but you're talking to the one in the passenger seat enjoying her book.

The weather was perfect. In past trips we've hit 110 degrees -- smoldering heat! It was breezy most of the time with a few clouds. I think the last day it hit 110, but thankfully we were on our way home. We were able to swim quite a few times and enjoy the warm weather we haven't been lucky to have here in Utah this Summer. My parents were able to get 3 condos with 3 lock-offs (separate rooms) so we were all able to have our own space and privacy, yet able to get together for meals easily. It worked out perfect. They were all located on the golf course, so at night after we were sure there weren't anymore balls flying we let the kids run out and play. We played tag, frisbee, glow in the dark frisbee and the kids found the sand pit to rake and play in. A couple times some of us even got caught in the sprinklers that came on. Us girls were able to head over to the Spa at the Hotel (the one they filmed "Saved By the Bell" movie at) for free. It was relaxing to lay by the pool without kids tugging at you.

We had a beautiful view in the backyard, so we decided to take some family pictures one night.

One of the days we made a trip to the Living Desert Zoo. I think it was one of the hottest days we were there (or so it seemed) and we were all roasting by the time we were done. We had fun seeing all the different types of desert animals, a few being: Bighorn Sheep, Tortoises, Wolves, Warthog, Camels, etc. We headed to the Cheesecake Factory afterward for lunch. Let's just say 12 adults and 10 kids isn't the easiest to get seated and served. I always wonder what people think when we all walk into a room. :) Of course you can't go to the Cheesecake factory without getting a slice of it....so my mom was kind enough to get a delicious strawberry cheesecake for us to share.

Picture taken outside of an LDS church

It was a great week, but as usual it went by too fast. It seemed like we just got there and unpacked when it was time to leave. The morning we were checking out Caitlin got a headache and as soon as she got in Ken's car she threw-up. She did it one more time at the gas station and then she was okay, thank goodness. Traveling is stressful as it is with a 4 month old, but it gets more so when you have a sick child. Unsure of what was causing her to get sick I decided to make an appt. for her when we got home since that was the 2nd time in 1 1/2 weeks time she got a headache with nausea.

3 cars traveled to Vegas again to spend the night (everybody with kids) and the other 2 cars went on to grandma's house in Paragonah. We went shopping at the outlets in Vegas and stocked up on some great deals (I guess the guys wouldn't call it a great deal on their part while they stood around waiting for us). The next day was mine, my sister Brande, AND my other sister's husband, Troy's, Birthday. We figured we'd be traveling all day so we decided to get a decent breakfast before our long drive, so we stopped at IHOP. I am glad we did because we didn't stop anywhere else that day.

Caitlin and Ellie were tired of sitting by each other -- they couldn't leave each other alone. We pulled off a couple times with some threats, but they didn't seem to work. One of those Ken pulled off some Ranch exit in southern Utah. He told Ellie to get out and start walking home (she was being the instigater and wouldn't leave her sister alone). She happily got out of the car and started walking. He was trying to make it sound like a bad deal for her that she would be left behind and would have to find her way home by riding with strangers, but she assumed she could go find a "nice" person to ride with. After a few minutes he said "Climb back in the car and ride with us" but she refused. We convinced her that her family loved her more and she would be safe with us. She definitely called his bluff this time. :) We made it home around 10 pm, just in time for bed. I guess I can't complain about not doing anything fun for my birthday...it was just a long day in the car.