Fun times in Utah...

So I'm still playing catch up from our long time away. After Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, we headed to Utah. Paul had an interview, so he stayed for 1 1/2 days and headed home. I stayed with the kiddos for the next two weeks.

During that time I spent lots of time wandering around--sometimes with realtors, sometimes not--looking for areas to perhaps settle once we find a job. We finish our time in residency in June, and the search is on! It feels like such a big decision! Any looking we do now is all preliminary, as we don't yet have a job. But I feel much less anxiety about the upcoming future after scouting out the valley a little. Hopefully the housing market keeps tumbling in Utah and we'll be able to find a great place for a great price. !!

But in addition to "business," we had a lot of fun, too! Here are a few things I got pictures of.

Gardener Village with Jill and kids. We always love hanging out with them, and Grandpatty came (she took the picture) and we enjoyed a picnic on the grass after seeing the witches and Halloween decorations.


Gardner Village has always been one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon, with all the fun shops and things to see. Although this time it was a little less relaxing (as we chased kids the whole time and lost Abby once...) we still had a great time. Thanks for coming Jill!

We got to go to one of Lafe's football games. His team is undefeated and we got to see him catch and run a great interception! Michael adores his uncle Lafe, and he was a lot of fun around the kids during our time with him.


I really wanted my kids to see the leaves changing, as we just don't get to see that part of the year in California. We heard a storm was coming, which would bring rain to the valleys and snow to the mountains. So we hurried up the Nebo mountain the night before with a hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting.



The storm came a little early, and it was very cold and a little drizzly. I guess my great idea wasn't so great after all, but we still had a memorable time and listened to BYU beat the Aggies over the suburban's speakers (thanks for the sacrifice Dad F).

For the kiddos, the highlight of any Utah trip is their Grandpatty. She had several things set up just for them... a teddy bear's picnic, several sets of 2 dolls, a tent for Michael to sleep in, camping chairs for sitting, dress up clothes ready for playing, and Halloween decorations for little hands to break. We used the backyard trampoline well, and left our marks all over the house. Paul's mom thoroughly enjoys her time with her grandkids as she reads, sings, cooks, drives, chases, and sleeps with them. They truly feel loved by her.

Here is a picture of the kids with their Grandpatty one night singing and dancing like princesses (and a prince) to the tune of "I Know You..."


Conference weekend was a lot of fun. Between the Sunday sessions, we kept up the tradition of taking an afternoon walk with Grandpappy, and stopped off at a playground.



We also took a trip to the zoo, meeting up with Melinda, Jonny, and Aaron. We got to take our good friend Judy Barrows and her grandson Cole with us, too. He and Michael became fast friends.



Thanks to many helpful hands, this was a great trip for us. I even got to do some girl things... like a 2 girls nights with Hannah and Melinda (we missed you, Libby!), an afternoon with my fun BYU roommates, and a baby shower with some friends from our University of Utah ward. Oh, and of course, some shopping without kiddos. My only regret is that I didn't get up to Oregon to see my family. But that trip will have to wait for another time.

Whew! What a busy few weeks. Mom F drove home with me and waited for Lafe and Dad F to come a few days later to enjoy a California vacation with us. But I'll save those good times for another post...

Thanks, everyone, for our fun times in Utah!