During the thick of Daniel's health issues, one of the thoughts that became a rallying point for Jodie and me was a little roadtrip. Given Daniel's extended restrictions and isolation from the world, it seemed a very appropriate way to celebrate the closing of that chapter and a return to "normalcy". However, due to some residual congestion and eating issues following his surgery, we weren't sure if or when it might come to fruition. About a month ago, when Daniel's congestion finally began to clear up and consistently gaining weight, we quickly planned an impromptu roadtrip out west to visit family. Stars began aligning and the scale quickly grew into a 5,500 mile, 2-week trip. Here are the different legs of our journey.
First stop was Phoenix.
We arrived Friday afternoon and got a very special treat- grandma and grandpa offered to watch the kids so we could go to the temple and do sealings with great grandpa.
On Saturday grandma and grandpa took all the cousins to the aquarium. Everyone seemed to have a blast and it was really fun seeing the kids all huddled around their water table.
It was a pretty cool table- Daniel even got into it.
These two had a blast- thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!
During the rest of our time in Phoenix, we had fun hanging out with grandparents. The pool was a big hit.
Book time was too, but sometimes with less than desired results.
One of the highlights for the kids was hanging out with cousins- not being close to family is the hardest part about living in Texas.
Next leg, Las Vegas. We stopped off to see Jodie's brother and sister-in-law for a much needed respite. The kids had a blast playing together and it was nice catching up.
After a quick layover in Vegas, we travelled to St. George to visit Grandma and Grandpa Maxwell.
While at their house, we introduced the kids to ping pong.
And Daniel showed some narcissistic tendencies- we'll have to work on that.
While exploring around St. George, we happened to find a splash pad.
And learning about the pioneers while visiting Brigham Young's winter home.
To cap off the day, we went to go walk around the temple grounds.
The next leg of our trip was Boulder, Utah.
One of the favorite things for the kids was exploring around Grandpa Bob and Grandma Naomi's yard. Daniel even got to sit down and really explore some grass for the first time. For the most part, he loved it. However, I had to fish some out of his mouth, so maybe he was just hungry.
Maile and Joseph had a blast on the swings- both of them we were working on their leg pumping skills.
Afterwards, we sat down with Grandma, catching up and enjoying the beautiful weather.
Later that afternoon, the kids tried out their boats that Grandpa Brems made them...
The kids had a blast racing them- thanks, Grandpa!
After losing a couple boats in the creek, Grandpa Bob got them set up to make their own boats.
Uncle Jared also helped us customize our boats from Grandpa Brems.
Thanks, Uncle Jared!
Before going to bed, Maile got the treat of reading some bed time stories with Grandma Naomi.
The next day, we decided to go visit Sing Canyon along the Burr Trail. This particular canyon is a small offshoot from the main road, but offers perfect acoustics. We had fun singing and listening to our echo before a thunderstorm forced us back to the car.
It's hard to beat Boulder.
Thanks for letting us come visit, Grandma and Grandpa!
The next portion of our vacation took us to Provo to visit Uncle Chad. As it would happen, Uncle Chad also had some other visitors and we had a little Vidinhar reunion. So, the kids got see some more grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins.
During our visit, Uncle Chad took us out in his "Arctic Cat"- the kids absolutely loved it and their personalities really showed through. Joseph was a little more cautious, unless he was in control.
Maile just wanted the "motorcycle" to go faster.
One of the Joseph's requests for our trip was a tour through Temple Square and the Conference Center.
It was a great tour and, at the end, we got to visit the roof- it offered a great view of Temple Square.
During our visit, the kids were sleeping in Uncle Chad's rock gym- Maile was in heaven. One of her most frequent requests was for Uncle Chad to help her go climbing. She loved it- thanks, Uncle Chad!
Before leaving Provo, we also got to visit the Provo City Center Temple grounds with Uncle Chad; he oversaw all the landscaping. It was another one of Joseph's main requests for our trip.
The last leg of our trip was up to Chesterfield, Idaho to visit great grandma and grandpa Perkins on their ranch. We arrived on Pioneer Day and went with grandma and grandpa to the annual rodeo in Bancroft. It was the first rodeo for the kids and Joseph was especially excited about watching it, asking lots of questions about why they did certain things and how they trained for their jobs.
Maile, on the other hand, wanted to have her own rodeo.
One of the first things the kids wanted to do was go fishing. Despite no luck catching a fish, we had a great time.
Daniel especially enjoyed not being cooped in the car and being able to explore.
Maile also really got into picking chokecherries. However, she wasn't the most efficient harvester- only half of what she picked ended up in her bucket.
We also got to spend some time out on the pond- lucky daddy got to be the motor while the kids steered us around at first.
How can you say "no" to this face?
Soon, we got Jodie out on the water and had a race around the pond.
The kids also got to meet some more cousins too. Well, technically second cousins. But they were running around, having a blast with each other.
These two girls are definitely not afraid to play in the mud- except Maile didn't want to get her skirt messy. Which worked pretty well until she stumbled and landed in the mud.
We also spent an afternoon in historic Chesterfield. We got to see the old church building.
Joseph found out that one of his ancestors was a bishop there and got really interested in the pulpit that he carved.
Fun fact- we learned that donkeys will protect sheep from foxes.
We also went for a ride up Toponce Canyon. Again, you can see the kids personalities shinning brightly. Joseph holds on tight and urges compliance with any and all posted rules.
Maile wants the "motorcycle" to go faster.
Another treat was when grandpa brought the horse out for a ride.
They loved it, even with a little bit of sprinkling.
Seriously, check out the smiles on those faces.
After some basics in the corral, grandpa took the kids for a ride out in the open.
Thanks, grandpa!
After the horses, grandpa took us to see his semi trucks- the kids loved sitting behind the wheel.
It doesn't get much better than this.
Maile found a pretty cool tractor- check out the size of the tires.
Grandpa also took us to check up on the wheat and Maile got pick and test some of the kernels herself.
The worst part was of our time at the ranch was saying good-bye. We had so much fun- thanks, grandma and grandpa!
With that, we concluded our impromptu vacation. We wished that we could have spent more time at each place, but it was so much fun to see so many family members. It turned out to be the perfect way to celebrate Daniel's successful surgery and a "return to normalcy."
