We took an impromptu trip to Utah last week. As in, Todd called me from work on Tuesday and asked if I wanted to take the kids and drive out, and we left Wednesday night. We drove all night long because the kids stayed asleep and we wanted to capitalize on that, but it left Todd and me pretty tired for the visit.
We went to Todd's brother KB's soccer game. His team dominated, 10-1, which made for a fun game to watch. Hazel got bored and started wandering the field looking for entertainment. Luckily, she understood boundaries and never crossed the line into the game field. Barely.
She has a major thing for KB and was so excited to see him. But she didn't quite understand that KB was playing the game we were watching. She scouted out the fans and found another high school boy who looked similar to KB and gave him a BIG hug, then stayed talking and flirting with him and his friends for ten minutes, while they laughed and looked uncomfortable and tried to figure out who her parents were.
One of the boys even got out his phone and it looked like he was taking video of Hazel chatting with them all. It was pretty funny.
We spent Friday in Provo. The major highlight was seeing my brother Ryan, who got back from his mission a week before Jack was born. I hadn't seen him since Hazel was a month old. We hugged tight and cried in the street where he ran out to meet me.
My mom and sister Kathryn drove down from Smithfield and spent the day with us. We chilled in Ryan's backyard and caught up, and we walked around the BYU campus and got nostalgic.
We drove past old apartments and talked about the girls Todd picked up and dumped in the Cougareat and tried to plot out Kathryn's entire future in five minutes. We went to the Carl Bloch art exhibit and spied a little bit on Ryan after he left us to go on a date.
My mom got a new camera and is taking a photography class, so she spent a good portion of the day taking pictures of us, trying out new skills and working on her homework assignment. As a result, we got lots of great pictures of the kids. I love it! Here are just a few of my favorites.
We met up with my big brother Chris and his girlfriend for dinner. The restaurant we planned to eat at was closed so we ended up grabbing burgers and gyros at Burgers Supreme and eating them on the BYU sports field.
Friday night was a nightmare. Hazel hadn't drunk much on the trip, we were outside pretty much all day Thursday and Friday, and Utah is more dry than California. By Friday afternoon, Hazel's lips were cracked and she refused to drink anything. Friday night dehydration hit hard. She spent the night in bed with me, restlessly trying to sleep, waking up screaming at regular intervals, even shaking some. She fought hard against drinking anything, which meant sometimes I was forcing water down her throat as she thrashed around. If I so much as shifted my weight in bed, she woke up screaming again. It was torture. By daybreak I was a zombie.
Any chance I had to sleep on Saturday, I took, so most of the day is a blur. Oh yeah, that morning the crew all went to the new cheese factory in town. I stayed home and slept while Jack napped, then my brother Scott and his wife Caprice came to visit.
I do know Hazel had a blast playing at Grammie's with her cousin Riley. I stayed home from KB's other soccer game because we
thought poor Hazel had fallen asleep and I wanted to let her nap. Todd took Jack to the game and I thought I'd get to sleep, too. Sadly, no. Ten minutes after everyone left, Hazel began the charade that was her screaming, kicking, crying, fighting, having hysterics for an entire hour before she at last fell asleep on the floor by the bedroom door. (This is only the second time ever she has fallen asleep somewhere other than her carseat or her bed. She just doesn't do that.)
Saturday night Todd and I knew we had to sleep instead of driving. It was the better choice. We were still tired Sunday morning. We packed up the car, went to church just long enough to take the Sacrament, then drove, drove, drove the rest of the day. Happy Mother's Day. Still my best one yet, as Todd was in Afghanistan the first year and at drill for the army last year. At least he was with me this time.
The kids did well in the car until we got to Reno around 7:00. This is largely because Hazel watched a couple of movies on our laptop. Yes, Todd propped the earphones with diapers on her head to get them at her ear level. That was as small as they would go.
Jack hit the wall first, which set me and my maternal instincts into an emotional frenzy. We stopped and I nursed him to sleep, and then Hazel entertained us with her hysterics until 11 pm. My least favorite part was when she opened her car door while I was driving on the highway.
And now, Jack, Hazel and I are all sick. I have a sore throat and congestion, Hazel's got a scratchy voice and she and Jack both have stuffy noses. So we are confined to the house. Hazel didn't nap yesterday or today (WHAT?) and it's been challenging. Think good thoughts for us!
All in all, a quick trip with PMS-esque highs and lows. I'm not sure Todd and I are made out for road trips with kids. It was so much easier when it was just the two of us. But we loved, loved, loved seeing everyone and we're happy we went.
It's rewarding to see their relationship start to develop. When Jack's crying in the car, Hazel will say things like, "I know, Jack. I know you're tired. We're almost home." I used to prompt her to say things like that. Now she does it on her own. 
