Utah Trip

Decided last minute to use some miles for a free trip out to Utah for my cousin's wedding. In just a few months Charlotte will no longer be a lap baby and so this was our last opportunity to travel without having to buy her a ticket as well.

I hadn't been to Utah in 4 years (the last time was before we moved to Atlanta!). A lot has happened for us in those few short years.

It was fun to see family and friends as well as familiar places from when I attended BYU. I just wish Daniel could have joined us on this trip! :(

First night we stayed in SLC with Tracy.

The next day we went to the SLC library - this was taken on their rooftop garden.

Then we roamed around Temple Square.

This is the day of the wedding.

Charlotte, Scarlet, and Madeline

Erik, Charlotte, and Kirsten

My Dad, Kirsten (my sister), Aunt Becky, Charlotte, Me, and Grandma Darlene

Kirsten and Grandma Darlene

Charlotte and Erik

Kidd Family, Jake and Emily and Jackson, Aunt Becky, Grandma Darlene, and Granddad

The reception...

One of these sweet little girls asked, "Do you like to lay in the grass? I do!" After this announcement, she, Madeline, and Charlotte all lay down in the grass. Darling girls! Such a big day, and they were all so good!

Handsome Jackson!

Charlotte and Jonathan

Megan, Marilee, Chrystal, Aunt Dot, and Uncle Garth

Bath Time...

Matt and Jamie (friends from BYU)

Ben and Charlotte

Charlotte, Ben, and Miles

Thanks to everyone for a fun filled vacation!

The Many Faces of Charlotte

Charlotte can do several faces on command.

Here is her "Mad/Angry Face":

This is her "Surprised Face":

This is her "Happy Face":

This is her "Sad Face":

This is her "Cute Face":

And these are just Charlotte being "Charlotte"!

What a fun girl!

Family Date Night

Our family of 3 went to a pizza place for dinner and then enjoyed a walk around the pond and feeding the ducks.

Daddy insisted on not having any pics taken of himself... :(

And he looked so handsome, too!

Yesterday was a sad day....

The famed and loved "Miss Patty Cake" billboard has been replaced with a new sign.

Yesterday, we drove by expecting to see Miss "Pah Kay" and she was gone. This has made a huge impact on a certain little girl who always looked forward to seeing that sign.

Even this morning, the first thing she said had to do with Miss "Pah Kay" running away. Oh, what's a girl to do??

Are we there yet?

There are many things that parents do to entertain their children while driving from place to place. What do YOU do?

Sometimes I use one of her dolls or teddy-bears and pretend like it is driving the car. Charlotte gets a kick out of this.

(BTW - this is just a pic I found online...apparently I am not the only one who thought of this!)

When her toys or books are no longer of interest, we like to sing songs together. An especially fun song is "The wheels on the bus..." When we get to the part with the wipers going swish-swish-swish, I turn mine on and Charlotte will squeal in delight. She is developing an amazing vocabulary and can now sing several songs and nursery rhymes.

Here is a clip of her singing, "Old MacDonald."

Here is a clip of her reciting, "Hey Diddle, Diddle..."

I also point out things to her and label them for her. This has recently turned into a game of "I spy with my little eye ____!" With it being spring time there are so many different flowers and trees in bloom it makes this game especially fun ("foh-sith-ea" - forsythia, pansies, dog-wood, "redeh budeh" - red bud...). She can recognize cars, trucks, dump trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, and my personal favorite, "ex-ca-vay-tahs" (AKA - excavator).

She also has land marks all over town that she likes to point to and name, including:

• "watah-faaaall" for the waterfall in front of our neighborhood
• "figh-ya-en-chin" for the fire engine at the fire station
• "Daddy's hi-ee cool" for Daddy's high school
• "Miss Pat Cake" which is really Miss Patty Cake on a billboard as we go over the mountain

• "dah-oon in da valley, dah valley be-LOW" - down in the valley, the valley below
• "lye-berry, tory time, Miss Betty!" - Library, story time, Miss Betty

When all else fails, we find a Baby Einstein video on YouTube and play it on my iPhone propping it up in the head rest in front of her seat. This is for special occasions and usually reserved for night-time driving when there isn't much to look at outside. It will ALWAYS guarantee at least 7 minutes of captivated bliss.

***

In a related topic:

Each week, on our way to story time at the library, we always pass this pink house (well, not THIS one in the photo, but still...).

So, I do what I always do and say to Charlotte, "Look at that pink house! Do you see it?"

Charlotte responded enthusiastically, "Yeah! Pink house! LUHve it!"

Is being a parent great, or what?? :)