the utah visit

i didn't take nearly as many pictures as i would have liked. we were simply too busy having fun.

mimzy's favorite part of visiting the provo house was pixie, by far. she'd erupt into giggles anytime she pet her. unfortunately, she was also fairly captivated by the kitty food. what is it about pet food? is kitty chow really all that more palatable than squash mixed with bananas?

pixie was such a good sport, and was very gentle and tolerant of the kids and their incessant cuddles.

we lucked out and also met up with grandma and grandpa crowfoot during our new year's visit. it's not quite a visit with grandma without fun crafting shindigs. we stopped at the craft store, after finishing the latest project of bingo cards, to begin our next project. makayah couldn't help herself and danced in and out of aisles, draped with fancy crafting supplies. this girl is utterly fantastic.

i made hair bows for the girlies.

auntie mars supplied the sparklers to assist in ringing in the new year! 

the new year's eve party held at uncle troy's place. games, food, family and friends - the perfect way to ring in the new year.

the new year crash. after days of very late nights, it's going to be a challenge getting the kids back on the regular routine of 7:30 bedtimes.

in all the business of traveling and an overdose of fun, i had completely lost track of time, and had no idea church was the next morning. we attended sacrament meeting, caught up with our dear friends, and then went shopping for some needed items. if i had known it was saturday the day before, i'd have planned better. oh well.

daddy couldn't resist giving mimzy a try of some tempura oreos - obviously some sort of necessity. i didnt' have a bite, so i couldn't say whether or not it was tasty. but by the look of contentment of her face, i'd say she was pretty satisfied.

for sam, also a necessity. i think we need to have a talk about needs and wants sometime soon. ;)

our days and nights were filled with captivating conversations, mounds of jokes and laughter, card games, board games, hugs and kisses from grandma and grandpa, late night movies, and there was no way we were leaving without an order of sweet pork salad and tres leches from cafe rio.

we also tried to fit in as many visits with our dear friends from utah valley. it was so wonderful to catch up with them. i love being able to pick back up from where we left off, like time just stood still. the only evidence of time were the sprouted children, running, chasing, laughing, playing - like best friends should even after moving across the country.

sadly, time went by way too fast, and grandpa and grandma had to drive back up to canada. but we were so glad we were able to coordinate a visit with them over the holidays, even if it was short.

here, one of our game nights. a board game consisting of weird and embarrassing stunts. 

i took a little break from it to have some snuggle time with my sweet nephew. babies are heavenly.

a visit with the crowfoots is never complete without a game of basketball.

the views we've missed.

more games and silliness. uncle red had "accidentally-on-purpose" hit isaiah with an arrow. well, the actual part of making isaiah tear up was the accident part, i think. so, uncle red, being a good sport about things, allowed isaiah to fire back. there he is in position.

one of our favorite games to play: nines/golf. great game. doesn't require too much thinking, allows for jokes and conversation, and it was fun for the brothers to get the best of each other (to put it lightly).

after an eventful four - extended to five days, it was time to drive back to arizona. it's always so difficult leaving. we hugged our goodbyes, and took some photos. 

sweet auntie beth!

brothers and sisters:

aunties and uncles:

i wish i would've remembered to take more photos, especially of when grandma and grandpa were here. but it's so hard to remember, when everyone is too busy running around having fun. at least we have the memories. :)

like i said earlier, we were planning on staying for only 4 days. our stay became extended when the sickness hit. now, i'm still puzzled by a few things - mainly the origins of it all.

1. everyone who got sick was at the new year's eve party.

2. the sickness didn't hit until monday afternoon beginning with makayah - followed quickly by isaiah and uncle nathan. immediately after them, were myha, darrell, katrina, baby enyeto, sam, grandpa and grandma, and finally redmond. (all attended the party).

3. the only ones who didn't get sick in the family were myself, samiyah, and auntie beth - who did not eat anything at the party. actually, mimzy was fed some food, but seeing as she always spits it out, never made it to her system.

4. marshelda and katrina's sister who were also around did not get sick. (did not attend the NYE party).

5. two other friends who attended the party but did not eat anything there did not get sick as well.

6. family in arizona did not get sick

there's the debate whether it was a stomach bug or food poisoning. the stomach bug doesn't quite add up for several reasons. but if it was, the bug most likely came from canada or someone at the new years eve party. food poisoning doesn't make sense only because it took so long to hit. but, it isn't completely out of the question. potlucks can be quite sketchy, especially when left out so long. i wanted sam to make some calls to see if anyone else had gotten sick. it's like some morbid math problem. i don't know why i'm so curious about how it all started, but i'd like to know whether it's a good idea to be kissing my husband after something like this. but after all the exposure i've encountered, i suppose it doesn't really matter at this point. luckily it wasn't messy. and luckily, the kids only threw up once. 2011 remains to be a puke free year. 2012, not so. here's to hoping this was the worst of it. ;)

our drive home was long and fitted with many stops for this and that. the most important reason, to make little mims happy. she really wanted to be in the driver's seat.

it never fails, as soon as she sees an open door...escape!

the games on the phones proved invaluable. thank goodness for kid-friendly apps and movies.

they slept most of the way, which was also wonderful.

the roads home.

we sure do miss this drive.

it's safe to say we are all so done with fast food. it's so hard to find good food on the road. the toys and crowns didn't hurt, though.

 we made it in around midnight. despite being sick, for the last few days, we had so much fun and the quick trip was so very worth it.

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today i am grateful for:

*our wonderful friends and family we were able to catch up with on our trip.

*sam, who took care of the sick kids, just in case it was a bug. he's amazing.

*the sickness to skip over samiyah and i. puking is the absolute worst. and with mimzy just getting over her ear infection, well, the poor girl didn't need anything else to deal with.