Mini-Vacation

NOTE: I know this is long - it's for my memory and history. :)
Our family took a little mini vacation. Since we just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary and we had a great deal with my friend Heather to swap kids, we made into a whole, wonderful weekend. We first checked into the hotel and took the elevator EVERYWHERE, mainly because it was one of Trenton's favorite things to do! The first day and night we had the kids with us and they thought the hotel was very cool. Tyler kept putting the curtains over his head and walking behind them, etc. Of course Trenton joined him so it was about an hour of playing in the curtains of fun for them both! (If you know Tyler, you know he likes tunnels and tents and things over his head!)
Anyhow, we then took the "train" up to the gateway and spent several hours at discovey gateway. It was so much fun!! Many children had spring break though because it was CRAZY and also there were several schools on a trip there. Good thing Ben was with me or I would've ended up never wanting to go again. But, it was well worth it and since we stayed for so long it eventually calmed down and we were able to go back and redo things and had a great second time of it. I think Tyler and Trenton both loved the ball/beehive section and the water. Playing with cups and balls with all the running water at just your right height is pretty cool! And the balls were just like those in a ball pit, but not in the pit, so it made it a lot more fun for Ty! Here Tyler is trying to bite off his wristband...he's so sneaky if he just turns away... After we were completely worn out we got back on the train and headed over to Olive Garden for dinner. Tyler is getting better at not making a 3' radius of disaster around him during feeding time!! :) We grabbed some coats and walked over to Temple Square and just spent a few minutes there talking about everything with Trenton. Trenton always asks if and when he can go into a temple and then he always wants to get married. It is very cool to watch him understand the need for reverence in certain places. We had a great time and then went back to the hotel and after all the fun elevator trips the boys, although exhausted, decided the curtain game was fun again. It was another little while until everyone was ready to calm down for the night. That's a vacation, right?!!
The next morning after a breakfast in the hotel we headed over to the zoo because the last time Trenton was there he was eight months old. We had so much fun there, too! Shocking! This is the zoo I grew up coming to visit when we would come to Utah to visit my mom's parents. I have many memories of this zoo. I know I have pictures of me as a little girl in the same egg shell and in front of the gorilla shape on the wall. Of course I had to get my kids at those same places! WOW! Lots to see! We got there just early enough that not too many people were there and we left just as the crowds really started coming in. Perfect timing! We got the kids lunch and then dropped them off at my incredible friend, Heather's home. She was so great to still take the kids when Tyler had an ear infection and four molars trying to come in! I guess that Tyler just ended up trying to follow Trenton everywhere. We've never left the kids without one of us overnight, so I'm sure it was shocking for them, but we had such a great time! Thanks again, Heather & Derek! We stopped at PF Changs for lunch where Ben introduced me to a new favorite: lettuce wraps! They are so good. You should try them if you get the chance. We went out shopping for a little bit. Of course my pull to bookstores took us into Barnes & Noble for a little while. As we were getting ready to go out for dinner that night I had to iron my skirt, so I ironed Ben's shirt, too. Okay, now of course I know how to iron, but I don't. Mostly because a dryer does an okay job and I just don't like ironing. I've probably ironed for Ben twice. But as he sat and watched me iron it was so funny to hear how impressed he was that I COULD iron...all the right creases and in the right order and EVERYTHING! So, thanks Mom for teaching me how and sorry to Ben for never ironing for him!! :( (As a side note I can polish, too. In fact I just polished Ben's shoes a few weeks ago and he was shocked then, too!) That night Ben took me to a fabulous steak and seafood restaurant called Christophers. It was divine! Of course, how can you go wrong with steak & seafood? I got crab (which Ben tasted for the first time) and filet mignon. It was definitely something we never do, so we made the most of it! This restaurant was in an old hotel and the whole thing felt like we were in a real city, or something more like back East. It certainly felt like we were on vacation. We loved walking around downtown and just talking. It was nice to get to hold hands without all the diapers bags and children's hands and strollers to hold onto as well. Ben & I would definitely live in a downtown part of a city if we didn't have kids. So, it's nice to visit places like that once in awhile. The next morning we hit a breakfast buffet (Ben's ABSOLUTE favorite) and then walked around downtown some more. We found an old used/new/rare bookstore several years ago while searching for a book for Ben's Mom. We headed over there and spent a good several hours, together and apart. Whenever my parents are next in town we have to take them there because we found so many things that we'd love to show them! And so we picked up the kids and got to enjoy their quiet time for several hours. We had a great time and made lots of memories. Sometimes getting away makes you appreciate everything back home a little more.