Westward Travel Part Two

 Our other big outing was going to the botanic gardens one day. I wasn't sure how entertaining this would be for all the kids, but it turned out perfectly, with a little maze and some splash features. Bria was rather fond of her Uncle Scott, which is a wonderful development considering the first time they met (when she was 7 months old), she screamed in terror. My mom was in heaven the whole week with each of her eleven grandchildren around her. We got a great picture of her at the gardens with all the kids, only missing Drew, who was sick with a fever at home.

Other fun activities throughout the week were more mellow. In the mornings Bria helped Papa water the flowers (actually, she would water them at any available chance). My parents set up a giant teepee in the backyard. It was originally meant to be used for the grandkids to camp out, but that didn't turn out very well. It did, however, make an excellent play place during the day, functioning as a castle tower, a house, a cave, a spaceship, etc. My mom also had lots of fun activities for the kids like craft projects, a service project, and her playroom full of all the toys we played with when we were little.

I also loved spending one-on-one time with each of my siblings. My brother was also staying at my parents' house, and my sister Whitney was so generous to share her car with me for the week. She, Bria, and I had great times driving around SLC hitting up my favorite places (Blue Plate Diner and Caputo's). And the last day I was there, my Utah-dwelling sister Lindsay and I went to In N Out for lunch. It was so sad to separate Bria from Hunter, Abby, and Chloe after lunch, and I almost cried saying goodbye to Lindsay (right after Bria took a super flattering photo of us).
The longer I live out here, the farther Virginia seems from the West. I love to email, call, and skype with my siblings, but sometimes it just feels way too far.