Mom Takes a Vacay

The last half of the week had the kids and Mike holding the fort while Hallie took a trip back to California to visit with friends and family.

Most of the rest of the week was pretty routine with the exception of SEP (read, “parent-teacher”) conferences on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hallie and Eliza made a trip up to the campus bookstore on Monday.

We had clouds and the threat of rain on Tuesday, which led to some dramatic skies.

Uncle Shad flew up from California in order to clear out his and Carly’s storage unit. With help from his brother Rudd, Mike and Shad packed up what turned out not to be an overwhelming amount of stuff into a truck that took it all in – dust, mouse droppings, spider webs, and all. We got to take in some of that sunset too.

Eliza had her SEP Wednesday afternoon, and we found out that Mrs. Leichty and Hallie share an Orange County connection. Small world!

The kids’ school pictures came in. They’re adorable!

We had Landon’s SEP with Ms. Freeman Thursday morning. We’re proud of the progress our students are making, and we look forward to them learning many new and amazing facts and skills.

Mike and Hallie are also continuing on the Y Be Fit program. This week they had their initial physical evaluation. There is room for improvement, and we anticipate better health for us both by the time we complete the program sometime in January or February.

After Hallie dropped the kids off at gymnastics, Mike took her to the airport and she embarked on her mini-vacation. Mike joked that she looked like she was dressed up to go clubbing. Hotty!

Mike got back to Springville in time to watch the kids practice a little bit before taking Eliza home for dinner and then getting Landon and bringing him home for dinner. Then it was time for homework and bed. We had rain during the night.

Hallie got to California and played with friends from Camarillo.

Friday, the first day of fall, dawned wet and cloudy. Mike got the kids ready and off to school before going up to a hospital in Orem to get some blood work done for Y Be Fit. He could see snow dusting the mountains on the other side of Utah Lake, but our side was still shrouded in clouds for most of the morning. This is the third time in about a month that he’s had blood drawn for separate reasons. Too bad all these vampires can’t coordinate the data.

He went back to Westside to volunteer in Landon’s and Eliza’s classes. Mike appreciates being able to volunteer both because it keeps him grounded in the schools and because it gives him perspective on where our kids are socially and academically. Every child is unique, and each has specific needs. Most of the time, Mike finds that the kids he works with have funny personality quirks and distinctive stories to tell.  

After working at the school, he went up to his office on campus, eventually returning to take Landon and Gavin to gymnastics and having some quality time with Eliza at the library, where he got her her own card and where she checked out a couple of books: one on red wolves, and the other on snakes.

Meanwhile in California, Hallie hung out with friend and kids at Las Posas School and then had dinner with her friend Beth. Lola's in Moorpark was super yummy! Shrimp enchiladas will definitely be ordered again.

After Mike and Eliza’s library trip, they then picked up Landon and watched the original version of Freaky Friday (one of those rainy day movies Mike would watch in the auditorium at lunch in elementary school along with World’s Greatest Athlete and The Love Bug) with our pizza. Good times! Landon couldn’t get over the cheesy special effects (scenes that were obviously done in front of blue screens or sped up for dramatic effect). He kept remarking, “That’s totally photoshopped!” You mean Jodie Foster didn’t really water ski or race that Beetle like that?!

In Utah on Saturday, Mike woke up with kids on either side and with the beginnings of a migraine. He nipped that in the bud with an Excedrin. No rest for the weary today! We had a light breakfast before setting to work on tidying up the house. The kids worked hard on their chores, cleaning off the kitchen table, vacuuming, and tackling the bathrooms and their bedrooms. Mike was so proud, and it definitely motivated him to make sure they had a lot of fun out of the house for the rest of the day.

Hallie had found a deal on movies, so Mike had pre-ordered a showing of the LEGO Ninjago Movie the night before as a bit of a surprise for the kids. Landon and Mom had talked a little about it, so Landon wasn’t really surprised. The crew headed up to Provo in the morning for the first showing. Although Mike was tempted to doze a bit in the theater, we all had good laughs at the movie. Landon kept looking over at Mike when a punny joke or sight gag came up on the screen, and Eliza cozied up on his lap.

After the movie, Mike raced up with the kids to the Toys R Us in Orem, where the store had a Ninjago-themed mini-build. We put together little pagodas. Cool!

Today was a free museum day, and Mike had ordered tickets to The Leonardo, a science, technology, and art museum in Salt Lake. However, with the rain and the lateness of the hour (it was now after 2:00, and the museum closed at 5:00), he opted instead to keep the party local with a trip back to the life science museum at the university. Both kids, and lately especially Eliza, are fascinated by animals, so they definitely got their fill and then some. The museum has expanded significantly since Mike’s undergraduate days, so even Mike found surprises to keep him entertained.

The kids participated actively in a live vertebrates show in the auditorium and even got to pet a bearded dragon.

Somewhere in the mix of running around, we had not eaten, so we took a quick trip to the university creamery outlet for brownies and ROC (Roar of Cougars – like rocky road but with macadamia nuts) ice cream before heading home for dinner. It’s all about priorities (just don’t tell the Y Be Fit folks).

The kids watched the more recent Freaky Friday in the evening, and both remarked that they preferred the original. Very interesting! Following the movie, it was time for bed and for some quiet time for Mike. Landon made a reappearance, so we chatted some while watching the Real Salt Lake game and some Arthur.

Back in California, Hallie started with two hours spent at Victory Gymnastics Academy holding babies, catching up with coaches and chatting with friends. In the early afternoon the Maygrens headed to Cru’s soccer game. They won! Hallie spent the rest of the day with Carly and her kids before going over to Grandma and Grandpa and Alie O.’s to spend the night.

Sunday dawned quiet in Springville with LEGOs, CBS Sunday Morning, and Music and the Spoken Word with gray skies outside. Then it was time for a walk in the rain to church.

Hallie went to Alie’s primary program. Church was great! She especially enjoyed seeing Roxanne Schwarze and Jeff and Mary Kunz. We knew them from Michigan, and we really respect this family. After church we hung out with the Owens, and Haydn made an appearance.

Tonight Hallie will spend the night at Beth's house, and the girls will head out early to the airport in the morning.

Eliza had a talk in Primary on the Ten Commandments. Before church, Landon and Dad helped her draw some visual aids. We think using them helped!

On the way home, we noticed snow in the mountains. Fall has definitely arrived, and winter may closer than we want.