My Dad Comes to Town

Living far away from my family is a bummer in a lot of ways, and I miss out on a lot of fun things. One thing that has been really great, though, is that my parents are both very good at coming to visit me, and I live in a very interesting place, and they are always up for an adventure. When they come, we get to spend a lot of really high quality time together and see some amazing things.

My dad was here a couple of weeks ago, and it was so great as always. Hazel was very excited to pick "Gwampa!" up from the airport in Baltimore. We took him over to Ft. McHenry, where the "Star-Spangled Banner" was written. It was a gorgeous fall day and perfect for exploring the fort. Hazel refused to wear her own shoes that day and instead tried to clomp around in a pair of Violet's shoes . . . surprisingly, it wasn't very comfortable. Didn't cramp her style though.

The star event of the trip was a BYU football game happening up in Boston. We all drove up for the game and it was a blast! I love BYU football with my whole heart, and I hadn't been to a game in positively ages. Seriously so great to cheer for the Cougars and to teach my kids a little more about football. We had super good seats, so it was easy for them to see the action on the field--and of course Grandpa was there to answer all their questions. Such a great time.

The day we drove up, we made a quick stop at a rainy Connecticut beach just to catch a glimpse of the ocean! Then there was just enough time to grab some dinner and let the kids go swimming at the hotel. They were beyond excited to sleep in a hotel again, so the excitement level that evening was off the charts. I don't love putting them all to sleep in the same room quite as much as they do, but it all worked out thanks to Grandpa having a room across the hall for spillover.

The next morning we went to a tailgate party and the kids got to meet Cosmo and get BYU tattoos.

I was trying REALLY hard to keep this little Hazel lady happy, but it was pretty windy and cold for a little girl who would only wear crocs and didn't want to put on a coat and was really sleep deprived. Someday she will catch the glory of BYU football.

My boys.

Evan was so adorable and sweet. I was impressed that he actually snuggled in and took two naps on my lap, because it's really hard to get him to sleep when I'm holding him now! Love this sweet little BYU baby.

After the game, we met up with my dear friend Maria and her family for dinner. We have been friends since we were eight and I hadn't seen her for five years, and it was so, so, so wonderful to chat again. An hour wasn't enough, but it was still absolutely marvelous. Also marvelous was that the kids were totally worn out after all of this adventure, and they slept 90 percent of the way home.

The last day my dad was here, we took the little ones to the museum and had fun playing with some cool new exhibits. All in all, it was another fabulous visit from my dad. Come again soon!