Vacation

Doot doodle loo!

(That's a trumpet, you know.)

Let me give you the short version first, in case you're a blog skimmer and don't really have the time/energy to focus on the details.

You know I'm talking about you.


Basically it was a visit-the-family mega event. First we went to Utah for General Conference/my birthday/spring break. Then we spent the night in Reno, en route to the Bay Area. Finally we made it to Mountain View to see my brother and his cute family. And then we drove back home.

And that, folks, is what the Jones family does with 10 days, a minivan, and a steady supply of pre-packaged Doritos.


The Way Up

Apparently Utah didn't get the memo that spring had arrived, because we drove into this:

If you can't tell, that's snow.

I think any teacher would tell you that kids + inclement weather = hyperactivity.

Sara rode with us on the way up. We dropped her off with her aunt in Sandy. She and Mary, uh, entertained themselves the whole way up, if you can call spinning yourself into frenzied insanity entertainment. They are truly two peas in a pod . . . so you know the ride was not quiet.

But those girls sure are beautiful, don't you think?

General Conference

I enjoyed watching Conference. For me, Elder Holland's talk on Sunday morning was an absolute stand-out. The "men" went to Priesthood session together, looking handsome as always.

Between the Saturday sessions, Grandma Judy and Betsie prepared an awesome egg hunt for the kids.

Getting ready:

Hunting:

Tyce helping Kira. What a good big cousin.

Mary, very determined.

Kess, with her adorable bouncy hair.

Cameron, inspecting.

Harrison, methodical.

Done, with enough loot to last the rest of the trip.

My birthday

I turned 35 on Sunday and had a fine day. Everyone was really nice to me and let me take, in essence, the day off. I went on a walk between Conference sessions. We had a delicious dinner prepared by my wonderful mother-in-law, and TWO cakes for the party--one that was smashed by a fall, and the other made at the last minute for presentation's sake!

There was some discussion on who was allowed to light the cake's candles, as you can see.

I received some lovely gifts, including lots of lotions and candles, a new immersion blender, a chef's shirt (!), awesome gift cards, and a Christus statue.

The beautiful statue, at home.

And Mary wrote "35 Things I Love About Mom", which I have to say is the best gift of all.

It was a great day and I appreciate everyone taking time to make me feel special.