Coldness and Happiness Coexisting in Colorado

Oh man. This has been quite the exciting week. It all started with two and half hours in an airport with a 17 month old baby girl who has an endless amount of energy. We probably walked a total of about 3 miles in that airport. Sitting still is absolutely NEVER an option in her world.

The plane ride was interesting...I kept wondering if it was actually physically and emotionally possible for a mom to fly with TWO small children all alone. If you have done that, you deserve a king sized candy bar or something. We endured the flight, and I was grateful I brought about a million things to keep jane busy because she needed them ALL. Thanks to a delayed plane, we didn't get to my mom's house until one in the morning.

(she was actually not ok with the fact that she couldn't get to that vending machine food in the airport)

That was the beginning of Jane being totally thrown off her schedule and a resulting grumpy gills. But enough about that....nobody wants to relive that.

The reason we were there was a happy one- my brother was coming home from his 2 year mission! I was so excited but sad my husband couldn't be here with all of us.

When the day finally came, we were all driving to the airport and I had butterflies fluttering and thumping in my stomach. Why? It was as if I was about to go on a first date that I was super nervous and excited about. Only it was my brother so, weird.

It was SO GREAT to see him. He is still the hilarious, quirky best friend of a brother he always has been. However; he left as a BOY, and came back as a confident, handsome, and very kind MAN.

We have been talking and talking ever since. It has been so fun to catch up with him. It is sad to see him go through major mission withdrawals....and entertaining to watch his utter desperation to do anything he can that requires any sort of labor. "Mom can I do the dishes?" was not a phrase we were accustomed to hearing coming out of his mouth.

After Brendon came home, I was so happy, but missed my husband dearly. He is just my other half. I told him over the phone how much I wished he could be here. He said he wished he could be here too, but that, as we had discussed before, he had other obligations and sadly couldn't make it.

Except for the next morning I was woken up in bed by my smiling, happy husband who drove all night to come see me. Ya, he came to see my brother and everyone else too- but that was the best surprise I've ever had. And It was actually the most romantic thing. I was giddy for hours...and he was like "I had butterflies thinking about waking you up....it was like being engaged all over again." :) Yeah. He wins at being a husband.

Jane was halfway enthralled, halfway overwhelmed and overstimulated with the many people "ooh"-ing and "ahhh"-ing over her. But she was introduced to oreos, thanks to her uncle William, so I think overall she would say she was pleased with the experience.

The only low points of this vacation? The frigid cold....the kind of cold that physically hurts my face. We cozied up in the living room in front of the fire for more hours than I can count. Oh and that one time I decided to dance quite expressively down the candy aisle at King Soopers and my phone fell out of my pocket and broke real good.

But now here we go, heading back to utah where the temperature is 20 degrees instead of -10. Woohoo...?