Salt Lake, it IS THE Place!

The Nutt House has survived another vacation week!  And not just survived but enjoyed and cherished along the way!!

Though it seems so long ago, on Monday we wrapped up our Southern Utah, St. George fun with one last game of bowling with cousins and eeek!  Though we all started off amazing, our end results were dismal to say the least with Kara and Kaden tying for the win with 80 each, their cousins Cecily and Caleb with scores of 47 and 61 respectively and my final score, a shameful 69.  My head is hung in shame as I just think about the scores of that game.  We did have a great time though, and that is what ultimately matters. 

Amazing first frame scores - 1 spare and 2 strikes!

Clearly not pleased with her perfomance

Just chillin while waiting for the ball to hit the pins

The final, shameful score.  Clearly the first frame luck didn't continue

Later on Monday Kara and I enjoyed some much needed pedicure pampering and relaxation time along with Allison.  Pedicures are so relaxing and it’s so fun to share in the experience with Kara who still whispers questions to me throughout the pedicure while she analyzes each button on the massage chair trying to figure out what each one does though she is still too short to properly reach the water bowl and definitely not if she is sitting back in the chair like she should. 

So happy to be doing "big girl" things

To top off our evening, Allison treated us to a play at Tuachan where we enjoyed a girls night out watching Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.  Throughout the play my eyes would dart back and forth from the stage area to the expressions on Kara’s face as she enjoyed her first real play.  The outdoor theater setting is always so amazing and adds to the ambiance of each play I’ve seen there. 

The stage and the background scenery

Just waiting for the show to start

Not to be left out of forgotten, Kaden who did not join us for our girl activities relished in some “man” time with grandpa.  Games, movies, snacks, wonderful company – I think Kaden was well taken care of while the girls were off being girls.

Enjoying their "man" time
*note the pretzel sticking out of this mouth

Tuesday was our travel day, of course, being on vacation and vacation with two little ones we did not get away early at all, rather enjoyed a slow day finishing up laundry, last minute playing, and for Kaden – an impromptu ride on one of Grandpa’s big work trucks.  Finally, midafternoon we were off, like a herd of turtles where with Grandma along as company we made our way north to Salt Lake and Aunt Alicia’s house!  After settling in at Aunt Alicia’s we were ready for our first activity filled day on Wednesday.

After determining that outdoor activities may be better enjoyed earlier in the day, before the heat kicks up we headed over to Tracy Aviary where we enjoyed observing multiple types of birds with the wandering peacocks acting as a favorite.  In addition to watching the birds, Kara and Kaden enjoyed feeding the pelicans.  Kaden, in particular, enjoyed trying his best to throw the fish directly into the pouch of the pelicans where Kara was content just tossing the fish over the railing.  Having never been to Tracy Aviary I wasn’t sure what to think, but found I was pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed ourselves.  This definitely is on our list of places we’d like to visit again. 

My little birdie

Such a large arm span!

Observing the pelicans

Pelican food...  a bucket of fish

Trying to drop it ever so gently

So could he could drop them without even looking

I want a secret hut like this!

Pelican snacks

Observing the bright beautiful coloring of the birds

Peacock watching

Peek-a-boo

Love these three!

After the aviary and some lunch it was treat time and what better way is there to enjoy a treat than in the form of a massive banana split?  Fortunately, we decided that as a foursome we’d share the split because even with the four of us eating we could not finish the whole thing.  The size of Kara and Kaden’s eyes when the banana split arrived, oh my goodness!  Though, the size of their eyes was nothing in comparison to the sugar high they experienced thanks to the the mountains of ice cream.

So excited to dig in!

Of course the cherries must be eaten first!

Digging in, with hopes of eating it all

Since we were already on a sugar high we chose to add to it with a trip to Sweet’s Candy Factory where we enjoyed a mini tour of how their candy is made, along with some taste testing.  The candy tasted great, but for me, my favorite part was the candy quiz we got to try and complete for free taffy.  What a fun way to learn about the history of the factory and candy in general!  Of course, we couldn’t leave with just our free taffy pieces, so we finished up our trip with a little candy store shopping.

Their pose shows the effects
of their ice cream
*crazy!

All that taffy!

Love us some good candy!

The taffy candies on the wall held the answers
to the trivia quiz...  just had to seek out the right
one for each question

Now on complete sugar overload we thought the best thing we could do would be to go burn off some of our sugar highs.  To do that, we ventured downtown to the Gateway Discovery Center where the kids had a blast.  The museum had a kid town area that we played in, a giant ball area, a water play section along with several ways to creatively build whatever the imagination could dream of.  While all of that was tons of fun, it was not all.  Oh no, outside there is a full sized life flight helicopter that the kids could play in complete with a life flight mission recording to help an injured skier.  After the kids help life flight the skier to the hospital they change roles to become the hospital staff that will help take care of the child.  I don’t know what it is about children’s museums, but they are so wonderful!  They stretch and strengthen the imagination all while sneaking in a bit of learning, and offering potential future career options.  How perfect!!

Music making fun

Playing in the mini house

Water play is always fun

She loves to climb

Giddy up horsey!

Hee-yah!!

Building a car track = fun!

Love to watch them create

Mid-creation

Almost finished... I see an engineer in our future?

Her flower garden

Transporting their patient

Checking for broken bones

Surgery performed by Doc McKara

Superheros unite!

I am so not ready for this!

Observing the science behind how solar power works

Scientist Kaden

Ball Play Fun

Climbing as high as she can

He'd climb to the top if he could figure out how

Playing in the tree hut

Post play hair do's

With Wednesday wrapped up we were ready for whatever Thursday may have waiting for us.  Now, we weren’t able to plan our own Thursday, for I can’t even remember how long we’ve been told Aunt Alicia had a surprise for us for Thursday… and what a surprise it ended up being!  Alicia had gotten us tickets to ride the Heber Valley Railroad (aka Heber Creeper).  An actual train ride!!!  How completely fun this way!  Especially for a three year old, train loving boy who dreams of becoming a train conductor when he grows up (along with a missionary and the prophet).  Kaden was all eyes as we looked at the train, boarded, and rode the rails.  The one and only thing that could have possibly made the day any better for him would have been if he could have gone up to the engine car with the engineer.  However, he was not at all disappointed and I can honestly say, this has been the highlight of our trip for him, possibly even his year!  The view from the train was so serene as we traveled along the backside of the Wasatch Mountains down toward the mouth of Provo Canyon where we stopped for a quick break and for the engine car to move to the other end of the train for the ride back.  On the ride back Kara, who had been longing to purchase something in the dining car, found herself finally able along with Kaden to go purchase a treat for the ride back.  As we traveled the sound of the train rattling on the tracks, whistle blowing anytime we approached a road coupled with the views of lakes and rivers, fields and farms.  It was almost enough to transport us to a more peaceful time.  What a fun experience this was for us all.  We are forever grateful to Alicia for planning and providing us with such an amazing day!

Check out his grin!

Just chillin by the train

Kaden with a real conductor.
Such a happy little man!

So excited to go

All on board and ready to go

Checking out the view

Watching as we pass another train

They didn't want to leave

We were so very lucky that our day didn’t end there!  Grandma was gracious enough to treat us to dinner at The Garden restaurant at the top of the Joseph Smith Building.  We love going up there during any trip to Salt Lake – the view of Temple Square and the city in general is absolutely breathtaking!  With gratitude in our hearts for being treated to such a delicious dinner after the treat of such a fun day us grateful Nutts were ready to call it a day and get ready for another exciting day still to come. 

A beautiful girl in a beautiful place

He was either playing or praying - either way... love it and him!

They loved that we were right by the water fountain

Friday was Pioneer Day and it was important to me that we spent at least part of the day honoring the pioneers and enjoying the festivities that take place throughout the state of Utah in celebration of that day so very long ago when Brigham Young first entered the Salt Lake Valley and said “This is the Right Place”.  Well, I wanted the kiddos to enjoy a parade but thought the Days of ’47 Parade would be a bit big for us, and after searching for the right place to celebrate the day we decided on This is the Place Heritage Park.  And what a perfect place to celebrate the day!  We enjoyed an old time rodeo, candy cannon, visiting several pioneer homes, learning more about life during the times of the pioneers.  Playing pioneer games, riding on a train, pony rides, lunch and even some splash pad time.  Though the park was crowded (causing almost an hour delay in getting our lunch) it was a great place to enjoy and celebrate the day.  Any time we can combine fun and learning I am all for it, and if we can mix history into the events it’s an added bonus.  I enjoy history, especially when it’s tangible and I can visit a location to gain a greater appreciation for it, the events that took place there or during that time period and I hope to pass on to my own little Nutts such a love for history.  It is my hope that by experiencing history in fun ways that they will grow to love it as well. 

Gorgeous view with my favorite kiddos

Ready to start our day

Learning to walk on stilts

She focused so hard

Plowing the fields

Doing the laundry

Cleaning the rugs
*I hope they better appreciate the chores they do have!

He couldn't quite grasp the game

Watching the parade

Going to school

Waiting slightly impatiently for a turn to be called on

Giddy-up!

She loves her pony rides!

Learning to saw wood

Now he's all ready to go help grandpa

She wanted a turn too

Riding on the mini train... in the caboose even!

Cooling off in the splash pad

She was looking forward to splash pad fun all day!

Our Pioneer Day fun did not end at the park, after a short rest back at Alicia’s we were ready to go for what Kara had been waiting for – the fireworks!  Unbeknown to Alicia or myself, her town of West Jordan puts on quite the enjoyable Pioneer program and display.  After securing our seats and food for the evening we settled in to enjoy the show.  Prior to the fireworks we enjoyed a mini concert and a youth play showing the story behind the pioneers and how they came to settle the Salt Lake area.  Fireworks were incorporated into the play as they youth told the story of the Mormon settlers, their interactions with Native American’s, and how others came to the area as well.  After the play was over we enjoyed a nice firework show.  Kaden was in awe during the fireworks, last year, he slept through most of them, and so this was his first real firework event.  Between all of the personal fireworks he observed around him and the larger ones from the city he had his firework thrill and was completely enamored throughout the evening. 

Waiting for the festivities to begin

Some of the performers

They were so excited to wear their glow sticks

His expression says it all as he watched fireworks

We loved the show!

Saturday brought us a new day and thus, new adventures.  This time, we headed slightly south to Thanksgiving Point where we explored two new areas with Alicia.  Our first stop was The Museum of Natural Curiosity, which is a combination science center and children’s museum.  The little Nutt’s had a blast and for this mama Nutt, if it hadn’t been so crowded I would have enjoyed it much, much more.  *I just have this thing about large crowds when my littles are trying to play.  I want them to have their space!  Anyway, after watching a live show on wild creatures where we learned more about the fox and cockatoo we got to pet the animals we missed since we were late – a fox and a hedgehog.  After trying that out for the first time, which I was very proud of two little Nutts tor trying out we headed over to an area where we fed some gold fish and the kiddos saw more than they ever have before!  After that we made our way through a hedge maze then headed back in to get out of the heat.  Inside, we found places to build, do magic tricks, explore, pretend to do laundry, and of course water play.  In addition the museum had a rain forest area complete with a high up rope bridge.  After an inner battle with myself I reluctantly agreed to let the little Nutts go have fun and play seeing as I could not fit in the place.  The kiddos had a blast, I just worried, especially as they were over a floor above us walking on a rope bridge.  My heart leapt every time I saw them as every nervous synapse in my brain convinced me they’d fall or get stuck.  Thankfully, I was wrong and the kiddos had fun and had a blast.

Feeding the masses

So many fish

Creativity at it's best

Enjoying a brick seat

Carefully giving a gecko an x-ray

They enjoyed exploring the mini doors along the floor

Aaack!  A floating head!

And another!

If only they could wash clothes like this at our house!

Kara the Diva!

Water play fun

Protective apron and boots to keep one dry while playing
smart!

Building new water spilling contraptions

He enjoyed making his own water pathway

Drying off in the 85 mph wind tunnel = smart idea

The infamous rope bridge

The rope bridge led to a suspended airplane...
not much better for a paranoid mom!

After finishing up at the Curiosity Museum we headed to the Farm Country where we petted farm animals, observed even more, the little Nutt’s went on a pony ride (their longest one so far on this trip!), we went on a wagon ride, played in a kiddie area, and watched a cow getting milked.  The hoped for highlight of this event was going to be the kiddos milking a cow, but, it was a newer cow and for the safety of both the kids and the cow we just watched the cow getting milked instead. 

Now, being the responsible mom that I am (ha!), I made the judgement call to load the kiddos up with more sugar so they would stay awake on the car ride home and hopefully go to sleep at a decent hour. 

Hanging out, outside of Farm Country

She was excited to see the peacock fan it's feathers

Riding a horse named Elvis

And a pony named Chief

She said when it pooped that it was because
it was so happy she was riding it, hmmm...

He enjoyed that his pony talked to him
 throughout the ride

Good-bye Elvis!

Good-bye Chief

Loved the wagon ride

They enjoyed the farm play area

Riding the little cars while waiting for
the milking cow

Post farm cookie sundae

Thankfully, the plan worked and the sugar high lasted until we arrived back at Alicia’s and the kiddos went to bed at a semi-decent hour.

Where today was Sunday, I thought it would be nice for today to be the day that we visited Temple Square.  What a peaceful, Spirit filled place this is!  Kaden most enjoyed the flowers and water fountains.  Kara was disappointed that she could not go in the Salt Lake Temple as she had the Gilbert and Phoenix Temples for their open houses.  Thankfully a sister missionary in one of the visitor centers reminded us there is a cut out of the Salt Lake Temple, like a doll house, as she put it, where Kara could see what the temple is like inside.  Between that and a different sister missionary giving her a picture of the Salt Lake Temple, I’d say she left happy.  For me, enjoying the peaceful spirit and enjoying an organ recital in the Tabernacle were the highlights of the outing.  The final number played at the organ recital was “Rhumba” by Robert Elmore – the proved most exciting as the organist played portions of the song with her feet!  While it was entertaining before, watching this definitely perked up the audience.  What talent this organist had!  Sadly, both Kara and Kaden fell asleep during the recital so with heavy armfuls of kiddos Alicia and I journeyed back to the car and called it a day. 

They DO love to see the temple

So glad we are a forever family
even if we are a Nutt-y Family

I love that they love
each other

Two of my favorite people in front of a
Heavenly Place

Inside the Tabernacle - pre-lead weight feeling naps
How they both could sleep during the performance is beyond me
At least they didn't snore!

With our time at Temple Square and naps we missed attending Alicia’s late church so instead, we’ve enjoyed a laid back, relaxing day at Alicia’s that we all, especially two little Nutts were much in need of!  Now, we are fully rested and will be ready for a new week – one that will see us travel up to Idaho and with our favorite big Nutt joining us!  We can hardly wait!!!