eat out – Page 3 – Darais Days

Road trip catch-up!

We just got back last night from our long road trip to Illinois and back. Thirty plus hours in the car with two small children–without electronic entertainment, thanks to my rushed packing right before the trip–was a great adventure. We were surprised by how well both kids did in the car, especially since both were sick at various times.

Since I have innumerable pictures, I’m cutting straight to those:

Lydia running around getting her wiggles out before the trip.

On the way to Springfield, we stopped by Hannibal, the home of Mark Twain:

Blocking the model of a statue that was supposed to pay tribute to Twain. It was slated to be erected during the Depression, and because of its expense, it never got built.

In Mark Twain's house. — In Mark Twain’s house.

Tom Sawyer's white picket fence. — Tom Sawyer’s white picket fence.

That night we arrived in Springfield in time to catch the tail end of a family pizza party. I don’t have any pictures, but the girls were soooooooo happy to see my mom.

We stayed at the Presidential Abraham Lincoln Hotel, which is where my grandma always took us swimming whenever we visited her. I got up three hours before Abe and the girls, and after eating breakfast, I swam in the pool. It felt exactly the same as it did when I was little–they haven’t changed the decor one bit! The only thing missing was the sauna. Maybe it wasn’t safe enough, but I did feel nostalgic when I noticed it was gone.

Abe and the girls woke up at 10:30am, just in time to get Maid-Rite and head to the picnic. Maid-Rite is the nation’s first drive-thru; it’s also one of my favorite Springfield spots because we used to go there every time we visited Grandma.

At the picnic:

My cousin, Kathy, pushing Lydia on the swing. Lydia and her kids, Kole and Kaitlyn, became great friends.

Beth attending to the three dogs, Bella, Cooper, and Payton.

Then we went back to the hotel so Abe and the girls could swim before dinner. At dinner, we took a lot of family pictures, all of which can be accessed here for the next couple weeks. After that, I’ll need to upload them from the CD which my mom is so kindly sending me. Thanks, mom!

Here are the pictures I did get:

Taylor sang us a song, and Aunt Dee held the speakers.

Parker sang "Never Mind, I'll Find Someone Like You" by Adele. He was amazing! — Parker sang “Never Mind, I’ll Find Someone Like You” by Adele. He was amazing!

Abe joined the kids in serenading us with a resounding rendition of "Let it Go." — Abe joined the kids in serenading us with a resounding rendition of “Let it Go.”

Then Clark, Swathi, Abe, the girls and I took a walk to Abe’s Lincoln House. It was dark, so I didn’t take my camera. Too bad! The house was lit up and beautiful. It’s right downtown, so the walk wasn’t too demanding–which was great, considering we’d gorged ourselves at dinner.

But before our walk, I got a picture of Abe posing as Abe.

The next morning, we barely made it to church in time to hear my mom give a fantastic Relief Society lesson on love. (Well, I got to hear it. Abe and the girls can’t go to Relief Society.)

Then we headed to Grandma’s for lunch and some visiting. While there, Lydia suddenly came down with a 103 degree fever. As I cuddled her, Abe gave her medicine. Oops! She vomited that right up, all over me. Emma, pictured below, is my new favorite person. She was so great at helping me clean the vomit off in the bathroom. Seriously, whenever I have my next baby, I want her to be the nurse.

Emma and Grandma put on a great puppet show. Emma is one of my new favorite people. When Lydia got sick and happened to vomit all over me, I handed her off to Abe and headed to the bathroom to clean off. Emma came with me and helped the whole time--I now want her to help me deliver my next baby (whenever that happens!). — Emma and Grandma put on a great puppet show.

After saying hasty goodbyes, we headed off. Lydia slept until we arrived at a Dairy Queen, several hours later. She was feeling better, so we got her an ice cream cone.

Lydia gets very subdued and polite when ill. Here she is meditating (or waiting patiently--same thing?) outside of Dairy Queen. — Lydia gets very subdued and polite when ill. Here she is meditating (or waiting patiently–same thing?) outside of Dairy Queen.

That night, we stayed at Abe’s Aunt Bonnie’s lake house in rural Missouri. It was gorgeous.

Aunt Bonnie's house. — Aunt Bonnie’s house.

Mary padding around chasing the cats the night we got in.

The next day, we stopped in Independence, Missouri, to visit our church’s visitor center. The Independence temple lot is really important to Latter-Day Saints. The Community of Christ (formerly the Reformed Latter-Day Saint Church) owns most of the lot, and they’ve built their own temple on their portion. We visited that, too.

In front of the Christus. Lydia really wanted to touch Jesus' toe. — In front of the Christus. Lydia really wanted to touch Jesus’ toe.

The Community of Christ's temple. — The Community of Christ’s temple.

We spent the rest of the day driving. Kansas, in my opinion, is a little spooky. Since the land is flat and a lot of time there aren’t any trees in sight, it feels like you’re lost at sea. The sky is so big and oppressive. But, at the same time, it’s also pretty:

We got to Denver late that night, and in the morning, we completed our Grandparent Grand tour.

At Grandma and Grandpa Edmudson's house. The girls and I met them for the first time--so long overdue! We enjoyed them a lot. — At Grandma and Grandpa Edmudson’s house. The girls and I met them for the first time–so long overdue! We enjoyed them a lot.

William Norris Edmondson, Abe's great-grandfather. — William Norris Edmondson, Abe’s great-grandfather.

Abe's great grandparents, William Norris Edmondson and Mary Hazel Coulter. — Abe’s great grandparents, William Norris Edmondson and Mary Hazel Coulter.

Abe's grandpa and great-grandpa. Abe's grandpa was very sick with asthma his whole childhood, and no one expected him to survive. — Abe’s grandpa and great-grandpa. Abe’s grandpa was very sick with asthma his whole childhood, and no one expected him to survive.

I think this is a picture of Abe's great-grandparents, Jeremiah Couter and Amanda Staten. — I think this is a picture of Abe’s great-grandparents, Jeremiah Couter and Amanda Staten.

The family home back in Kentucky. Abe's grandpa came to Colorado in 1961, and his whole family stayed behind. — The family home back in Kentucky. Abe’s grandpa came to Colorado in 1961, and his whole family stayed behind.

Karin, Grandpa Edmondson, Grandma Edmondson, Mary, Abe, Lydia, and me.

Then we drove home.

Driving out of Brighton, Colorado (where Abe's Grandma and Grandpa Edmondson live). — Driving out of Brighton, Colorado (where Abe’s Grandma and Grandpa Edmondson live).

This is hide and seek--NOT peek-a-boo. Did you know you could play hide-and-seek in a car? — This is hide and seek–NOT peek-a-boo. Did you know you could play hide-and-seek in a car?

Mary played with her feet most of the trip.

Nearing Salt Lake. We love where we live. If only it could be a little closer to the family we just left!

looooong day

Long day! I got up at 5:15 to get to yoga, and then after yoga I started to drive to school for my competition team meet when I realized that there was no way I could get everything done today if I went to the meeting. So I turned around and headed home.

We ended up shopping for wedding clothes (Jon and Shirley are getting married next week!) and getting ready for the trip. Then we went to Ikea for dinner, and afterward drove to Provo to meet up with our friends Ben, Candace, Cadence–and their new twins, Aria and Bentley. Aria and Bentley were unbelievably adorable. Equally unbelievable was that we didn’t get pictures of them. Oh well. I accidentally overfed Bentley because I was so absorbed in my conversation with Candace, and the poor thing couldn’t take all the milk I was drowning him in. It ended up on my arm, so at least I have a souvenir.

We met up at Chuckee Cheese’s, a place none of us have visited for over twenty years. It was a lot smaller than we remembered! But the kids loved it, and it was a lot easier to talk and visit with all of that entertainment for the kids. The visit seemed short, but before we realized it, two hours had flown by. We reluctantly said goodbye, and then headed for home.

Except. Except Abe has been raving about the massage chairs at Qualtrics, and he really wanted me to try them. We were only five minutes away, so we headed over to try the chairs. When we got there, the chairs were taken! The whole building was empty, but there were two employees there getting massages in the chairs. Abe was bummed, but he was determined not to make the trip in vain. Since his card wouldn’t give him access to the third floor (where there are more massage chairs), he tried to circumvent the system by taking the elevator. No such luck. Instead, we spent ten minutes stuck in the elevator fearing we would never get out. Finally, we figured out we could exit into the garage, which opened back up onto the street. Phew! After that close call, we headed straight for home.

Now I will post the very poor pictures we took of 1) the girls at Kid to Kid, 2) Dinner at Ikea and 3) the girls at Chuckee Cheese.

They were playing Frozen at Ikea. Eventually, we had to go feed Lydia because she was too caught up in the movie to eat.

Take your family to work day (Egg hunt #3)

Mary locked herself in my mom’s room this morning for several hours. It was very scary, but I was grateful for the assurance of the Spirit. I kept getting the feeling that it would be okay, and it did turn out okay. Our landlord came over and explained that he used to get locked in rooms all the time as a child, and his mom would pop the lock with a crochet needle. I had been trying to pop the lock with all sorts of things, but we tried a key (imagine that!) and it worked great. Mary was contentedly playing with a doll when we got her, and I was SO happy to pick her up and hug her.

Right after that, I loaded the girls in the car and we drove to Abe’s work for their Bring Your Family to Work Day. They had amazing food, a quick presentation, and an Easter egg hunt for the girls. The girls are getting to be pros at finding Easter eggs by now, and even Mary has the drill down.

Abe and the girls in the parking lot. I wish I'd gotten a closer shot because they looked so cute. Lydia talked the whole way down about how she was going to give her daddy a big hug and kiss because she missed him. After we left, she talked about how happy she was to see her daddy during the day. It was sweet. — Abe and the girls in the parking lot. I wish I’d gotten a closer shot because they looked so cute. Lydia talked the whole way down about how she was going to give her daddy a big hug and kiss because she missed him. After we left, she talked about how happy she was to see her daddy during the day. It was sweet.

I practically fell asleep driving back home, and I guess the girls were as tired as I was. When we got home, all three of us slept for three hours. Okay, okay–I woke up after an hour and a half, but then I lay on the couch reading food blogs until the girls woke up. They woke up right when Abe got home.

After Abe got home, we went on a run in the canyon. It was a lovely Spring evening, and my favorite trees are in bloom. They smell soooooooo good. When we got back, Abe ate dinner outside while the girls and I (who had already eaten) ran around the yard hunting down flowers to smell, mint to pick, and robins to watch.

I even got some practice in when we went back inside, although today I decided that I am not doing my competition. Maybe I will do one next year, but I really want to prioritize the time I have with my grandma, and there’s no way to know if I’ll be done with my round in time to make it to the reunion dinner. Also, I don’t want to pay $175 just to withdraw after the first round, so I think it makes more sense to postpone competing. When I practiced tonight, I enjoyed it so much; I was bored with my competition pieces, and so now I’m giving myself a chance to play other stuff.

Yay for a great start to the weekend!

In Remembrance of Norma Darais

I am not ready for my grandmother to be gone. It was four days before she passed away that I committed to visiting her every week on my lunch break. I wish I had known my time was ending to spend time with such a remarkable person. I know she is on the other side. I know she watches over me. But on my side of the veil, I am left to enjoy her through my memories. These are the things I remember most about my sweet grandmother.

1. When I was about seven years old, I had a sleep over at her house and she taught me Alma 37:37, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doing and he will direct thee for good. Yea, when thou liest down at night, lie down unto the Lord that he may watch over you in your sleep. And when thou risest in the morning, let thy heart be full of thanks unto him. And if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.” I just did that from memory. It was the first scripture I ever memorized and still I remember it from all those years ago. I chose it as the scripture on my missionary placard because it has meant so much to me over the years. I can still visualize my grandmother quoting it with energy. She would always recite things with enthusiasm and gusto, showing clearly the love she had for the gospel.

2. Towing the line. My grandmother was always working. Making bread, making blankets, cooking meals, sewing, writing poetry, organizing the house, reading newspaper articles, calling loved ones, the list goes on and on and on. When I think of her raising seven children, and the drive she exhibited, even in her nineties, I marvel at the amount of good she accomplished while on earth. I never once heard her complain.

3. Trust. In almost every conversation I’ve had with grandmother in the past few years, she finds away to mention how she marvels at how when she looks back on her life, she sees how God led her from A to B to C. She has many amazing stories in her life of times where situations were very dire, but God came through for Her in glorious ways. She marvels at how good God has been to her and how we can trust Him perfectly to work good in our lives.

4. Amazing Bread.

Grandmother, it is one thing to live a selfless, active and righteous life, but it is quite another to do it with a smile and joy to the very end. You inspire me in countless ways and I pray to be man enough to build on your legacy. I love you.

On to less weightier matters, work is going well. My general morning routine is that my alarm goes off, I don’t care so I keep sleeping, Lily kicks me, I decide she’s right, as usual, and stumble out of bed. The amazing thing is that it’s working! One more benefit to having a loving spouse! (o-k, she doesn’t actually kick me, just persuades and gently pushes.)

Work is going very well. It is so fast paced that my head is spinning, but I closed my first business last week and so far I feel everything is going as planned. I love my job. Everyone on my team is very good. and I love my team leader.

Lily had a good day with the girls. She went to lunch with Anique and had a very good time. She also skyped with her great friend Liz Nyden. Also, she is reading the new Amy Chua book and absolutely loving it. Mary was fussy today, but she is teething so it is understandable. We are letting her use her binkie a little more to help her get through this tough time.

And…….Lily is back in school! Her class for tonight has a really fancy name that is probably French so she will have to update you on that later. When I got home I took the girls to Smith’s and got them a treat at the bakery counter. They were giving out whole cookies which each girl got. Subsequently neither of them ate much dinner and I felt very guilty for not giving my kids proper nutrition. I think I will have a “no giant cookies before meals” rule from now on….but sometimes, especially when I’m tired……….it’s the best I can do to just cave.

After dinner we stuffed Easter Eggs for Lydia’s Easter Egg hunt tomorrow. Amazingly, both Lydia and Mary were both very capable of and very focused on stuffing candy into the eggs. I couldn’t believe how good Mary was at it! After that, I discovered a new wonderful bath-time activity where Lydia and Mary through the beach ball to each other.

Pictures!

A peaceful day

First things first: We had another scare with Grandma Darais today, and we went down to Provo this afternoon to say goodbye. It turned out that we didn’t have to say goodbye just yet, for which we are thankful. There’s still hope she can pull through, and we are praying for her and her children to have strength for whatever comes.

I found out about Grandma Darais while I was walking to the Capitol to meet Misty. The trees are all in bloom, and it was just a lovely walk. We stood in the sunshine and chatted at the end while Lydia and Sophia read a book together. Mary was sick today, so she just sat in the jogger and looked sadly out the window.

Then we went to Provo to see Grandma Darais. We came home with Suzanne and stopped by In-n-Out for dinner. The girls got stickers.

Lydia did not want to eat dinner after her fries, but she did drink some bubble bath…

Mary was feeling sick all evening, so she was extra cuddly. I have the cutest picture of her cuddling with Abe, but it won’t send from my iPad.I did get some of them cuddling in the girls’ room, though. And when I announced that I was going to take a picture, Lydia dashed for her camera so she could take a picture. As a result, I have a picture of Lydia taking a picture. =)

She need to work on aim... — She need to work on aim…

Some big tantrums and FHE at Temple Square

This morning was such a whirlwind that I did not get a single picture in. Sorry, Grandma! As soon as the girls woke up, it was a race to get them dressed and fed so that we could make it to our visiting teaching appointment with Marilyn. Thankfully, Jen was in the same boat so we arrived at about the same time (an hour late). Marilyn, as usual, was a joy to visit, although we are praying for her health. Mom, feel free to include her in your prayers.

Then we went to Jump Around Utah to meet up with our play group. I’m glad I know what it is, but I do not think I will ever go again. It was so packed with screaming kids who just mowed down all the littler kids in their paths. It was incredibly stressful for everyone, and by the end I was sweating and panicky and Lydia had the worst public tantrum she has ever had in her life. For the rest of the day she kept telling me that she was sad because her experience at Jump Around Utah was so frustrating. I was just glad we all left without injury; at one point, Mary got flipped on the big bouncing thing in the middle and landed in a really painful looking position.

I came home, fed the girls, put Mary down, and tried to cheer Lydia up with hot cocoa and a ton of snuggling and reading.

After Abe came home, we headed out to Temple Square with Balu for FHE. We took a tour of the Conference Center. I have a whole new appreciation for the Arnold Friberg Book of Mormon gallery after seeing the Arnold Friber exhibit a couple months ago. The choir was rehearsing while we were there, so we got to sneak in a little observation too. The tour was great preparation for General Conference, and we’re hoping the tour will contextualize conference for the girls. Then we went to the Lion House for dinner. Brother Richardson left us a gift card the last time he was here, and it came in handy tonight! We had a lot of fun, and we left the square with Lydia sitting on Abe’s shoulders making up songs about flowers and Spring. In spite of all the other tantrums and meltdowns today (and they seemed to follow each other in rapid succession without much interruption), FHE was a success.

Then I did some grocery shopping and by the time we came home, the girls were exhausted. One more giant tantrum issued forth from our eldest daughter, and then she fell asleep. It’s been peaceful ever since. Here’s to a more peaceful tomorrow!

Lots of eating [out]

We had so much fun with David, Karin and Jay at dinner that we accidentally stayed until 11 pm. We were the last ones at the restaurant, and now it’s almost midnight. In light of our desperate need to go to bed, I really just want to throw up pictures with captions and then go to bed.

Except! Except that I forgot to take pictures of my lunch with Misty, and that was a huge highlight of the day. Abe took a long lunch from work and took the girls to nearby IKEA for free food (kids eat free on Tuesdays) while Misty and I had our lunch date.

Misty and I went to my school’s restaurant, and the theme today was “Spring.” I forgot to take pictures of the food or the menu, but it was all very yummy. The starter was ahi tuna with rhubarb salsa…except that we couldn’t discern where the rhubarb was, even though we searched, searched, and searched some more. The second dish was a salad with bagna cauda (again, couldn’t quite figure out where that was) with a salad and bread stick. It looked pretty fancy. We ordered different entrees, and then had molten chocolate cakes with white mocha ice cream for dessert. The menu was set, and I am now really looking forward to my restaurant class where we get to put together these menus, plate them, and serve them to actual people. In my present class, we throw out most of the food we make because there’s never enough time to wrap it up to take home.

Strangely, the rest of the day felt fun and productive too, although I’m not sure how that happened because I’m still sick, queasy, and easily tired. I think the girls were just more self-sufficient than usual, so I got to get more done with less effort. Plus, Mary napped from 2 pm until 6 pm, and Lydia napped from 2 pm until almost 4 pm. That probably helped.

Then Abe came home and I frantically folded laundry until the last minute, when we picked up David and headed up Mill Creek Canyon to meet Karin and Jay at Log Haven. There’s a gorgeous waterfall right across from the restaurant, and the ambiance of the restaurant felt really…nice. The best part was just the conversation, but the food was amazing too. I should have taken a picture of my entree, but alas, I started eating before that could happen. We did, however, take a shot of Abe’s beet soup starter.

Happy (belated) birthday, David!

Ants and the Rohirrim

The girls went down for naps and quiet time super early today, and instead of doing homework like I should have done, I read a couple hours into The Return of the King. It turned out to be an apt read; while I was feeding the girls an after-nap meal, I killed about a dozen ants in my kitchen. I couldn’t help but think about Tolkein’s description of the Rohirrim in battle–specifically, I thought about how they sang as they fought. I didn’t feel like singing while I was killing ants, but the glimmer of satisfaction I felt helped me understand that initially bewildering passage a little better.

After the girls were fed, I took them outside to play:

Then I took them to the library, grocery shopping, the gas station, and back home. Abe arrived shortly after we did, and after dinner he bathed and chased the girls while I cleaned the downstairs and practiced. I was supposed to go to school tonight, but I’m feeling kind of icky and a brand new cold has introduced itself at our house. I am trying to avoid getting sick yet again.

Oh! I forgot to mention that while I was at school yesterday, Abe cleaned the whole house. I came home and fell in love with my husband all over again. It was soooooo nice, especially since I never feel like I have time or energy to clean these days. I hate the messes that accumulate, and having them gone has felt like THE greatest luxury. I’m going to try to be better at staying on top of the messes since today I enjoyed my mess-free life so much more than my regular mess-filled life.

Happy third birthday, Lydia!!!

Happy birthday, Lydia!! We tried to make this the happiest, most fun day for Lydia we could think of. We started off by watching videos of when she was a baby while we cuddled and I told her how exciting it was to meet her this day three years ago. Abe headed downstairs to make pancakes with pureed strawberry syrup, which both girls had fun dipping their pancakes in.

My mom went to the church to fulfill our cleaning assignment so we could have the morning with Lydia together. She is the most selfless person I know. We are so happy to have her here!

Then Lydia and I baked the other half of Lydia’s cake while Abe played with Mary.

Abe did all the dishes while I read to the girls. Then my mom gave the girls matching dresses to wear for Lydia’s birthday. We took Mary’s off so she wouldn’t get it dirty climbing around the movie theater, but they played at home in their matching outfits (my heart pitter-pattering the whole time).

When Abe and I were both finally dressed and ready to go, all of us (including my mom!) headed to the Gateway where we had Dairy Queens before going to Frozen.

Tom joined us for the movie, and he was a great help when Mary escaped near the end and started climbing the stairs at the movie theater.

After the movie, we played outside in the sunshine for a while and let the girls run around. Lydia loved twirling in one of the new dresses Nana gave her for her birthday.

Then we headed to the library and read Lydia a book about birthdays. The protagonist was not only her favorite thing in the world–a cat–but she was wearing a startlingly similar dress to Lydia’s. Then we checked out some pink books in honor of her birthday and headed to the store to pick up some things before going home.

At home, we made frosting and assembled her yellow and strawberry cake. The strawberry turned gray when Lydia dumped in the sprinkles (THE essential ingredient of her cake, in her opinion).

I basically injected pureed strawberries into a regular buttercream icing, and while the result was tasty, the texture left a LOT to be desired. Basically, it fell off of the cake. But Lydia didn’t care since the cake was pink and full of strawberries, and after dinner she enjoyed the whole song-candle-blowing-cake-and-ice-cream-eating process.

Pinterest fail. Maybe I'll learn how to make a successful, fresh, fruit icing when I take my baking and pastry classes. — Pinterest fail. Maybe I’ll learn how to make a successful, fresh, fruit icing when I take my baking and pastry classes.

Then Abe gave the girls baths and changed them into jammies before we opened presents.

Mary was dying to wear a costume, too, so she got to wear this hand-me-down shirt from a family reunion we had years ago. It made her SO happy.

For the last hour the girls have been playing with Lydia’s new presents, and right now Abe is trying to make sure they sleep in tomorrow by playing vigorous games of chase-and-throw-the-children.

Then Clark, Swathi, and Balu called from New York and wished Lydia a happy birthday. She relived her whole day in their conversation and kept repeating that she had a fun birthday. She especially loved telling them repeatedly about how the game of chase made her laugh and giggle.

I am beyond ready for bed, so I’m blogging early and will be retiring as soon as I hit publish (hopefully). Happy birthday, my sweet and beautiful Lydia!!!

Welcome Home Nanna!!!!!

Lily is at cooking school, so it’s me, Abe, again! I’m a little worried about Lily because earlier this week she developed killer shin splints while working out and her cooking school involves five hours of standing……..let’s just say I’m impressed that she is gutting it out.

I left for work around 7AM and made it in time for our weekly company TGIT (Thank Goodness It’s Thursday) breakfast and meeting. After that I commenced grinding it out on phone calls and e-mails. I did not have any great results today, however, I know that I did great work and the results from that will surely manifest in time. Not too much more to report on the work front.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Lily had a play-date with her friend Jen. After that she took flowers to Marilyn, one of the great ladies she hometeaches, because Marilyn just had surgery. After that, Lily took the girls to a lunch date with Misty at the City Creek Food Court. The only complication was that afer Misty and Lily met up, they split to buy meals at separate places and then could never find each other after that. And so, they didn’t eat or play together, but they certainly intended to!

At home Lily put Mary down for a nap, cleaned the house, taught piano to Lydia, cooked dinner, and then picked up Georgia from the airport once Mary woke up.

You heard right! Georgia was back in town today! We’ve missed her greatly and it’s so nice to see her again! Lydia was so excited to see Georgia (Nanna to her) that on the car ride to the airport she forced herself to stay awake so she could see Georgia, even though she was so tired that her eyes were rolling to the back of her head. When she finally did see Georgia, Lily reports that Lydia gave the biggest smile she has ever given to-date. Mary was very happy too and played peek-a-boo with Georgia in the car.

Lily and Georgia got to catch up a bit at the house before Lily dashed off to cooking school. When I arrived home, I ate with the girls, bathed them and put them to bed, and Georgia cleaned the kitchen and the kid’s room. After the kids were down, Georgia and I had a great time chatting for an hour and a half. She gave me updates about her life as well as how Grandma Cullen is doing (Hi Grandma) and I told Georgia all about how much I am liking my new job at Qualtrics. And now I’m blogging!

Pictures!

Lydia having a tender moment with her cat

Mary laughing in the car as she played peek-a-boo with Georgia

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