Driving to Michigan

Driving to Michigan was an intense and long 3 days for us. We left early Saturday morning from Provo, Utah and drove to Laramie, Wyoming. We had planned to stop in Cheyenne but the weather had other plans. We stopped in Laramie to fill up on gas and saw a few signs saying the highway was closed between Laramie and Cheyenne. So we were stuck for the night. When we went to find a hotel there were only 2 rooms left at our first stop. So glad we took it because several cars pulled in as we were unloading for the night. It was only 4:30 in the afternoon and the roads and truck lots were filled with semi trucks parked for the night.

Brendon loved the goody bag Aunt Lani made him before we left and on day 2 started eating all the fun treats. His favorite was the dried apple chips. He was sad to find out that there was only one pack and kept asking "Please More Aunt Lani apple chips?". He also loved having his toys in reach (and all over the back of the car). By the end of the day he had decorated the box that was next to him with Mickey Mouse stickers and had every toy he could next to him or in front of him on my arm rest.

 Apparently gas stations don't think they need changing tables, we had to use counters or the car as we drove though. Brendon had thrown up so we had to make a quick stop to change him and clean up his seat. He was having fun pulling out and handing my paper towels while I cleaned him up and daddy searched for clothes in the snow.

 Driving all day was hard but it was moments like this that made it fun and worth it. Brendon was reading me his book and then stopped mid sentence, when I looked back he was asleep still holding the book. 

 Our last hotel for the trip. Brendon loved having a "Daddy Bed" all to himself at night. Although he made daddy run to the car a few times to find his friends so they could go to bed too. "Daddy ted please.... Daddy Pluto... Daddy Mouse... Daddy Olaf"

Loading Day!

Loading day was so crazy for us. Daddy was home and we had plans to get things done and ready for the drive only to have our tire go flat and have to be replaced. In a way it was a miracle in disguise though. Turns out 2 of our tires were weather rotted and if we drove them across country Brendon and I would have been stuck at some point with a flat on the highway. One fun thing that came out of a flat tire was Brendon got to play with trains for the hour it took to buy, fix and pay for the new ones. When we told him it was time to go home he wasn't to excited to say goodbye to the trains.

 

 

 Our second adventure for the day was finding out that our truck rental was valid but the truck we had requested was not at the location we had gone to to pick it up. Turned out it would be a few hours till it would be there or we could take a smaller truck. We were able to contact another location who had a truck on site and get it, good thing because we barely fit our stuff in this one. 

 For dinner that night we were able to spend it with Nathan's family. Brendon loved playing with his cousins all afternoon outside and then having a movie night after dinner to wind down. Brendon loved getting to hang out with Zac one last time before moving and it was fun to get a picture of the two of them laying next to each other again.

 

Family Night With the Jolley Family

Moving to Michigan is going to make us miss my cousin Ben and his sweet family so much! They have been a blast to have around and to spend time with over the last 3+ years. I have loved watching their boys grow up so far and can't wait for more play dates in the future! 

For our last Monday in Utah we had Family Night and dinner with them. Brendon loved being able to pop bubbles with Ernie and Penny and then sing and dance with Ben. His favorite part of it was "we all fall down". He and Ernie would jump back up and say "again, again, again." each time till Ben would start singing 

 

Fun in the Sun! Our last week in Utah

Here is some fun we had out in the sun when the weather was upper 50's, 60's and 70's. Brendon loved being able to get his bike out and ride it around the block! He also loved that he could finally glide on the bike and touch the ground without falling off the seat! 

We also had some fun dragging daddy around the yard in the wagon. Brendon was able to pull him with a little assistance from the hill. :) 

 One of our other fun adventures was helping to puppy sit for Uncle Matt and Aunt Lani. Brendon loved to take Pepper on her walks around the block. On one occasion when it was just Brendon and I we walked by the duck pond and Pepper decided to try to bolt for the ducks. Brendon yelled "heal"  after falling and she stopped pulling. He was so happy and got up like nothing happen. Such a trooper!

Fun at 2.5

Brendon has been a blast to watch over the last few weeks adn has had so cheesy moments that we wanted to share. As well as some adorable "I can't get upset with you because you are too cute" 

 Brendon has discovered how to get on netflik on mommy's tablet to play his movies. above is a photo from 6:45 in the morning where he didn't want to go back to sleep or get out of bed.... Now if I don't put the tablet up where he can't see it he thinks it is OK to grab it even if it is 3AM. 

 Brendon is particular about his sleep and who has to be with him. he has to have all his friends in bed around him, his mickey pillow and at least one of his fleece blankets. This can get funny when we misplace a friend or have them in the wash when it is time to get down. 

 I am a great mom! I let my son wear PJ's all day long (clean of course) just not to argue over wearing pants and running around in his tee and diaper. I let him play freely and dump every toy on the floor so that it is a challenge course to leave the couch let alone the room. 

We eat while sitting on the couch and drink juice. We may end up having to vacuum the floor and couch everyday to pick up any minions or goldfish that escaped during the day. But we share with anyone who comes around and wants a taste. 

We may on occasion eat treats before dinner and then ask daddy to get more cupcakes the next day. Frosting is of course optional but defiantly a plus. For those who don't know Brendon calls muffins cupcakes, so we have cupcakes a lot. :)

Finally, we love to drive daddy crazy when we go out to run errands. We love to sit on the Target Balls for a picture every time we walk in. We have to go to work and wear daddy's hat in the car. We have to announce every truck that passes and my favorite when we are stopped at a red light say it is time to go. "green light, Go! Green light go!"

One last Nickle

  For family night this week we decided to go to Nickle City one last time before we moved. Brendon loved all the games and running around from one arcade ride to another. I didn't get many photos from the night but here is a couple of Nathan and Brendon playing a motorcycle racing game. Brendon thought that it was a blast to ride while daddy controlled it. Maybe we'll have to look into getting daddy a real bike to take Brendon on rides.