Utah trip recap, part two: "Ship or roof? You decide"

.

(I know that 'part two' implies there's a part one, and there is . . . but not yet. SOME people were getting impatient, and impatience trumps chronology.)

.

We went to Utah over General Conference weekend to visit Sam and Terri and then Smiths, and we had a really awesome time.

Here are the keys to having a super fun couple days at the Smith residence (I apologize in advance for all of the private jokes, just trust me that they're hilarious):

.

1. Start with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes visit to Godfather's Pizza. I was content to stay in the lobby area, but Heidi granted me an all-access pass and even custom-made me some monkey bread!

2. Make time for an adorable brotherly piano duet. Can you tell it was a Boise State game day?

Clyde may have started singing as well :)

3. Convert the legs of a coffee table into a set of train tracks. Invite your dad (and later regular Will) to play along.

4. Pretend to be the older sister of the two cutest girls around while you browse jewelry stores at the mall for Heidi's 'upcoming engagement'. Try not to break character while the jewelry store chick pretty much calls you out on it: (staring right at me) "Really? You're all sisters? Really?" In the jewelry store chick's defense, I did not look as hot then as I do in this picture, post-makeover (thanks again, Heid!). My hair was pulled back in some kind of ponytail and I was wearing a Boise State shirt and crocs. Courtney (on the left) looked completely gorgeous in a cream-colored sweater dress and super sexy black boots (although they were slightly impractical) and Heidi (on the right) looked super cute as well, in a black sweater-y top and cute capris. I should point out, however, that I provided the most realism to the jewelry store act, especially with lines like, "I can't believe you guys shopped for rings the other day without me, the oldest sister. Next thing you know, I won't even be a bridesmaid!" (Seriously, though, Heidi, I will be a bridesmaid. Find a cute Hawaiian guy to marry and it can be a destination wedding!)
5. Put baby Will and regular Will together for some Conference-watching. Add a sippy cup o' milk and a solid hand-holding for good measure.
6. Good company is a must. We had all sorts of fun conversation between Conference sessions and during songs (which occasionally spilled over into actual talks, oops!) Extra people were also useful as we helped Heidi with her seminary assignment to come up with titles for each of the talks - some silly, some legit. Ten points if you correctly identify the talk we entitled, "Ship or roof? You decide".7. Utilize Heidi's amazing skills to get your hair and make-up done. I was so bummed out about showering the next day, you have no idea. And I know that it looks like Clyde's wearing some serious eyeshadow as well, but that's actually the result of a run-in with a table at Denny's. I can't take him anywhere.8. Giggly baby + giggly girls = adorableness.
9. Recruit uncles Cody and Sam (and Grandma Pam!) to help satisfy Clyde's constant desire to read books.10. Recruit pseudo-uncle Ben to satisfy Will's constant desire to be moving at ALL times, then recruit Aunt Terri and Uncle Sam to provide a safe landing :)And that's not even everything! (Honorable mentions: "What was the theme, Juno?" "You shop in the juniors section?" "Guys, my feet are killing me. Can we be more focused?" "So what do you say, 'Um, sir, maybe you should go for the salad instead'") We had a wonderful time, and I sincerely apologize for apparently not photographing anyone over the age of 29; I promise that my mum, Gloria, and Reed all had a fun weekend too. I'm pretty sure they did a better job of paying attention to Conference upstairs than we did downstairs :)