Spring Break Road Trip '11 Part Three: Littlewoods!

Remember last summer when I rambled on about our dear friends the Littlewoods and how they were moving to Utah? Me too. We seriously miss them a lot; sometimes Chuck and I will just be sitting around talking and one of us will say, "Hey, weren't the Littlewoods the best? Man, I miss them."

So we were pretty psyched to be able to visit them as part of our Spring Break World Tour! We rolled in on Wednesday afternoon, and it was like we were never apart :). Lynndi and I talked and talked and went to Target and D.I. and talked some more.

The kids played and bounced and played and bounced. I figure as long as we keep visiting people with trampolines, we'll never need to buy one ourselves!

A shot with all four kids (kind of) looking!

When McKay got home from work that evening, our reunion was complete! Chuck and Lynndi combined forces to make some delicious jambalya for dinner and after we put all the kiddos to bed, the four adults stayed up talking for a while longer. It was sooo fun!
Naturally I attempted to photograph the cute kids in their pj's, and naturally they collectively resisted.

Buuut I got this one, so I choose to call it a victory.

Thursday we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and the 3:4 adult to child ratio and go on an adventure! So we boarded the TRAX commuter train . . .
(and yes, we played musical chairs a bit - actually more so on the ride home later . . .)

and headed to:
Temple Square! It was so beautiful and fun. We ate our picnic lunch and then checked out the visitors' centers.

The bottom floor of the north visitors' center has so many neat displays, many about the Church Welfare System and service in general. These were a few of the quotes and scriptures I really liked.

And I loved this wall - different ideas of how we can serve.

Naturally I loved the information about Deseret Industries. Speaking of D.I., I dropped off four boxes there last week and then found four awesome shirts inside to buy . . . Coincidence? Well, yeah, probably :).

Here's McKenzie checking out all of the Bibles and copies of the Book of Mormon in different languages.

Clyde and Chuck both loved the Jerusalem replica.

The Christus was amazing, of course. Just beforehand we showed the kids a wall of paintings downstairs that show each step of the Savior's life from birth to Resurrection, and Clyde and McKenzie both sat really reverently here, taking it all in.

Then it was time to walk around outside some more and catch some super cute Kodak moments :).

I kinda wish we'd gone with the pose the girl in the background picked . . .

Our family! Also our first experience using one of those leash backpack deals on Will - something I swore I'd never do, BUT kids with autism wander . . . a lot, and he's getting heavier to carry and it's no fun to be restricted in a stroller when we go out and about. Will was not a huge fan of the backpack, shockingly, but I will admit that it was sooo convenient to always have a hold of him and we'll probably use it again. Serves me right for being so judgmental of everyone I've ever seen use one for their child!!

Cute boys!

Lynndi, McKenzie, and Paislee

That night after dinner we all went to a local playground. Chuck and McKay drove three of the kids, and McKenzie, Lynndi and I jogged there. Clyde started out with us, but gave up a few blocks in :).

It was a really fun playground; the kids all loved it. Chuck and McKay spent their time kicking teenagers off of the tire swing and marveling at the awesomeness of this kid's mullet:

Which they made me photograph. I just kept randomly snapping pictures all around me to make it less obvious . . . definitely still felt creepy :).

Then Lynndi and I ran the whole way home! Minus a quick pit stop at the stoplight. Aren't we super cute all tired and sweaty??

We let the kids get out a little bit more energy and then it was time for bed.

And as evidence of why I should never have a daughter, check out this awesome ponytail I styled in Paislee's hair:
Sadly, this is the ponytail I usually sport as well . . . although, unlike me, Paislee manages to pull it off. She's gotten sooo much more grown up, even since we saw them in November!

Well, it was time for bed until the dads gave in and brought out the jeep. Does Clyde's crazed expression make anyone else really nervous for his teenage driving years?

The next morning it was time to pack up and head out, but we're excited to visit again. Lynndi (and McKay!), thank you soooo much for everything: feeding us, treating us to the TRAX ride, letting me do like five loads of laundry, etc. We love and miss you guys sooo much!!