Where the heck have you guys been?

Short answer: None of your business.

More tactful short answer: On vacation.

Long answer: My oldest nephew Bryson got back from his mission in Argentina last week so we drove out to Colorado to see him. We left Friday morning and arrived in Vail in the afternoon, just in time for Dillon (another nephew) to get finished up in the emergency room - he cracked his wrist shortly before our arrival. We settled in and hung out for a while, then took a gondola ride up to the top of the mountain to go tubing. It got pretty late and since Zoe had only slept 1 hour in the car the whole day she had a huge meltdown before finally giving in and falling asleep in my arms.

Saturday we went snowboarding. And when I say "we" I really mean that James went with my brother, 3 of his kids, and Bryson's girlfriend, while my sister-in-law and I hit the outlet mall with the injured nephew. We packed up and left just in time to miss a storm but we still arrived pretty late at my brother's house in Parker.

Sunday was a typical day at church. Actually it was fairly a-typical for us since no one had to wake up early to go to extra meetings or be responsible for ANYTHING all day. It was great. We came home, lounged, and watched movies in the downstairs theater. Yeah, we're spoiled. By this time, Zoe was getting pretty tired. She hadn't had a decent nap for a couple days and we had been keeping her out late. Most Sundays she doesn't nap for more than 45 minutes so I was prepared to skip the nap and put her down early for bed. Just before 4:00 she was getting unbearably grumpy so I decided to try a nap, thinking she'd be up before 5. She slept for 15 hours straight (waking up at 7 the next morning). I kid you not. Poor thing.

Monday we headed to the Denver Aquarium with the injured nephew and his girlfriend. Tons of fun was had by all. Of course that is the only time we actually took pictures. Zoe loved all the fish and there was a tiger which enthralled her. Tuesday was MY day. My sister-in-law treated me to a facial and when I came home she took Zoe out for a walk. That night James and I hit the hot tub and then slept peacefully until 5 am when we pulled up stakes and headed back to Orem.

Zoe tolerated the time in the car fairly well, but was mostly grumpy the whole time we were with my family. She freaked out each time I gave her a bath, which she hasn't done since she fell into the tub fully clothed. The only pleasures she found were in playing with a helium balloon, following the dog around, and sneaking away from mom and dad to climb up and down the hardwood stairs. It freaked me out a little, but I was glad she got some practice in since we are buying and, consequently, moving into a two-story townhouse in Payson at the end of March. WHAT? Stay tuned for more details!