Bonding

Ryan and I feel the hardest part about living away from family is that our children have limited opportunities to bond with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. It was then out of sheer selflessness that we decided to leave them for a week in Utah with my parents to strengthen those bonds while we played in Alaska with Ryan's family.

What can I say... it was amazing. We hiked, rafted, shopped, and toured on land. We read, hot tubbed,

watched movies, dined out, and went to shows on board... things we never have a chance to do at home. It was a very relaxing week...

Well, it was for us. For my mom on the other hand, it was a bit more work. She was not doing any reading. She was not shopping, or hiking, watching whales port side, or sleeping in either. She was taking kids to the parade (one covered in throw up), the swim pool (two naked hiding in lockers), and the zoo (bless her). She was keeping the kids busy so they wouldn't miss us. She must have done a great job of it too because she said the only reference the kids made to us was the babies' daily naked salute to our picture on the wall while riding dog-back.

Yes, my parents have a dog and they were dog-sitting Chanel as well, which worked out nicely for the twins... they each had a dog to torment. They rode them, walked them, and played house with them. Poor Daisy! Chanel is used to being locked in closets, dragged around by the collar, pushed in strollers, and carried around. Daisy was a novice but was quite the sport! Fortunately she has the advantage of size that Chanel does not have and could not be lifted. My mom said the girls loved going on walks with the dogs, and just like the dogs, would always stop to check out the port-a-potty.

Ryan and I are happy to be back and grateful for the time the kids were able to spend with family. After a week, I think the grandparents and grandchildren must have truly bonded. "No, me Hadley," is now a part of Hadley's everyday language (even yelling it out in sacrament meeting to my dad at the pulpit) and the twins gave my mom their own affectionate nickname by contorting grammy into "dum-dum." I know she appreciates it after taking care of them for a week and we're working our hardest to make it stick!