A Little Stay-cation

You can tell how crazy this year has been.  This blog is so far from a chronological order of events it's not even funny!  Here we are, toward the end of May, and I'm still trying to get March blogged!  We took a little trip to the present with Luke's birthday letter...but now we've got to get back to March.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll be caught up and be able to blog June in June!  But I'm not holding my breath. :)

The couple of weeks after my birthday was pretty intense for us.  Luke's bone marrow transplant happened on March 5th, and we buckled in for the ride.  We had no idea how difficult it was going to be!  Luke got really sick within about 5 days of transplant.  At the one week mark, March 12th, he stopped breathing and a Code Blue was issued.  They had to resuscitate him, and he consequently spent 10 days intubated in the PICU.  It was a very, VERY stressful time for Danny and me.  We spent a majority of our time at the hospital with Luke, and so away from Claire, Sophie, and Johnny.  Once Luke was a bit more stable, and it looked like we were going to see the end of the tunnel, we realized the time would come when Luke would be home with us.  We were so excited for that day to come!  But we also recognized that our attention would still be mostly focused on Luke and his care.  We both felt strongly that we needed to take some time with the other kids.  So we decided on a little overnight stay-cation in Salt Lake.

We began our stay-cation on Friday, March 15th.  Danny booked us a room at the City Creek Marriott...the very same hotel we stayed at for my birthday.  We knew the kids would love it.  Danny and I began the day together at the hospital with Luke.  After I had spent a few hours there, I made my way back home and packed everyone's bags.  We were waiting to surprise the kids. :)  I picked them up from Grandma and Papa's house, but they already knew we were going to a hotel!  It may not have been a surprise, but they were nonetheless enthusiastic!!  After we picked up Daddy, we stopped by a Little Caesar's for some $5 pizzas before checking into the hotel.  The kids were so stoked!  When we were living in California, it seems like we had a lot of opportunities to stay in hotels, and the kids have missed that.  We ate a hurried dinner, and then it was off to the pool.  Again, the kids were beside themselves!  Danny and I were enjoying our time with them so much, I forgot to take a single picture. :)  But the pool and hot tub were perfect.

Finally, we dragged our tired children back to our room.  Claire and Sophie fell right to sleep, but Johnny had a harder time of it.  We hadn't bathed any of them before bed, thinking they'd be tired enough to sleep through the irritation of chlorine-soaked skin.  But we should have known Johnny's sensitive skin couldn't handle it.  Finally, at 11:30 pm, we dragged a half-asleep, screaming Johnny into the shower and washed him up.  The shower, paired with a dose of Tylenol, finally put the boy to sleep.  Danny and I weren't far behind.

We all woke up Saturday morning with a healthy appetite from our exploits the night before.  We got the kids ready and made our way to City Creek.  Danny and I knew just what to get for breakfast...KNEADERS!

We ordered breakfast sandwiches and, of course, a fruit tart for all!  The kids ate really good, and Johnny made eating his tart a full body experience! 

After breakfast, we set out to explore the mall a bit.  The kids spotted the Disney Store on our way to Kneaders, so that had to be our first stop.  It reminded them of Disneyland, and they loved it.

The kids had their fun, so it was time for Mom and Dad to have some fun.  To the Apple Store we went!  While we were looking around, the kids enjoyed the iPad minis.  World's Best Babysitter!

After a while, we traded technology for good old fashioned books.  Deseret Book is always a good place to roam around and window shop.  So many awesome books and amazing works of art.  It did the kids some good to be in a quiet place.  They each found a book and made themselves at home. :)

Danny and I really needed this time with Claire, Sophie, and Johnny.  We had missed them a lot!  And it was nice to do the type of thing we used to do as a family.  While we were still acutely aware of Luke not being there, it did us good to remember that our life would some day return to normal.  But it was only a reminder, and the time soon came to get back to our poor Baby Luke.  Danny rode with us on the Trax over to the Planetarium where the kids and I waited to meet Grandma Candy, Isabelle, Eli, and Ava.  Danny rode back to the hotel, picked up the car, and went back to the hospital to spend the rest of the day with Luke.

Our plan once Grandma Candy and the kids arrived was to watch "Flight of the Butterflies 3-D".  But we had to wait about an hour until showtime, so we enjoyed all the cool stuff in the Planetarium store.

And you can't go to the Planetarium and not take your picture on the Moon!

I don't know what you think, but these might be the cutest bunch of Martians ever. :)

The movie was awesome.  We've seen just about every movie they offer, and "Flight of the Butterflies" was by my favorite so far.  It was hilarious to watch the kids try to grab the butterflies out of the air!  The 3-D glasses really made it seem like they were flying right in front of you!

After the movie, we decided to go find a treat.  We let Johnny and Eli lead the way.  These two boys are best buddies.  They go everywhere hand in hand. :)

They led us to Juicy Berry, and we had some delicious frozen yogurt.  The kids love when they each get their own bowl, and they get to chose their own toppings.  I love it, too!  I can't believe my Mom and I were able to handle 6 kids on our own, but they were awesome and made it seem easy.  I'm so proud of how well behaved my children can be.  If only they'd act that way at home!

We had a most excellent afternoon, and we were glad that Grandma Candy, Isabelle, Eli, and Ava were able to join us.  

We are so grateful that we live so close to so many fun things.  With Luke's health, we're going to have to postpone any traveling for another year still.  But that won't keep us from doing the things we love to do as a family.  I love that I married my best friend, and that my children are my buddies.  We have so much fun together.  We can't wait until we get Luke home and well and he can join the fun!!