I love this city.

Today Hazel and I headed downtown with a friend to check out the butterfly exhibit.  I am trying to take advantage of our fun time together before baby comes along and kicks her out of her "baby of the family" spot.  Unfortunately, arriving 45 minutes after the museum opens during April (aka crazy Spring Breakers overtake DC month) was too late to get tickets into that exhibit.  But guess what we saw on our way into the city?

Retiring of the space shuttle Discovery, just in case you didn't know.

 It was possibly one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  It just kept circling the city.  There were cars stopped all along the freeway and people spilling over the National mall with their cameras poised and ready.  So, cool.

 My friend and I had a nice conversation about how much we really love living in such a cool place.  It feels monumental to see everything (no pun intended,) even on a routine jaunt into the city for an outing.  I get that feeling of awe and excitement every time I drive in past all of the monuments and museums.  It is just gorgeous.

And it was fun to be with these two little turkeys.  They are both the babies of their families.  I love taking Hazel places and allowing her to just lead the way with what she wants to do and what she wants to see.

And the outing ended with Cafe Rio, which is never a bad thing.

Birthday girls, pigs and ham...in that order.

 I came home from my lovely weekend away and jumped right into the second day of Spring Break.

We have gotten out just a couple of times but really I think their favorite thing in the world has been to just play outside and laze around (with intermittent nagging by me to pick up every once in a while.)

One day this week we hit up the local farm.  Lots of baby animals to be oogled at.

I'm not sure I appreciated the pigs as much.  There were 3 or 4 big sows that have all had litters over 11 piglets in the last month or so.

I watched this poor mother laying on her side, being rocked by the aggressive, greedy piglets, the mother snorting grunts here and there and questioning how much I really love nursing a new baby.  I'm glad I will only have one baby to nurse and  not 11.

 Greedy little pigs.  My favorite part was when the mother decided "kitchen is close" and just stood up and walked away.

 On the 5th we celebrated Hazel's 4th birthday.  What a doll.  She is so easy to please.

We just love her to pieces around these parts.

 Clark asked if we would come meet him for lunch on Hazel's birthday so we loaded up and headed downtown.  This is the last point at which you won't be shot on sight for taking out your camera, so we took advantage.

 I had all the best intentions of having a fun meal and even making a cake (things I have not had the energy or motivation to do for several months.) We were having a "mini meal" complete with mini hot dogs on buns, mini fries, tiny forks and plates and itty bitty cups (it was like we were drinking shots the entire meal.) Things took a turn for the pathetic side.  Pretty much nothing turned out and Clark got stuck at work and completely missed dinner.  It's fine, we had Hazel's little friend and her family over for a yummy pink lemonade cake and all was well with the world again...even the part with the spanking machine.

 We dyed eggs.  They stank up the fridge.  The girls say they want one just so they can peel it and then they conveniently change their mind.

 But it's a ritual.  They love it.  And so we do it.

This year we experimented with kool aid for dye.  It works amazingly well - brighter eggs and less stinky but I had a difficult time finding a huge variety of colors so we supplemented with the good old fashion pellet kind too.

 We have a dog a few doors down that the girls love and adore.  Every time she is walked (which is 3 or 4 times a day) she lays down in front of our driveway because she knows that in no time, 4 little girls will race out to pet her.  On this afternoon I let the girls follow Miss Trudy down to her house to play with Jamie.  This is what I witnessed out my office window.  Hazel with Mia on a leash.  Mia walking on all fours, sidling up to Miss Trudy who proceeded to pet her like a dog while Haley and Abby ran around with the real dog.

We have nice neighbors.

 And then it was Easter.  The day before we attended the yearly picnic/potluck/easter egg hunt.

I loved seeing all of the kids lined up ready for the hunt and chuckling about how talented Mormons are at procreating.  They sure do procreate cute kids :)  There were a lot of fun friends to play with and lots of great friends to visit with.

We are lucky.

 My favorite was watching Hazel and the little posse of 3-4 year olds up on the hill.

 The girls played frisbee and kickball while I sat by and watched.

 I wish I could say the Dads went easy on the kids but I suppose they are entitled to a competitive game of kickball every once in a while too.

 And then real Easter arrived and we all dressed matchy matchy.  It's the one time of the year that I allow myself to be so hokey but I love it.  How can I not with all those beautiful little girls?

Clark even obliged by wearing the tie I set out for him.

Some friends had us for a delightful brunch before church.

After church I ate seconds of everything because I just love Spring/Summer food.  I couldn't help myself.  But it did make it especially difficult to roll myself out of bed this morning.

 Happy Easter everyone.

OK, so Utah.

I don't want to post about it, because that means its over.  This was my last trip, my last chance to get away and be a singular human being for a while.  I was looking forward to it for so long, I am sad that it is over but it sure was fun and just what I needed.  My Mom was in Utah for the week to close on a condo that she and my Dad bought in anticipation of returning from their 3 year assignment in Sweden, this fall.  They are doing oodles of renovations that she was also lining up.  It is going to be fabulous.  I am already planning our return trip to see them next year and stay in their new pad.  The fact that I was also going to get to see three of my four sisters was a total and complete bonus.

As per my favorite way to document a trip, I give you

The Trip to Utah All By Myself Play by Play.

 I enjoyed riding the metro by myself to the airport because it meant I got to sit and look out the windows and I didn't have to remind anyone to sit down, hold on tight to the pole or stop putting their hands near their face.  Metro germs make me queasy.  I'm just like that.

 Delicious new nephew Spencer.  Even though he looks uber concerned in this picture I can assure you, he is darling darling darling and I could eat him.

 Little sister Abby and I have been pregnant 3 times together.  The belly to belly shot is a must.  If you don't believe me and my compulsive need to take one, go see on her blog, she has all of them.

 I stayed at Carrie's house, she is on the right.  I got to oogle all weekend over her new baby Oliver.  Can I seriously NOT have any pictures of me holding him?  I got really good, quality baby boy bonding time.  It's what I needed to be sure that I will love a little boy just as much as I have loved my baby girls :)  I will.  Oh yes, I am sure I will.

 My objective for the entire weekend was to do nothing but get myself dressed and follow my Mom and sisters around.  It was the best.  On this day Mo was going to the design center for a few more tweaks and we followed along as her mostly useless entourage.  Because I had no children along that I had to reprimand for doing inappropriate things, I did inappropriate things like ask my sisters to sit on the floor room toilets for a picture, which they did because they didn't have any kids with them either to be corrupted by their poor examples.

 Then I took a picture of "Big Abby" (which she came to be known as while living near her in Houston with my own Abby...a nickname that seems slightly more rude to call her when she is pregnant but we do anyway because making fun of her size is fun, since she is normally a size 2.)  She is alternating between a McDonald's ice cream cone and apple pie.  It's just like Thanksgiving.  And it made me chuckle right before I slurped down my shake from Chick Fil A.

 Then we went to lunch and Mo cut up Carrie's food.  That also made me laugh.  Just like the good old days except that we didn't get in trouble for bickering and didn't get grounded for anything the entire weekend.

Mo showed us around her new digs which is full of fun amenities.  We were a little worried about them moving back and into a condo.  Where would our children remember visiting their grandparents if they didn't have a house, with a yard and a swing?  Turns out, the grandkids might just like visiting Mo and Papa more than their own houses.

 When visiting Mo and Papa for the summer they can do wood working in the workshop,

 take a dip in the pool (with a view of the capital building right out that big window on the far side there,)

 dance in front of the amazing mirrors in their family room (just kidding, those are soooo out of there during the reno,)

 (side note: I love my mother and her notebook full of ideas, all organized by tabs and page protectors...my kind of lady...)

 meditate on their very own veranda,

 play pool and ping pong,

 sit in the sauna (the "hot box" sounds like a perfect "time out" spot if you ask me,)

 exercise,

 do ballet,

 or read in the building library.  I told you, they won't want to come home.  In fact, we may not be able to get Mo and Papa to ever leave their building.

 One of the many things I love about my sister Carrie is her spontaneous nature which allows her to pair fancy necklaces with pajamas...and cute babies on the bed.

 Riding around all weekend in the backseat of Carrie and Todd's car, watching Mo make OK smile.

 We ate a picnic lunch while cheering for nephew Matthew in his soccer game.  The all star made the first goal.  He was pretty awesome.  And I just love the views everywhere we went.  Those mountains make every outing a picturesque one.

 Sarah was sorely missed (and the sisters in law!)  I am glad I got to see her just a couple of weeks before.  It gives me hope that someday my daughters will be grown and be able to hang out together for 10 minutes without bickering about something.

 I was entertained by watching darling niece fill OK's binky with spring flowers. (I made sure we were well around the corner before I flung them all out the window.  I am un-fun like that.)

 And dear Mo, thinking she could come back to where there are plentiful Targets, and make it all the way back to Sweden with one suitcase.  How cute.

 We visited with Grandma G one afternoon and it was a delight.  She misses my Grandpa a lot, which is hard to hear, but it was a pleasure to see her and be near her.  (Please let me be that healthy at 86.  Her recent blood tests were that of a 30 year old...but not the "me" kind of 30 year old...one way healthier.)

 I loved watching my sister Amy and her family fawn over their new baby.  They are in love and they shower him with attention and affection.

 This is pretty much what I did every time I was at Carrie's house.

And I liked it.  A lot.

 Mo playing in Grandma's chair.  I want that chair.

 We stopped by BYU and hit up the bookstore for some souvenirs for the fam.  It's always a little weird to be back on that campus.  A lifetime away it was.

I sat and listened to conference and heard more of it than I ever had before (sans kids.)  I was edified, uplifted and inspired.  Also, I didn't get up, all of my food was delivered straight to my lap.  Food that I didn't make myself.

On the flight home I tried to store all of it up somewhere that I could access the rest and relaxation whenever I need it.

I love my family more than anything but time away is sometimes just what I need to remember that.  This has been a challenging few months for me.  Months of feeling overwhelmed and so beyond tired that I have questioned time and time again how I am going to manage it all.

But I know I will.

And I will love it, even the challenging bits here and there.