The Great Northwest Holiday Adventures - the full scoop.

I did a few random posts about our holiday vacation adventures... little blurbs sent from my phone.... but here's the rest (because nothing's more exciting than reading other's travelogues, right?!) In no organized order at all (cuz that takes too long), here they are:

The babies loved the loft. All day. Everyday. This is where we hung out. 

Saturday was our SKI TRIP on Mt. Spokane - LOVED IT! So much fun. I was pretty rusty - I've had to skip the last few seasons cuz of babies, but I got the groove back by the end. Meaning I finally stopped snow plowing down the bunny hill. Dad actually asked me if I was expecting, since I was going so slow.  Slightly offensive - do I LOOK pregnant? Don't answer that. =P  Seriously though - gorgeous weather, short lines, and hot cider at the very top in that cute Vista Cabin. Awesome day. Dad's BF Dale came along too. They made me go down a few black diamond runs, and I pretended I wasn't praying for my life all the way down.

Kindof blurry, but I'm lucky I got a picture of these two standing still at all! Lily and Brianna were best cousin friends. Though they're about 18 months apart, they played so well together - Brianna naming the game, and Lily happily following suite. They did tea parties, dolls, dress up, and ate off the floor together.  Wish we had Lily around more! She would fit in great with our little troop. 

We hit up Costa Vida a few times for dinner. Our friend Matt Turnidge owns it, so we like to support his business. It was great to see him! Such a nice guy. My kids did ok there. No permanent damage. But restaurants and lots of small people is never ever a good mix.  Mom and I both had fish tacos. It might have been mom's last fish taco, because she spent the next 48 hours in bed and the bathroom. Poor mom - she had to say goodbye to us Sunday morning in a weak whisper. Food poisoning is a nastynasty thing. And I don't blame the taco. Support Costa Vida! :)

Brianna went to her first movie in a theater! I know she's a little old for it to be her first - I'm sure she could've handled it a year ago or so... but hellloooo - Redbox movies are a dollar.  Of course my family doesn't care about things like that, so she got to go with Mom and Cougar to the theater. And oddly enough - not even a cartoon! The "We Bought A Zoo" movie.  She loved it! And she LOVES her big cousin Cougar! He loves her too... or at least tolerates her much better now. 

I title this collage, "View From My Nostalgia Run." I did a 9.5-mile loop and hit up my favorite old trails and paths. Made me so happy. The powerline trail is the best. The only thing that makes it better now is running with my iPhone and the "RunKeeper" app. So cool. 

I just had to post this - Bennett's starting a new fashion trend. 

 Oh. Another skiing collage. Whoops. We must've had a really good time!

I went to the movies with these lovely ladies. It's the first time my dear friend Melody has had all her girls in Spokane! I won't admit which movie we saw. Hint: very few men in the theater for it!  Maria is kinda the odd one out, eh? Four short pretty blonds, then BOOM. Tall gorgeous darkie. Poor super model. 

After a few days of Mom doing 3 gourmet fabulous meals each day, I left guilty for not helping out more. So I whipped up a homemade pizza - from wheat in their food storage I ground up in the Vitamix, then made into dough in the bread machine.  Half veggie toppings, half meat. BOOYAH. 

Photos at Red Robin for Coug's 7th bday. I love Bennett's expression, top left - he's almost smiling. And poor Brianna doesn't realize she's about to have the traumatizing experience of being accidentally LEFT at this restaurant when her parents leave in separate cars. I don't wanna think about that one again. [shuddering] Happy birthday Cougie!

Fridge escapades.

I reallyreally loved reuniting with my old BF after nearly 7 years apart! I figured since I never made it out to her wedding in 2010, I owed her a plane ticket. So she got to spend a week with her mom, and a week with me! We had a great time catching up and laughing over old jokes. Maria is one of those few people in my life who I feel like I can really be myself around. She's one of the most nonjudgemental I know. I love her to bits and hope it's much less time before I see her again! A trip to Florida is definitely in our future.

The SLC airport, Christmas Eve. We arrived two hours early, prepared for madness and crowds of holiday travelers. Wrong. There were about 6 of them, maybe. I still don't get it - Christmas Eve morning, and no lines anywhere?!  Such a blessing it all went so smoothly! These jammies from their Grandma McKell earned us a lot of attention - which I did strategically, so that we'd get more sympathy if the kids were wild. 

SAMMY JO!  One of my big goals during this trip was to get a good picture of her. No offense to Sammy, she's just not too photogenic. But I think I got some very cute ones. And I loved spending time with her and making her laugh. Since she can't travel, I only get to see her about once a year when we go to Spokane. I think she was happy to see me and recognized me. 

I didn't get to spend as much time with Meredith as I would've like to, and as we have in the past, since she's not living at our parents' house anymore. But we had a crazy coincidence - I ran into her at Northtown mall! I was in this new super cute store called Vivo (LOVE their clothes!) and suddenly I hear a surprised voice say, "CHELSEA?!" and it was Mere! So we hung out for a little bit. Always nice to see my little sister. I miss her. A lot.

The coolest place on the planet - SKYHIGH in Spokane! A huge warehouse with wall-to-wall TRAMPOLINES! A big dodgeball area, kids jumping area, and a giant foam put to jump into. I was doing flips I haven't done in yeeears (I feel so old saying that). I could've stayed there for days. Brian did dozens of backflips continuously to impress the masses. Seriously, if I lived in Spokane, I'd go every single day and jump for hours. Most fun workout imaginable. 

I ran by our old house on Zeus Ct. The home I lived in from age 8-18. So many memories. But I feel like the new owners have just spit over my whole childhood, because they painted my house a yucky puke green color and let all the trees and bushes get way overgrown. The backyard looked awful. They just pooed all over my memories. Ugh.

On a run, I stopped by my old high school to get a drink. It was open cuz some wrestlers were practicing. So I did a lap around the inside, and was reminded how thankful I am that high school is over, and wondered how in the world I'm going to protect my kids from all the crap that happens there. This photo is the current track records - I've fallen off the 1600 list, and have the very last 3200m record. Sad. My legacy there is almost gone. [totally kidding - I wasn't a good runner in High School.]

The COIN GRAB!  A tradition with Papa. He throws all his spare change into this big jar all year long, then on Christmas (or the day after, in this case - that's when Dave's fam arrived) all the kids get to reach in and see how much they can grab with one hand. Very fun. Brianna made about $6! 

Airport schnanigans to keep the babies happy - their favorite game - "JUMP TO DADDY!" overandoverandoveragain. 

Saved the best for last - Brianna's sweet happy little face, with her loving Grandparents on Christmas morning.
Thank you Mom and Dad for a wonderful vacation! We love you!