Ramada you ugly

This was our little family trip to Utah that we took a few months back and I'm trying really hard to do better documenting. Although it was a pretty quick three day trip, I can't even begin to tell you just how  much all four of us needed it. One of the many things on Kendell's 'bucket list' is to race around Miller Motorsports Park race track. He has talked about it ever since we got married and we just haven't really found the time. Luckily, his 30th birthday this year landed just a day after the scheduled 'wide open Wednesday' they allow the public to take track. Kendell has been working so many overtimes lately and  and the kids and I were missing him like crazy. We had actually planned this Utah trip for Knox before Madden was born. It was supposed to be kind of a last 'hoorah' as an only child and before his time with Kendell and I gets split. I had it all planned out- museums, parks, picnics, hotel pools and any where else that needed a little exploring.  Little did we know Madden would surprise us six weeks early and leave our summer pretty uneventful. All reasons combined, we packed the car and headed south.

Kendell was SO thrilled to be able to load the Trans am on his trailer, and bless his little heart he hauled that thing all over Utah doing anything and everything we wanted. We left Wednesday and stopped occasionally to feed Mads, run around and make some sandwiches from the cooler. We grabbed some Arby's in Tooele before going to the races and I'm not kidding when I say we were given the worlds LARGEST curly fry. Knox struggled most of the way there because he wanted to sleep and couldn't while sitting up. Mads of course slept like a champ.

Kendell was one of about 50 cars that raced. He was like a little kid- loved every minute of it! The kids and I watched from the top floor of the grandstands with the stroller and they did really good for the first 30 minutes. Knox clapped until his hands were red and was glued to the fence (which was right on the edge of a two story concrete building- made me super nervous! Anyway, he yelled gogogogogo and pointed at Kendell while he made each run. It was adorable...then he got bored and well, things went to pot real quick. He wouldn't mind or listen for anything! Madden was screaming like crazy because he wanted out of his seat and I couldn't hold Mads, and Knox (keeping him from falling of the edge) and the strolled all at once. I couldn't go down the stairs where we had went up because I had too much stuff. I must have looked completely out of control because the sweetest, most kind lady came over and offered to help with whatever I needed and said that she was once in my position. Just then, Kendell pulled up and rushed up to help me come down. I finally got down and Kendell was off again. The kids and I sat in the truck which was parked really close in the racing parking lot, fed Mads and gave Knox a stern 'talkin' to', haha. We then bundled ourselves up and braved the races again. We walked around the parking lot and looked at all the cool cars, go-carts and auto cross races that were happening all right there. They were MUCH better. Within an hour or two, Kendell was done and we went back to the gravel parking lot to load the Trans Am (we didn't want to pull out the ramps so we loaded on a hill). Well, I was getting kids all gathered and in their seats in the dark while Kendell loaded. I was buckling Knox up when my foot and leg started STINGING like crazy. I looked down and I had stood in the ONLY red ant hill in all of the 10 acres of an empty gravel parking lot. I of course freaked (as any girl would, right??) and ran/danced/jumped/shimmied and every other ridiculous thing you could thing of to get them off. I had bite marks all over my feet (stupid flip flops) up my legs and thighs. Meanwhile at the truck, I hadn't gotten Knox bucked yet and he wanted out of the truck to watch and leaped from the lifted truck, slllllliding across the dirt and rocks face first. Kendell laughed until he cried and as much as it hurt, I did the same. Our life is one big blooper I swear! OHHH! And Knox fell on the concrete and hit his eye on the ONLY corner in the place...

 

We went swimming at the hotel and Knox was in heaven! He jumped at least a hundred times off the side to Kendell. He got a little too confident and made his walk a trot down he went. It looked like it hurt! He was tough though and was back at it again in no time. Also, lady with the cap in back was nuuuuuuts! She and her husband were at breakfast the same time we were and she came over and asked us how old our twin were even though Knox was running around the table and I was feeding Madden a bottle???....She seemed super spacey. She also asked me if I was a fire fighter and thanked me for my service???? Those were just two of the ridiculous questions she asked us and the poor lady was quoted for the remainder of the trip. While doing her 'laps' in this super small pool she ran into Kendell a few times. Haha!

We went to the Museum of Natural Curiosity the next day and although we were a little bugged they wanted $15 a person, we left saying it was worth EVERY PENNY!! I'm not sure who loved it more, Kendell or Knox. We will definitely be making that place a regular stop.

Knox was Mr. Independent the whole time. He knew this stop was for him and he was taking full advantage of it. We followed him around the entire time. I think he would have left us if we had let him.

That night we figured we would just find a hotel when we needed it which was a terrible choice. We ended up on the side of the road trying to get a fairly decent priced one from our phones and it was pure chaos. Kids crying, Kendell and I are starving and after accidentally priceline-ing a hotel that costed more than the nice one we had stayed at the night before, we ended up staying at the 'Ramada' in Salt Lake. I am being serious when I say it was the absolute filthiest, smelliest, most horrifying thing I have ever stayed at. It was in sketch-ville first off, second, we walked into our room which was on the first floor and it smelt like mildew. Hair all over everything, buggers everywhere, rust on everything, cracks, skid marks...you name it. It looked a million years old. The pillows were like rocks and were half the size of a normal pillow and it felt like it was filled with marshmallows. Even Kendell was dying! After Kendell calmed me down about a trillion times, and several walks down the hall to tell someone this place should be burnt to the ground, then chickening out and heading back to the room.....we stayed and got little sleep. We will never forget the night we spent there. Oh Raaaaaammmmaddddaaa....

The last day we walked temple square and again, had a blast. We parked way on top of the hill thinking the trailer wouldn't fit anywhere else, shoved kids in both strollers and away we went. We packed lunches, drinks and snacks this time and laughed and talked the whole way down. Knox loved the flowers and the tall buildings. There was SUCH a great feeling there (as always) and it was so apparent that Knox felt it as well. I felt such an overwhelming thankfulness for my family as we walked around and for the knowledge of eternal families. Side story- It was really busy with weddings and we counted probably 9 different bride and grooms on the grounds. One group was taking their own pictures with a tripod and Kendell asked if we could take it for them. They were thankful! Kendell pretty much held the shoot button down and thought he could pick from the lot of them. Turns out, it was like 25cents a shot. hahahaha!!!! We laughed and laughed...not with them of course. Soon, the time came to hike up the stupid hill to the truck. We were dying!! And I was laughing so hard at how hard it was that it was making it 10 times worse. We were drenched in sweat. We got to the pick up (and passed like 10 empty HUGE spots on the way up) and sat on the grass and played with toy trucks and colored while I fed Mads. After we did that we hit up 'In and Out' picked up a HAM radio for Kendell and headed for Idaho with both boys drooling! I am SO glad we made time to do this. Man I sure love these three...