The Invasion

I have to admit I have lots of catching up to do on my blog. Something about Aaron's unemployment gave me major writer's block. Please bear with me as I write posts I should have written weeks ago.

My entire family invaded Salt Lake City recently. We all boarded the new Frontrunner commuter train into the city.

There were 9 adults and 11 children in all. The kids all sat with huge grins on their faces as we waited to start rolling down the track.
My nephew Wyatt wasn't as impressed with the train ride.
After arriving in the city, we jumped on TRAXX. The kids were just as happy on the light rail. We got off at the Gateway, an outdoor mall. We all headed to the food court in order to beat the crowds. (What am I saying we were a crowd just ourselves.) The nice thing about the food court is everybody was able to eat whatever they wanted without the wait. Our next stop was the outdoor fountains. The kids had fun dodging the sporadic shoots of water.
Ethan said, "It's going to catch up them one of these times." His first time out in the fountain ended up with this result.My girls thought rolling up their pants would help. I personally like the style. Vanessa wanted me to see the bandaid on her finger. (I don't know what it is about four year olds but I'm seriously considering buying stock in bandaid companies.)

Soon, the music started and there was a watershow in commemoration of the 2002 Olympics hosted by Salt Lake. As you can see, my niece Addi was jammin' to the music.Our next stop was the Clark Planetarium also in the Gateway. They have several free exhibits we visited. The kids seemed to have a blast! Even I found it very interesting (Have I ever mentioned I wanted to be an Astronaut when I was in the fourth grade? I find outer space fascinating.)

Here is a picture of all the kids on the Mars landscape. (Am I the only mother who has wondered if my kids from another planet?)They also traveled to the moon (yes, all for free).As we were leaving, AJ did a quick little weather report. Notice the monitor in the top left hand corner. I hope he predicted a quick end to winter and warmer weather soon.We finished off the afternoon in an ice cream parlor. We completely took over that place. There was only one worker and I had to feel sorry for the poor girl. Do you know how long it takes to dish up 21 ice cream sundaes? I also feel sorry for my mom who footed the bill. I'm sure she had to take out a small bank loan to cover the costs.

After that, we headed home. The whole trip cost us $16 for the train pass and the cost of lunch. Of course that doesn't include the ice cream. (Thanks again mom!) It was a really fun day! Next time we go we are headed to Temple Square and the Church History Museum. I wonder if Salt Lake is up for another invasion.