Thanksgiving trip to Utah: part I

I'm exhausted.  Not sure why.  Last night wasn't bad, but I haven't been able to keep my eyes open all day.  It has been 4 week since I updated this blog.  We were on vacation for 2 weeks.  I was still playing catch up last week and now tonight I just don't have the energy.  I'm going to bed soon.  But I wanted to get at least something up.  I just keep getting further and further behind and these memories are so important to me.

So, I picked something relatively easy and quick.  On our way to Utah last month, we stopped a Bob's Big Boys.  Cory has fun memories of this restaurant as a child, but I had never heard of it.  He said they used to take pictures in front of the restaurant with Bob.  So, I was determined to get one, no matter how windy and COLD it was:

The kids did pretty well for most of the trip.  Hanna was the toughest one. Each stretch went about like this: she would sleep for about an hour (at most). Once she woke up, she'd be happy on her own for about another 30 minutes.  We'd get another hour or two with her happy(ish) as long as I held her hand.  Yep.  Me in the front seat reaching backwards holding her hand.  My arm about fell off, but it was better than her screaming.  Eventually even that wouldn't calm her and she would just cry and scream until we stopped again (usually about an hour).  Poor girls does not like the car.  Samantha, Micah and Noah did really well.  So that was a huge blessing.

Only real hiccup was about 2 minutes after we entered the gorge, Samantha threw up.  Just a little at first.  I even debated whether to go back there: we were in the gorge, at night, below freezing temps: not exactly when I want to take  my seat belt off.  But she seemed pretty upset, so I decided to climb back there.  Just as I did, she threw up again, only this time it was a LOT and all over.  She was so, so sweet though.  I told her not to move while I started cleaning up (I didn't want her to spread it all over), and she didn't move at all.  I started cleaning up her face first and after a couple minutes she says: "Mom, my hand dirty too.  Please clean it." still without moving.  So sweet.  So, I cleaned her hands and then had her put them on her head so I could attempt to clean her lap and seat without her getting her hands dirty again.  She did just as I asked and didn't move at all.  Then suddenly Cory yells: "Light off and duck!  Cop ahead."  Crazy.  Luckily, our hotel was in St George and we got there just 15 minutes later or so. Put Sam right in the bath and brought up her seat to wash as best we could:

Samantha and Hanna were as happy as ever.  Samantha LOVED getting to take a bath in the middle of the night (about 11 pm) and Hanna was just THRILLED to be out of the car.  The boys, however, had fallen asleep in the car and did not appreciate being woken up.  They cried and cried and cried (still half asleep) for the entire 20 minutes it took us to get everyone / everything into the hotel room and make their bed (on the floor).  Within seconds of being in "bed," they were asleep (lights still on, Samantha and Hanna still up etc):