staycation

my mom came to visit the boys, take care of us while we were all sick, and once we were better, she then kicked david and i out so we could have a pre-valentine's day 24-hour staycation!  we love it when bicka comes to visit!  the boys have a super-duper playmate, my mom so graciously and generously changes every diaper and feeds every open mouth, she loads and unloads the dishwasher, and does her own laundry and scrubs the guest bathroom before leaving!  mom--thank you so much for being a spectacular bicka!  

the week before she came out, she was sick with a cold.  and then when she arrived, we were all sick with colds, and pace's cold turned into croup.  we all kind of stayed home and lounged around the first half of the week, trying to get better.  thankfully david and i felt good enough to take off on our 24-hour staycation to slc, and then the day after we got back, my mom got another cold!  i guess we did a lot of sharing east coast and west coast germs.  

we left for salt lake tuesday afternoon after we put the boys down for their nap.  we stopped in scheel's on the way up--a new humongous sports store--it has a ferris wheel inside, columns at the entrance that double as a fish "tank", and all sorts of "stuffed" animals.  i was too whimpy to ride the ferris wheel--i just can't do heights anymore.  we made it up to salt lake and checked in at non other than the grand america hotel!  it was gorgeous and so, so luxe.  after checking in we walked up to city creek mall, which we'd never explored before.  we had a great cheesecake factory dinner, and then went back to the hotel.  WE SLEPT IN the next morning.  that was worth every penny the grand america hotel charged us for one night!  we stopped at the thanksgiving point cineplex on the way home and saw the first installment of the hobbit.  we were the only people in the theatre!!  the picture is kind of dark, but trust me, there isn't any one else in the theatre!  it was so fun to have it all to ourselves!  and then, of course, on the way home we had to find a new pair of shades for pace-boy.  what a super vacation!