What a fun break! We were able to see both my parents and Matt's parents! In light of Matt's obligation to complete externships during all future academic breaks this year, we were especially appreciative of this week together.
To start off the partying, my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and sister came to Vegas for a close family friend's wedding. We enjoyed beautiful weather at the hotel pool, cheered on the Cougars in one of the most fun basketball games I have ever attended, partied Mormon-wedding style, and enjoyed great times together as a family. John loved showing off his new tricks [see end of post], and after the Provo crew was off, we enjoyed walking around some Bellagio and City Center sites. What a fun excuse to be reunited with family! So glad Matt Harrison married a Vegas girl and brought the party here!
Enjoying poolside paradise with Grandpa Colton
Checkin' out some baby ladies
John cruisin' around the pool in his awesome flotation device and Matt rockin' his stylin' new glasses (it's nice having an optometrist as a father!)
Cheering on the Cougs as Jimmer scored over 50 points!!!! Unreal. Such an exciting game. Even UNM fans were cheering him on when he passed 50. Jane so graciously supplied my parents with BYU #32 shirts. My Dad's shirt reads "Yeah... he shoots from there." So true. So awesome.
Walking around the Bellagio's spring-carnival-themed Conservatory with Grandma Colton.
After my parents flew home, Matt and I ground out two hard-work days, then hopped in the car and drove up to Utah. We were able to stay with Matt's grandparents Wednesday and visit with most of the beloved Springville clan. Matt has many relatives on his dad's side that live in Springville, just 15 minutes South of Provo. We enjoyed many a Sunday dinner there while attending BYU, so it was fun to catch up and show off John! We then proceeded to squeeze in a few more visits, my cousin Mauri (who is expecting a little girl, baby #4, any minute now!!!) and her darling crew, my Grandpa Farrell, and our dear friends Billy and Whitney (and their adorable Nina). It was a loved-ones-packed and thoroughly enjoyable Thursday. To top it all off, we were able to cheer on BYU through a successful first NCAA March Madness game, and Matt's parents drove in from Elko Thursday night. We then proceeded to pack in tons of March Madness basketball, skiing (Matt and his dad enjoyed perfect conditions at Alta!), delicious food, and John adoration. Matt's parents are in the middle of some beautiful renovations of their Murray condo (hardwood floors, gorgeous new cabinets, bathroom make-overs, etc.), so while the boys were skiing, Matt's mom and I talked for hours while John slept in the car and then went shopping to stock John's entire summer wardrobe. Such adorable, heat-appropriate clothes! We had a wonderful time in Murray, and it was tough to get back in the car to head back to reality. Luckily, on the way home we were able to stop in Provo for a delicious lunch at Scott and Brittany's awesome apartment! It was so fun to see Scott, Brittany, and Jane before taking off. We were able to celebrate in person some exciting accomplishments: Jane recently was accepting into BYU's business program, Scott has been getting unbelievable scores on practice MCAT tests, and Brittany completes here Master's degree in one month!
Playing with Grandma and Grandpa Alleman in their Murray condo.
John sharing his thoughts on the world with Grandpa Alleman.
Family brings such joy into our lives, so we are so grateful for these opportunities to see the people we love so much. John was a champ on the drives, mostly sleeping and playing with me.
A quick update on our 9-month-old energizer baby: John turned 9 months old yesterday! I can't believe how big he is. He finally indulged in 4-legged crawling (as opposed to his speedy army crawl), can now pull himself up on anything, and opens drawers and cabinets and pulls occasional items out. I know, it is only the beginning! I am installing a few cabinet clips... hopefully that deters him?! He also is exploring speech sounds with "da", "ba", "yah", and "wuh". My favorite is his latest thrill of trilling his r's like a Spaniard. No joke, he entertains himself for multiple minutes each day by loudly trilling his tongue. He's far surpassed my dismal capacities for tongue trilling. Already shown-up by my 9-month-old!
Now we're back to our Vegas scene: I finished taxes (LOVE TurboTax!), am plowing through the to-do list, and am plotting the demise of cockroaches big and small that come anywhere near our house. Matt continues to balance a few extra tasks, planning his Dental Lobby Day meetings in DC next week, finalizing externship applications, and getting trained to participate in oral surgery procedures at a local hospital.
So glad we were able to visit so many loved ones and maximize Matt's break!
