Sometimes a girlz got to let it ALL hang out.

Konks is partial to the "stick my bum as high in the air as possible" sleeping position.

I guess she wasn't getting enough fresh air down there, so she took matters into her own hands. Mmmmm, so fresh and breezy!

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This morning we escaped to the amusement park of Shopping Carts with Cars Attached to the Front. I only needed 5 things, but when the girls need to get out of the house... the girls need to get out of the house.

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We went up and down every aisle. Owaya in the car part, Konks facing me in the cart part. Nearing the end of the aisle we (Owaya and I) would say "Here we go.... Three... Two... One" at which point we would turn down into the next aisle. Owaya would then exclaim "Yea! We mane (made) it!". Repeat 15 times. Is it crazy that I may have had as much fun as her?

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Konks is a flirt. She takes her job very seriously. She had no less than 10 people completely wrapped around her pudgy little fingers by the time we were done.

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Hooray for carts with cars attached to the fronts!
Hooray for jello pudding!

Hooray for cool whip!

Hooray for oreo pie crust!

Hooray for yummy dessert that will be in my belly tonight!

One {of the very many} highlights...

This will be my last vacay post. Most of you that know me, know this about me: I LOVE FOOD. That being said I am sure you can understand why this place was near the top of my list of most magical, delicious, near-spiritual experience favorite places.
Behold! I give unto you the beauty that is Maddox Fine Dining!

Oh my heck. Delicious. Mouth watering. Scrumptious. Indulgent. Home-cookin'. Extravaganza for the taste buds. Ooohin' and Aaahin'.
So I guess you could say I really enjoyed myself there... probably embarrassing everyone else in our group with my declarations of love for this eating establishment. Seriously... I am pretty sure everyone was embarrassed to be sitting at my table... Like for real.

At the top of the menu under "Favorites" on the right hand side you see an entree labeled "Famous Fried Chicken". Words. Cannot. Describe. It is skinless and it is fried. Chicken and grease never found a more perfect combination. Period.

And the rolls!! I mean these ROLLS! Homemade by flour that is milled by a local family run business. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. You see that little tub in the bottom of the picture... RASPBERRY BUTTER. So creamy and sweet. Perfect on those golden pillows that have been sent from heaven above.
I laughed. I cried. I got goosebumps. I squealed. I sighed.

Then I got dessert.

Fresh Strawberry Pie.

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After which point I went into a coma in a state of euphoria.

If you ever get in remotely close proximity to the place, you must go. Your stomach and your taste buds will thank you forever. I promise. Just Google Maddox Fine Dining.

ATTENTION:

Hear ye, Hear ye.... closeted family members who read my blog (yes I know who you are). For further light and knowledge (and laughter) about magical road trip please go here

You will be glad you did!!

More of Most Magical Road Trip

We ended our vacation by going to Ma and Papa's cabin at Bear Lake. We stopped on our way at Lava to play in the pool, we just took the big girls while Kaitlyn's Mom had the babies. We were pretty tuckered out after that and the car ride to the cabin seemed never ending. And then we arrived. Trying to put into words what I felt when we drove up to the cabin seems just about impossible. The view is amazing, Bear Lake is amazing.
Looking down at the lake you see this humongous water mass that is varying shades of Caribbean blue. The minerals in the water react with the sunlight to create this canvas of ever changing shades of marine. The lake is bordered by these desert mountains that are speckled with sage brush. The billowy clouds overhead leaved dappled sections of shade on the lake and the mountains. It was breathtaking.

The beach was sandy and lovely. The water was cool and refreshing but not too cold. The kids played and mucked about. Engineering luxurious sand castles, while a demolition crew came along shortly thereafter to tear it all down (Isla). We dug deep into the sand and warmed our faces in the sun.

We packed lunches with us to maximize our beach time.

We got creative with the sun protection. Ever wondered what SPF 1000 looks like? Behold the the sun screened hat baby!

I forgot to bring her sun hat and her head was looking a little roasty, so I slathered the stuff on her.

She had so much fun eating all the dirt she could get her pudgy little hands on.

This little monkey fell out of the bed during the night and gave herself quite the wicked looking bruise on her cheek.

The turtle floaty came in quite handy for my oldest child, who is very cautious when it comes to adventure. My baby, on the other hand is quite fearless with the water. She relaxed in her little floaty and enjoyed just lounging in the water.

Aren't those clouds so lovely? That pit in front of my toes was a hole we dug out. The water would seep in and get warmed by the sun and sand. We called it our hot tub.

The tub would be full of sand and grit after baths. Swim diapers would be a pound heavier due to the extra sand that found its way in. But any amount of clean up would be worth it to see smiles like this on your children's faces.

I totally consider this vacation such a gift. It couldn't have come at more perfect timing, what with me being a temporary single parent right now. It was busy and it was also SO MUCH fun. The time at the cabin did wonders for me. I would drink up the view every chance I could get. I could feel my spiritual cup fill to overflowing. I know that when times get tough and frustrating, I can look back on this time, remember the view and the feelings I felt there. To be surrounding by so many kind and caring people. It makes my heart want to burst open just to think about it.

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We also went to a play one of the nights at the Lake. It was at the Pickleville Theater (they serve pickle-sickles during intermission). The play was Crazy for You and it was performed by these amazingly talented young adults that would come and live at Bear Lake during the vacation season. They were mostly theater majors from BYU and other surrounding universities. They were AMAZING!! It really renewed the desire in me to see more plays like this. It was SO MUCH FUN!!

Most Magical Road Trip

Most people would think I am a weirdo for spending two weeks continuously with someone who is not family. Well I pretty much think of Kaitlyn as family and these two weeks totally rocked. Seriously so much fun. No, we don't want to kill each other after this trip. No, we are not sick of each other either. Crazy huh??

On the way down we stopped at the Walter's to say hi and stretch our legs a little bit. Alicia is the best and cooked for us the most magical, real home cookin', warmed me down to the roots roasted chicken and vegetables. We all feasted like kings, made messes, peed on the carpet (I'm not naming names), laughed together and enjoyed the company of GREAT friends. It ain't a vacation in my book unless you cram as many naked little bums into a tub as you can.

The girls were very excited to be out of the car! After them playing to the point of near exhaustion, we drugged 'em and headed into the night for the rest of our journey. Driving through the night is SO MUCH easier than driving in the daytime. Usually only one kid is awake at a time and when they are awake they are pretty low key.... or maybe it was the Dramamine... either way it is just better at night. Trust me on this.

Kaitlyn and I stayed awake by listening to books on tape, listening to the radio, downing energy drinks, laughing at ridiculous stuff, peeing on the side of the road kamikaze style. The gLee soundtrack came in especially helpful around 5 am.

The first week we stayed at Kaitlyn's Ma and Papa's house near Ogden. They have a pretty amazing layout in their house with a full basement (bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and living area) which worked out really nice when the kids woke up early. We could keep them corralled downstairs and let the people upstairs sleep.

Ma and Papa were the most gracious hosts and made me feel totally at home. I kinda suck because I didn't take that many pictures while we were staying there. We mucked around in their garden, canned beans and raspberry jam, ate the most amazing food (Papa's ribs are to DIE FOR), went to the Rodeo, played all day at Lagoon. It was so much fun!

I think the theme of the vacation was that the girls were always wearing as little clothing as possible. I am pretty sure they downed half of this watermelon!

Saying Goodbye

Marcus wore this shirt on the day that he left. This shirt has been in Marcus life for longer than I have. He has worn it since the 7th grade. He wore it to his first dance, getting his driver's permit, his first driver's license, his first date.... the list goes on and on. He says it is just a perfect shirt, and since he has worn it so often it is very comfortable. Super threadbare, if you hold it up to the light you can read through it. He thought it fitting that he take this bad boy with him (you take very little with you to basic training, only a back pack's worth).

We went out to brunch that morning with Marcus' parents. It was very nice, quiet morning. I told them they could come if they didn't cry (I know, real nice of me right?) I had been doing good at keeping it together but I knew if anyone else lost it I would to. I was really glad that they came. Having other people there helped to keep the atmosphere light.

Right before we pulled into the parking lot a new song started on our yo gabba gabba CD. It was the good bye song, Marcus tried to change the song quick but Olivia protested profusely "I want goodbye song!! I want goodbye song!!". Olivia was belting it out while me and Marcus became blubbering idiots.

Then after breakfast we were off to the recruiters office where the van was coming to pick him up. It was the longest-shortest 45 minutes. Olivia was informing the recruiter that her Daddy was an "army guy". Bianca was taking her morning nap in the car.

Then before we knew it the van pulled up to take Marcus away. I had a good cry out on the car ride home. When we got in the door Olivia asked me if I was all better now. That is when I remembered the deal I have with myself. I am a cry-er by nature. All manner of things make the tears flow, happiness, sadness, frustration, Dumbo, especially poignant commercials. I agreed to let myself cry when the feelings become to much, get it out as it were. But then after that I need to lock it up for the girls. I can't be walking around an incoherent mess all the time. So that car ride home was my time to let it out. I told Olivia I was better and got to work packing for our road trip (which we just got back from).

Now that I am home, in my real life again (not the fantasy life of vacationing) I am going to take things one day at a time. Try to live it up a little. I could watch barefoot contessa til my hearts content, or marathon after marathon of BBC original miniseries. Welcome to the Radder house... land of estrogen overload.

Last Night

I've got me some catching up to do! The last night before Marcus left was perfection! We went out for some yummy Mexican food, followed by some yummy ice cream cones with our very yummy friends.
Olivia was pretty excited about eating her ice cream!!

So was I.

Bianca was more interested in eating my camera...

It was such a fun night!!

After eating our treats we came back to the Radder Household and had a big bonfire after putting the kiddies to sleep. We had this bonfire pit that we never use, we were kicking ourselves that we never did something like this sooner. It was such a clear night, we watched the stars and talked and talked. It was the perfect way to spend Marcus' last night in WA.