"Spring" in Utah

 

       Spring in Utah is a funny thing. One thing to love about Utah is that you really get to experience all four seasons. We get snowy cold winters, hot sunny summers and crisp clear falls. Springtime in Utah though is a tricky thing. It seems like Mother Nature has a hard time deciding when to switch over from fall. One day it will be snowy and freezing, the next sunny and warm, then back to snow a few days later. We can be swinging at the playground in shirtsleeves on Saturday and building snowmen on Sunday. This last weekend we were able to indulge in some sunny spring weather. The kids raced and climbed through an amazing playground, soaking up the sunny spring weather. The next day we were braving slick snowy streets on the drive to work… “Spring” in Utah.

 

(belated) Valentines Date

Jeff and I are so lucky to have such amazing helpful parents that we are afforded the luxury of the kids having a “sleep-over” at Grandma’s so that we can have a grown-up Valentines night. A few days late but I actually prefer that so the crowds aren’t crazy (I can’t stand to sit waiting for HOURS for a table at a restaurant!)

  We decided to go ultra-traditional date-night… dinner and a movie.

We started off the evening at a hip new eatery called “The Porch.” I had seen it featured in Salt Lake Magazine and thought it looked really interesting so then when I saw a deal on a gift certificate on one of those flash deals site I jumped on it. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was very cosmopolitan and “grown-up” (they do not have a kids menu!). We tried the Brick Chicken and Meatloaf and neither dish disappointed our foodie hopes! Maybe we just watch too much “Top Chef” but we really appreciate awesome, inventive food with new and intriguing flavors. I didn’t even special order anything (this speaks volumes to those who know me, I’m definitely a “sally” when it comes to ordering!) 

Brick Chicken

Banana Pudding

We left our meal full and happy after spending a long dinner service joking and talking without having to “parent”. We headed over to the Megaplex  and caught an Imax showing of “Deadpool.” When I first told Jeff that was what I wanted to see for Valentines he laughed and said “ That’s not very romantic!” I told him he should feel very lucky that I wasn’t dragging him to a Nicholas Sparks weeper like most women. The show was perfect! Ryan Reynolds totally nailed Deadpool and low and behold there was a ”romantic” element to the show! LOVED it!

All and all a PERFECT Valentines Date with my sweetheart (our 17^th Valentines together!!!)

The Long (Fun) Weekend

The long weekend of Valentine’s Day and Presidents day seemed to sneak up on me this year. I was so focused on getting things ready for Big A’s School that I didn’t make any real fun plans for us as a family. However as luck would have it we ended up having a wonderful holiday thanks to fast dialing fingers!

First off I had signed up the Kids for a Valentines themed Lowes “Build and Grow” making picture frames. As we were getting ready Big A promptly told me he is “a big boy now!” and “Too old for making things!” Begrudgingly we got him out the door and of course he had a great time and was super proud of what he’d built, (he was not the littlest kid there by a long shot!) I have the hardest time getting that boy out to do stuff lately. When we actually get to the activity he usually has a blast, it’s just getting him out.

Then for Valentines I had spotted a deal on easy “chocolate fondue” by Bakers chocolate. So I picked up some marshmallows and strawberries and put out a “romantic” dessert spread. It took me all of 2 minutes to get together and A and a LOVED it! Halfway through though little a went to the kitchen and came back with a spoon. I said  “No, sweetie you need to use the fork so you don’t drop the strawberries.” She replied “Oh mommy, I’m gonna just eat the chocolate with it!” Ha Ha

The big excitement came Friday night as I was doing dishes and listening to the radio (107.9 The End) (while everyone else was downstairs playing video games … sigh… a mothers life!) they had a “be the 10^th caller…. Contest so I grabbed the phone and I Won! It was for a family 4 pack of tickets to the Local Hockey team The Grizzlies! The tickets were for an early game on Monday, perfect for our little ones. The seats were fantastic, the game was exciting and kids were on the Jumbo Tron… what more could you ask for? A perfect cap to our long weekend!

(I have not received any kind of endorsement from anyone for this post)