Utah Trip Day One and Two

A couple of days after Christmas we set out on a family road trip to Utah to visit cousins and have some fun. I'll tell you now, we had a GREAT trip! I think it was one of our best. So, I am going to blog in detail (as much as I can remember), so that we'll be able to replicate all the fun we had in the future!

We left home around 6:45 am on Saturday, December 27th. We were not even 2 minutes in when Rachel started crying and whining. She was not happy to be travelling! She cried on and off and finally fell asleep for about 30 minutes around Red Deer. We ended up stopping at the Calgary Ikea after driving for only 2.5 hours. It was worth it though. We walked around for 20 mins or so and then got back in the car. Rachel slept a little more and we made it to Lethbridge where we stopped again to go to the bathroom and eat some lunch in the car. We had to finish all the fruit we brought before we hit the border. Once at the border, both girls asleep, we got randomly selected for a search. We had to pull over and take everyone out while they went through the car and asked us additional questions. The border agent was actually very nice, and I don't think she moved much around in the car. After that we didn't stop again until our destination for the night in Helena, Montana. We stopped first for dinner at a Dairy Queen, and then went to our hotel, La Quinta Inn & Suites. We got the hotel on priceline and we were guaranteed an indoor or outdoor pool. I assumed since it was Helena it would be indoor, but it was outdoor! We were pretty bummed, but when we pulled in to check in I noticed a lot of steam coming from the pool. I asked the front desk if it was open, and it was! She told us that it had jets and the temperature was 103 degrees, so it could be called a hot tub. Since Rachel had been sick, her and I opted out, but Chris and Macy went for a swim. It was fun to swim outside in the cold and at night.

 The above picture I took from inside through the window.

 After swimming, the girls had baths and went to bed. Macy started out in a bed to herself and Rachel in the crib. Sometime in the middle of the night I ended up in Macy's bed and Rachel was in the bed with Chris. It was not exactly the best night, but what are you gonna do?!

We woke up and were down for the free hot breakfast which opened at 7 am. Breakfast was great. We all enjoyed waffles. Rachel much preferred waking up and having breakfast first before getting in the car seat. She did a little better in the car this day. We made it about 2 hours to Dillon, Mt before Macy needed to use the bathroom. After a quick bathroom break our next stop was Idaho Falls, Idaho for lunch at Wendy's. The roads were a little dicey at times, but Chris did a great job getting us through safely. After Idaho Falls, both girls had great naps and slept all the way to West Jordon, Utah where we made it to the Lemon's by 3:30 pm. Jill and Matthew were home to greet us and the rest followed shortly. Unfortunately, Macy having just woken up from a nap wasn't the happiest, but after she warmed up she loved being around cousins. We had dinner and a nice night visiting with the Lemon's. Macy slept out in their living room with Matthew and Elizabeth. Chris, Taylor, Jill, and I played some games that night before heading to bed.