A Heizerly Visit

Last weekend some great friends from St. George, the Heizer family, came to visit us in Omaha on their way out to Illinois. It was wonderful!

It's no secret that we miss southern Utah with its dramatic red rock and incredible canyons. In fact, our longing smarts even more keenly at the moment because we recently had a very unexpected (and flattering) invitation to return. Despite our deep craving for the mountains, it just didn't feel right to uproot our family so quickly, before we'd even hung pictures on the walls. And so, it was doubly lovely to have a piece of St. George come to us. Eli, in particular, has missed the Heizer family, asking about his friend Chloe every few days since we left.

We ordered perfect weather, but apparently the One in charge thought it would be better to share something that sets the Midwest apart from the desert--namely, plenty of rain. 

Here are the munchkins outside the Butterfly House at the Henry Doorly Zoo.  Sofia (far left) is in Brooklyn's grade, while Chloe (in pink) is a few months older than Eli.




Talia, smiling widely thanks to the Cheetah face paint that Cari brought along.  You can see why Cari was such a fun Girl Scout leader.

Annika has grown accustomed to Brooklyn's doting attention, but this time she loved having Sofia fawn all over her as well.

Chloe mounts a giant sea turtle outside the aquarium.



At last, sunshine!  Papa K helps the girls ride the gorillas.

Uh oh!  Check out Chloe's face to find out what happens when you try to squish too many kids on a Silverback.

In the evening, we headed over to my parents house where the Heizer's got to try out the zipline.  Chloe's looking a little nervous, but Doug's holding her tight.

And away she goes!  Chloe loved it.  Both Chloe and Sofia are headed to circus camp in Illinois--a perfect fit for their strength and daring.

Where are Brooklyn and Sofia, so high up in the trees?

Papa K's tree house of course!  It's not quite done yet, but already it's a wonderful space to explore.

Cari, Doug, Sofia, and Chloe, thank you so much for coming to visit!  It was great to see your delightful family once more.  And everybody else passing through on I-80, we make a nice rest stop.  We picked up a bed off of Craigslist just a few hours before the Heizers arrived, so now all can enjoy our new "guestroom" accommodations--hopefully an improvement from our trusty old air mattresses.

Oh, and back to those mountains--they're feeling much closer now!  The Heizers headed farther east on Sunday, and we took off west early Monday morning.  The kids, my mother, and I made it safely out to Logan, Utah where we've been having a wonderful time with Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles.  Jason arrives tonight, just in time for Saturday's marathon.  If anybody's in the Provo area, we'd love to hear you cheer.  :)