eaw and I headed out on our own to fly to Salt Lake. Fortunately our airplane seatmate was quite laid-back and very tolerant of the creativity and curiosity of a 14 month-old.
He even let eaw play with his cell phone and look out his window. eaw started pointing and gasping excitedly at the mountains as we began out descent into the Salt Lake valley. Overall, he was a trooper – he wouldn’t sleep to save his life, but he flirted and played like a champion. We arrived in tact to a very enthusiastic grandma and grandpa Durham who whisked us up the canyon and had all the amenities for tired travelers at their beautiful home. Eaw is proving to be quite the mountain lover – he sure looks the part.
Our time in Utah was amazing – a whirlwind of people and activities, but nourishing. For those who know me, I usually have about a four-day threshold for visits to Utah, but somehow,
traveling with eaw took the sting out of it all. I loved being among friends, family, and the gorgeous mountains. All in all, good for the soul. mtw didn’t join us until Sunday, so on Thursday, we spent some time with mdw’s good friends in Ogden. Their daughter (who is beautiful, bright, and creative) planned a party – complete with coconut cupcakes and “let’s party” signs. She was so sweet with eaw, rough housing, playing, and showing him new skills. He was enamored- playing ball and enjoying a ride in her toy car. Mdw was happy to catch up with her dear friend, and saw her again a few days later, taking her improvisation class at ACDF and sharing lunch while we showed off eaw to old colleagues from the U of U.
On Friday, we stopped in at cmd’s office to show off her new grandson.
Eaw got to sit in the chief justice chair – he seems quite comfortable, and really loves his grandma. ghd3 flew in on Friday to meet his nephew. He is a good uncle, taking lots of pictures, and building towers with eaw. We stayed up late getting updates on ghd3’s girls and discussing the challenges of balancing professional, personal, family, and social needs. Ghd3 taught eaw to say “ooo” and point so now he seems like an owl.
On Friday we went out to lunch with mfd and her roommate for a birthday celebration – she seems very comfortable in her living situation, and ghd2 is doing all sorts of advocacy to keep it that way! Here’s to many miracles in housing (our own included – apparently “not much action” on the house according to our realtor).
On Sunday, mtw arrived just in time for a huge family celebration – including a ceremony performed by mdw’s Grandpa Meaders to spiritually welcome eaw to the family.
It was attended by dear friends and extended family, all of whom shared their love and excitement in abundance, not to mention some great new toys and clothes for which we are very grateful. mdw had the pleasure of catching up with her childhood friend Amber, and her good friend and eaw’s godmama Jenni Davis (don't miss the Davis when saying her name:).
We also welcomed dozens of family members (here’s eaw greeting his great-aunt Carolyn), cousins, and uncles and aunts. Eaw blew straight through nap time – playing with his Tolk cousins and especially enjoying the massage pillow!
Monday and Tuesday brought more socializing and scenery, including a trip to the zoo, the museum of Natural History where eaw was more impressed with the dinosaur bones than the phosphates, visits with mdw’s friends the Woodruffs, lunch with mdw’s cousins jf and swm (hooray Tulane!), and fun family time with the Tolks (see additional blog entry). cmd and ghd2 babysat so mtw and I could go out not once, but twice! We even got out to the movies (“Lars and the Real Girl”) – we both give it a big thumbs up. mtw got a call mid-week with an invitation to perform again with David Dorfman so he headed off to Atlanta while mdw and eaw flew back to Columbus. Long flights all around, but we eventually made it back home and were glad to pick up the doggies. eaw's newest word is "woof" whenever he sees the dogs, or any animal for that matter. He even approximates "good girl" whenever Samantha or Odin do their business out on the walks.
I remain grateful for the rest and recuperation provided by generous parents, beautiful surroundings, extended family, and amazing friends. Spring Break indeed!
So we are starting to get our bearings, exploring the offerings of Columbus. On Sunday, we visited (and ended up joining) the Franklin Park Conservatory. It is a botanical collection of various plants from different habitats. We visited the Enchanted Express exhibit which had elevated train sets moving through various terrains, and elaborate models of famous structures from around the world (here's eaw in front of Tekal in Guatemala - we promised to take him to the real one in the future). 
eaw particularly enjoyed the oldest part of the conservatory - an old fashioned indoor arboretum with fountains and benches. They also had an exhibit called "Blooms and Butterflies" that has hundreds of butterflies in a tropical greenhouse. It was spectacular. eaw loved both the trains and the butterflies, but we think his favorite were the koi fish in a pond speckled with Chihuly blown glass. The conservatory also has amazing grounds which we intend to visit often as the weather warms up.
