trip

On Saturday night, we got back from two weeks in Utah. The plan had been to stay for only one week, but weather, illness, and family-begging-us-to-stay urged us to stay longer. Unfortunately, I spent half of the extra week curled up in a blanket, alternatively shivering and burning up.

On Tuesday, though, my mom thought up the idea to have a Harry Potter party for the kids (Juma and his Wilson cousins), so she and I spent all of Thursday cooking and preparing while the kids played. We made chocolate frogs, acid pops (dum-dums dipped in honey then rolled in Pop Rocks), cookie wands dipped in chocolate and sprinkles, pumpkin pasties, treacle tarts, creamy onion soup, pumpkin juice, and butter beer. The acid pops were a hit with the kids; we couldn't keep their hands off of them. Within minutes, they were jumping off the walls from the sugar high. (We saved the butter beer for the next day to keep the sugar from making anyone's head explode.) Mom and I were exhausted by the end of it (in fact, before the end of it), but the kids had a great time.

Justin went rock climbing and ice climbing (how could he not, with all those mountains!), and took Juma miniature golfing, to a movie, and to Jumping Jacks play place. Juma also got to hang out with his uncle Cameron and his XBox, as well as play endless hours of Star Wars with his cousins. Juma's collection of light sabers increased to five while we were in Utah; now he has the light sabers of Obi-wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Mace Windu, Darth Maul, and one that color-changes from a Sith blade (red) to a Jedi blade (green). Now just about every cousin who is old enough to lift up the saber can play Jedi-versus-Siths to their hearts' content. Or, until the moms decide things are getting too crazy and put the light sabers away for a while.

(On Friday, Kelly and I decided to put the sabers away after one too many finger-smashings, and I moved the whole lot of them to the car so as to not tempt anyone. Then I promptly forgot I had put them there, and had the whole household turning the house upside down looking for Juma's light sabers. Just as Juma was about to cry with worry for his poor lost toys, I remembered where they were and had to embarrassedly tell everyone I was the one whole misplaced them. Talk about a senior moment. And I'm not even thirty.)