My Sugar House Life: Home again, home again

One of the tricky things about having au pairs is finding childcare while they are on vacation three weeks of the year. Last month when Chiara went home to Germany to visit her family, I flew to California for work where I have built in childcare... Nana and Papa Tripp! As an added bonus, it was Easter so I got to spend my first Easter at home in 6 years with all the Tripp cousins. In short, this trip had a lot going for it: Nana and Papa time, a major holiday, lots of sunshine after a long, wet, and cold Utah winter, a work trip to check out digital humanities centers at UCLA, USC, and UC Irvine. Plus, Harper has literally been dreaming about the beach since our visit to California last March.

A California girl at heart. She would die of jealousy if she knew Aidan and I lived one block off this beach for six years.

The only thing that gave me trepidation about the trip was the flight. For the first (and hopefully only) time, I had to fly alone with two toddlers. I've flown a few times with Harper, but, as any mom, knows, two (or three) is a world apart. One is one, two is twenty, especially at 30,000 feet. Getting through the airport was my biggest concern with a 1-year-old, 3-year-old, stroller, two carseats, two suitcases, and two carry on bags of diapers, toys, and snacks. Once on the plane, I figured I could distract Harper with electronics while feeding Ashton a steady flow of graham crackers and goldfish for the 90 minute flight. But still, there was getting through the airport. To put my mind at ease, I did the previously unthinkable. I bought leashes for my kids. Back before I had two two and under, I was philosophically opposed to kids on leashes. Now, sign me up. Here's a video of us test driving them at home with Grandma and Grandpa Cummings:

The flight went great. No lost children or irritated seat mates. I successfully distracted both on the flight with my ninja parenting (i.e. Paw Patrol and cheese puffs). Before we knew it, we were in sunny California in the warm embrace of my mom and dad who are AMAZING if you are one of the three people on Earth who don't already know that.

In the airport with their "travel backpacks"

Solid flight setup

Screens don't work yet for Ashton, but food is a distraction slam dunk.

The first few days of our trip, I got to explore with Harper, Ashton, Mom, and Dad. We did the beach, pool, got Ashton's first haircut, and mostly just enjoyed each other's company.

A girl after my own heart. I spent every summer chasing volleyballs in the hot sand for my three older siblings.

Outrunning the waves with her favorite cousin Curren

Going to the beach with Harper is a revelation for me. Aidan has sensory issues and has hated the beach since he was a baby. Harper could play there all day long. It's a terrible thing you never want to admit, but a hard thing about having a child with special needs is that you don't always get to enjoy the things you pictured doing with your kids like going to the beach or playing sports. While I love each of my kids equally for what they bring to the table, it's so nice to share my love of the beach with at least one of my kids. (Cue #momguilt)

Ashton's first haircut. He didn't really need one, but it was fun to share a "first" with my mom and dad.

Being with nana and papa means not having to pick just one flavor

First soft serve!

With Aunt Amy

Watching Cousin Bob's volleyball game with Papa Tripp. I love Utah, but it breaks my heart that we miss all these everyday moments with my nieces and nephews.

Rocking the shallow end

I can't get over how big she looks here. This chair at Target was named the Harper Chair so of course we needed a picture.

Nana and Papa's backyard

Balls, doors, and stairs are Ashton's jam right now.

Fishing for crawdads in the stream

Fruit is better in California. It just is.

For me, the single greatest experience of the trip was doing a sibling dinner with my sisters and brothers. We wracked our collective brain and couldn't remember the last time all of us were together without our kids and parents.

The Tripp kids. 90% of whatever confidence I have is from belonging to this group.

The in-laws had to get a pic too. Robert and Merric, you were missed!

I cant get over the fact that we're 40 (38 and 42 respectively). When did this happen? I don't feel 40. Also incredible to me: seven kids between the two of us.

Easter was an adorable blur of fancy clothes, bunnies, eggs, food, and family.

Easter egg hunt at Aunt Jen and Uncle Bob's

The only two girl cousins out of the eleven Tripp cousins

Harper, put your dress down.

Nick teaching the littles how to play lacrosse.

Overall, it was a great, productive trip home. So fantastic to see my family and get some work done at the same time. I can't wait for my oldest nephew Zach to come to Utah in the fall so I get to see my family even more often.

In case you were wondering, the flight home was fine. Ashton curled up on the floor and played with toys. We were blessed with another generous and patient seat mate. Robert and Aidan were waiting for us by baggage claim when we got off the plane. Happy to be home!