Honk!

Today was a wonderful day.

This was Jason's last Saturday before he starts filling them up with theater practice. Before we go head-under-water with his crazy schedule, we wanted a day just for family. I had previously signed us up for free passes for frontrunner and trax (the public transportation systems around here), so we used those and hopped the train!

The boys were so ecstatic to be riding at first. They pointed out everything we passed and kept us updated on how many sets of tracks were running alongside us. Kai kept asking why he needed to look out the window, because I was constantly asking him what was out there. It was so funny. This picture was taken near the end of the looooooong ride to the City Center Mall in Salt Lake City. They claim to still be loving it at this point, but this photo doesn't really show it.

We were going to hit Temple Square first, but Seth was thirsty. It happens. So on to City Center we went. And the kids had a blast there.

Because our lunch options are limited with our gluten-free diet, we tried to go to a place that was a little cheaper, but it ended up costing more than the other restaurant we had been considering. We had also planned on just bringing food for us, but the morning had been disrupted because I couldn't find my free pass. Between the lunch being more expensive than we'd planned and having to pay for my tickets all day, it was a costly day. And that's okay! I think it was worth every penny! But we're not done yet!

We then headed to temple square, which is always a favorite.

The kids were pretty excited when they saw a light in a window.

The flowers were up all over Temple Square, and it felt like spring! I was so excited. And so were the boys. They ran to see a fountain, and after doing a lap around it, Seth yelled, "Wow! That was exhausting!"

We then caught the train home. Despite having them lay on a padded bench and rest for a bit earlier in the day, the kids were so tired. Luckily, they were giggly-tired instead of weepy-tired. When Kai started falling asleep on the train, Jason invented a game to keep him awake. He started stealing Kai's "train ticket" (the receipt from my ticket purchase, since he's too young to actually need a ticket.) Kai would laugh like crazy and steal it back. Pretty soon, Seth and I were playing the same game. There was a lady sitting across from us who was also giggling! She couldn't get enough of our boys.

When we got home we ALL took a nap, then had a quick dinner. Because we also had tickets to Honk! the musical! It was quite the day!!! When we got there, Seth happened to be sitting by a very cute 5-year-old girl. Seth had made friends all day long--on the train, at the play center at the mall, and then at the musical--but this girl was definitely his favorite.

They were adorable! She had a little sister, so the four kids kept sharing candy and exchanging questions and ideas throughout the play. It was so cute to watch. When it was all over, this girl got my attention and asked if she could sit by Seth at the Cinderella play. It was hard to tell her that we didn't have tickets for the Cinderella play. :( I know Seth would have gladly sat through Cinderella if he could sit by this girl again. At the final curtain call, she turned to Seth and said, "You have to keep clapping now for a LONG time."

Every time the lights went down, Kai would lay his head on my shoulder and say,"When they turn the lights off, it makes me tired. Why do they keep turning the lights off?" He ended up on my lap in the end and asked me questions endlessly about why they were doing what they were doing. It was endearing.

At one point in the play, two characters are on stage crossing to different sides and standing right behind each other while singing about losing the other. Seth said, "Why can't they find each other?" He wasn't getting it in that scene. But when I asked him what the show was about after the fact, he replied, "It's about a swan who laid its egg in a duck's nest. I don't know why it did that." We started discussing ways that the egg could have gotten in the duck's nest. When I suggested it rolled down a hill and landed in the nest, Seth's response was, "I can't confirm that." Lol!

This was especially fun because one of the babysitters we use was in the musical. It was great to see her up there! We asked the kids if they liked movies more or musicals more. Kai said, "I like musicals more because they have ducks." I loved it. When we finally got home, Seth pretended to be asleep so that Jason would carry him to bed. Jason gladly did so. He's such a great daddy. Jason then went to the store so we would have all the ingredients to feed the missionaries today. I don't know what I would do without him. He's my rock.