Mini Vacation

We decided to do a quick mini vacation and do it close by this Christmas break.  We booked a hotel in Salt Lake City close enough to the things we wanted to do but not so close as to cost an arm and a leg.  Part of my Christmas gift was staying at the hotel the first night all…by…myself. It was perfect.  The rest of the family came just before lunch the next morning and we headed off to Temple Square and its surrounding area. 

We spent the next 5 hours walking around, taking tours and eating meals until it got dark so we could see the lights on Temple Square.  By the time the lights came on the girls were tired and it was freezing so we did a quick walk-about then headed back to the hotel. 

Here we are at the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg.  As you can tell by Calista’s choice of accessories, it was cold.  She kept all this on even when indoors.

Piper hammed it up for the camera. 

Téa, on the other hand, did not.  We are finding out that she is afraid of heights.  She wouldn’t go near the glass.  Funny…she’ll go on tall rollercoasters and Ferris wheels but won’t stand near a thick, plate-glass window.  Hmm…

She felt much more comfortable and photogenic far away from the windows.  We found a life-size Nutcracker.

An attempt at getting smiling girls.  Calista wasn’t in the mood.

And an attempt to get the whole family in a picture.  This time, Piper wasn’t in the mood.

This is the ‘not amused’ face I get from Téa all the time.  I think she was hungry at this point and wanted to go.

Seeing as how we didn’t last long after it got dark, I have no outside pictures at night with the lights. 

The next day we headed to the Gateway to explore things.  We ended up at Discovery Gateway which we’ve never been to before.  The girls liked it but only lasted an hour and a half.  I think Piper could have stayed longer if she had had a good night’s sleep.

Piper loved the air tubes.  She would open it, get blown in the face and then put the ball in the tube and watch it get sucked up to the top.  I probably sat there feeding her balls for 20 minutes. 

Yee haw!

Calista and Piper playing grocery store clerk and customer.

And they loved the helicopter outside.  I told Mark I don’t mind flying in planes.  But I hope never to have to ride in a helicopter. 

More crazy Piper.  I think I told her to smile for this picture. 

The third night Téa, Calista and I stayed in the hotel while Mark went home with Piper.  It was a fun trip and the girls had a blast being able to swim at the hotel pool.  I enjoyed not having to make meals and eating a great, free breakfast every morning.