Utah Days 6, 7, 8, and 9

Thursday:

Matthew worked on upgrading the computer, Grandma took the kids to park lunch, and I went to Deseret Book. No one was very interested in lunch, though Hyrum did eat a big bowl of cherries. In the afternoon the boys helped grandma water the gardens, which then turned into playing in the sprinklers for a bit. Before dinner Matthew and I went to Grandpa's DI to check out a deal on a bed frame for Hyrum. We made it home in time to catch a bite to eat, then headed to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple to attend Cousin Aaron's first session as he prepares for his mission. That night, not long after we got home, Hyrum vomited several times. Matthew slept with him in the family room, which was nice for me since I wasn't feeling great myself.

Friday:
Grandma Naomi and I both felt nauseous in the night, but seemed somewhat improved in the morning after taking our turns in the bathroom. Hyrum appeared to be feeling just fine. We considered staying home from the cabin, but Naomi was in charge of providing dinner that night, so at least one of us had to go up, and in the end we decided we'd risk it. We picked up Fiorella on our way and headed to the mountains past Heber where Matthew's Uncle Ryan's wife's parents own a cabin. I got a picture of the kids out on the little pond about an hour after we arrived, and then spent the rest of the day half passed out on a couch. I felt so awful, as did Naomi, who spent most of the afternoon and evening asleep on a couch upstairs. Poor Matthew was by default left in charge of dinner and tending to the kids as Naomi and I were completely useless. Oddly enough, two of Ryan and Kristine's kids also threw up and spent hours resting on a makeshift bed on the floor.

Saturday:

I felt almost normal in the morning, Naomi was considerably better, and Ryan's kids Esther and John were as good as new. Unfortunately, Cassie was feeling quite ill and took my spot on the downstairs couch for most of the day. I don't know how members of three separate families who had had no contact prior to arriving at the cabin could have all been so similarly sick, but so it was. I'm glad I got feeling better though, because it was really fun to catch up with family. Along with the Kress' (3 kids plus Fiorella) and Ryan's family (4 kids), there was Carolynn and her 5 kids plus Cassie, Shawna and her two boys, and Marci with 3 of her kids including Gabbi who had just got home from her mission the day before. The day was filled with boating on the pond, a walk around the woods, card playing, eating, and visiting. The highlight of Abraham's day, and perhaps his entire Utah vacation, was having his boat tip over and falling in the lake fully clothed. People started packing up and leaving as the afternoon wore on, and around 4:30 pm the cabin was all cleaned up and we headed out as well. Matthew drove Cassie home, as she was definitely too ill to drive, so we stopped by Carolynn's to pick him up, then dropped off Fiorella. Once home, I ate about three bites of dinner and felt absolutely sick again. I crawled down to bed and once again left tending to the children up to Matthew.

Mercy, Patrick, and Esther

Abraham and Abraham

Sunday:

Sarah and Grandpa Kip had been sick while we were gone, Grandma was again not feeling very well, and all three kids had diarrhea, so everyone stayed home from church. We spent the day not eating and watching old VHS church videos. We also packed up and got ready for our departure in the morning. After the kids were in bed, we did manage one more game of 7 Wonders, but that was about as much excitement as anyone had in them.