A month with my Mumsy

My mama and me!

We have just come to the end of a glorious month-long visit from my mum and are slowly adjusting back to every day life. Not an easy thing to do, you should know, because it's amazing how quickly you get used to having someone wash your dishes, cook the occasional meal (or favorite treat!) and watch your kids so you can shower or run a quick errand. My mum is pretty great.

As great as it was to have her here to help out with the every day practical stuff, I also really enjoyed having someone to do stuff with, both big and small. This was her sixth visit to Utah, so we didn't really need to hit the really touristy highlights anymore, which allowed us to stick to a lot more day trips and local stuff, which was fun too. We're lucky enough to live in an area that has lots of fun stuff to do, especially for families, but sometimes it's nice to have the excuse of taking a visitor to get you to actually get out and do something. So we went to the aquarium, the natural history museum, the Springville museum of art, the Hale theater. And, let's be honest, an awful lot of stores. My mum is a shopper, I'm a shopper, but if we combine forces... oh man, so much shopping. The kids won't need any more clothes until Christmas*. Especially seeing as my mum caught the sewing bug and made Gwen a skirt and three dresses while she was here (with two more to follow).

The best best part, though, was seeing my mum and kids together. They just adore each other, and Granny has time for books and games and stories in ways that only a grandparent does. Given how far apart we live, the time we spend together feels extra precious. Here's hoping that we'll all be able to keep up the good health and finances necessary for these trips for years and years to come! Naturally there is some sacrifice involved to make it happen, but it's so so worth it to be able to spend together as a family.

Counting the days until next time!

Espen, Granny and Gwen.

*I wish that were actually true.