Grandpa and Grammy....and John Wayne

For the past three years I have gone to Utah in the late spring nearing Summer to visit my parents with Korban and now of course Benjamin too. Last year they had an unusually long winter so I decided to wait more until summer, mid June to make our visit. Even still there was snow up in the mountains and we did spend a little bit of time there. The boys did great on the plane both ways and I survived it too:) I will admit that I was a little anxious about busy Benjamin and flying on the plane, though a bit wiggly he was a good boy. Korban even got a special Thomas back pack to stuff with snacks and toys for the flight to keep him and brother busy. He insisted on carrying it himself the whole time.
Korban was excited to see Grandpa and Grammy and John Wayne. John Wayne is a life size card board cutout of none other than himself. Korban has chatted with him via Skype and has heard about him from grandpa over the phone. He kept asking when we would see Grammy and Grandpa and if John Wayne was going to be there. I assured him that he was. So after a 45 minute flight and a two hour car ride, we arrived in Utah! Now I don't know if it was all the anticipation or the wondering if John Wayne was real, but Korban became suddenly afraid of him. Korban would not go up the stairs unless I reasured him that John Wayne was no were to be seen. I finally had to explain to him that he is just pretend and made of paper. It is so strange the things children become afraid of without you giving them any reason to be afraid of it in the first place. Korban, satisfied that all was well, posed for a picture and would say "Hi John Wayne!" every time he passed the stairs. The picture above is Korban's "fighting the bad guys" face and him just not wanting to look directly at the camera...boys.My Dad thought it would be fun to have some sparklers for Korban since independence day was just around the corner. Last year he did not want to get too close to them. This year he wanted to hold them! He loved it and I am pretty sure he went through the whole box. And what visit to grandma's house is not complete without cookies? He specifically asked my mom if they could make chocolate chip cookies again. I think he mostly just likes to lick the batter;) We had lots of fun mostly just staying home and playing with a few outings here and there. We really enjoyed our time and look forward to next year when maybe Josh can come too and Benjamin will be able to run around with his big brother. Even though my parents live far away, I am so glad they are less than a days drive/flight from us.