My divorced family is perfectly imperfect.

Something just happened that made me want to brag a bit about my parents. I can't talk about that "something" but I will say this, I am very proud of my them. They divorced when I was 7 and my brother was 9. I had no idea what "divorce" actually meant at the time and when they told me that my mom was moving out and getting her own place, I quickly drew up a plan where they could both live in our current house by sticking to a strict schedule when it came to the kitchen(the only room they both needed to use.) The plan went out the window and so did a little piece of my heart as I moved houses every six months for the next 10 years.

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel sorry for myself. I think divorce had a ton of positive affects on my life. It allowed me to REALLY get to know each of my parents. I am very proud of my relationships with my mom and dad. When you are a kid of divorce, you either talk about your feelings or you drown a little bit and WE TALKED. There are only a few fights that I remember between my mom and dad but they are far out-weighed by the great times. It was when I was about 12 years old or so when I noticed they started to become friends again.

Often times, my parents were the only two at our swim meets. So, they were kind of forced to talk to each other. I also like to think that they decided that it was worth it to try to patch up their broken relationship enough so that we could all hang out together as a "family" when needed. And, "when needed" ended up being quite often as time ticked on. Christmas', Thanksgiving's, birthday's and swim meets, we were often a mixed up random bunch, but we were together. My mom would bring her boyfriend, my dad would bring his girlfriend and my parents would, suck it up.

I was married when I was 24 and divorced 3 years later. I am thankful that we did not have any children and that our break was clean. Believe me, I know how difficult it was for my mom and dad to become friends, and I am damn proud of them for it. They have put my brother and I and our happiness before their own. They continue to do this now for us and even more so for their grandkids. Time is precious, and they are soaking up every second. My mom said to me the other day that the fact that her and my dad come together during the holidays is unique maybe even a bit strange. I told her that although I think it was unique 20 years ago, it is becoming more normal. In a way, they indirectly paved the way! Divorce can bring out the worst in people. I am proud to say that my parents are amazing and they have brought out the best in each other!

Switching my blog to my website.

Hi ALL.

Thank you so very much for following me on blogger. I am finding that it is better for me to blog from my own website. I feel like I can create some conversations from there as well. My website is going thru a bit of an upgrade/change. It is working just fine but all should be a bit better and a bit more user friendly. Feel free to give me your thoughts.

Good-bye blogger and HELLO www.summersanders.net

Summer

A few days away goes a long way!

Three days and two nights. Doesn't sound like much but it goes a LONG way. My husband and I planned a last minute trip to Las Vegas. It seems impossible that a mom of 2 toddlers can get away last minute but with the help of an awesome mother-in-law, daycare, school and friends, we pulled it off. Believe it or not, I brought my computer to blog but didn't get around to it...too much fun, rest and pool time.

Here is how it went down. We bought our plane tickets the day before. We called The Palms Place to reserve our room (we own a unit with my family.) And we confirmed all our kids care. I have to say, as a mom, I was a little uneasy with the "last minute" part of our getaway but with a family member in charge, it made it a lot easier. We each had a small carry-on and we were ready.

People actually laughed at us for going to Vegas for some R and R but it was awesome. We arrived at noon on Tuesday and it was gorgeous. We immediately went down to the pool where we sat in the sun for a bit. Next up, a little workout, steam and shower. Then it was naptime...yes, naptime. I was in heaven. We were up and out the door before 7 for a little blackjack (my fav) and then dinner at Yellowtail in the Bellagio. If you haven't seen the Bellagio light show, you haven't lived (maybe a little dramatic). We scored a table outside...it was perfect weather and the light show took place right in front of us. I must have been a little tired still cause I was so emotional as to how perfect it was that I almost cried! And the food was amazing..poprocks in sushi, what's not to love?!

Two more days of the same thing we came home, rested, relaxed, well tanned, well fed and $500 richer. The best part of the trip was walking through our front door to 2 screaming little people. Our son was buck naked and our daughter was clothed. They both ran straight for us, our daughter into our arms and my son just started jumping up and down in place...they were both screaming "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!" It feels good to be loved! Viva Las Vegas!

Day off from school and heading to the zoo!

We live near one of the greatest zoo's on the planet, Hogel Zoo. It is in Salt Lake City and it is the perfect size with some really amazing animals. We usually arrive right after it opens at around 10am and we stay until naptime which is around 1pm. My kids LOVE it. And that is even an understatement. I get them out of the car and they are on the go from the moment we walk through the gate. We first hit this amazing giant ball which is floating in water and you can spin. The kids dig it and my son loves it just cause there is water involved. I have had to pull him out of the water many times. We then head straight to the monkeys. And everyone in the zoo knows we are heading towards the monkeys cause my 2 kids are screaming...MONKEY'S the entire time. They sit there and stare at the monkeys for a long long time. Sometimes I think they are having a genuine stare-off. They have all types of monkeys and we spend a solid 10 minutes at each station. Soon after we have given enough love to the monkeys, we head over to the Elephants. The Elephants are SUPER special at the Hogel Zoo cause they had a baby not long ago. And if you have never seen a baby elephant then you have not seen the cutest biggest thing in the whole world. It is still enormous...I mean like lots of tons enormous but it is still tiny in elephant's standards. We know we have hit the mother lode when mom and baby are hanging outside for us to see. Beyond the other amazing animals like the giraffe's, gorillas, tigers, rhinos, birds, and many others, they also have a rockin carousel that is brand new, it seems as well as a train. These are both the perfect break points in our cruise around the zoo. We usually finish things off with a good 30 minutes in their killer playground with giant insects and snakes and several slides. And, of course, the only thing that will get them to leave is saved for the very end. I usually bring them in to get their choice of a "frozen treat". They usually go for one of my favorites, the Push-Up Pop. I didn't know they were still around until I started going to the zoo. So, imagine this, all this fun is completed in about 2 hours. We see everything and don't feel overwhelmed or over walked. It is one of our favorite outings and because there is no school, we are heading there tomorrow. Watch out Monkeys! Here we come!