to their high desert home

first off, i want to thank you all for your lovely and heartwarming response to my last post. this is really a special time for me and i feel so blessed and wrapped in love and support to be able to share it with such an emboldening and enlightening group of bloggy friends. thank you from the bottom of my belly :)  

next up, it has become something of a tradition to brave the cold and ice and make a winter pilgrimage out to visit our utah family: matt, amy, and kids. this time it was addie, pops and i who hit the road together.

getting started, i figured i'd offer a glimpse at my growing belly.  in the few days i was gone on this trip my little protuberance has grown :)

my traveling partners:

here's addie on our cozy bed downstairs in matt and amy's movie room. amy always sets us up with that amazing patchwork quilt i am so in love with, and that chunky colorful afghan. we sleep so well here.

and pops, in the downstairs hallway. this is how he decks himself out for sleeping! yes, he sleeps in the hat (which was a gift from mikie and amber) and yes, we have always made fun of him for tucking his sweat pants into his socks.

right away upon arrival after midnight, we had to marvel over matt's beard. this is the biggest beard he's ever worn and i think it looks mighty handsome. plus, it's so RED! maybe we beattys have got some irish blood in there somewhere.

our first day in utah was Pop's birthday! he is the most unassuming and sweet person and was very nonchalant and humble about his big day, but we made it a fun one anyway. we went out to lunch at a place called Kneaders Bakery, with delicious fresh homemade bread for sandwiches and a line out the door. wouldn't you know it, pops treated US?!

look at these treats! and i'm not supposed to touch any of them :( 

i tested borderline for gestational diabetes, so i have been monitoring my blood sugar levels with a prick to the fingertip after each meal. it has actually been kind of fun, even during our travels, and my levels have stayed normal so i am not too worried. in fact, i learned during this trip that i could have at least a couple bites of something sweet and still maintain a healthy blood sugar level, so i think my body is working just fine.

ready to go thrifting! bella rocks some sweet prairie girl style.

nice to have a mama who finds you purses like this at the thrift store:

we spend hours here....

and then to the movies, to see the Muppets...soooo cute. i was loving the Flight of the Conchords influence, especially in the following song, which i was pleased to find out was written by Bret McKenzie:

these kids are cuckoo for arcade games.

back at home we took some time to play with the new kitty, Link. he is a wild man with long legs, a black and pink nose, and loads of character. he sees a lot of action with those beatty kids, and he fits right in.

and he's got the triforce on his shoulder! thus, Link.

we learned new things about jarom; he has taken to songwriting:

and arm wrestling! he is a ferocious opponent, as pops discovered.

next up was the moment the kids had been waiting for! since they weren't with us for christmas in placerville, we brought their christmas to them.

they are really fun to give gifts to, because not only do they exclaim and make a big fuss at the moment of unwrapping, they also continue to use the item faithfully. for example, bella wore these mittens from joey and emily continuously for the remainder of the trip!

orion immediately wanted to make hot cocoa for his new spiderman mug.

as amy got pop's birthday cake ready, a coconut cream pie from Kneaders. i got a couple bites, couldn't resist this pure deliciousness.

late at night, i heard music and wandered upstairs to find amy practicing her ukulele. she's really good and plays and sings the prettiest little tunes.

matt was sifting through the thrifted finds of the day...his weakness is books.

while amy's is clothes. they are working really hard on their etsy shop and constantly updating their stock.

matt models a rad vintage sweater.

i am sure we stayed up late talking books, etsy adventures, travels and music. 

next morning we would be leaving on another mini road trip, all together down to Moab: desert sunsets to come!

note. many of these photos are addie's, taken from here.