Creighton University Graduation

(left to right) Chris-UT, Christian, Brian-Boston, Mike-Tennessee

I will never forget when I sent Christian to Omaha for his orientation 4 years ago. He was a little uncomfortable with the fact that they were staying in the dorms. Okay, lets be honest, I was more nervous for him than he was. The thought of sleeping in a room with someone you don't know sounds so awkward! I've done it before (Tara), but we're way past that time in our life. I'll never forget when he called to tell me that he and his roommate had a lot in common. His roommate was actually from Richfield, UT! The friendships he made on that first trip is what kept him sane thought the rest of the 4 years. It was so fun to finally meet these people I've heard so much about. These four have really become such good friends.

Omaha Children's Museum

Who gets to go on a trip with BOTH sets of grandparents?? We were so lucky to have an excuse to have both my parents and Christian's parents come on this trip and our kids were loving every second of it! It was the perfect balance for both kids. Christian and I soaked up every ounce of freedom this allowed us. Not to mention that our kids got SPOILED ROTTEN! Every time they turned I turned around, they had a rock candy sucker in one hand and a stuffed animal in the other. I was constantly cleaning up sticky mess. That's what Grandma's are for, right? There was no need for our kids to walk a step the entire trip because someone was always willing to carry them. Of course, Anders took more advantage of this than Eva did! This trip to the Children's Museum was the so great! We had 5 adults and two kids, so I was just in the way! The grandmas watched every move Eva made and the grandpa followed Anders from one end to the other. Me? I just sat back and watched. Life can't get any better! I managed to snap a few pictures, but for the most part, it seemed like "me" time! I was so pleased with how smoothly the entire trip went. I am pleased to say that my kids cherish their relationships with each grandparent as an individual. They absolutely adore them. I love that!

Winter Quarters Temple and Mormon Trail Center

Of course, we couldn't take a trip to Omaha without visiting Winter Quarters. It was a little difficult to listen to the tour around the trail center with the kids, but what I was able to hear was absolutely amazing to me. I think it's so important to research what we can on our heritage. I found it so interesting that they were the most successful pioneers in history. They were truly lead by a prophet who was inspired by God. Their trip was obviously far from being trial-free, but to listen to how productive and blessed they were was absolutely amazing. The temple was absolutely beautiful! I haven't seen any of the smaller temples up until this point. The grounds were smaller but still breath-taking.

Henry Doorly Zoo

I'll be honest, this picture made me really nervous. My inner fear of animals was going wild, but I kept my cool on the outside. Check out how this lion is staring at my baby!

When Christian and I visited Omaha just over 4 years ago for interviews, we'd heard that the Henry Doorly Zoo is one of the best zoos in the nation. Even though we didn't have kids at the time, we were sad we didn't have time to visit it. Ever since then, we've been looking forward the graduation trip so that we could check it out. It definitely met our expectations! We waited until our last day to visit so that everyone could come with us. Anders was convinced that this was the main even of our trip. He wanted to go to the zoo the second we landed in Omaha. He was so happy to finally be there! This zoo makes the SLC zoo seem pathetic! Even though they had an amazing aquarium, a huge display of tigers, a butterfly pavilion, an exhibit that allows you to walk in a cage with Lemurs, and every animal you can think of, Anders still claims that the best part was the zebras. Sadly, the zebra display was extremely disappointing. Eva is at a really fun age to visit a zoo with. She LOVED all the tigers and lions. It is so fun to hear her recognize animals and knows exactly what sound they make. So, if for some reason, you find yourself in Omaha, NE, make your way over to the zoo! It will not disappoint...unless you're a zebra!