Caitlyn's first visit!

Last Friday Caitlyn came home for Fall break. Hallee and I were so excited and I kept checking her location to see how close she was getting.  I had to take Wyatt to break dance so I wasn't here when Caitlyn got here, but I made him go a little early so I could be home as soon as possible.  When I pulled up she was outside and she gave me the best hug.  We have missed her!

Hallee made this cute sign for Caitlyn.

Caitlyn was happy to have her bed and her dog! We sat in Caitlyn's room and she told me and Hallee all about her life in Cedar City.  She had lots of funny stories and I realized that she really is happy there.  It made me so happy.  She reaches out when she is struggling so I thought she wasn't enjoying it as much as she is.  I think it's just been the last few weeks that she has really settled in and it feels like home to her.  She has three roommates that she really likes and her and Amarie spend a lot of time with them. It sounds like they have a lot of fun and laugh a lot. I'm so proud of Caitlyn for pushing through crippling anxiety to do this very hard thing. It would have been so easy to call it off and go to UVU and stay at home, but she didn't let her fear stop her.  She said she loves it there and she is so glad she went!

We dropped Jonah off at the school for his football game and then we went to the bank and got something to eat.  We had some time to kill before we could pick up Wyatt so we went up to Rock Canyon. 

I love that the my girls will always let me take pictures.

It was so fun to be with both my girls.

We couldn't believe that we came across someone dressed up as Jack Sparrow.  Caitlyn is in love with Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow.  If you look in the right corner you can see him. We should have asked him to take a picture with Caitlyn, but we didn't dare. I mean he was there having his pictures taken, so he probably would have loved it.  People are funny!

We picked up Wyatt and I thought my heart would burst when he saw Caitlyn in the front seat and ran and opened her door so he could give her a hug.  There is nothing better as a mom than to see your kids love each other.

It was such a great feeling to have all of my kids at home that night!

When we got home Keith was home from work.  Caitlyn ran in and gave him a big hug and just started crying.  She told me later, "it's like I felt the priesthood power and it was like my dad and my Heavenly Father were both giving me a hug."  I thought that was so sweet.  It's very hard to feel the Spirit or feel your Heavenly Father's love when you have anxiety.  Anxiety is all consuming and blocks your ability to feel anything else.  Caitlyn has really been struggling with that, so I'm glad she had that experience. Caitlyn stayed up late showing me and Keith pictures and videos until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore.

Jonah and I left for Arizona early Saturday morning. It was a bummer that Cody's farewell was the weekend Caitlyn was home. Keith was happy to have the weekend with Caitlyn.  They got Cafe Rio for dinner and then Alexys came over for the evening. Caitlyn loved catching up with her, it has been a while since she has seen her.

Hallee loved playing games with Caitlyn.

They even got Wyatt to join them on Sunday. Jonah and I got home late Sunday evening. I'll post about that next.  Keith and the kids were able to watch Cody speak online. I'm so glad, he did an amazing job. 

I was excited to have Caitlyn all to myself on Monday.  I got a little emotional when she didn't get up in the morning and she ended up meeting up with her roommates to shop in the afternoon and went out with a friend that night. I'm glad she got to see so many people while she was here, but it's hard to share her. 

Caitlyn and I did have a couple of hours together. We went for a walk on the parkway and then went to Sam's Club for lunch and shopping. 

We both had fun on the swing on the parkway. That night everyone was home for dinner and I loved it. After dinner the kids were watching some old videos of when they were young.  It was so sweet. I love seeing my kids laugh and have fun together.

On Tuesday Caitlyn and I went to Salt Lake.  She wanted to visit grandma and grandpa.  We had a good visit with them.  Caitlyn sure loves her grandparents.

After that we went to Mel's so Caitlyn could meet Clara. We both loved holding her.

I can tell she has grown since the last time I saw her, but she still seems so tiny! She is as cute as ever. We loved hanging out with Mel, Ataiya, Ofa and Amarie for a bit.

The girls were glad that Zariyah woke up from her nap before it was time to leave.  She didn't want me or Caitlyn to hold her, but she gave us the best smiles while we played with her. 

After we visited with them for a while we loaded up the car with Amarie's stuff and headed back to Provo. The kids were just getting home from school when we got home so we all got to say a quick goodbye to Cailtyn and then they were on their way back to Cedar City.  I'm so glad Caitlyn came home for a few days. I think it helped her realize that she really likes it at SUU and it's fun to come home, but she was ready to get back to her life up there.  It helped me see that she really is enjoying it out there and that makes me happy.  We miss her, but I'm so glad she is happy in Cedar City!