Utah with the Littles - Day 4

 Today was yet another beautiful day in Utah.  We spent all morning into the afternoon up at South Fork Canyon in Provo, Vivian Park.  This is the same park that we had our Riding Family Reunion at several years ago and planted trees for our Grandpa Riding.  The kids had an endless amount of exploring to do in the river and through the trails.  

I took Owen and Lincoln on an expedition through the jungle forest.  They took turns leading the way and choosing which trail to follow.  We would head down and walk through the river, or under the bridge, or over some rocks, and then head back up a trail till we could find an opening to the river again.  The two of them were so darn cute.  They each had walking sticks and found one for me.  We blew dandelions whenever we found one.  We slipped a few times and stumbled over rocks a bit, but really enjoyed our jungle trek.  

Gramps took the other kids up the trails and they walked in the water the entire way back to our gathering site.  Dawson enjoyed saving different bees and bugs and building a dam and waterfall.  Nathan enjoyed hiking with Gramps and playing in the river too.

We ate lunch and spent more time there before heading back.  Grandma took Nathan and the Dawson to Titom Toys to pick something out.  Nathan found 2 stuffed animal dogs that he instantly fell in love with at the store.  He was a quick, easy shopper.  Dawson found a stuffed turtle and a Camero car lego set. He is excited to talk to Dillon tomorrow about Dillon's favorite car being a Camero and that Dillon has a pet turtle.  Tomorrow, Owen will get a turn. :-)

This evening we went over to J Dawgs to get hot dogs for dinner.  Then we just played and read books and spent our relaxing time happily.  We read about Pete the Cat and all his favorite shoes.  Owen was very into Pete.  Gramps read some books with Nathan and Grandma read some with Owen.  

Owen became proficient in Connect 4, the game.  He's figured out a strategy to win the game and he kept succeeding.  Cute little guy.  Nathan and I played football catches and throws for a long time.  Dawson built several things out of Grandma's blocks.  We had ice cream sundaes and read books with Grandma and Gramps. 

Utah with the Littles - Day 3

 Tuesday we went early up to Ensign Peak up behind the Utah Capitol Building.  It was a half mile hike straight up the mountain.  It was where the pioneers looked out over the valley long ago and envisioned a city there.  It was an uphill difficult hike for little legs like Owen's.  Dawson & Nathan pretty much ran up the mountain with their cousins.  Owen trailed behind, questioning whether this was something he could actually do or not. It was a sweet many moments when he paused in his trek and said, "Mom, I can't do it."  His little legs were tired, his little lungs breathing heavy, and his little mind not fully up to this unusual challenge.  Take note that the elevation in Indiana is about 800 feet, while we were hiking a mountain just under 5400 feet.  I'm sure it affected his little body, as I know it did mine.  He slowly trekked on with the encouragement that I could give him, that he would be so proud once he made it to the top.  When we finally got close, he ran up ahead to "show us the way" and he indeed was a proud little boy who gave it his all and made it to the top.  He was glad he could see the "whole world" from up there.  

The views up there were fantastic and breathtaking.  Watching the airplanes travel to and from the airport as tiny little flying things, but likely with hundreds of humans on board, makes one seem so insignificant in the vast realm of life.  The things we worry about and the little bubble that we live in is so tiny and small.  The world is so big!  We feel that our bubble is so important and such a big deal, and so does every single other human on this earth, whether they live in North Korea, India, Africa, Brazil or wherever.  Every single human has a story and to me that is fascinating.  It is also enlightening to realize that the small tiny stressors and worries are so insignificant in the grand scheme of humanity.  The most important things involve love and respect for one another. 

For lunch we hit Crown Burger, a burger joint similar to "GoodBurger."  They had amazing sauce there that resembled "Ed's Sauce" that was on burgers and for fry dipping.  Good old fry sauce!

The afternoon we spent outside playing foot ball, doing tricks in the grass, eating ice cream, building with Grandma's toys and puzzles, and painting.  Fun and relaxing.

The evening sunset took us on a walk across to Cabela's with Lincoln, Melissa and Gramps.  We went to see all the animals on display and the aquarium.  The elevator rides seemed to be a hit with the Littles too.  They loved looking at all the different kinds of animals, their names, the dates they were hunted or died, etc.  Owen's favorite display was a wax hunter man that was sitting with his hunting horses and other wildlife.  Owen and Nathan both asked me why someone had chosen to hunt a man and stuff him too.  I explained that he was not hunted, but that he was made out of clay or play dough.  Hahaha.  Cute littles :-).  We found an Arctic Fox for Kaylee since she had done a report on one of those.  They loved the polar bear and the rattle snake too.  

Utah has no shortage of fun things to climb.  We found a rock pile that became the hunter's mountain for Cabela's and the kids climbed it and felt like they were taller than the world. 

Utah with the Littles - Day 2

 Monday was Memorial Day.  It was the most beautiful day with blue skies, cotton like clouds and majestic mountains everywhere.  Dad and I took a walk in the morning and walked the trail all the way around Traverse Mountain.  We walked to the flight park and watched the hang gliders practice.  And we walked up hill up the mountain.  It was an intense workout and Dad walks extremely fast.  He likes to get his heart rate going!

The kids loved playing in grandma's preschool.  There is so much to do and so many things to explore.  

After our walk, we visited the cemetery to see Becky's grave site.  It was beautiful.  I had not seen her head stone yet in person.  I got a little emotional and had a moment of grieving there at her site.  Lots of conflicting feelings about why she is gone and where she is.  We had cookies there and reminisced about her before heading to Discovery Park with the kids.

At Discovery Park the kids played and played.  They made friends and played hide and seek.  It is a lot of fun to see all the cousins and get to know them again after 2 years.  Everyone is growing up so fast and yet it is as if no time has passed.  The cousins love each other so much.  We played some tennis and Nathan played a lot of soccer with Spencer and Dillon.  

We went back to Melissa and Marcos' house for a BBQ with Marcos' yummy meat recipes.  It all was fantastic and the kids jumped on the trampoline and we watched Mr. Bean.  Fun relaxing day!

Utah with the Littles - Day 1

 We are off!  Everyone's excited to be out of school and packed up for vacation!  Dawson has been feeling a little nervous about flying an airplane.  He was a little disinterested in the trip, but went along with it. We  took a trip to the dollar store to get quite activity stuff to do on the plane, and Aunt Melissa brought over goodies for the plane as well.  Sunday morning, our flights were all on time and things went pretty smooth.  We spent lots of time in the airport at Fort Wayne and then in Dallas, Texas.  We had Applebee's for lunch in Dallas. We had to rotate seats a few times when squabbles began, but overall it was a really positive experience. 

We finally got our car and arrived at Grandma & Gramps' house in Lehi and were greeted by family and cousins.  They prepared a great big feast of burgers and more to share with us and we felt welcomed.  The kids pretty immediately connected with their cousins and started playing inside and outside.  It was fun to see the friendships be so immediate.  

The day was super long and we were exhausted.  Everyone got showered and tucked in with Grandma's stuffed animals and smiles on their faces.  Love, Love, Love.