Mossy Cave--Vacation Day # 4 & 5

We had so much fun hiking at Mossy Cave. It was hot that day so we made sure to cool off in the water, which the kids thought was pretty cool. I've been to Bryce many times and still an in awe at how beautiful the area is.

Which way should we go?

I didn't brave the hike all the way to the caves. It was to steep of a climb with two little ones, so we hung back and threw rocks in the water. Michael took this picture from the top of the cave with it fully zoomed. It was quite a ways up.

I swear these two could be joined at the hip. They are best friends!

On Friday we slept in so we could catch up from our busy week. I think we finally had to pry the kids out of bed at 10:30 the next morning. I took the kids and my Mom and headed to St. George for my cousins wedding reception and Michael headed home to Henderson to play Softball. I thought he was crazy for driving all the way home and back that night, but he is dedicated to his team! My Dad was nice enough to let Michael take his truck back home, which means means Michael didn't have an important item that he needed. Keys. Yep, he was locked out of the house so he couldn't get his uniform or other necessities. Luckily he had gotten a new pair of pants for his birthday that were delivered while we were gone and he could wear those. I think he was most upset about the new bat he had been saving that was locked inside. I guess he needed a little excitement to get him fired up for the game. He made it back to Panguitch at about 4 in the morning.

My mom and I had a great time doing a little shopping and went to Red Lobster for lunch. The reception was really nice and it was fun to see some family that I don't see very often. It was a super busy day, but so fun to!

Party Day--Vacation Day #3

Wednesday Morning we woke up nice and early to clean up camp so we could prepare for a very special day. Michael's Birthday!!!!! What better way to celebrate than to spend the whole day playing with those you love most! We headed to Cedar City by way of Cedar Breaks so we could enjoy the view. Our big plan was to stop along the way and see the sights and get some fun pictures, but Harmon and Hunt were asleep within minutes so we just kept driving. (My Mom and Dad kept Hayden for us which was a big help!) Haley stayed awake to entertain us with the "I'm going on a trip" game. Isn't it funny how dumb games can make such wonderful memories. It was so fun to play and I think I remember everything :)
I'm going on a trip and I'm going to take . . . .

Apples

Bread

Carrots

Doughnuts

Earmuffs

Farts (Haley's choice)

Gloves

Hat

Igloo

Jelly Beans

Kite

Lion

Michael

Nachos

Octopus

Pineapple

Quiet

Rabbits

Sunscreen

Tennis Racket

Underwear (Haley's choice and she giggled every time she said it)

Violin

Wii

Xylophone

Yo Yo

Zebra

In Cedar we saw Toy Story 3 (LOVED IT!) and went out to dinner. Becky and her kids joined us for the movie and dinner and so did Cameron and Jessica. Haley was so excited to have the waiter sing Happy Birthday to Dad, but if you know Michael at all you'll know that I was threatened to not embarrass him! We did anyway and Haley was happy (Michael not so much )

It was such a fun day and Michael had a very Happy Birthday. We are so happy he's our Dad and Hubby! I love him for all he does for our family. More to come from our fun vacation--hiking, balloons, and guns ;)

Camp Nelson -- Vacation day #2

After spending the morning playing we decided to take a drive around Panguitch Lake. The kids really wanted to fish, but I can't say much for my fishing abilities so we stuck with skipping rocks. They were just as happy with that though. They also were on the search for the prettiest rock they could bring home. As we drove we stopped at the little general store for some needed ice cream on a hot day. The kids had fun playing with a little goat that was kept as a pet. I must admit, it was REALLY cute! The lake was really full and made for some great rock skipping.

That little goat was so friendly and really wanted to go for a walk.

Mmmmmmm . . . . .

While we were already in the car we headed down to town for lunch and to see Grandma and Grandpa. We had some down time and let the kids run around at their house for a few minutes. When we got back to camp it was dinner, more smores, and bedtime. We did have a slight mishap at camp while we were gone. The wind knocked over one of our camp chairs and the fire was still warm. All that was left of it was the metal frame. I had even dumped water on the fire before we left, I guess we're lucky we didn't start a fire! We learned our lesson!

That night was a bit colder than the night before, and the baby ended up in my sleeping bag with me. He helped keep me warm though! We had to pry the kids out of their sleeping bags each morning, so we know they slept okay! Camping with young kids is a ton of work and we wondered if it was worth it at times, but looking back it was a BLAST and I hope to do it again next year!

Camp Nelson -- Vacation day #1

We just spent 2 beautiful days camping in the buck pasture up by the ranch this week. It was an adventure trying to pack and make it up to Utah with all 4 kiddos and gear, but we made it with just a few mishaps. First was when we got on the freeway and we lost 4 sleeping bags off the top of the Suburban. Gathering up your gear on the 95 is not my idea of fun. Luckily we didn't loose anything and we were able to stuff everything into the only bare spots we had left. Our first stop was in Cedar for lunch where we discovered that Harmon had thrown up all over and we didn't even know. Poor guy was trapped in clear in the back by himself and didn't make a peep.

The rest of our travels were uneventful and we made it to Panguitch with plenty of light to set up camp. Grandma and Grandpa Henrie joined us for a hot dog roast along with my Brother David's family and Troy's family. We couldn't have asked for better weather (at least during the day). As we settled into our 4 man tent with 2 adults and 4 kids we thought we were crazy for even attempting to camp, but we all slept pretty good and everyone stayed warm. Here's a few pictures of some of the fun things we did.

Admired the beautiful scenery. LOTS of rock throwing!

Going to bed cold and waking up HOT!

Sippin Capri Sun while enjoying the sun!

Ladder Ball (Haley beat Dad, but he won't admit it)

Sweet cuddles from the kid that won't hold still :)

Grandpa and cousins goin for a ride. Full load!

Thank goodness for the pack n play so I didn't have to hold a crawling baby the entire time.

Getting the sticks ready for Hot dogs. Yum
Wonderful evening air and star gazing.

Dancing around the campfire.

MORE rock throwing. (this was the favorite pastime of the entire trip) Serious dancing around the fire. The kids were even making up their own moves with names :)
SMORES!!!

The moon was almost full and it was gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as my cute family having fun!

Photo Shoot

For Fathers day this year we made Michael a little brag book full of pictures. They turned out really cute! I'm not known for my photography skills, but how can you go wrong with such cute subjects!

Carpet Crawler

So Hayden has been getting around for a month or so now, but I'm in total denial. I know he's my baby and I'm not so eager to see him reach those milestones that I was so exciting for with all the other kids. My babies are just growing up so fast! Hayden is a pure joy to have around, he is such a happy little guy and deals very well with getting beat up on by his siblings. He is much happier now that he can get around and reach everyone else's toys. I do have to laugh though--his crawl is rather lazy. He has the army man crawl down. He'll get up on his knees then decide it's easier to scoot along on his stomach. I'm not sure which is worse. Holy knees or seeing how dirty his clothes get from the floor that I thought was clean. Anyway, my baby is growing up and I'm sad. He'll be walking, talking, and heading off to school before we know it!

Pardon the naked baby pic, but what kid isn't happier with no clothes?

this is a very rare sight, he never just falls asleep on his own. I was vacuuming and it just zonked him right out.

Look at that grin, he has Mom wrapped around his little finger!

Summer sightings

Softball, Softball, and more Softball--We love cheering for Dad!

Sting Rays, sharks, & Mermaids
Huge Fish Tanks (while trying to stay cool)


Hayden climbing under the chairs to get a treasure--then getting stuck in his own little prison.

Pool Fun

Splashing in the sun

Good food cooking . . . . . Oh I wish you could smell it!

More fun is on the way. Michael is officially on Vacation for a couple weeks and we're looking forward to camping, hot air balloons, and hanging with the family someplace a little cooler.