Zion National Park

(The Skinner Clan: Emma, Parker, Spencer, Reed and Mason, Rachel, Quinn, and Conner)

We started our day ready for some great hiking. Reed had planned out our trek, and we were all raring to go. The Skinner kids all had new hiking hats, and Reed was so nice to get our kids matching hats, as well.

The Valdivieso Familia Our trek began at the Court of the Patriarchs. From there we were going to hike up to the Emerald Pools area. We made the mistake of following the kids on what looked to be a short cut to the trail, but what ended up being a horse trail. It was really quite the adventure. I guess we should have known we were on the wrong track when we were the only ones on the trail, in Zion National Park, over Memorial Day weekend. Ah well. All these things build character, right?? We did stop at one point and get the map out and realize we should have been on the other side of the river.
Court of the Patriarchs: Abraham, Issac, and Jacob

A glimpse at part of the trail we were forging.

Josh didn't want to take a picture, he wanted to keep hiking.

Rachel affectionately named our path The Trail of Tears. Several of the kids were having a hard time with the sandy, uneven trail we were walking on. Poor Conner was done. We stopped a couple times to empty the sand out of their shoes and were surprised at the amount that poured out...ah the memories.

This is the end of our trail...right up to the horse corral.

After barely surviving the first part of our hike, we stopped at Zion's lodge to have lunch. Everyone felt much better after a little rest and some food. We went from there to Emerald Pools, and hiked to the lower pools. I was contracting the whole way, and so it was a little slow going for me. We got up there, and the wind started gusting. Carly's and Parker's hats flew off their heads, and down toward the pools. Reed came to the rescue and broke a couple rules to retrieve them.

The scenery was beautiful.

On the way back down Reed was staying close to me to make sure I could make it, and was having plenty of water. We stopped with Quinn and Jack to take a picture on this cool wall that was just off the main trail. Cute boys. They are about four months apart in age. My kids are lucky to have cousins so close to their age on both sides of our family.

When we caught up to the rest of the group, Josh presented me with this flower that he'd picked for me. He's such a sweet boy.

From there we took the tram up to the Weeping Rock trail. We were told that it was short, but very steep...boy was it!! It was totally worth the short trek. The view was breathtaking, and the seeping water made it cool and refreshing.

The cousins minus Mason who was strapped to someone's back.

Our final stop of the day was the Temple of Sinawava. It was nice to take a break and enjoy the cool breeze off the river. Carly was such a trooper. On our Trail of Tears, she was at the head of the group marching along and setting a fast pace. We had to call her back a few times to share the water she carried in her camelback.

Of course, Josh and the other boys enjoyed finding walking sticks on the trails, and at the end finding sticks and rocks to throw in the water.

It was such a perfect day. The weather was nice, and the scenery made us appreciate the beautiful earth that has been created for us.

When we finally made it home, we kept our promise to the kids and took them swimming after dinner. They thought we were the coolest, most fun parents around. I think we were all just too tired to say no at 10 pm. I'm sure they'll remember our 'night swim' fondly, though.

Cousin swimming

We took a little vacation over Memorial Day weekend. It was probably our last big hurrah before baby boy is born. While we were in Utah over Easter break, Reed and Rachel mentioned they were taking their family to St. George to do some hiking at Zion's National Park. Jarod expressed interest in joining them, and they were kind enough to let us tag along. It was such a fun weekend. We left early Friday morning, and met them at the condo and spent most of the day just hanging out, letting the kids play with their cousins.

After a little while we took the kids swimming. The water wasn't especially warm, and everyone was getting cold. Jarod had Josh doing jumping jacks out of the pool to warm up. Eventually, we gave up and went to the indoor pool. It was a lot of fun. Reed had bought some diving torpedoes for the kids to play with in the pool. Josh told us later that it was his favorite part of the vacation. Mason was very brave in the water...a little too brave. He would jump in the water, or step off the ledge, or lurch out of the arms holding him, with no fear. It freaked me out to see this tiny almost 2 year old kid launching himself into the water that way. He will be ready for swim lessons early!!

Big Kicks

Carly started soccer last week. She has been looking forward to this for over a month. When we got there, and there were only boys, she was pretty nervous. I had a hard time convincing her to go out and kick the ball with the rest of the kids. As soon as the other girl on her team showed up she felt a little better, but she was still pretty timid. She had a lot more confidence at her second practice. I got a kick out of watching her skip around. She was really enjoying herself.

Kayaking

On Saturday we went kayaking courtesy of our friend Richard Traynor. It was such a great time. Jarod took us all on several turns, and his sore arms the next day were proof. It was such a blast. It was difficult to convince Jack that we had to be done when it was time to go home. The kids loved it, and it was great to get out and do something new and fun as a family. A BIG shout out to Richard for letting us monopolize his time on a Saturday afternoon, and letting us use his kayak!

I gave Jack a turn with my oars. He was dying to hone his rowing skills.

Brother Traynor was nice enough to take Carly and Josh on a turn in the lake.

I love this smile.

All my boys

It was such a beautiful day. I had a hard time turning around in the kayak to take pictures. I was sure I would tip us all over into the water if I turned anymore. This isn't a great picture, being that they are cut off, but I just loved Carly's smile. She was having so much fun. While we were waiting to have a turn, the kids and I were playing with the water guns we brought. Carly was very brave to get into the COLD water and swim around a little also. We had all the kids put their swim suits on in case they wanted to play in the water. Jarod had debated about putting his on, but decided against it. As we were getting out of the kayak for the last time, his flip flop got stuck and he fell full on into the lake. I couldn't stop laughing. Ah the irony. We were both just glad he had taken his phone and wallet out of his pocket before beginning our adventure.

All in all, it was a perfect day. There's nothing better than having new adventures as a family. Life is sweet.

Junior Firemen

Yesterday a group of us went to the fire station to take a tour and have a picnic. The boys had a great time. Josh has consistently told me that he wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up, but yesterday he was torn after spending the day around the fire trucks.

Josh is attaching the hose to the fire hydrant.

Everyone got a turn to spray water from the fire hose.

We even got to take a ride in the fire engine. I think Josh's smile says it all. We had a great time!

Father and Sons

Jarod had been looking forward to the Father and Sons camp out with our church for months. The last time he went Josh got sick, and made a mess of the tent, etc., and they ended up coming home at 2 in the morning. Needless to say, he was a little nervous when it came time to leave with two boys this time, and we had had a bout of stomach flu in our home that week.

Jarod's dad went with them this year, and so he was privileged enough to sit in the vomit stenched car after Jack got sick on the way up the mountain. Jarod was able to clean things up enough to make it to the camp with the windows rolled down, and everyone was feeling fine once they arrived. It was a good time for the boys to be with their dad and grandpa. They weren't exactly prepared for the primitive nature of the camp, so after having to 'go' like men in the woods, Jarod was running out of changes of clothes for the boys. All in all they had an enjoyable time. The only real snafu of the whole experience was when everyone was leaving the camp, and they had to drive their cars through a ditch/creek to get back on the road. Jarod's car was damaged, and now he's pimpin' it in his own minivan rental while his car is repaired.

We are excited for next year!!

Baby Shower

While we were in Utah my sister in law Kathleen hosted a baby "sprinkle" for me. She is very talented and crafty, so it turned out super cute! I had a great time. She found some boy-ish stencil ideas, and she and my brother spent many hours getting them ready for onsie painting. It was such a cute idea. The stencils were cut out on freezer paper, which we ironed onto the onsies. A little fabric paint later, and now I have some fun onsies for baby boy...that's right, we still haven't settled on a name yet. Maybe something will stick in the next ten weeks.