Utah trip 2016...off to Bryce Canyon!

Thursday morning and we were up! I packed the car this time...and I think my Tetris skill really shine through here. I didn't have room for all the camping food I bought at Macey's, so I put a bunch in front of Everly's seat...that will work pretty well until her legs grow longer.

Compared to the lengthy drive out to Utah, this 3 hour excursion was NUTHIN! We barely got in the car and BAMMO!.. we were taking a selfie in front of hoodoos.

It wasn't time to check into our hotel yet, so we started driving up Bryce Canyon hoping to figure out what is cool to see. We also needed to find a picnic table to have....more sandwiches (I think me and sandwiches need a little space).

We looked on our little map and found a little picnic table symbol that showed where you could pull over for...you got it...a picnic.

The first one was in the middle of a bunch of trees that had recently be burned down.

We opted to drive on.

And we just kept driving till we go to the very top (that's where the next picnic table symbols were!) and we got this beautiful view at Rainbow Point.

We headed back down to check into the hotel and got exactly what we paid for.....70 bucks a night will get you this:

The room was not much bigger than what you see in the picture. We were right on top of each other for 4 nights. Luckily there was a living room of sorts that about 12 rooms shared. We spent alot of time there.

We walked over to the hotel restaurant  and had a pretty good meal. Everly ate up everybody's carrots and Mathew ordered some fried chicken.

With extra drips.

We decided to head out for an easy hike to Mossy Cave...Ethan opted for a nap in the motel.

It was less than a mile and BEEEautiful.

Mark looking for a perfect rock to collect from the hike.

We drove back to the hotel to pick up Ethan and discovered that he accidentally got locked out of the room a few minutes after we left....heh heh.

Then we headed up the canyon a ways to find a good spot to watch the Milky Way come out.

We were on a scenic pull out, and there were cars going by pretty fast. I was a little freaked out about one of them plowing into us on accident, but mostly it was nice.

We were laying on our blankets and laughing about thinking that planes were shooting stars. I think it is one of my favorite things we've done together.

It was a beautiful day and I was so happy to spend it with my family.

Utah 2016....no one was injured.

Wednesday night we drove over to Herriman to spend time with the Huffords! Mat & Lori, Jim & Ameli, as well as a couple of their kids were there to hang out and grill up some burgers. 

Tiffany and her cutie, Theo.

Ethan and Ameli's son, Seth.

While we ate, Mat and Madison started a game of catch from the deck to the trampoline. Madison made it look easy, but she's just awesome at it. It was a little tougher for the rest of them.

Soon, as Huffords will do, it turned into a "try to get them to fall off the trampoline" situation. I decided it was better if I focused my attention on the potato salad.

Mat chopped some wood and attempted to light it on fire. Jim helped it along by pouring gasoline on it.

ehhhh.....

Then the nozzle of the gas can lit on fire and Jim tried to blow it out. No doubt, due to a little heavenly intervention, he was successful in blowing it out (eh?) and it did not, in fact explode while he had it up near his face.

I felt it was better to focus on the s'mores.

Mat kept it goin.

Jim- eyebrows intact, Ameli, Laney, Mathew.

Mat getting excited about something....Madison enjoying a s'more.

Maddie, Laney and Megan

I'm smiling because of potato salad and family and low humidity and no ER visits and firepits and brothers and trampolines and mountains.

Later that evening I checked in on the boys and got photographic proof that SOMETIMES the get along.

I would even say that occasionally they can be pretty great together.

Tomorrow....Bryce Canyon!!

Utah 2016...Hanging about with cousins

As a photographer, I vacillate between taking a shocking amount of pictures and taking none at all in order to full enjoy the experience. Sometimes my phone just stays in my pocket! Which is what happened from Monday to Wednesday. And I'm kicking myself for it. Because I got to spend time with Bri and her cute kids and then we had a potluck and lit off a lovely collection of fireworks purchased at Macey's... a Utah county tradition!

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I found this one on Mark's phone of me and the littles riding the train at the FreedomFest where Amanda was working her magical face-painting powers. 

I'd like to trade this one in for a cute selfie of me and Bri. doh!

I also lifted this one of Bri and Amanda off their facebook page.  I was sitting right by them and that's my blanket...so that's something, right?

Now, close your eyes and imagine you are eating a delicious deviled egg...and some equally delicious Orange Fluff....It's like you're there!

Monday was also my dad's birthday, so I popped on my running shoes and had a nice jog down to the cemetery right about sundown. I never have much to say when I get there, because I figure he is just as likely to be running along side me as anywhere else.  Nevertheless....it was a chance to say hello.

Tuesday passed in a blur of errands and hanging about with cousins. At one point the older girls set up a spa. It was a bit pricey and included such services as back scratches and toe popping. The cost was out of my budget until I was informed that by "dollars" they really meant goldfish, which they would also by providing...

Sign me up!

Mark went for the shoulder rub/toe popping package. Them's brave girls.

Wednesday morning we got our preparations done for camping and then packed a picnic for the park with Amanda, Quentin and Thomas. The Blanchard kids had stayed behind with Grandma while Jordan and Cheyanne ended up at LDS hospital because she was having such a hard time.

We only managed to lose Annie once! hee hee! Luckily she wasn't really lost. She was simply with Mathew looking for Ethan just like I asked them to not 5 minutes earlier and I just have a terrible short-term memory.

hee hee. Whoops.

With Annie safe, we quit while we were ahead and went back to mom's.

Amanda transformed all the kids into their choice of furry creature. She really is incredibly talented and FAST!

I'm in awe.

The kids were more than happy to prowl about and have a photo shoot. Laney never disappoints.  You can tell Megan is debating whether she is perhaps reached a level of too-coolness for all of this.

Mid pounce!

Even the boys found a way to participate in there own manly ways.

The Cubbies!

The night isn't over! Coming next....an evening of Huffords. And fire. And rough-housing....always rough-housing.

Utah 2016...Day 3. We dine!

We awoke to a beautiful Sabbath morning. Church was at 11!!! ELEVEN O'CLOCK! How can I tell you how much I needed to sleep in past 5:30 am?  

We had time to eat breakfast. together.  I think early church paired with even earlier choir practice might be killing me a little bit. 

So we headed over to mom's ward and stayed for Sacrament meeting. Everly had been running a nighttime fever and Laney threw up in the middle of the night (it's possible highly likely that was due to a steady diet of orange tic tacs) so we didn't want to expose anyone more than necessary. Not to mention, I had major plans to snuggle with a duckling.

And this handsome fellow was back at mom's working on some delightful ribs and smoked brisket.

I didn't know it yet, but I was about to have meat that would set the standard by which all other meats of my life will be measured against.

I do not exaggerate.

This image is my new happy place.

Soon, family was gathering and food was laid out.

And we gorged ourselves Thanksgiving style.

When the cornbread ran out, I started stealing abandoned slices off of the little kids plates.

I'm not proud of myself.

As the sun went down, the teenagers produced fireworks from thin air and threw them about in a stunning display of their lack of judgement.....ah, youth.

Anna favored me with several servings of mud pie and sand shake...with a straw!

It was a great day.

Utah trip...day 1: Stadium of Fire and duckling snuggles

Technically, day 2 of our drive and day 1 of our visit are the same day. I told you we made good time!

We were greeted on the front lawn of mom's house by Jordan and his cute family.  Cheyanne has had a brutal year with surgeries and complications that have left her super skinny and generally feeling awful around the clock. I was amazed that they even had the oomph to make the 7 hour drive down from Weiser, Idaho. 

And they brought a duckling.

An honest to goodness duckling! 

And it slept in my hand...which would explain why I have no photos of my awesome brother and his family and have several of this cutie pie. 

Adorabeezle. 

Soon, Mom and Kaira returned from a quick trip to Costco and Heidi and Lara dropped by to give hugs and catch up for a few minutes.  Heidi's husband, Jay, scored us some tickets to the Stadium of Fire and so we all set out to Provo to brave the traffic and find a place to park somewhere near the stadium. Too bad I don't have an honorary spot at Stadium Terrace, my old BYU apartment building.

Anna and Megan were stung by bees minutes after getting out of the van.

Then Ethan decided to volunteer the fact that he had a large pocket knife in his backpack at the gate, so things got off to a bumpy start.

Nothing a huge tub of Philly Cheese fries can't resolve.

The pre-show was....lengthy.

There was an abundance of patriotic speeches, songs, dancing sparkly girls, and more speeches.

My bum was starting to hurt.

But they did a cool fighter jet fly over.

And then Tim McGraw came on to do a show.

Now...I am not a country music fan, and I couldn't name a single song he's written unless it happens to be on the radio and you inform me it is his. But it was fun! There were alot of youngins singing their hearts out and Ethan had a great time with his cousin, Johnny.

Megan thought it was WAY TOO LOUD! But Laney channeled her inner interpretive dancer and used her one red glow stick to amazing effect.

Mathew popped in his earbuds and watched "Captain America"...I guess he's not a country fan either. 

The girls went unconscious. 

And limp.

Then the fireworks started!!! And they were amazing. I mean, really beautiful. But the idea of standing in the swarms of people with sweaty heavy toddlers in our arms when all of it ended, made leaving early seem like a very attractive choice. 

So we did.