Antelope Island

Last Thursday, my sister-in-law Helen, her girls, and my children went to Antelope Island at the Great Salt Lake.

It's the closest thing we have to a beach here. There's another lake nearby, but this one is less than an hour drive from home and it smells like the bay...but nobody here likes that stinky smell, except for me. I don't mind.

It's a good hike from the parking lot to the water, but this time we came prepared. We carried our babies in backpacks.

The day was gorgeous.

I also noticed most of the people who were at the Island were tourists and mostly Euros.

We brought beach toys, build castles, all kinds of mounds, chased brine flies, and caught brine shrimp.

The water isn't deep at all, so the kids were free to roam around.




Around lunch time, we hiked back to the car and rinsed off our children in super cold water. In UT it appears that all of the water is super cold. After changing clothes, we drove to a little restaurant shack at the top of a hill. We ate our picnic lunch, cooled off with some yummy ice cream. Then, we went on a bison hunt. We were only able to find one.

After our hunt, we headed back home. Just in time for naps.

As the children were resting, I started getting ready for our next adventure...camping.

Arden's Birthday Part I

About a week ago, July 28 to be exact, Arden turned 5. My little boy is growing up so fast.

His morning started by opening some presents from family. So fun.

On his actual birthday we invited friends from church to come over the park and play in the morning. I baked cupcakes and brought juice boxes.

It's been the easiest party preparation I've done and probably one of the most fun.

It was pretty laid back. People came and left whenever they wanted.

I didn't have to plan games, decorations, or anything. The children played, then Arden told me it was time to share the cupcakes. So we did.

It appears that all of the children enjoyed their treat before lunch. I think Arden ate about 6 cupcakes that day.

It was just the right amount of friends. Also, we requested no presents, for various reasons.

After the park, we headed over to the Pie for a lunch date with Newel and Arden's little cousins, Sophie and Halley.

This is one of Arden's favorite places to eat...and ours too.


He really enjoys his pizza.

Fun Activity: Arden also wanted pizza for dinner, so we made a home made pizza. I actually made the dough at home and then each person added their favorite toppings, by dividing the pizza into sections. I prepared the dough in the bread maker, but I didn't time it correctly and we had to wait a long time until it was finished. It was a lot of fun and yummy.

As a matter of fact, it was so fun that's what we'll be eating tomorrow for dinner again. This time the dough will be whole wheat and we'll time it right.

This is a long one

Feel free to just look at the pictures. I journal in order to keep track of our lives and so I can turn this into a book for our family, eventually.
After we got back from our camping adventures, we enjoyed a few days of 'normal' activities.
We went out on walks with friends (the Scotts), played in their yard with water.

Also, we played with the primitas in our yard. More water fun. These babies just don't like to wear clothes =)

We also went to a Real Salt Lake game. That was fun and the team actually won a game. Finally!

A few days later, Newel's Grandma White, Uncle Hubie, and Uncle Danny came into town for a visit. I had a really good time getting to know them better.
It had been years since I had seen Grandma White aka G.G. It was really good to see her again.


They were here for a couple of days, then, they headed out to Yellowstone with my in-laws for another adventure.
Uncle Danny stayed behind. He wanted to have some adventures here. Our adventure was hiking to the top of Grandeur Peak. Here are some photos of what it looks like near by where we live.

We started the hike a bit too late in the morning. I carried Maya almost the entire time, with one small exception. I was pretty proud of myself for that accomplishment.

Arden was a total trooper. And so was their dog Zeek.

We didn't bring enough water and it was getting too hot. We were concerned that we might dehydrate or overheat, so we had to turn back. We only had about 200-300ft. of elevation to go. But it was still a ways to get there. It was still a beautiful hike. You can see the top of the peak on this photo.
We hiked this peak last year, and the vegetation wasn't as nearly as bountiful as this time. So many beautiful wild flowers.

The day after our hike (Thursday) we tried to get back to 'normal' activities. The children made edible aquariums. I got this idea from Arden's Edible Art Class he took this summer. They pasted goldfish with peanut butter glue. They had fun making it and eating their project.

On Saturday, we went on an outing with my sister-in-law Helen and her girls.

We drove to Mt. Timpanogas. We didn't go into the caves since it would have been a really long wait. So, we decided to drive through the back road called ...I don't remember. Anyways, it was really pretty. Our final destination was Bridal Veil Falls near Provo.

Really pretty. The water was cold, but the children didn't seem to mind much playing in the water. After our little adventure, we headed to Provo to eat at a Salvadorean Restaurant. It's the closest type of food to Nicaraguan food around here. The pupusas were so yummy. Well, all of the food was delicious.

I believe late that afternoon we packed a dinner and went to Park City for a concert at the park.
That Saturday the family got back from their trip to Yellowstone and our adventures continued.
Just so you know we do have some downtime. On Sunday, all we did was go to church and relax...well, actually, we went over to Kristen's house after dinner with GG and Grandma. The children and some of the adults who have musical talent played the piano and we sang church hymns. It was really uplifting.

Monday night we enjoyed a free concert at the park with the family. Later, I will post a video of the children dancing.

Here's Arden having a mini meltdown. He kept jumping on everyone. So we had to discipline him. He didn't like sitting with daddy.
That Tuesday night we celebrated GG's birthday in the mountains. We went to our favorite spot and had a bbque with the family. We played Paka's (Bingo) and everyone who played walked away with really fun prizes. Helen made a delicious cake for GG. In this photo they are all huddling together so the candles will stay on until GG can blow them out.

Here's the family in the mountains.

I took advantage and took photos of GG and family members. Here are the Sullivans.

And here are the Whites.

I believe the following morning they headed back home to PA.

Its been a busy summer. It's been a great summer.

Camping in the Desert

Ah, Zions National Park.

What a fun place to be. Let's pick up where I left off. Wednesday morning we left the Redman campground in the mountains. We headed back home, unpacked, showered, washed laundry, went grocery shopping, and repacked. I had a good night's rest and the following day, after Newel got home from work early, we headed to Zions. Its about a 5 hour drive, so we got there kind of late. Also, our friends only had reservations for one night at one of the campgrounds. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to get another spot.

We had a pretty big group on this adventure, but not everyone camped. The campers were Blake and his family and the four of us.
Craig and Tonya stayed at a hotel with Aunt Cupcake, Mike A. and Mike P.
I wanted to go canyoneering, so I finally decided to sneak in with Craig, Tonya, and the Mikes. Their permit was only for four people, so I snuck with them and didn't get caught! What a rebel!
Our canyon: Spry. We went up in elevation, a lot. At least a thousand feet. The hike up was amazing, but hard. Then, we found the entrance to the canyon. Craig had told us there were only three repels. Well, that was a totally different hike. This one actually has ten. And it didn't take us five hours like he said, but eight. Luckily, we were prepared.

I will admit it, I was scared. It has been six years since I went canyoneering. I wasn't sure if I was up for it. On the first repel, I fell in the water and dragged Mike P. and Tonya with me. Way too over dramatic! At one of the repels, I believe I started to panic. I couldn't let go of the wall and just hang. Finally, after going into a split as the wall split in two, I let go and the repel was so much fun.
The final repel was of course the best! I loved it and I can't wait to go back again. It was challenging, but so much fun!
After the hike, we went back to the hotel room and got cleaned up. I was pretty glad Aunt Cupcake had stayed in a hotel so we could have a place to shower. I forgot to mention, that at one point on the hike, we had to swim through some gross, dirty, stinky water. We smelled pretty disgusting. We went out to dinner and then headed back our campsite. That morning, while I was hiking Newel had found a new campsite for us.

It was Newel's turn. He was going on an overnight hike with Craig and Blake. They set off for Heaps Canyon. As they were leaving it started to rain. The children and I escaped the rain for a while by going to the Visiting Center. Then, it was time for bed. It's a challenge to get your children ready and you're super tired. As we were getting ready for bed, I realized Newel hadn't set up our tent correctly and it was flooding. Luckily, Blake's wife was super nice and helped me move our stuff out of the tent, move the tent, and set it up correctly. At that point I was pretty peeved. But, I was too tired to stay mad at Newel. Plus, I knew he didn't do it on purpose.

We didn't take too many photos on this trip. We were too busy having fun.
On the day Newel had the children, they hiked up the Narrows and the river. The following day I went back with the children. Since it had rained the water was pretty dirty and the river was rushing.

Nevertheless, the children still enjoyed playing in the mud.

Funny moment: Maya and Arden were playing with mud. At one point Maya started to throw mud at Arden. Instead of fighting back, Arden said, "Maya stop it. I don't like it."

Maya's reply, "I yike it." Yes, she liked terrorizing her brother.

This was an unusual moment: Maya fell asleep in the stroller. I think this is only like the second time in her life she's done that.

After naps and resting for a little while, we went to the hotel to swim in the pool. That water was so cold. It didn't stop the children from playing.

After dinner, we headed back to the park to see the guys climb down the last repel. This is us hiking up to the Emerald pools.
They are gorgeous. Especially, in such a hot desert place.

Unfortunately, we got to the spot too late and didn't see them finish the hike. They had a great time.
The following morning, after packing our stuff, we headed to the Kolob Canyons entrance of the park. We had not visited that area before. It was beautiful.

Majestic scenery.

We also hike up a trail that takes you along a river. While Maya napped, Arden played in the river. There were tadpoles galore. What more could a boy want?

Newel hiked up to the narrow canyon part of the hike. Can't wait till next time we visit the park.

This has been one of my favorite trips with the children.

I forgot to mention that this was July 4th weekend. There wasn't any fireworks, but we didn't miss them at all. This place was the right place for us to spend this holiday.

...

I almost forgot to mention Newel and my favorite part of this trip. On Sunday, it was Fast Sunday. In our religion we fast the first Sunday of each month for a purpose and we donate the money we would have used for two consecutive meals. Also, on Fast Sunday, members of the congregation are invited to share their testimonies about the Saviour with the rest of the congregation. It's all volunteer.

At the beginning of Sacrament meeting Newel asked Arden if he wanted to share his testimony. After a couple of attempts of Arden to walk up to the front of the congregation, he finally ran/skipped up to the podium. An elderly man got there around the same time and helped Arden up to the microphone.

This is Arden's testimony: "The temples are real. Heaven and Heavenly Father are the goodest. Amen." Short, simple, and sincere. What a proud moment it was for Newel and me as parents.

On the funnier side, the elderly man said the following as Arden skipped down the aisle back to his seat at the end of the chapel: "I could feel her little heart pumping. I know she's going to be a great mother one day." We snickered as we sat in the back row and decided it was time for another hair cut.