St. George...The Adventures

So the marathon was fun, but the best perk was spending time with family.  About a month before the marathon it looked like it would just be Tim and I and the babies for the weekend down south, but by the time the day arrived we had an overly full house and it couldn't have been better! My parents took on the role as hosts and the kids were all in heaven with Sweedish pancakes each morning and plenty of their other specialties throughout the day.  I especially loved having three of the siblings together and we took full advantage to make some great memories in the few short days together. 

Ruby and Sadie are born two weeks apart to we had to make sure we had a celebration for the girls while we were together.  They loved the gifts and the double birthday cakes and candles.  Somehow, thanks to Uncle Sean, the boys joined the celebration with their own belated birthday gifts.  

I think the bubble gum was her favorite gift,

Thanks Uncle Sean for introducing her to gum!

The master and the student.

Legos for Days

Never waste a chance to dance in the rain.

The kids made up and played so many games together...the longest running was "Ice Age" and appeared to have all types of complicated rules and role plays.  I loved sitting inside the house with the screen door open, listening to their stories and their laughter. 

Sunday afternoon we decided to go adventuring and check out some of the natural wonders around St. George.   The first place we went was the petroglyph rock in Bloomington.  Tim and I took the kids to the rock a few years ago but they didn't remember it at all so it was a new adventure for everyone.  Everyone loved the chance to climb to the top of the rock and the kids spent a lot of time trying to decide what was meant by the various signs and pictures.

Even Grandma and Grandpa climbed the rock for a better view.

One of our favorite places in the St. George area is Snow Canyon.  There are great hikes, sand dunes, and plenty of slick rock to climb.  The views are stunning and make you feel so small because of the grand nature of the rock formations.  There was only one negative on this trip....the cold and the wind.  We were not particularly prepared for the weather and ended up piling on every coat, hat, and glove that we could find in the car.  We didn't spend a lot of time on the rocks but still loved it.

After the slick rock, we stopped at a hiking trail that led to some caves made of volcanic rock.  My dad had been there in the past and really wanted to take the kids to see them.  The area was really cool, and we saw some great volcanic formations, but it was a pretty long hike for an unprepared group.  I ended up turning back with the girls shortly before the cave because they were just too tired and cold, but the boys made it to the caves and thought they were really cool. 

Craig had convinced us to stay an extra day, so Monday morning, we decided to take everyone to Thunder Junction.  At one point we had considered going to a fun center, or movie, or something that provided more entertainment, but after watching the kids together all weekend, we realized that all they really cared about was being able to play together.  And the park was perfect for that.

Before going home to Provo, we told the kids we could spend some time in the swimming pool - they had been begging to swim all weekend but it had been too cold on the other days.  Monday afternoon ended up being sunny and nice and the kids made the most of their time in the pool together.  

Unfortunately the weekend ended on a little bit of a sad note.  My dad was in the pool playing catch with Roman and Luke when he fell, caught his arm on the pool deck and completely dislocated his shoulder.  He was in immediate agony and it was quickly apparent that he would need to get to the doctor.  Tim ended up taking him to the ER, then stayed there with him and my mom until they got his should back into place and settled.  The kids were really sad to see grandpa in so much pain so we stopped and said a prayer together which I think relieved some of their fears.  It definitely was not the way we wanted to end our weekend, but he made it home from the ER and we were able to comfort him before driving home.  We made it home very late, and were very tired, but the time spent away was completely worth it and we were so grateful to spend so much time together.