Junior Rangers

Who knew there were so many national monuments around Flagstaff, Arizona! I sure didn't! But there are 3 within 20 miles of the town. And since the kids were on a roll with the Junior Ranger program we thought it might be fun to do three more. So we started out early and headed for our first stop, Walnut Canyon. At this stop the kids got to learn more about how the people in the area built their homes on the canyon walls. It was cool to see the remains of their homes still perched high on the canyon wall. We did not take the hike down to the bottom of the canyon as it was very steep and consisted of 240 steps on the way out. Rachel and I were pretty sure we did not want to carry the little ones up that many steps!
We were a little disappointed about the fact that they were a little to protective of their Junior ranger program here. We have been to at least 5 other places and no one minds that the babies "earn" their badges. But at Walnut Canyon they would not hear of it. They almost did not let Cutler do the work for the badge. And then when he was almost too shy to talk to the Ranger, she was not going to give it to him! Needless to say we were glad to be done with that stop.
From Walnut Canyon we headed over to Sunset Crater. Which if you can not tell from the name is a volcano crater! It was amazing to see the lava flows and how they moved and hardened through the landscape! We took a little hike near the base of Sunset Crater and you would have thought Lincoln was a teenager the way he was running ahead. He is so independent! The kids worked hard to finish the Junior ranger booklets, even the babies got into it! Right in the middle of the floor inside the Visitor center! They were so funny, they both wanted to be one of the big kids!
Once we learned about Volcanoes we were off to our last stop, Wupatki. At Wupatki there are Pueblo remains. But this is not your ordinary one room pueblo. These ruins are humongous. The Wupatki pueblo is thought to have been at least 23 rooms. And what was even nicer is that they were found right outside the Visitor Center, so there was no long hike to get to the ruins. Once again Lincoln wanted to run ahead, which made me a little nervous due to the drop offs right next to the path.
Overall, I think the kids had a great time earning their badges. And I think they learn something at the same time.
For example, last summer we went to Devils Tower and completed the Junior Ranger program. Well on our drive, Rydman asked if I remembered the story about Devils Tower. and I have to admit I did not. But those kids did. Together they told the story about how the Native Americans believe the tower came to be. So even if we don't think they are listening, they are!!

So after our Junior Rangers took their last oath to protect the environment around them, we were back on the road. Thankfully, the drive home was quick and uneventful! Now it's time to recoup from our exciting and very full vacation! It is good to be home!

Aquarium and Artifacts

Well, we spent the night in Albuquerque last night. And although the beds were not the softest around, it worked out fine! The hotel offered a continental breakfast which we took advantage of and the kids enjoyed. Having breakfast in the hotel every morning probably saves us about $40 a day, so we have made it a point to try and make sure we always stay some place that offers that service!

I looked online to see what there might be to do in Albuquerque and found out that they have an aquarium. Since we did not go to the one in Denver we thought this might be something fun for the kids. But I also found that the Petroglyph National Monument was just a few miles from where we stayed. So we decided to go there first before the aquarium. And I am glad that we did. It was pretty amazing, at least to me! I think the kids had fun too and they were able to earn their Junior Ranger patch. We earned a few of these last summer on our vacation, so they were excited to add to their collection.
After the park, we headed over to the aquarium. And for the price it was really quite nice. Lots to see for not very much. The kids had a blast looking at the stingrays and jellyfish, but their favorite thing was probably the giant shark tank. It had tons of different varieties of really big sea creatures! What was really nice was that it did not take very long to go through the entire thing. And since we still had a 4 hour drive ahead of us, that was a good thing. The biggest frustration was trying to use the penny squashing machine. We needed change in order to let the kids smash their pennies, but we were only allowed to get $2 worth of change, well that only allows 4 children to smash a penny and when you have 6 that does not work out very well. Luckily after some digging we were able to get pennies for everyone!
After grabbing some lunch we headed out towards Flagstaff, Arizona our destination for today. On the road along the way we saw a billboard inviting everyone to come visit the Petrified Forest National Monument, so we decided that would be a great place to stop for a break. And once again I was glad we did. It was pretty cool. So strange to find petrified trees when there was not a live tree in sight! And what was even better the kids earned another Junior Ranger badge.
After our stop we continued on into Flagstaff, found a hotel, and got the kids some dinner. What was strange was how dark the city was. I guess it is the first dark sky city and it was dark. There were lights, but they were strange. For example the kids were wearing red shirts, but under the lights they looked brown. It was weird and kind of hard to drive in, or at least that is what Rachel said! I was only the passenger and thought it was very strange! You probably would get used to it, if you lived there, but as a traveler it was very different!

Happy Birthday Lincoln!

Happy Birthday to my Little Boy! He is officially two years old today! I can not believe my little boy is getting so big! It feels like yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital. Now he is walking and talking and running crazy most of the time! We sure do love you little man!

We started the day out by attending GiGi's ward for Sacrament meeting. Hopefully, we did not call too much attention to ourselves. There are not very many little ones in that ward!
From there we headed to GiGi's where we made Lincoln some pancakes in the shape of the number 2. It did not take him very long to eat his 2 number 2's! But the festivities were not able to last very long as we had to return my Mom to the airport in Colorado Springs and begin our journey home.



Once we dropped my Mom off, we were on our way. We decided to go a new way home since we were already an hour and a half outside Denver, we did not feel like it was necessary to drive back that way. Instead, we continued on the 25 towards New Mexico. Our goal was to make it to Albuquerque, and although it was a long drive, we finally made it!

Dino Ridge and the Alpine Slide

We went to another new place today, it was a place called Dino Ridge. It was actually really cool. We decided to take the shuttle bus tour which was well worth it and way better than just walking through it on our own. The driver was very well informed and told us a lot about the area and what we were seeing. The kids thought it was really cool to see dinosaur bones still encased in the rock they were discovered in. And even cooler that they got to touch them. What was crazy is how different the bones felt from the surrounding rock, the bones are very smooth while the rocks are very rough! They also got to see dinosaur tracks that have been preserved over the years. It was very interesting to see the large variety of dinosaurs that walked in the area. The kids really got a sense of just how big the animals were from the footprints that were left! It was a great time.
After we left the ridge, we went on to Heritage Square. They have an awesome Alpine Slide there at the top of the park. We would love to be able to do it multiple times, but the cost is quite high so it tends itself to only one ride down the mountain.
Everyone except Mabry took a turn on the slide, she was asleep so we did not bother to wake her up. This was Lincoln's first time and I think the scariest part of the experience was getting to the top of the hill. They take you up on a ski lift where you are just open to the elements. Luckily, Lincoln sat still the entire time so that was a little less nerve racking! He seemed to like the ride down. But since I was behind him driving the sled, I did not get to see his facial expressions on the way down.
We also gave the kids a chance to do the zipline there at the park. It is not very long, but they had a great time doing it last year. And this year everyone, including the babies got a chance to ride it! When we asked the workers what the age/size limit was they said there was not one, so we decided to see how the babies would do. And once they got the belts on, they loved it! They were so cute!! I took some video and will post that next, it is not very long because the trip down does not take very long! Both the little ones look so small, but they are so cute! Enjoy!!








Here's Lincoln:


Here's Mabry:

Congratulations Chris and Cassandra!

Rachel, my Mom, and I attended my Cousins wedding this afternoon in Colorado Springs. The kids got to spend time with the Lacouture family out at Cary and Karens house in Franktown. So that was a great blessing, as we got to enjoy the wedding and the kids had a blast hanging out with everyone. (Thanks again everyone!) They even took the kids out on the Tennis Court and let them try there hand at that. Lincoln was not much into the hitting of the tennis balls with a racket, but I guess he had a great time kicking them all over the court! And from the look of his shoes he must have been at it awhile! The entire front end of his croc that he wears on his left foot is almost worn away!!
The wedding was very nice. They looked so happy and everyone had a great time celebrating with them. I don't have a single picture from today, but I bet they have plenty of their special day. Congratulations guys!

The Best Zoo Ever

We love the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! I have been there a few times and every time it is well worth the trip. It is located in Colorado Springs, so the drive is a little out of they way, but it is not every day you can feed the giraffes! Plus we had to pick my Mom up from the airport in Colorado Springs so we had to go that direction anyway! There are so many pictures, I am going to make a slideshow and post it for everyone's pleasure!

Candy Making and Train Riding

No matter how many times we go to Denver, we still manage to find new things to do. Today we took the kids to Hammonds candy factory. A factory that specializes in hand made candies, specifically the ribbon candy and candy canes you see around the holidays. They offer a free tour, so we thought we might as well check it out.
We were a little bummed that we ended up on the tour with a very large "camp" group as it made it much harder to see things. But we did have a great view of the ribbon making area. It was really cool to see the process in real time. They have to move pretty quick to get it put together before the candy hardens.
We also went to the Denver Botanical gardens for the first time. They were having a special exhibit called Jurassic Gardens. It sounded like it was going to be a lot like the Dinosaur park up in Ogden. And although they did have some life size dinosaurs, it was not near the scale of the park in Ogden. The kids did have fun finding the statues, even though there were not as many as we had hoped for.
The highlight of the park was probably the fish pond. There were tons of giant fish that loved the ritz crackers the kids decided to feed them! Lincoln also really wanted to touch the fish and could not understand why I would not "get it" for him!
After all this fun and excitement we still had time to kill before dinner, (Wednesday is FatBurger night in case anyone was wondering!) so we took the kids to ride a train and pet some animals at the Farm. Both of which were located at the park next to the water park we went to yesterday. Both things were a $1 so it was a pretty cheap activity. The kids had fun on the train and loved the animals. It was nice because we went in right before closing so there was not much of a crowd! The kids got to pet all the animals they wanted without much interference.
After all that fun, it was amazing the kids stayed awake to enjoy dinner. I guess the family in Denver have started going to Fat Burger every Wednesday night for half price baby Fatburgers. I have actually never been to Fat Burger before, so it was a new experience for my family. We met a few of my uncles and aunts there for dinner. It was fun and the burgers were not bad either! I wonder if that special exists in Vegas? Maybe I will have to check it out when we get home!

Double Park Day

Today we took the kids to two parks. One was just the normal playground type of park and one was a waterpark. The kids loved both, but I think the winner would have to be the water park. I don't have many pictures from either place, but take my word for it the kids loved it. We have been to the water park before, it's a place called "Pirates Cove". What is said is that we live in the middle of the desert and in order to take the kids to a water park we have to go to Denver! That is a pretty sad fact!
Rydman was a little worried about Tornadoes, (a big thank you to whoever put that thought in his head!) but I was able to convince him they were not a huge threat. Like I am some tornado expert, but I figured we were pretty safe. I know the area has been getting some, but I was not about to try and explain that to him. Thankfully, it really was just the usual afternoon thunderstorm! And even luckier is that the kids were pretty much done with the park, so the storm did not cut our play time short!
We met Anna and the girls at the park. Or at least that was the plan. We had a little problem when it came to locating each other due to a pool closure-someone mistook the pool for a potty! So by the time we found each other the girls were already off doing there own thing with the friends they brought with them. But we did get a few minutes to chat with Anna before it was time to head out. The kids also got a chance to get a sno-cone, even though they were all already freezing at that point. It did not stop them from getting a freezing cold drink! Cutler was the first to finish, and the bright blue tongue is a definite badge of honor! In his mind anyway!!

We Made It!

Okay, flying with an almost two year old is not all that bad. I think the worst part was trying to keep him occupied before the plane actually took off. Hauling everything through the airport comes in a close second though! I was a little worried that Lincoln would be hard to confine on the plane, and I think it was a very good thing that I took his car seat on the plane with us. The plane was loaded to capacity, not an empty seat in the house! So he would not have had any place to go if he had been allowed a little freedom.
Overall, I have to say he did a great job on the plane. He only the kicked the guys seat in front of him a few times!! I am glad I don't have to travel that way every day, but it sure is a quick way to get someplace. Let's just say i am not too excited about the fact that I have to drive home!

We really did not do too much today. My cousin Chantelle picked us up at the airport- thanks again! and took us to GiGi's. We just hung out there until Rachel and the kids arrived, and then went to Fazoli's for a late lunch. From there we headed over to the Hotel we were going to be staying out and after a few speed bumps got checked in. After getting everything situated and letting the kids unwind a little we headed back to GiGi's for dinner. And that was it, we are currently trying to get the kids down for bed, which should be an interesting task considering there are six of them in one room. This might be normal for Rachel's kids, but Lincoln is definitely not used to all the hustle and bustle! I hope he goes to bed sometime tonight!

Denver Here We Come

Lincoln and I are on the way to Denver tomorrow. Justin does not get to come with us, due to the fact that he has to stay home and work. :( We will definitely miss him tons while we are gone! I am a little worried about the plane trip and navigating through the airport by myself, but hopefully everything will work out. I am going to take Lincoln's seat with me on the plane, as I know a lap belt won't keep him in one place for long! This will be the first time we travel alone on a plane, so it should be interesting.
We are meeting Rachel and the kids in Denver. They spent last week at a Worthen Reunion in Aspen Grove so instead of coming all the way home to Vegas for two days before heading back to Colorado, they took a side trip to Grand Junction to spend time with the Hunt's. And my Mom is flying in on Thursday, so that should be fun too. What's nice is that we get to visit with family and get to attend my cousin's wedding. Although, that is our main event of this trip I am sure we will have plenty of time to fit other things in!

A Big To Do!

We celebrated Lincoln's birthday today. He does not actually turn 2 until the end of the month but with everyone heading out of town for different vacations, it was now or never. Lorina made up some awesome invitations and we sent them out to friends and family inviting them to join us for a BBQ swim party get together this evening.
It was so much fun! A great big thank you to everyone who found the time to celebrate with us! Lincoln really loves all his great presents. We could hardly pull him away from them when it was time to go to bed! :) He was so excited about everything especially all his new cars and balls! He sure is a cute little guy, but I might be a little biased!
The party was great. I was a little worried the water in the pool would be too cold since the weather has been quite overcast lately. But the kids did not seem to mind too much. The food was great as usual-I might be a little biased about that too! Thanks for the great BBQ Justin!

Piano Recital

Rydman, Emerie, and Quincy had their first piano recital today. They have been taking lessons since January, so this was their first time on "stage". They all did great but I think they were all a little nervous. Each of them got a chance to do three pieces to show off the different skills they have learned.

Good Job guys!

Hiking with the Scouts

Justin and I are currently Den Leaders for the Bear Cubscouts in our ward. This month we are working on earning the Leave No Trace Award. Part of that award is teaching the Boys about the front country guidelines and how to interact with Nature using these guidelines. So we took the boys up to Redrock to help meet the requirements for the award.
Instead of taking them to a trail we have done before, we wanted to experience something new and push them out of their comfort zones. So we decided to do the Keystone Thrust Fault Line trail. And I have to say it was a great choice. Thankfully, the weather was somewhat overcast. I don't think this is a hike you would want to do in the full heat of the summer. There is not much shade to be had anywhere on the trail.
It is a pretty straight forward hike and was very well marked. Which is good because if you happened to take the wrong turn you could end up doing the Madre Spring Loop which was 6 miles long compared to out 2.2 mile hike! :)
It is also not a very popular hike, or at least as not as far as we could tell. The turn off is not marked, and the main access road is dirt, so you could very well pass it without thinking twice. We did not see another hiker until we were near the trail head as we were returning to the car. It was kind of nice to be "alone" with nature!

Does Everything Come in Pairs?

Okay, perhaps we should all stay off the roads for the next little while. As you might have seen, my Mom was in an accident on Friday afternoon. Who would have guessed that my grandparents would have the same experience the very next day! That's right on Saturday afternoon my grandparents were heading home from the store when they stopped at a stop sign, and the guy behind them decided that must be an optional thing to do!
Thankfully once again everyone was okay. And their car was still drivable. But it just makes for one more thing they have to worry about. I think I am going to stick to walking for awhile! :)

Accidents

Do you ever feel like when things are at their hardest, things tend to only get harder! My poor Mom was out shopping this afternoon and got sideswiped by some lady who did not even slow down for her RED light! The crazy thing is my Mom was not the first one in the line of cars. Two other cars were actually in front of her. SO this lady had to be totally unaware of her surroundings! Luckily, she has a larger model car so it offered more protection than a smaller car might have. As you can see she was basically hit right on the driver side door, so it is a blessing that she is okay. But I guess the insurance company has already decided to total the car. They are not even taking it to the body shop! It is going straight to the junkyard!!