Family Vacay Day #1

We like to do a family vacation every summer, but didn't feel like we had great options for a trip this summer. So we decided to stay local, and do Family Vacay Days every now and then throughout the summer. Instead of spending money on hotels or houses to rent, we're going to use that money to do fun things around here. We had our first Vacay Day on Friday. We started off by hiking to Stewart Falls in Sundance. 

There was a little bit of everything on the trail. There were some very muddy spots.

There had been a couple avalanches, so there were trees knocked down for large portions of the trail. We climbed over, under, and around them. There was also a part where we had to walk through the snow.

There were some very beautiful views!

There were parts along the way where we could hear the waterfall. Damon was so cute when he would put his hand to his ear and ask us all if we could hear the waterfall. :)

It's two miles to get to the waterfall, and the kids did awesome getting there! 

But things fell apart when we were actually at the waterfall. There was a strong spray and the water was really freezing. Tessa and Damon didn't like that one bit.

Rockwell wanted to explore a little, so Paul took him to do that.

We went back up further to get away from the water spray and have some snacks.

It was very bright. And an ant crawled on Damon's leg, which made Rock and Tess freak out on his behalf, which made Damon freak out that they were freaking out. They all just wanted to leave at that point. So we headed back, carrying the little two. After they were far enough removed from the waterfall and the ant, they were fine to hike the rest of the way. :)

After the hike, we had some lunch and then went to the theatre and saw Secret Life of Pets 2. 

We had dinner at Costa Vida and then loaded the kids and their bikes into the back of the truck and went to the church parking lot.

The kids love riding there because they have so much space and don't have to worry about cars.

It was a great Family Vacay Day!!!

Bridal Veil Falls and the Hot Tub

The kids and I decided to hike up to Bridal Veil Falls one morning. 

We made sure to bring water shoes, so our feet didn't hurt so bad this time.

It was pretty chilly up in the canyon. We all thought the hot tub sounded like a great idea when we got home.

We've had a lot of fun with the hot tub this week. There have been some cold days, so it's been perfect on those days.

The kids last much longer than I do in the water. I love to sit out on the deck and read while they keep swimming.

Battlecreek Falls

I took the kids to Nielson's Grove to feed the ducks and play at the park last week.

While we were there, Al asked if we wanted to try a new hike with her. So after the park, we hiked to Battlecreek Falls in Pleasant Grove. There were a lot of little paths that Rockwell and Wyatt loved to wander off and see how high they could climb.

Tessa and Hallee were so cute.

Whenever someone would walk past us, they would tip their hats to them and say, "Greetings." :)

There was a fun bridge.

A few good places to throw rocks in the river.

And a little cave that the kids liked to climb into.

The waterfall was beautiful.

It was very rocky, and very painful to walk without shoes on. Tessa and Rockwell didn't let it bother them too much and made it up to the falls. Damon wanted to be carried, and so I made it as far as I could before my feet had had enough.

It did feel good to get a little wet and feel refreshed for the hike back down. 

The view from the top was beautiful!

This and That

Rockwell and Damon finished up their spring soccer season. They both played so well! 

  

I've signed Rockwell up for a new league in Provo called Provo Fury. It sounds like it will be a little more competitive than rec league, but not crazy intense like playing on a club team. Al is helping out with the league and volunteered to help at their kickoff party. I took her kids and Rockwell over to the party. They had fun games and prizes, and some Real Monarch players were there too.

I'm going to try to keep Rockwell practicing over the summer. We're going to work on his ball handling. I love taking him here to practice because I can just enjoy the beauty!!

We spent hours and hours outside playing basketball and riding bikes the other day.

Tessa asked if she could try riding her bike without training wheels. Paul and I both helped her try for a few minutes each, and by then she had it down.

  

I love to see my kids proud of themselves for accomplishing something hard!

Emilie has moved in with us for the summer. It's been so fun to see her so much more often! She let Tessa try on her crown and sash the first night. :)

Damon has loved jumping in puddles lately. We've had plenty of rain this spring, so he's gotten to do it a lot!

When Elena was in town, Al took her, Caitlyn, and Jonah to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. Hallee and Wyatt came over to play at our house. Rockwell was in school still, so Damon loved getting to play with Wyatt all by himself.

We went and walked on the Provo River Parkway with Al one day. They loved throwing rocks and seeing ducks, frogs, a snake, and snails.

Tessa and Damon are absolutely in love with Emily Best's puppy, Penny. Emily is so sweet and will always bring Penny out to play with them.

Paul has been cooking a lot since school got out. I've said it before and I'll say it again. :) I sure love that Paul loves to cook!

The kids are loving being out of school. I've really enjoyed it too so far. We've stayed active and busy enough that I'm not going crazy at all yet. :)