Sunny St. George

The first stop on our long weekend was St. George. We stopped at the temple, then we let the kids play at the park. I think it was 74 degrees. The kids had a blast, then we ate at Pizza Factory and headed to Zions. One of the sisters at the visitor's center insisted on taking our picture with the Christus. Bless her heart.
Annie was the best. She wanted to run barefoot in the grass, then she laid down on the grass to watch the clouds. She knows how to enjoy the warmth! (Is that inappropriate on temple grounds?!?!?)

The "Dream" Weekend

A few weeks ago I decided I really wanted to get out of town, and Mel agreed, especially since he could drive the new car. I planned the perfect weekend in sunny, clean-aired southern Utah. I thought the kids would love to hike, play in the sun, and Mel and I could catch up on sleep and reading while the kids napped and slept (in a hotel room, kids' bedtime is everyone's bedtime).
So here we are--the happy family on the Emerald Pools trail.
Here is Annie having fun playing in the mud with her "walking stick."
We had a nice hotel room that was decorated in the log-pole pine furniture, and we had a deck that looked out at the big red rocks (as Anna called them). Annie took the picture of Thys. They are both out of the deck.

The Real Deal

So after a long night of coughing and crying because Thys came down with a cold, we went to breakfast. We just got our food, and Thys started coughing and threw up all over the place. Then we finally go rounded up and cleaned up and went to Emerald Pools. Anna did great for a while, but her idea of "hiking" was "climbing" (as seen above). Her feet were "asleep" (read tired) before we ever made it to the lower pool and waterfall, and she wanted to be carried. Poor Thys was also tired, as you can see below. We did make it to the lower pool, but we did a little shifting of Thys to my back and Anna to Mel's neck so we could make it. As you can see, later in the afternoon, we did find a place for Anna to "hike" her way.
We took Thys back to the hotel to sleep, but of course Anna didn't want to--or couldn't--fall asleep. That is, until we put her in the car to go see the tunnel after Thys woke up. Well, here's how she saw it the first time through. Luckily on the way back, she did wake up before we got to the tunnel.

This is Anna's picture of her favorite (okay, I'm kidding a little, I hope) thing from the trip. Never-ending DVD's.

We really did have a good time; however, I did learn a lesson (as if I didn't already know, but I guess I'm an optimist--or don't travel enough with the kids): Things never go as planned, and kids will be kids!

Another One

So here we are again. David apparently liked that jacket so much that he got to wear it for a few years. (If I remember correctly, it was a battle of wills that my mom usually won to get that thing on him!) David is not brandishing a weapon in this picture, so I guess we're all a little bit happier.

If You're Wondering If the Kids Look Like Their Mom. . .

Here are a few old photos I've got my hands on. I'm not sure how old I am--maybe four? I'm not sure my kids look like me. . .
but if you know any of my nieces and nephews, I think you can see a little resemblance (read Owen and Tanyon, Sydney) with my siblings!

We Went to the Farm. . . in Style!

We went to the farm this afternoon because it was not freezing cold, and the kids love the animals! Thys is much easier to keep track of at the farm than the aquarium, which is where Mel nearly lost him in the crowds this morning.


Anna and Thys riding the wagon--watching the tractor.
AND THIS IS HOW WE GOT THERE! ( I think this is why Mel wanted to go with us!) We've finally done it. In addition to the suburban multi-level house, we are now the proud owners of a Sienna minivan. Could we get any more typical? We don't care, though. We haven't hit Thys's head putting him into the car, and we don't live in fear that we are going to blow up or slide off the road. (The Mazda really was on it's way out--we are soooo glad to be rid of it!) We feel like we got a really good deal, and we hope it lasts for A LOT of years to come.
Thys and Anna riding in style.
Thys loves the camera!

If Anyone Wondered If Thys Looks Like His Dad

Handsome Thys all decked out for church.
Mel on the couch with an injury.

If anyone wondered if Thys really looks like Mel, here is your answer. I think their heads are different shapes, but I would say there is a definite resemblance. Mel and his sister bought a slide scanner, so Mel is in the process of turning old slides into digital photos. Now we'll have some great photos like this one of Mel. If any of you have slides you want converted, we've got the tool until we're done with ours and anyone else's, then it's on to ebay!