Summer flowers are in bloom!
We tied up the dahlias and they finally bloomed without bending over.
These clematis are planted in the absolute worst soil (gravel and cement leftovers from pool deck construction) but they came through and bloomed in their first year. Pretty awesome.
Dian ready to crush it at a swim meet. She is so fun to watch, her legs are so powerful and she is such a strong girl. She finishes a race and then pops right up out of the pool like she could do it all over again in a split second.
John could care less about swimming. He does it. Enjoys it. But spends every spare moment between races playing four square. The older kids are so nice to him and when he is king he feels on top of the world. He makes up rules and loves being in charge. It's hilarious and he has the time of his life staying up late and being king.
We flew to Utah and the next morning went to visit my Davies grandparents. They had their hummingbird feeders out and the kids were in awe of how many hummingbirds were flying around. My grandparents were having their roof redone so Grandpa had to bring the feeders in and the birds were flying everywhere!
Sweet picture with my Grandma!
It was a treasure to spend time catching up and having the kids see their home. It is a home filled with love and faithfulness.
Grandma sharing a story while Grandpa pumped up the basketballs.
Going down to the waterfall.
It was kind of crazy to see my kids exploring where I did when I was their age. Really sweet.
Indoor basketball! They lifted the hoop up and played some horse.
The kids loved the stage just like I did growing up :)
Nicole playing with the gorgeous view beyond.
Nicole told us we had to eat lunch at Cupbop. The manager gave us some free chips and the kids had fun trying new flavors.
Happy Nicole
Then we drove the four hours to Moab! Jim's first stop was the hot tub in the back with the gorgeous views of red rock from the yard.
We drove to Arches the next morning super early. The pics loaded backwards for today...sorry! So this was the last part of the day when we bouldered up to some random tall rocks. It was so fun to randomly jump and scramble up to reach fun areas to play in. SO fun to hike here!
Mike and Nicole were the only ones who came- the rest of the kids were too tired. We hiked from 6-11am and it was super hot!
Beautiful landscape
Mike in a rock with Jacob over.
We took a little detour (by accident) off the path and as we were going back to the right path Michael spotted a deer!
During the last hike of the day, it was just me, Mike, Jim and Jake. The others rehydrated at the car happily.
We made our way to one last arch and got a kiss in! This wasn't a popular spot since it is hard to get to, but that made it all the more rewarding.
Mike saw this huge rock wall and had to climb it. He carefully peered over the top and you can barely see him. He said the views were awesome.
He and Jake had plenty of stamina!
Hard to see, but there is snow on the mountains in the background! Yes, snow!
Better view of snow
We had a very steep scramble and trail to reach this view- about halfway to that last arch.
The trail went between large slabs of rock
Landscape arch had a huge section break away and now they don't let people under it. It looks SO fragile!
The right side is where part fell off, the left is more stable.
Crazy tree- is it alive?
Such amazing views and unique landscape each time we turn a corner
Amazing how the rock has been shaped over time
Another arch- look at that red! We carried a lot of red dust with us everywhere we went.
little baby arch. window. or something.
Dead end but they had to check and see if we could squeeze through
Flowers! Jim watered this a few times with his water bottle, he really wanted it to live.
Sun rising makes some beautiful views- and that's when the heat began! (this was about 9:30)
Petroglyphs!
Delicate arch! The pics are backwards so you'll see the hike it took next.
Jim and the youngest were chilling and so I got this pic with the oldest.
This arch is so unique just sitting in the middle of nowhere and a huge bowl to the right and incredible views steep on the other side.
Rocks really rounded here
There is an arch that gives you a view of delicate arch. It's easy to miss and we loved how it framed the delicate arch.
Alien landscape
Lots of the path was up rocks, not gravel or sand. There were markers to keep you on the trail. The funniest part was when John had to use the restroom so Jim took him off and we waited by the side of the trail. However, people thought we were on the trail so several times people tried to go by us (and where John was!) and we had to redirect them.
Steep trail sometimes, makes it way more fun.
Rest stop! We didn't know it at that time, but Diana had a double ear infection and sinus infection she was fighting. We did get her to urgent care and she felt better very quickly- but this whole day of hiking was done when she felt miserable. Tough girl, with a smile.
There is something magical about hiking as the sun rises. The beauty of the landscape as the sun comes up changes and is so fun to watch.
The trail started pretty easy.
We arrived at 6am to hike. The sun was just peeking up. I got these while we were driving!
Such cool rocks at the entrance. The kids thought it was from Fievel Goes West. If you know, you know.
We got home from hiking to lots of food. The kids were hungry! We had fun watching John Wayne movies and relaxing after all those hours of hiking and heat. By starting the day so early and working so hard, it felt so good to relax in the afternoon.
The next day we biked Dead Horse State Park. The first three hours we spent with the whole family biking beginner trails that were not easy! Most of the kids don't have much experience biking. At all. Like, they've only gone around the pool on a bike without hand brakes. They picked it up fast and were able to do hard things!
I stuck with Katy, and although I gave her plenty of space, at one point she was about to make it up a hill but then stopped...started sliding backwards. I had to go to the side and as I put one foot down my other leg brushed up against the pedals where the little sharp screws stick out. So I didn't get injured from a crash, just my own bike pedal! I have two nice scars on my leg now, those are deep cuts. But I really didn't want stitches :)
The bleeding mostly stopped so we kept going!
The visitors center had amazing views- there is a super blue lake in the distance, I believe used for salt.
Family pic! What an adventure! The visitors center had a small cowboy exhibit and some cold Gatorade which probably helped us survive. It was sure getting hot!
I was with Katy and Diana, while Jim was with John. The oldest three went ahead and had cell phones.
We made it with the kids to an amazing view. It was hard work!!
John making it to the view!
Katy coming in!
Diana with her favorite shirt and shorts to shine on this day!
Beautiful views
The kids did the far left straight up to the view and then all the way down to the visitors center...and then back up to the midpoint where there was the bike parking lot. Lots of miles!
We dropped the kids off at noon in our car. The bike guy said this intermediate trail would take us 45 minutes. So Jim, Mike and I went. It took us 1:45. Lots of steep ups and downs, deep sand, boulders and obstacles. Super fun, pretty crazy, and then at some point we realized it was taking us longer than the guy said. I was getting signs of heat stroke- nausea, lightheaded. When we finally reached the point where we had taken the kids (and I knew the rest of the way was easier), we took a picture. Jim had given me all of his water since mine had fallen from my bike in the beginning (there were SUPER steep drops all over). Mike was good, just went a little slower. It was just the three of us that did the hard bike and whew! Glad it didn't become dead mom state park.
Alive. The rest of the way I kept telling myself that John did it so I could too. I didn't want to stop because I didn't know if I could start again, it was crazy feeling that level of exhaustion. It wasn't muscle tiredness although that was hard, it was like my heart and head were fizzling out. Crazy. and glad to have survived my first mountain biking experience lol.
The next day was whitewater rafting! Moab really had endless fun options!
We saw movie sets and music video sets.
There were class I and II rapids. Nothing crazy and lots of floating. I'd probably be scared at Class III, but really enjoyed what we did. The water levels really change the experience, so each year and each time of year is different.
In front of the Colorado River
I saved what I had thought would be the toughest experience for last. (Mountain biking was my toughest, but I think this was the scariest for most everyone else). Canyoneering!
We hiked, rappelled, climbed, waded through frigid water that froze your blood by the time you went through, bouldered, and finished with an over 80ft rappel. That was the tough part. Everything else led up to that. We have recently been rock climbing. That gave the kids a starting level of confidence. The beginning of the canyoneering gave them some rappel experience. But the final drop is terrifying for first timers. I went first since I've done this before and really liked it. The scariest part is walking backwards with leaning back and starting to walk down the cliff as you let rope out.
John thought he was going to die. Literally. He was in tears but listening to the guide and not freaking out. Little by little he edged over the top. Little by little slid down and then was hanging so he could be lowered and actually stick his feet out to balance. He made it! Our guide was so good helping coach him down. After he reached the bottom, John told me he had perseverance to make it, it was so cute. He then said he had to have faith and look up and that if he looked down "it was like no faith" and it was scary. This insight was so interesting. As he looked up he was focused on the guide and trusting him, so it made a great analogy.
Jacob had a intense fear of heights that made him shake uncontrollably. Years ago at Myrtle Beach, I remember doing a high ropes course and he physically could not stop shaking. Over the years, he has done increasingly hard things at heights- like snowboarding and rock climbing at a gym. Over time, his confidence and maturity has grown. When we got to this point, he didn't want to do it, but he asked to go first. He has developed a tough and confident approach to this thing that has been so hard for him. I was so proud of his courage!
The youngest three were lowered down (belayed down not rappelling)
This was hard for everyone! Only Nicole and I had done it before and could enjoy it more. I loved the adrenaline and experience and hope the kids will want to go again!
Little Katy coming down! Brave girl!!
She did really well balancing her legs, she's a tough cookie!
Again, these pics loaded backwards, so you'll now see the hike we took to get to that last rappel.
Hiking in the canyon made it less hot!
Down into frigid water!
My brave boy
Some good rappelling practice
Down into the crevice!
Water break
Some steep climbs up rocks. It would have been fun to discover and create these hikes.
Steep drops if you fall!
Did some four wheeling to get there and back!
We finished with a picnic by the Colorado River. What an incredible time we had on all our adventures!
The next day were were off for home! John, walking onto the plane, told the flight attendant he liked her pin. They all thought he was so cute and got him a pin. He told me later that he was trying to get them to give him a pin. Well, it worked.
Cafe Rio for the flight home was the best sendoff ever.
Mike and Nicole stayed for another week and did AFY Moab! I got this pic of Nicole with her company. They both had a great time!
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