Utah Trip - Part 3 (Okay, it's Washington, not Utah!)

The conference ended on Sabbath, so on Sunday morning bright and early we jumped on a flight and went to see Korey, Rachel, Gianna and Nikolas out in Walla Walla.  It was an easy quick trip and we were there for most of the day to enjoy playing with our cousins and visiting.  Addison and Gianna played SO WELL together - you never know so we were thrilled.  Zach and Kaleb had fun playing as well, but they really thought it was a cool trip when Korey - who is a hunter - got them "salt" guns that you put table salt into them and can shoot black flies.  That activity became the highlight for the boys (especially Zach) for the remainder of our time.

Fearsome black fly hunters (there were flies everywhere!!)

They were playing camping!

The next day, we went out on a lovely walk beside a river - enjoying the cool weather, the flowers, and the sound of the rushing water.

The cousins - Addison (3), Gianna (3), Zachary (10), Kaleb (8), Nik (almost 2) - we miss our Canadian cousins too!

That night of course was July 4th, so we enjoyed some home fireworks - they were a bit loud for the little ones, so we kept our hands over their ears!

Our trip ended too quickly, but Karis and Korey did have a chance to visit with their cousin Celeste and her family.  It was fun to catch up on each other's lives.

No trip would be complete without a family picture - but truth be told the light wasn't great and we are a bit small - but hey, at least we captured everyone!

With having two tall parents, Gianna is going to be blessed with model height - you can see that in this picture she is significantly taller than Addison (who isn't short!) - it is fun to see how their heights are now and as they grow up!

Two little princesses - fresh from their bath!

One day Addison and Amy took a quick trip to the store in order to grab a few items for the evening meal - and they had these adorable little grocery carts!  So Addison's cart was the only one that we needed!  Such a good little helper!

While the girls played very well together, there were a few moments in which a single toy was the "it" toy of the moment and they both wanted to play with it.  In this picture, two such toys are exhibited - the red ball and the fairy wings!  Thankfully they were easily directed to share for the most part - such good girls!

Nikolas is a sweet-heart and very easy-going for the most part (other than the one time that he was upset about something and Amy was holding him (thankfully she was bent over so she was holding him very close to the floor) when he decided he did not want that and went limp - falling out of her hands and bonking his head on the floor.  Amy will not be winning Auntie of the year.....Sorry Nik!!! Good thing he was already so close to the floor otherwise disaster would have resulted!

Sweet little boy!

One other thing that we should note is that Rachel's mom and dad have a house in Walla Walla, but they weren't there for the weekend and they graciously let us sleep there so that we all had beds as well - it was a true blessing and we are so grateful for their generosity!  Thank you Ds!!

On Wednesday we had to get up at 3:30A in order to catch our flights home - it was a long exhausting day in which we had a screaming baby on one flight for several hours.  By the time we got home we were all beat - with crying fits at one time or another from all of the kids.  Amy tucked them into bed at 8P (which is 5P Walla Walla time) and they were asleep on top of their comforters before she could get in there to kiss them good-night!  We left them and they just slept like little logs until the next morning at 8:15 when Zachary finally woke up (which is crazy as he's our first riser usually by 6:30!).  Hopefully we catch up on our sleep quickly.

Upon arriving back in Orlando after loving weather in Park City and Walla Walla, we wondered if we'd found ourselves back in Moab as the weather here was over 100 degrees!  Plus it was hot and humid - talk about a sauna!!!  Take us away again!!

Maybe put all the videos here?

As our Utah trip posts had so many pictures, we thought that we'd just put several of the videos here in order to keep the size of the posts down (otherwise Blogger will just cut off part of your post, which would have been highly frustrating!)

This is the tubing hill at the Olympic Park - super fast and fun, although a bit bumpy on the bum!

Zip-lining fun!

After doing the adult-sized zip-line, Kaleb then had to step out into "thin air" and drop 65 feet just holding onto a harness.  A child before him and Aubree had a hard time doing it (there was no other way down) and sat there crying, so we weren't sure how Kaleb would do but he was quite brave and just stepped off and "floated" on down!

Utah Trip - Part 2

The second phase of our trip to Utah found us driving from Moab to Park City.  We have been to Park City many times in the winter to ski - it is on our favorite places.  In fact, when the boys found out that we were going there, they asked "Awesome, can we ski?"  Umm, nope - not in June!

The drive up to the Montage (read "snooty-Mcsnootyville!!) hotel was uneventful until the very end.  We were following google maps (Amy was the navigator) when Karis began muttering that she was leading him in the wrong way.  It was becoming very "subdivision-ish" and there were even people riding horses around on the roads!?  What!?  Well, all of a sudden we take a turn and read the sign that says "Unmaintained road - Road closed in winter!"  At this point, Karis realizes that Google Maps is indeed taking us the fastest way to the hotel - which is up and over the mountain on a tiny road with switchbacks!  It was in fact unmaintained, and Amy kept laughing and screaming as the road's condition became worse and worse.  So much that Zachary began to say "Dad, I don't want to die up here!"  The view was gorgeous, but it was a little un-nerving at times!

This is the road that we were driving on.....in the middle of nowhere, on hairpin curves with no guardrails often!

Beautiful views along the way though!

Park City is officially our favorite location for President's Council - it was amazing.  So much to do within a 4-5 hour drive and the area itself was great for kids and outdoor activities.  It was tremendous, and so fun!  How soon can we go back!?

There was lots to do around the hotel itself, including a game room that had arcade games, XBox, foosball, an old-fashioned photo booth and a bowling alley!  Crazy fun - especially when you're in the hotel with hundreds of families with kids that you know!

Playing the arcade

The boys found a group to play soccer with at the base of one of the ski lifts - Ruby Express

Zachary lost two molars (through natural causes!) while at the Montage!

Addison decided to sing and talk into the microphone at the spouse's brunch...

On Wednesday, a group decided to go on a hike up the mountain.  Amy is okay with hikes - but this one at altitude was enough to have her gasping for air the whole way up.  However, she couldn't complain as Karis had to carry Addison on his shoulders and Rob carried Victoria on his - the men were always very happy to stop for a photo shoot - suggesting perhaps even another pose to give themselves a bit longer break!

The group before the hike began...

The moms took a moment to take a picture with their little girls and the flowers - sweet!

Finally we made it to the top!!!

And then we took the lift down... (why didn't we take it UP???)  Addison loved the lift - here we come skiing!!!

On Thursday, the outing was to the Olympic Park and Amy joined the family in the afternoon.  The place was amazing with people practicing ski jumping, ropes courses, zip lines, tubing, alpine slides and more.  We could have spent DAYS there with the boys - although Addison was a bit little for much of the activities.

Doing a flip as he jumps

She thinks she is the next Olympian!

There was a climbing structure that she could get on while waiting for the boys - no fear for this girl!

The boys and the Grodacks (sans Colby) went on the ropes course.  Brady weighed under 35 pounds (after an hour wait) and was denied much to their irritation as he had weighed 35.5 lbs at home the last week!  So, with a few rocks in his pockets we gave it another go and he was allowed to try his hand at it. We didn't think that he'd be able to do the whole thing simply because some of the ropes and things were too tall - but he was AMAZING and kept his mental focus and "cool" - he did the whole thing with us cheering him on!  Both Kaleb and Zachary showed their helpful hearts and were little gentlemen though - following Aubree (Kaleb) and Brady (Zachary) and helping them get their harness ropes over each obstacle - they were just so short to be able to do it themselves - we were very proud of Zachary and Kaleb!!!

Waiting to get fitted - they gave Zach a child's helmet....no way for this kid - his head is bigger than Amy's!!

Waiting to start.

After waiting patiently for Brady each time, Zachary would "scamper" across each obstacle- easy peasy!

On this one, you just had to balance and hold onto your harness!

At the very end, there was zipline back to the starting point - very fun!

Eventually after exhausting the smaller ropes course and the ziplines there, the kids went over to the adults ropecourse - which was a serious ropes course - high up in the air!  Both boys did the lower one, with only Zachary attempting the highest one (Kaleb was just too tired at the end).

Kaleb in the yellow shirt

Zachary on the highest one.

The cutest baby chipmunk!

Addison made up her own obstacle by jumping from the stands into Uncle Rob's arms!

On Friday, Karis took the boys - along with 73 other folks from AHS - down a river rafting trip (class 2 rapids only).  The kids had never been, so it was a beautiful day and a fun adventure.  Addison had to be 4 to go, and as we weren't sure about it, Amy and Addison joined Corey and Colby, and the Johnsons, in Salt Lake City where they went to an AMAZING children's museum!  We could have stayed there all day it was so fun!  The boys also had a blast in their rafting experience and Karis did say it was placid enough Addison could have gone - next time!

Getting ready to go...

A grocery store - complete with food on shelves, a check-out station, a bakery and more!

A life-size helicopter with a working CB radio!

A whole with kitchen, piano, living room etc.  Super fun!

That Friday afternoon, the families reconnected and the Zs headed off to Park City Mountain Resort - which was another SUPER fun place!  We didn't expect to have as much fun there as we did - so we only bought tickets for each individual activity (not the best financial decision!!!).  We did the alpine sled (so-so in comparison the coaster), the alpine coaster (AHHHH, SO FUN!), the Legacy Launcher, the Flying Eagle Zipline.  We finally had to leave when our time ran out - but there was a lot still to do that we hadn't had a chance to experience.

Riding up the alpine sled ski lift.

About to launch ourselves!

Kaleb doing a flip on the legacy launcher

The alpine coaster is basically a car on an elevated roller coaster track that the driver controls the speed of - it can go as fast as 30 mph - so it really rockets you down the mountain.  We all loved it! Addison was about 1/2 inch too short technically to go, but learning from Duncan's "rocks in the pockets" trick with Brady, Amy put Addison's pony-tail on top of her head with the puffy bow which gave her just enough height that they didn't fuss about her going.  Addison was FEARLESS - Amy kept saying "do you want to slow down" and she'd shout back "No, go faster!"  Amy had it open fully, so there was no "faster" to be had, as we were FLYING down the track!

His own man!

Kaleb had to ride with Daddy

While the ladies took a car to ourselves

On Sabbath, the kids activity for the younger ones was a scavenger hunt and craft, while the older kids did a "instructor-led canvas painting" - the moms helping all wanted to do the painting ourselves!  It was a lovely day and really fun to be outside enjoying the weather.

Let the painting begin!

Christian, Dalton and Kaleb - working on their "Colorado Aspens painting"

While Zachary, Christian and Luke worked on theirs (odd, just noticed that each of the boys were with a "Christian!"

That afternoon while Amy took Addison for a much-needed nap (very few naps, and very long days on this trip!), Karis took the boys along with a group to Donut Falls.  It was a very pretty trek - complete with walking through water - but apparently much of Utah thought the same and so it was a bit crowded.

Zach and Luke

Utah Trip - Part 1

It was time for the annual President's Council for AHS, and Amy still gets to attend in her new role at FH.  It is always a fun time - kind of like the annual campmeeting when you were growing up when you'd see people and friends that you only see once a year.  The kids love to travel and usually complain when we have to come home!

Now that Addison is a little older, we decided to add on to our trip this year and we left on Friday night (thanks to a direct flight to Salt Lake City that we could leave after work and still be there before sundown!).  We stayed over night in SLC before heading out to Moab where we'd join friends Grodacks and Reeves.  While at the airport in Orlando, Amy was able to head over to Lost and Found to retrieve Corey's brand new Macbook, which thankfully they had!  Whew!

Delivered - safe and sound!

The other amazing event of our departure trip was that we stayed in SLC over night at a Homewood Suites (not the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in, but it at least had two bedrooms so we could have comfortable sleeping arrangements!) - well, the next day at breakfast Amy was sitting there with the kids (Karis had gone back to the room with a headache) when she looks up and sees a man walk in with his 6 kids (makes 3 look like nothing!) - and she realizes that it is Monty from Andrews - some 20 years ago!  She wasn't sure if he'd remember her, but as soon as she walked up to him he remembered exactly who she was!  What a coincidence as his family is from Montana and they were headed to family camp in Colorado!  Fun times!

Sibling bonding at the airport!

Driving to Moab we stopped at a rest stop which had a little train and all sorts of neat history about the area - very fun!

The sunglass twins.....the sun was very bright!

We arrived in Moab with enough time to head to Dead Horse State Park - which is where MI2 was filmed for the opening sequence, and that is also where the ending scene of Thelma and Louise was filmed....  We had rented a condo through VRBO (which lead us to a travel agency which we ultimately booked through as it was cheaper) - it was a 3 bedroom condo but Addison refused to sleep in her own room, so she slept with us on the floor and the boys had their own bedrooms to themselves!

Perhaps we needed a selfie stick....you can't even see poor Kaleb and hardly ANY of the lovely background!  Ha ha!

the family U-bend of the Colorado River 2,000 feet below us.

A bit closer view

Potash evaporation ponds - vivid blue in this otherwise red/brown landscape!

Very cool rock - don't move kids.....

A family picture - complete with dolly!

Addison was our mountain goat - with Amy cringing thinking "don't fall and break something!!"  Thankfully no accidents occurred!

That night we met up with the Grodacks and Reeves and had haystacks (yum!) - it was super fun and we then hung out the next two days with them with the kids getting to know each other (Reeves) and the adults have fun catching up.

The next morning, the group headed out into Hell's Revenge on a hummer tour.  This is a back-country area where the famous Moab slick-rock mountain bike trail is.  It is also the location of the famous "Lion's Back Blazer crash" (look it up on you-tube.....thank you God that our driver had experience and that our brakes did not fail!!! - thankfully the newlywed couple survived and are still married!).  It is basically petrified sand dunes that you're driving over - with some areas incredibly steep and narrow with 300-400 foot drops.  There were a few times when we could get out and walk around to look at Dinosaur tracks but truthfully that was more nerve-wracking as there were no guardrails on the cliffs and Amy was nervous the kids were too close to the edge!

Beautiful vistas

Looking at the steepness - look at how little the hummer is at the bottom!  The black "road" is from the tire tracks from the vehicles

One tire is up in the air, not even touching (although it looks like it is touching, it is about 12 inches off of the road below it)

At least if they're sitting they can't fall off a cliff!

Taking a family picture!

The whole group

Getting out to look at dinosaur tracks...right behind the man on the right hand side is a drop-off cliff!!!

The two hummers - we were in one hummer while Grodacks, Reeves and Duncan's parents were in the other one.

Addison succumbed to the need for a nap and fell asleep against Karis

The weather was incredibly hot and dry, so we went to the dinosaur museum next to try and cool off for a bit.  We saw a movie on evolution and the big bang - so we were all clear to tell our children that this was garbage and that we believe in Creation!!

Cool 3-D glasses though!

Hopefully he isn't hungry....

The kids were tired, so there were carts that we could drag them around in - Zach pulled for all of it until the very end.

That afternoon found us hitting the Arches National Park - it was amazing and you could spend days there but with the 100+ degree weather, we decided to only do very short round-trip hikes in order to keep the kids out of the heat and back into the A/C as much as possible.  We did find Addison some of her relatives - mountain goats! :)

The first stop was balanced rock - very easy to walk around and pretty cool to see.  God has amazing imagination with these places!

Can you find our daughter in this picture!  Look how tall this rock is, we couldn't even get it all in the picture!

Balanced rock from the other side

We then headed to the iconic "Delicate Arch" - we intended to to the closer hike (although not right up to it as that is a 3 mile round trip hike with cliffs!) but when Karis saw the number of steps that he'd have to climb with Addison on his shoulders (that is the only place she thought was acceptable), he decided the lower viewing point would be fine.  Zachary went with the Reeves to get a closer look though - so the family picture with the tiny arch (top left of the picture, about an inch in from the left) was sans our oldest child.

Lastly, we went to Sand Dune Arch.  It may have been the coolest one as you had to walk through a crack in the rock and it was all shaded inside as you walked through the softest sand.

Karis and Addison stayed in the car....

Taking a moment of rest in the shade

Before becoming climbing maniacs with the Reeves kids (and Cory Reeves) - don't fall off that cliff!!

Our last day, we headed over to Canyonlands - all three parks had such diverse topography - it was really cool to see.  Two national parks and one state park within 30 minutes of each other - we grabbed a National Park passport, so now we'll begin collecting stamps at all of the National Parks that we visit!

The kids insisted on climbing all of the rocks that they could find

In front of landscape arch

Looking through it to the scenery below - beautiful!

Looking over the Grand Overlook

On Monday, we headed over to Park City where the conference was held - so we'll give that update in Part 2 of this trip!

Phrase of the week:  This week at Miss Jennifer's, Addison told her "Daddy has no hair on his head but he has hair on his chest - it is GROSS!"  Jennifer laughed and said "No, Mr. Bruce (her husband) also has hair on his chest and it makes him a warm, fuzzy bear" to which Addison replied "No, belly hair is gross!"  Ha ha - hopefully she never marries someone with hair on their chest!