Hello Family,
We had a great week. The kids had Thurs-Sun off this week. Initially, Brian didn't ask for the time off but decided Wednesday to request and got it off! So we found out that afternoon and we were like, "let's go somewhere!"
Unfortunately (or I guess, fortunately?) I had organized a send-off party for my friend Kerri Fief (who is going on an epic journey for 4 months) which turned into a ward party at my house. No joke, probably like 40 people and half were kids. I made some gross pasta dishes which the kids devoured and two different kinds of chili and some nasty box cornbread that I let the kids mix up and turned to cornbread jello (that I let people eat anyway). It was a lot of fun to chat with friends.
After that ended, the internet in all of Moab was down due to a storm and so we really didn't have any way to plan our trip. Luckily Brian had done a little research a few days prior and so we had a few ideas. We left the next morning after hastily packing and decided to just eat out for dinners and most lunches. Something we've never done, but I have to say was amazing. The food prep takes forever and is my least favorite part of travel. One place we ate in Boulder, UT is all farm to table and was kind of an incredible restaurant. Apparently it's been featured in the NYtimes and Oprah. When we asked the kids what their favorite part of the trip was, they said playing hide-n-go-seek as a family at our last campsite (with lots of hoodoos to hide in and behind) and the shakes and hamburgers (which felicity calls "handgurbers"). They also said eating pizza by Lake Powell and picking 80lbs of apples in Capital Reef. They didn't mention the 6 mile hike or the 1mile hike... haha!
We were able to tune into conference on the drive home and hit Moab in another massive downpour (we've had such a stormy/wet fall!)... we tuned into the rest of conference, then I took a shower and headed to a wedding I had to shoot. Lucky for me, the downpour passed and the evening was so beautiful for photos. Phew! That is always stressful.
Today we were fed both spiritually and physically (I'm still sooooo full!!). I loved conference and definitely felt a desire to repent, have more faith in Christ and serve my family, community and friends. I was proud of the kids for watching as much as they did. I taught Liesel how to play "mary had a little lamb" using the correct fingering and notes on the piano. She practiced for an hour straight and was so pleased with herself. Hannah was a trooper on our 6 mile hike this week and surprised me by wanting to pick up the tarantula we found. She has been praying for me not for forget that she wants a piñata and cupcakes for her birthday party in a few weeks. Felicity mostly wanted to dig in the sand and not hike, but I made a game of hunting dragons in the slot canyon and she was a willing hiker at that point.
A beautiful morning somewhere on the Burr Trail, UT (paved and dirt rd that connects Bullfrog, UT on lake powell to Boulder, UT and crosses through Capital Reef Nat'l Park). We left a lot of cherrios and spilled milk around this camp. The kids are getting sooooo good at using the bathroom outside and the older two can go by themselves with no help. They even bury it. ;)
Hiking in Maidenwater Canyon-- it is virtually unknown and obviously hardly hiked. We saw no one, but found several frogs, tadpoles, a tarantula and lots of cattails that the kids loved splitting open. It was a stunning spot!
What being a dad is all about right here... protecting the little from wet, cold clothes and a cold swim.
Watching the sunrise at our Burr Trail camp.
A happy little Lissie in the morning. She sleeps great camping! She has her own sleeping bag, tiny pillow and little tent (that we put in our tent-- see green thing in the photo below). She sleeps like a champ.
Liesel in a sea of colorful sleeping bags.
Our second hike: Headquarters Canyon. Very very cool. Also no signs of people anywhere and we found tons of Moki marbles! They were absolutely perfect circles of stone.
Felicity's stink face
Felicity's happy face. She said so many funny things this weekend! Having a 2-year-old around makes everything so cute.
The last stretch of Headquarters Canyon
Dishing out the fruit leather.
Hannah with her collection of Moki marbles that she then buried in the sand so she could come back and find them again someday.
A view of our truck and the Burr Trail// Felicity at camp #2 playing on the hoodoos
Liesel ready for more playtime on those rocks in the morning!
Felicity waiting her her cereal. When we were hiking in the canyon I was joking with her about bears eating rocks and I said, "well, what do bears eat then?" And she said, "noooooo dey don't eat rocks! dey eat cereal!" Which is probably her favorite food, too.
The troops in bedhead mode.
Our campsite. We were also the only people here! I was shocked, honestly. It was like our own private Goblin Valley.
Liesel hiked to the top of this little hill with me to watch the sunrise in the morning. I ran down to snap this. Then we played on the rocks one more time before jumping in the car right as it started to sprinkle.
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