Camping at Cave Springs

We had a great time camping at Cave Springs, north of Sedona, with the WIllyerd's and Eyre's. It was stressful at times because we didn't have Bob and Adam with us for the whole time due to work committments, but somehow we survived. The kids played and fought with each other, they discovered all sorts of creeping things. They played in the creek and listened to Anthony make up stories about them. We ate, laughed, played and came home exhausted and loaded with laundry by the ton! It was worth it (except for the smelly bathrooms....is it so hard to put a flush toilet in...geez)!

Sitting around the campfire...

Game Time! Master Says, Uno, Volleyball, Badminton, and some other random games. The kids played and played!

Playing at the creek one day and playing with a giant ball another day.

.7 mile hike - a moderate climb (ya right, we were huffin' and puffin') to the top of a mountain with incredibly rewarding views. Thanks to Kimberly for keeping the littlest ones at camp so the rest of us could go!

Fun at Slide Rock! This was a new adventure for us. 10 kids, 6 parents, slippery rocks and water. A stressful, but wildly fun combination. The water was cold, the sun was hot, the sunscreen was abundant. Adam & Anthony jumped from cliffs (much to Suzie's chagrin), Cameron was pulled out of a pool and saved from drowning (thank you complete stranger), we all slipped around the rocks but still had a fun time!

Nothing tastes as good as BBQ meat when you are camping. (especially Tri-tip that has been dropped in the ashes and briquettes and then washed off! No one claims responsibility for the "mis-hap", but that meal was the best meal we had while camping! Apparently the ashes cooked it just right)!

A good s'more is hard to beat! We all had fun roasting (and sometimes igniting) marshmallows.

Shower time! We discovered the quick and easy way! Throw them all in a shower with their swimsuits on! Soap them up and rinse them off, then send them back to camp to change! Worked like a charm and boy were those kids dirty!

A few final pictures of the whole crew! We had a wonderful time! Let's do it again!

Our Whirlwind trip to Utah

The boys and I drove to Utah on June 1st for a whirlwind vacation that included visiting family and friends. We crammed as much as we could into this vacation and it was non-stop the whole time! We stopped at Hoover Dam on the way up for a photo-op.

We spent the night in St. George so I didn't have to drive it all in 1 day by myself. We played at a park when we arrived (and to get out the wiggles)! The weather was beautiful and a little rainy. A big change from the Phoenix heat.

While in Utah we crammed as many things into our schedule as we could. There was no down time in this trip! We visited Grandma Paxman and Celeste when we first arrived. The next day we visited Great-grandpa and Grandma Paxman. It was a super short visit and I wish we had been able to go back to see them again! We just ran out of time! We stopped at the BYU stadium afterward to take some pictures with the cougar (yes, yes, I know it's sacreligious to have them wear red to BYU, but they were wearing their Mickey Mouse shirts. So deal with it)!

We went to Midway and spent the night in Heidi's cabin (ok, her parent's cabin). We had a yummy dinner at a restaurant there and then drove up and up and up the mountain to the cabin. The kids had a blast there! We broke out some glow sticks which is always fun (but always cause contention. Why? I don't know). The adults and Channing played Mexican Train dominos and Grandpa and Grandma Spann made a yummy breakfast the next morning.

After sleeping at the cabin, Heidi and I took the kids to the resort next door and rode the carousel and played a round of miniature golf (talk about hilarious! Did anyone even actually use the club to hit the ball)? Cason placed his ball 2 inches from the hole and then hit it in. I did watch Tyson wing a hole in one from about 8 feet away (freaking amazing for a 2 year old)! Channing and Cameron just played at their own pace (breakneck speed). Let's not forget the yummy gelato that we had in their ice cream shop! Mmmm.........

We attended the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House after we returned from the cabin. (I told you we didn't stop the whole time we were there)! We showed up and got right in. The weather was crummy and the place was practically empty. It was great! The temple was beautiful. Unfortunately, I spent the whole time trying to catch up with my kids who were apparently on the quick tour. We cornered them in a sealing room where a sweet couple talked to us about eternal sealing power. I'm pretty sure that my kids didn't hear any of it despite us trying to get them to listen. (Hard to do when you are with your cousins who you haven't seen in 6 months). Afterward there was a reception with cookies and water. (which I thought was really nice and the missionary sisters in there were as sweet as can be). My kids favorite part of the temple??? "The elevators and stairs." Hmmm..... I don't think they stopped long enough to even see a room. Maybe the chandelier in the celestial room, but that was about it. They also liked the cookies (like I couldn't guess that one). Geez!

After the temple we ate at Texas Roadhouse. Ever take 6 boys to a sit-down restaurant??? DON'T!!! At least it was noisy in there already. Good Thing! I'm glad we could add to the ambience. LOL!

The next day I attended Heidi's baby shower while dad watched the kids! This is the first girl grandchild for my parents (after 7 boys). Dacia also found out that she's having a girl. So apparently this is the girl round! Get in now while you can! Heidi got several darling outfits. That's going to be one well-dressed little baby!

Later that day we met up with Grandma Paxman, Celeste, Andrea, Skylar & Trevor. We fed some ducks in a pond and talked for a little while until we'd had enough of the wind (what was with the weather this trip? So windy and rainy on and off - kind of nice though).

The next day was Jonah's baptism (this is the reason we were up there in the first place)! Jonah was very handsome in his white clothes and we are very proud of him. The boys sang "I am a Child of God" at the baptism and Grandpa Spann gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. Jonah was baptized and confirmed by his daddy. Afterward we ate as a family at Jason's Deli and then we went to the Gray's so the kids could play together for a while. Later that evening we flew kites at the soccer field around the corner from my parent's house.

The next day we skipped church due to Cason running a fever. We drove to St. George in the afternoon and spent the night. The next day as we were driving to Phoenix, Cason threw-up in the car several times. Such an eventful trip! Just a fun way to cap it all off! LOL! He slept alot that Monday and I got home as fast as I could!