Max's Headstone

Max's headstone is finally done and securely in place. We are so happy with how it turned out and we want to thank all of Aaron's sisters and parents for paying for it!

Dirty Pirates!

Aaron's work team turned in their superhero capes from last year for eye patches and crossbones!  This is the second year that Connect PR.. did the corporate Dirty Dash and Aaron and his co-workers had a great time.  The girls and I finally got smart and found a little tree to sit under the whole time instead of baking in the sun on the bleachers.  I brought lunch, crayons, and a coloring book and before we knew it, there was Aaron coming down the final stretch.

Sunday Picnic

Last Sunday we decided to take a picnic up Hobble Creek canyon and invited the Cummings to join us.  We went to our favorite park- Jollys Ranch. We love this park because it has a nice play area, huge grassy areas to picnic in, a creak that we can play in right by it, it is rarely over crowded, and it is just beautiful!  The kids had a great time playing in the creek and ended up having to be stripped down and wrapped up in a towel on the way home because they were soaked!

Instant Gratification

Ta-da! One day we have dirt and the next we have a beautiful yard.  Yesterday we finally got the sod put in our yard and it looks so good.  It was a lot of work, but at the end of the day being able to step back and see the yard completed made it all worth it.

We were able to get the front fully landscaped except for the trees in the park strip but those should be coming any day now.  The back yard has sod as well, but unfortunately we were slightly off on our calculations and have to finish a small section tomorrow...oops. =) The rest of the landscaping for the back yard will happen later on this year (or even next spring), but for now we are just happy to see green!  The section of dirt in the back yard is where the play set will soon go.

Thanks to all who came and helped and to Barbara Ann for making us lunch! It made it go so much faster and we really appreciated it.  The girls were also a big help; they took turns watering sections of grass and did a great job keeping us all hydrated. 

Delicate Arch

While we were down in Moab, we decided to hike to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park.  It is a 3 mile hike round trip and our kids were such troopers.  Chloe walked almost the entire way, and Abby walked at least half of it as well.  We had to take a lot of stops, but we finally made it! It is such a beautiful arch and seeing it made taking hike with two small kids worth it.  The kids also thought it was pretty cool that they got to see the arch that was on all the licence plates here in Utah.

On the Trail

Every Memorial day weekend, we take a trip to Moab with the Searles, Cummings, and McKinlays. The guys usually go on a long trail in the mornings and then we all go on a family ride in the evenings.  This year  was no different, however what was different were the trails we take. In the past, we have taken gentle rides with the kids or on trails without any major obstacles. However, as we all get more confident in our Jeepin' skills, the family rides are now on the trails that in the past we called the 'hard trials'.

Going on the harder trails makes it more fun for the adults and the kids love getting tossed around in their seats so its a win-win!  This was Abby's first year that she could vocalize her fears and it was sweet listening to Chloe comfort her in the back seat by telling her how fun it is and that its not scary.

  It is pretty amazing to think about what these Jeeps can do. I mean, who in their right mind would see a rock wall that is five feet tall and think "lets drive up and down that"! It is an experience that everyone needs to experience one in their life.  It also never ceases to amaze me how our kids can fall asleep on one of these trails. We are literally getting tossed around and pulled forwards and backwards constantly, but sure enough, one of the girls will fall asleep.

 Even though I finally remembered to take two cameras with us, Aaron forgot to take one with him so we don't have very many cool shots of the Jeep from this year. These are some shots of our family ride while we stopped for a snack.

Moab Fun!

Usually when we are down in Moab, Aaron takes the camera with him while he is out on the trails. Thus, I never document any of the fun activities that we do with the kids while the men gone.  However, this year I got smart and brought two cameras with us.

The weather was perfect (most of the time) and we were able to spend all day outside playing fun games and  making cute crafts.  We decorated and flew airplanes, made adorable tie-dye shirts, played a fun candy game, played in the sprinklers, and so much more. 

 

 I love watching the kids play with each other and I love how much they all love each other! Another highlight was that the Cummings brought their two baby kittens.  Abby pretty much mauled them to death and Chloe watched from a distance. I was able to convince Chloe to hold the kitten long enough for a picture, but that was pretty much the extent of her cat holding.

 We were so glad that we got all the stuff for the yard done in time for us to go.  As always the weekend went by too fast, and we are already looking forward to next year!
 

 Showing off their tie-dye shirts!