Saturday was a fun and busy day. We went on two hikes. Damon and I were able to go on one hike without the kids. It was a little bit tougher and took us to the bottom of the canyon. We went with my aunt and my cousin. There were fascinating rock formations and spectacular views. It was amazing.
The second hike we went up to Mossy Caves and hiked to a waterfall. The kids wore their swim suits and had a blast sliding down rocks and stomping through the water. It really was pretty. Adam was jumping from rock to rock just absolutely loving it. I found out that I do have children who enjoy the wilderness.
We went back to the campsight and had lunch with the family and played games. We had a water balloon contest, played water volleyball, jello slurping contest and just pure silliness. The kids had a lot of fun with all their new found cousins. I enjoyed catching up with all the ones I haven't seen in forever.
We left around 4pm and drove back to St. George. Damon has to leave on Sunday, but the kids and I are hanging out for a few extra days. 
Our drive from St. George to Bryce Canyon was great. There were amazing views and endless forests. It was a beautiful drive and not to windy or narrow roads. Part of the drive we were on Highway 89 which takes me back to the days that we drove between Phoenix and Provo.
We checked into our room at one of the lodges at Ruby's Inn. It was near the lake so we had some nice views. All my aunts, uncles and cousins were in rooms right around ours. It reminded me of the old days when we would do family reunions when we were younger. We loved being up in the woods with the smell of pines. We even had a monsoon go by. We stopped by Old Bryce Canyon Town which was across the street from the hotel. So cute.
Friday morning we drove around the park and hit the visitor's center. We learned a lot of interesting facts in this film that we watched. Later that day as we were hiking Inspiration Trail with the rest of my family my kids were able to ramble off all these facts and my relatives thought they were all so smart. That was funny. It was a great hike though. Lily made a great friend in my cousin Cari who carried her most of the hike on her back.
Friday night after dinner we had a softball game, played with sparklers and then we sat around the campfire and made smores and heard stories from the aunts and uncles about our family. The kids loved it. It has been fun seeing my cousins and getting to know some that I don't really know. We started to set off fireworks until security came by and told us that we couldn't do fireworks there. Fun killer.
Bryce Canyon is beautiful. We really do live in a unique country. I get angry when people say America is boring and dull.
Noah and Adam both had amazing teachers this year. They learned a lot, had a lot of fun and were sad, but happy when school was over. They are both looking forward to the new school year.
YEA SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE!!
We are really glad Lily joined our family. She adds another dimension of drama that the boys just couldn't create. Damon says she is a mini-me, referring to her attitude and her ability to glare you down and sulk. I don't think I take that as a compliment, but at least she can stand her ground. 
We love our Lily flower. Happy Birthday #5! 
It was a busy week, but it usually is. Here is what we did. 
Noah had a play at school called, "Gold Dust or Bust". It was a cute musical play telling the story of the California Gold rush of the mid 1800's. He played an Argonaut. They were the Europeans who sailed all the way to California to find gold. I have found Noah's studies of California history interesting because it is new to me. I learned AZ history at his age.
Friday was a fun night for the family. We went to the Padres game. They were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a little boring at first, but come the 4th inning the Padres figured out how to hit and scored 5 runs. I loved hearing all the fam sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch. The kids loved watching the fireworks and the flames erupt whenever someone scored a home run.
Today I auditioned for a San Diego Choir. We will see how that goes. This afternoon we drove up to MoValley to spend time with my family at my Aunt Karin's house. The kids loved playing with the blowup water slides. I didn't even see them all afternoon.
2 late nights in a row make for some very grumpy children and some really exhausted parents. Hopefully we can use tomorrow as a day of rest. 4 more days til school is done.
Lily had her Ballet recital Saturday. She had 2 shows. She did a great job and has such potential in dancing. She has lots of fun too.
Lily and her friend, Kayla. They will be in the same class soon. They both did such a great job in their performances.
This is Lily's teacher, Miss Corey. She also danced in 6 numbers during the show and was fabulous. We will miss her when Lily moves up to the next level in September. I will post a video soon!
