I heard you were fat, so I found a resource I think can really help you.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Trip to Zion National Park
Earlier this month we took a trip to Zion National Park. We were headed down to Las Vegas for the weekend anyway to see Joel's cousin Liz give her farewell missionary talk, so we left a day early and had some family time together.
We had so much fun! Joel had Friday off, so as soon as I was done with work we packed a lunch and drove down.
We stopped at a gas station at Cove Fort for lunch (that's a shout-out to my bro-in-law, Dan!) and the whole place was CHARRED from the fires last summer. We should have taken it as a bad omen, because unfortunately Joel had a great idea for the kids to race among the construction barrels and loose gravel and Lincoln got a HUGE chunk ripped right out of his knee when he fell. Needless to say, that little blunder disqualified Lincoln from the competition.
We arrived at Zion in the afternoon and readied ourselves for some sweet hiking.
Our first was up to the three Emerald Pools. It was fun and I was able to keep up only because Joel had Clara in the backpack and the boys are still kids.
This was my favorite of our hikes. We enjoyed breezy weather, cool destinations and the kids were all in the best spirits.
Interestingly we saw a polygamist family on the trail - one man, three wives and about twenty kids, all in pioneer get-up. One of the wives, when she saw our gang, remarked, "You guys are almost as ambitious as we are!" My question about them is: Who decides what they can and can't wear? The girls all wore hoodie sweatshirt jackets over their long dresses and open-toe sandals. Why is it that they can buy sandals but not sneakers?
Hey, we got some family pictures taken, thanks to several volunteer photographers on the trail! And, look, we even saw real deer!
We had so much fun! Joel had Friday off, so as soon as I was done with work we packed a lunch and drove down.
We stopped at a gas station at Cove Fort for lunch (that's a shout-out to my bro-in-law, Dan!) and the whole place was CHARRED from the fires last summer. We should have taken it as a bad omen, because unfortunately Joel had a great idea for the kids to race among the construction barrels and loose gravel and Lincoln got a HUGE chunk ripped right out of his knee when he fell. Needless to say, that little blunder disqualified Lincoln from the competition.We arrived at Zion in the afternoon and readied ourselves for some sweet hiking.Our first was up to the three Emerald Pools. It was fun and I was able to keep up only because Joel had Clara in the backpack and the boys are still kids.
This was my favorite of our hikes. We enjoyed breezy weather, cool destinations and the kids were all in the best spirits.
Interestingly we saw a polygamist family on the trail - one man, three wives and about twenty kids, all in pioneer get-up. One of the wives, when she saw our gang, remarked, "You guys are almost as ambitious as we are!" My question about them is: Who decides what they can and can't wear? The girls all wore hoodie sweatshirt jackets over their long dresses and open-toe sandals. Why is it that they can buy sandals but not sneakers?
Hey, we got some family pictures taken, thanks to several volunteer photographers on the trail! And, look, we even saw real deer! For dinner we found a Thai restaurant (Joel's and my gastronomic weakness) that was pricey but the curry was awesome!
Back at the hotel we played in the pool for about two hours: Joel and I would stand in the pool while Lincoln, Asher and Clara would jump into our arms over and over and over again. Then we enjoyed the luxury of a heart-shaped tub in our room! Somehow the romance of it all was lost on Joel and I, and I think it was mainly due to the three kids that bathed in there with us.
Saturday morning we ate at the hotel's surprisingly good continental breakfast and then headed back to the park for more hiking! Our first hike for the day was Canyon Overlook, which was easy and fun and really beautiful. Normally Asher could care less about whether the camera is pointed at him or not, but on this trip over and over he would turn around and call out for me to take his picture.
It was the perfect time of year to go: the weather was so mild and we didn't have to fight swarms of people in the parking lots or on the trails. It was really relaxing and enjoyable.
We had plans to hike Pa'rus Trail, but our kids were pooped and after Lincoln had a breakdown of sorts, we regrouped and hiked to Weeping Rock, instead. 
After that we passed our park pass onto my little sister and her husband, who had also just driven down for the weekend, and we headed to Vegas to spend time with Joel's family. What a fun trip! I love doing things with our kids. It is so satisfying to me!
Back at the hotel we played in the pool for about two hours: Joel and I would stand in the pool while Lincoln, Asher and Clara would jump into our arms over and over and over again. Then we enjoyed the luxury of a heart-shaped tub in our room! Somehow the romance of it all was lost on Joel and I, and I think it was mainly due to the three kids that bathed in there with us.
Saturday morning we ate at the hotel's surprisingly good continental breakfast and then headed back to the park for more hiking! Our first hike for the day was Canyon Overlook, which was easy and fun and really beautiful. Normally Asher could care less about whether the camera is pointed at him or not, but on this trip over and over he would turn around and call out for me to take his picture.It was the perfect time of year to go: the weather was so mild and we didn't have to fight swarms of people in the parking lots or on the trails. It was really relaxing and enjoyable.We had plans to hike Pa'rus Trail, but our kids were pooped and after Lincoln had a breakdown of sorts, we regrouped and hiked to Weeping Rock, instead. After that we passed our park pass onto my little sister and her husband, who had also just driven down for the weekend, and we headed to Vegas to spend time with Joel's family. What a fun trip! I love doing things with our kids. It is so satisfying to me! But, I was also pooped! It took a couple of days after we got home before I felt recovered from the lack of sleep and extra exertion. Viva la Zion!
I can't wait for our next family trip!
Friday, March 14, 2008
This Video Reminds Me of Someone
Here is a video I really enjoyed watching.
About twenty seconds into viewing these sweet jedi moves an uncomfortable feeling crept over me. And I realized I was watching my oldest son, 10 years in the future. I mean, I hope it's not, but it may be.
About twenty seconds into viewing these sweet jedi moves an uncomfortable feeling crept over me. And I realized I was watching my oldest son, 10 years in the future. I mean, I hope it's not, but it may be.
Recently we let our kids watch Star Wars and now they pretend Star Wars all the time. It never stops. They sleep with their light sabers, wear capes all day, and even bring Clara into the mix by giving her a weapon and crowning her Princess Leia. (She's pretty good at killing her brothers.) 
Out on the front lawn they layer camping cots and snow tubes on top of each other for their base camp. In their room they don all their Jedi accessories, real or improvised and become Luke, Darth, Obi Wan, or Quaigon. 
They sleep with their weapons (as all good Jedi do) and spend a lot of time on the trampoline sequencing fighting moves and simulating training sessions. And while Asher feels content to stick to established Star Wars characters - Luke, Yoda, and on, Lincoln can only refer to his Jedi alter ego as "Force of the Green." That's powerful.
As parents we mostly just enjoy the show, but at times I wonder how long and far their pretending should go on. At what point (12, 14 years old?) do I say "Please DON'T post your Jedi moves on YouTube"?
I mean, the other night after a heartfelt discussion about spirits Asher announced he was the bad Emporer from the Return of the Jedi. And it kind of spooked Joel out what with Asher forming his hands into claws and hissing, like he was killing Luke with his lightning powers right there.
Star Wars is the newest incarnation of fighting warriors around here.
As parents we mostly just enjoy the show, but at times I wonder how long and far their pretending should go on. At what point (12, 14 years old?) do I say "Please DON'T post your Jedi moves on YouTube"?
I mean, the other night after a heartfelt discussion about spirits Asher announced he was the bad Emporer from the Return of the Jedi. And it kind of spooked Joel out what with Asher forming his hands into claws and hissing, like he was killing Luke with his lightning powers right there. Star Wars is the newest incarnation of fighting warriors around here.
Before Star Wars we beheld the terrors of Cap'n Jack Sparrow and his band of pirates.
Last summer we witnessed the daring adventures of every superhero known!
A year ago we could only watch in awe as Luchadore's frequented our house, entertaining us with killer wrestling moves, eagle powers, and amazing skills in the ring.
And before that underpants warriors, who remained unnamed, lurked in the shadows of our humble home, fighting who knows who or what.
Amazing, huh? We love all the heroic dramatics. We're mostly content to allow these theatrics to continue until they've outgrown them. However, if you EVER see one of them displaying these antics when they're WAY past the "cute" stage, please, help me and help them by simply removing the light sabre from their hands and walking away.
P.S. I realize Clara is shirtless in the video, but she takes after her Aunt Megan in her love of tube tops. I only wish this were a video of Clara mowing the lawn.
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