Memorial Day + Birthdays!

How did Dallin get to be 11 years old?!  It is crazy how fast this boy is growing.  He's really been into contact lenses, pallet expanders, and Nike shoes, which all sounds about right for his age.  He was super excited that his birthday was on the first official day of summer break.  We were going to the cabin to celebrate his and Dad's birthday.  It all came together nicely with plenty of amazing food and even more amazing weather.  It had been cold and rainy, but perked up right in time.  It really is the prettiest time at the cabin when the grass is green and it's not too hot yet.  Dallin and Dad both made an amazing haul and the cousins stayed to play until late in the day.

I still remember 11 years ago when we were celebrating just Dad's birthday at the cabin, on Memorial Day.  It only took 1/2 a hamburger and some jalapeno poppers to put me into labor.  Dallin must've really wanted to be born on a party day!

Jacob and Enys

Don't we just love a good wedding?  We are so happy that Enys can join this crazy huge family!  She has the biggest heart and sweetest personality, I'm sure that she and Jacob will be extremely happy together.  The day was a little rainy and cool, but since everything was inside, it all went well.  John and Heather put on a great celebration!  We had taco's for lunch and an elaborate dessert spread for the reception.  Even the gluten-free cake was amazing!  The cousins stole the dancefloor and rocked it out for a good 30 minutes before sending off the bride and groom with gigantic sparklers.  Congrats!!!

Arches!!!

I've love this new tradition of camping for Mother's Day weekend.  What a better way to celebrate me than doing something I want to do.  It meant so much, I made the kids miss a Friday from school... which we never do.  They didn't complain, except for Anna.  We made it down there right after lunch, which was perfect.  We haven't been there since Dallin was a toddler, so there was lot of catching up! 

We hung out in the visitor center for a bit, but got off quick for some hiking!  We did it all.  We saw all the arches, balanced rocks, slot canyons, checked all the boxes.  I love that it's so good for kids.  Most of the hikes are short and sweet.  After dinner, we hiked to Delicate Arch, with a thousand other people.  And it seemed shorter than I remember, probably because I wasn't carrying a baby on my back.  Of course the top is super windy, so we didn't linger.  

The next morning, we hiked into the Fiery Furnace.  I worked dang hard for this permit, so I was expecting something magical.  And... it was pretty good.  The organizer in me wished there a just a few more arrows pointing the way around, but we had fun "getting lost".  I'm glad we did it at the same time as many other people coming from the opposite direction.  It made it easier to find the correct slot canyon.  After we got out, we ate lunch, and headed off for more hiking.  I am surprised that even with their new "timed entry system", how crowded it is!  It's still hard to find a parking spot.  I guess it used to be worse?  I'm glad we weren't on any schedule.  The boys liked Sand Dune Arch so much, we went there twice, just so they could play in the sand beneath the arch.  They probably made it into dozens of bystanders' pictures, but not on purpose.  

The next morning, we packed up camp and headed to Moab for a mother's day sacrament meeting, lunch in the park, play time with other kids, and to reorganize the car for the drive home.  The city park was absolutely surrounded by camper vans, bike racks, trailers and lots of people who probably had to check out of their campsites, but didn't want to go home yet.  We're with ya!