Spring Breakin.....MOAB style

We decided to head to Moab for spring break, hoping for warmer weather-well we didn't find any warmer weather but we still had a great time!

We headed down with my dad, my Uncle Leon, my sister's family and the Drapers (friends of the family-grew up with them)

Bailee's hanging out trying to keep her lunch from blowing away and in the background is my Uncle Leon (dad's brother). We like to pack up our lunches and some snacks and head out and explore with the rangers, jeeps and four wheelers, we love it!!

The boys (Curtis, Hunter & Mason) all found a great place to eat their lunch, and sitting on the rock actually kept you warm!

the 3 musketeers-Bailee, Sage & Kenadee-I am so glad that I live by my sister that our kids could be able to play with each other and to form the bonds that they have with each other. They decided after lunch to hike up the mountain...

Friday was soooooo COLD that we decided that we didn't want to go out riding in that weather so we drove into Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. SO here is a portion of our group and we were bundled up as much as we could. Here at Dead Horse Point the wind was blowing SO hard it felt like it was going to carry you off the point.

My girls playing games around the fire, at least they were getting along. It is always hit and miss with them.

If you can't tell that is Kenadee all bundled up, and when I say bundled this is what I mean: long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, mittens, hat, fleece jacket & rain jacket. Good thing I planned for bad weather!!

This is all my kids and my sisters kids: left to right-Hunter, Curtis, Bailee, Sage & Kenadee

in the front-Jake, Paxton & Jade and believe it or not, all of these kids get along so well!!

Loving it

How Jake eats a marshmellow, not sure if any got in his mouth!

3 musketeers again, usually if you find one you find them all, and usually coming up with some crazy game!

On the way home, I had to put this picture in because that is part of his birthday present that he got while we were camping. He is our spring break baby, and so when I was asking him what he wanted for his birthday all he kept telling me was to be in the mountains!! Don't know how long that will last, he did ask to go on another zip line like he did for his 3rd birthday, but none around...maybe next year!!

Thanks for all the wonderful memories everyone, we had a great time!!

Boys WILL BE boys...and you gotta love 'em

Well this is how he looked right after, but it all started the night before we were to head to Moab for spring break. My boys were downstairs playing and you could hear them wrestling and so to be honest, I tune it out, well all of a sudden I hear a blood curdling scream and run down the stairs and hear Curtis say he's bleeding (at this point still not to worried the boys are ALWAYS getting bloody noses) so then I come around the corner and he is holding his head and there is blood everywhere. So I run to the bathroom-throwing the girls out of the way in the process and grab some toilet paper and rush back to Curtis. So this picture is the end product so scroll and down and see the beginning.

He thought that he looked pretty cool with the head wrap and the camo pj's. He ended up wearing this all week to keep all the dirt and sand out of his wound.

The doctor decided to just do staples and so here we are right after the staples got put in his head. This isn't what hurt, the numbing shot is what really had Curtis hurting, but once it was numb the dr put in the staples and Curtis asked when he was going to start and they were already done-thank heavens!!

Picture quality is not that great, this is at Wee Care and so I am just taking these with my phone. This is the before the dr. came in to have a look, so I took some photos for Curtis to be able to see what it looked like since he couldn't see it.

GROSS-but I actually kept my cool, mom mode kicked in and I handled it (thank goodness for mom mode, because I HATE stuff like this)

All in all Curtis was quite the trooper, and he loved showing off his staples to everyone!!

Scenery to DIE for....really

Queens Bath

Probably one of the most beautiful and amazing places that I have seen. I have to say that these pictures are NOT FROM ME but from a friend who just happened to be in Kauai the same time we were and I asked for his permission to copy these (I didn't take my camera down to Queens bath when we were there so I didn't have any pictures of this place) plus he has an amazing high tech camera (professional) that takes way better pictures so here ya go!!

In calm seas which we didn't have since it is winter you can swim in this hole and just be right next to the ocean. You can imagine in rough and high seas that the waves would come crashing right down on you. Mind you this is lava rock...need I say more?

This place is truly amazing, and when we were there some locals boys were putting on quite the dare devil act. I will try and explain, but I am sure I won't be able to do it justice. Now on the left hand side of the picture it is a good ways down to the water and they (boys) would jump off head first straight into the water, and then swim across to where the larger waterfall is coming off the rock and stand on a ledge that is there. Now on the right you see a couple of different levels, well they would stand with boogie boards on the top level (right side of pic) and wait for a huge wave to come barrelling in and it would come to the top of the shelf and they would jump out and ride the wave down all the levels. Usually they would disappear we thinking they are dying and then the force of the water would shoot them to the top. Truly amazing, we sat and watched for probably 30-45 minutes. I think the boys like all the "tourists" watching them. I just wish I had taken my camera to record video-oh well I will always remember it.

More of queens bath, just beautiful!

I already posted this from MY camera but when I saw Matt's (guys who's pictures these are) I had to have a copy, I love lighthouses and the way the clouds are in this is just beautiful.

Jon and I didn't go on the helicopter ride well because to be honest 1-it costs way to much for me & 2-I always get sick in little helicopters/planes, so there again couldn't justify paying for it when I know I get sick!

This is a view from the helicopter that both my parents and Matt and his wife went on, and again I just loved this picture. We went along this coast in a boat, but from the air is just breathtaking. This is the Na Pali Coast

Thank you Matt for the amazing pictures!!

Another Hawaiian Adventure....

Well as many of you know we got another chance to go to the beautiful island of Hawaii. This last summer we lived on Oahu while Jon was finishing up the temple in Laie. In November we got to go back just the 2 of us for the dedication of the temple for a few days, then we were invited by my parents to go to Kauai the end of February, so we took it

(without kids I might add)

So here is the start of our latest adventure, side note, I have never been to Kauai!!

On Sunday we went to church and then drove around and saw some sights. This is called Wailua Falls, you don't have to hike just drive right up to it. It was beautiful and amazingly enough it is a 173 foot drop to the bottom. We stayed at the top!!

Here is a better view from the top....

We also went to another waterfall (this island has tons of waterfalls) that we could drive to so this one is called Opaeka'a Falls. It was so dirty and you can tell if you look close at the falls, it had been raining a ton-raining like I have NEVER seen it rain before!!

Mom & Dad

Jon and I-see I am in some pictures :-)

We went out on a zodiak raft to go whale watching-AWESOME-highly recommend it, anyway as we were heading out a huge pod of dolphins came over to the boat and starting swimming by us. We saw about 60-70 dolphins, it was soooo cool. I have never been that close to a dolphin in its natural habitat. I got to go to the front of the boat with my dad and lean over the edge, it was quite the experience

more dolphins....

This one was right out in front of the boat, can you tell that I just LOVE dolphins?!?

The captain actually had a guy on the boat with us that took pictures, so as much as I would like to claim these pictures as mine, I cannot. Ever time I would try and take a picture it would make me sick to my stomach as the waves got bigger and bigger, so we bought their disc of pictures which was the way to go. So in the front and working our way back in my dad, Jon, ME and my mom!!

One of the many waterfalls on the Na Pali Coast that you can only see from boat or helicopter.

The Na Pali Coast line, it was absolutely beautiful!!!

the guy standing up front with the camera is our Captain-Capt. Chris of Na Pali Riders. Here is a better view of the kind of boat that we were on. You could get up close and personal with the dolphins and whales, as you will see in later pictures.

Here is a momma whale and her baby that were practically swimming right next to the boat.

We would spot the puff from the whales blow hole and then head in that direction and then just stop the boat and wait for the action and boy did we see the action on this one. What HUGE and beautiful creatures they are.

Same whale jumping, just so you know that is the fin and the head out of the water (when I first saw this one it looked like it was jumping with it's mouth open, not the case)

the splash as they come down-huge!!

Captain Chris-great boat captain, and he loves what he does for a living, he still after soooo many years of taking people out still is fascinated by these creatures.

That lump in my jacket is my camera-that is how I would try and keep it dry when I wasn't trying (key word there) to use it

A female laying on her back with both pectoral fins out of the water, we were told that the female will lay on her back and slap the water with her fins to attract the males to her. The whales come to Hawaii for one purpose and one purpose only-to mate!! Not a bad place...

Male diving, when we would see this you know that they are going deep and take quite awhile to come back to the surface-this is how the males "show off" for the females

Mom & Dad at Pu'u o Kila Lookout-or as most people know it as "Hawaii's Grand Canyon"

One of the many beautiful hawaiian sunsets, this one happens to be at Spouting Horn, which I kept referring to it as Sprouting Horn-hehee

Still at Spouting Horn and there was this amazing hole in the lava rock and the waves would come under the lava rock and fill up this hole and then it gets sucked right back out, not exactly a place that you would swim in, but awesome to watch!

Spouting horn and a blowhole that it the wave was right would shoot water clear up into the air. Must say this is quite a beautiful shot, must of just got lucky

We went and bought Jon a boogie board, because frankly it was cheaper to buy one and have it in the car all the time, than to rent one. I am not sure if he caught this wave just right or if it curled on top of him, but the picture is cool.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE lighthouses and yet I have never been to one up close, well now I can say that I have. This is the Ninini Lighthouse and we drove right up to the front door. This was also a great place to sit and watch the whales-which we did for a little while but then it started to rain really good so we left!

Another boating adventure completely different from our last adventure. This boat had an awesome bathroom on board and we could eat and drink (diet coke for me) all we wanted and we had a BBQ lunch on board. So here is me and then my mom & dad sitting just on the other side

Me standing at the bottom of the stairs to go up to the steering wheel-amazing views from up here!

We also had the opportunity to actually use the sails, which again I have NEVER done. This trip has been a lot of firsts for me.

Thanks mom and dad for a great vacation and adventure we loved it!!!

Our new addition....

Meet the newest member of our family.....Indy

our 6 week old yellow lab

and he has already been loved beyond measure!!

Jake and Bailee quite excited about a puppy. Bailee has been asking for one for quite some time, but I just wasn't sure about another dog. But I am a softy when it comes to puppies and lets be honest babies and since I can't have anymore of the last I guess we will settle for a puppy!

Kenadee can't get enough of just petting him

INDY

already as much a part of the family of Buster (our 11 year old yellow lab)

We love you Indy and are glad you are a part of our family!!