Aahh... Moab

Art had several days off for Memorial day, so on Monday we drove down to Moab. We keep saying that we're going to try and hit some of Utah's other national parks, but Canyonlands and Arches seem to keep calling.

We got down there late Monday afternoon, and unloaded at our "cabin", then took a drive on the 50+ mile La Sal loop (which we'd not done before). They were having marvelous storms down there then, so we got to drive through rain, thunder, lightning and a bit of sleet. It rocked! There were fields full of some kind of wild irises and other wildflowers, and with the dark clouds, hills and torrential rain, it felt like we were in in Oregon again!

Our cabin had a set of bunk beds, as well as a full sized bed. Serayah was thrilled beyond belief to be able to sleep in the top bunk. I was a little nervous about it, but there were side rails, and plus, I couldn't shatter her hopes. We were all pretty tired and tried to crash early. Yeah, like that was gonna happen. Cam slept in a sleeping bag (very big deal) on the lower bunk, and Art and I took the larger bed. That lasted 2 hours. Next thing I know, I've got a kid on each side and poor Art's crammed in the lower bunk.

The next morning you would have thought that getting to bed (or at least to sleep) so late would have allowed for a late morning start. You really would have thought that.

Serayah and I had taken our showers and were dressed and ready to go by 7:15. Sigh. After breakfast, we headed into Arches. That's where the pictures below were taken. We trekked up to landscape arch (3d picture) and then Art and Serayah took a more stringent trail (4th picture... they're in the center of the frame). I wasn't too sure about Cam being on a rock face, so we hung out below. Cam plunked down in the middle of the trail next to the sign (I was finally able to skooch him over to the side a bit) and started digging in the red dirt. He was in heaven. We drive 3 1/2 hours, and he's happiest digging in the dirt. Eh.. he's 2 year old boy, what can I expect?











After we came back from our trek, Cam was really in need of a nap (and to be honest, so was mommy... I didn't get a whole lot of sleep the night before). We went back and everyone crashed. It was beautiful.

After a short nap, Serayah woke up and she and Art went swimming while I perused the "hidden pictures" section of several Highlights magazines... Laugh if you want, some of those are tough.

We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening cruising downtown Moab and just relaxing... it was marvelous.

Unfortunately, Serayah started not feeling so well and ended up spiking a pretty high fever. Anytime she's in bed and asleep within 4 minutes of laying down, something's up. We decided not to go to Goblin Valley (bummer!) the next day and just headed home. I'm happy to report that her funk was short-lived and by yesterday afternoon she was feeling great again.

Anyway, sorry about the lengthy post, but I haven't really written anything in a while and we had such a great time (minus the fever) that I had to share. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Pretty Day

Today was beautiful here in sunny Utah... It seemed like winter stuck around forever, but then a switch was thrown and the snow was turned to warm sunshine! We've still got quite a bit of snow in the mountains, but we've been pushing 80 the last few days down in the valleys. Life is great!

We decided to go for a scenic drive today and drive around the Alpine loop, but the road is still closed for the winter... grrr.

We came back home, and we saw this field full of beautiful purple weeds. Serayah was game for some quick snapshots so we ran out and took some while Cam was dozing in the car. After we came home we opted for the sprinkler and water guns.

Enjoy the pictures!

More outside fun

Well in addition to the water shooters mentioned in the blog below, the kids had a great time running and playing yesterday. The weather around here has been just gorgeous, and we've been soaking up the sun. Artimus broke out his motorcycle, which always brings squeals of delight... not only from him... the kids too!
Here are some photos of us just playing. Oh, and just so you guys don't freak out quite so much, the kids don't go past our street (which is very short) when going for bike rides with daddy... they're in my sight the whole time, and they don't go too fast... but man, they sure have fun!!!

Squirt gun fun

Art and I had a lovely date yesterday, (for any of you who care, the new Star Trek movie ROCKED!!!), and while we were out playing, the kids had a date with grandpa. At their adventure at the park, there was a boy who had a "water shooter", as Serayah says. Man, was she impressed! So that led to a trip to the store to get water shooters of their very own. Fortunately, Grandpa is a smart guy, and bought 4 so Mommy and Daddy wouldn't be outgunned (groan). Here are some pics from them having fun yesterday.

Random pics

Here are a few pictures I snapped of the kids while they were playing out in the yard yesterday. Enjoy!

Serayah's first soccer game!

Today was Serayah's first soccer game. She did great!!!! She still doesn't really understand all the rules, and was devastated when the whistle blew 'cause she had tried to pick up the ball. It took a lot of hugs and kisses before she would go back in the game because she thought she was in trouble (which made me so sad!). Anyway, back in the game she went, and ended up scoring one goal on her own and scoring another with a teammate. The weather gods weren't with us, and it was windy and cold, but I'm pretty sure that fun was had by all. I had so much fun watching our little girl... I wish you all could have been there. It was wonderful. Enjoy the pics!

Note the tounge hanging out... that's determination!

Choo Choo Cam

We've got a great friend who lives in Oregon named Sarah. She's got two great boys, ages 7 and 5, and they were at one time obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. As things go, the Thomas has been replaced by Nintendo DS. Because of this, we were able to score an amazing deal on all of their old Thomas stuff. When my dad came this week, he brought a train table, more track than we know what to do with, and engines, cars, and planes... oh my! To say that Cam was excited is the understatement of the year. Yeah... it was great to see grandpa, but as soon as the Thomas stuff was uncovered, that was it. He didn't want to eat, go outside, take a bath... he just wanted his trains! Here are a couple of pictures I snapped the other day... they're not that great, but you can get the idea.

OK... I'm officially a soccer mom.

So, Serayah had her very first soccer practice today. I don't know how naturally talented she is, but what she may lack in talent, she more than makes up for with enthusiasm! She had so much fun, and actually did a great job of listening to Coach Brian give directions. When it was time to run, let me tell you... she RAN! The team has either 6 or 7 kids, ages 4-5, and Serayah's the tallest (go Neiss genes!). Coach Brian used to be our next-door neighbor, and two of his kids, Maddie and Garrett, are on the team with Serayah, so not only did she get to play with them, she made new boy-friends, and loved it. Her first game is this Saturday, so you can be sure that I'll be taking pictures and posting all about it.

Cam and Daddy played at the playground for most of the practice, but when they came over, Cam was trying to get in on the action...

Hope you enjoy the pictures, we sure had a great time!

Bubbles bubbles everywhere!

Well, "It's a beautiful day to play outside" as Serayah told me, so the kids had lots of fun blowing bubbles in the backyard... here are a few quick pics I snapped of them having fun. Enjoy!