Preschool and Family Fun

The kids started their preschool summer session this week.  Blair is in DK and Will is starting in the smallest classroom.  They are both excited about school and we have had no issues with the transition.

First day pics:

We had a beach bonfire this week with our church small group and had a great time grilling hot dogs and s'mores.

Brack and the kids got out Blair's new science lab kit for some experiments this week too:

Will had his first soccer practice this evening.  After this the sessions consist of playing actual games.  The kids are 2-3, so it should be really amusing.

Southwest Trip Day 6 - Zion and Bryce

We started our day at Zion National Park with a hike to the Emerald Pools.  Will was not that excited about the hike at the beginning and I caught the best picture of him:

We made it to the pools and the waterfall was more of a trickle, but the kids had a great time spotting wildlife - deer, dragonflies and tadpoles.

There was a little river when we got back to the lodge and we decided to take a quick wade.

You can see how many tadpoles there were here:

Blair was a little reluctant to get in at first, but afterward, she was proud and posed with Mom.

Then we drove to Bryce Canyon and the drive was fantastic.

Bryce was probably the prettiest park on our entire trip.

Brack took the kids back to the cabin for the night and let Jenn go on a dusk hike down into the canyon.  Here are some shots from the hike (Mojave trail):

This was our cabin for the night:

We drove all the way home on Day 7.  Overall, the trip was amazing.  The kids did great and we all made some fabulous memories.

Southwest Trip Day 5 - Grand Canyon

We spent Day 5 in the Grand Canyon.  We went for a morning hike on the Kaibab Trail.  Jenn's goal was to make it to the Coconino Overlook but it became quickly apparent that while the kids would probably make it there okay, the return trip (uphill) would not be pretty.  

Brack and the kids turned around and Jenn forged ahead and made it to the overlook.

The kids managed to get completely filthy on the hike.  When Jenn caught back up to them, Will was pouring handfuls of dirt on his head.  They enjoyed the water filling station at the end of the hike.

You can kind of see how dirty he is here:

In the evening, we went out to enjoy a last view of the canyon:

We went to the Lodge's cookout experience for dinner.  We took a little train out to the woods where dinner and a show were set up.  The kids had a ball!

Here is a picture of the bison that have recently made their home in the canyon:

Southwest Trip Day 4 - Four Corners and Grand Canyon

On day four, we drove to Four Corners Monument, where the states Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet.  We took some cute family pictures - one family member in each state:

Then, we drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The North Rim (as compared to the South Rim) is supposed to be less touristy and a little more wild.  We loved it and had a great time.  We took a short hike when we arrived to some lookout points.

Brack climbed a big rock!

The kids were most excited that our cabin had bunk beds for them:

Before dinner at the Lodge:

 Brack especially enjoyed his ribs at dinner:

Sunset selfie:

Southwest Trip Day 3 - Mesa Verde

This morning we had breakfast at our bed and breakfast outside on the patio.  We had yummy blueberry pancakes, sausage and watermelon.

The kids enjoyed the hammocks this morning too:

After breakfast, we drove to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, known for their cliff dwellings.

On the hike down to the dwellings:

Spruce Tree dwellings:

We hiked down to see them up close!

You could climb down a ladder into a tiny underground room.  Will was relentless until we let him do it with Dad.

View of the Cliff Palace dwellings:

Will checking out the dwellings: