We were Hikers for Halloween

We wanted to take the boys to Zion this fall and do a little hiking.  We tried to book a stop at Zion Ponderosa Ranch & Resort for fall break but they were packed.  The boys didn't have school on Halloween day so we thought why not do something different for Halloween this year.  The boys were really excited about going somewhere with a pool.  They didn't even seem phased by the fact that they would miss the Halloween events.  Well as it got closer they were becoming more aware of all they would miss and so they were a little hesitant about how great of an idea this was.  Well in the end I think they  enjoyed it.  We headed down on Thursday and just played at the resort the first night.  The swimming pool was freezing so they didn't play in it with the exception of a few dips that they were doing to fulfill a dare.  The hot tub was great though and so they enjoyed hanging out in there.  They also got a pass to do the zip line.  Cole wasn't brave enough to follow through with--big jump for a little guy.  Cole did get a thrill playing on the mini-golf course.  He couldn't get enough of it.  On Friday we headed into Zion National Park to do some hiking.  The forecast called for rain on Saturday so we decided we better do as many hikes as we could on Friday.  We started with the Emerald Pool hikes.  The boys thought they were really neat.  Especially because we had a great little shower coming off the wall from all the recent rain.   Next we did Angels Landing.  Darryl had to pack Cole for a lot of it-- they were both crazy tough!  Kade and Clint complained some going up but really they could have been worse. :)  They were super tough and their complaints were likely justified.  It is a long steep hike for little guys.  Also the Emerald Pool hike we'd just done was probably much more taxing on them than us.  All of the steps aren't much for us but they are pretty big and exhausting for little legs.  There was one point on the Angels Landing hike that we about stopped but I knew everyone was really fine and that we were so close so we dug down and kept going.  They thought the switchbacks were awesome so that energized them enough to make them run up them.  What a fun accomplishment!!!!  After that we headed over to do the bottom part of the Narrows.  It was super cold so we didn't play in the water.  We took our picture and that was about the extent of it.  The boys loved it and I think would enjoy going back.

The Dog is Gonna' be the Death of Me!

These are a couple pictures I sent to Darryl when I was showing him that Kia was not giving up on escaping.  Ever since we brought him home he has been digging his way out of the backyard. I'm so on edge because of it. My anxiety is through the roof and I can't get anything done because I'm constantly worried about him getting out.  I worry about it so much because 1. I don't think he'll be able to find his way back yet 2. The boys would be heart broken if he was gone for good 3. He wasn't free!  4. I'm not sure what he'd do to a neighboring animal if he were confronted  5. I don't want to spend all day trying to figure out which way he went.  For all these reasons I have become a little crazy.  If I can't hear him I think he must have escaped so I'll burst outside to go look for him and find him being content.  Well that's all it takes to get rid of his contentment. :)   You would think that I could calm down now that I  know he is in fact in our yard still.  Well that isn't the case.  He is now stirred up and determined now more than ever to get out so he starts digging.  Darryl has laid bricks down and buried bricks and he'll still dig them out!  Eventually Darryl dug down a couple feet and put bricks all along the fence.  We're not sure if it was that or the fact that we went to Zion and left him with our friend that broke him of trying to escape but he has seemed to realize that staying home isn't so bad.  Wahoo!  I don't have to be a crazy lady anymore. :) 

"I love the Pumpkins"

 Cole sat out here like this for a good 5 minutes.  :)  He was so happy.  He said, "I just love our pumpkins."

Carving some pumpkins!

We may be leaving for Halloween but that doesn't meant we shouldn't carve pumpkins and have spooky dinner!  That's a tradition we all love and so it's one that we'll keep doing.

Halloween Meet

Kade had a little non-qualifying meet this weekend.  It was a fun meet because they gave everyone a medal and then gave each of the gymnasts feedback on their passes.  It was a great way to get them excited for competition season.

Buddies

It was a sad event that reunited these too buddies.  Jeff's dad passed away and so Darryl went down to pay his respects.  It was a great chance for him to see his friend again as well.  Jeff has been living out of the country and then back east so we haven't been able to see as much of him as we'd like.  Oh the stories these two have to tell their kids about their adventures together.  Those were the days.

Color of Fall!

 I love this tree, especially this time of year when it is vibrant red!  What a wonderful view.

Cole Lost Again

Again the fight to stay awake was lost.  One day you'll get use to not having a daily nap buddy!--One day!