Summer Vacation!

We just got back from St. George, Utah.  I know, not the best place to go to get out of the heat.  But my sister, Melissa, just bought a house there and since we'd never been we thought it would be fun.  My brother, Marky, and his wife and boys came for the week.  Also, my sister, Michele, and her clan came for a few days.  So we had a great time being together and having fun.  

Before we left, our van wasn't running too well, so we borrowed my mom's Altima (thanks mom!).  Considering we didn't have a whole lot of room for the five of us, our kids did pretty well.



I didn't realize how beautiful it would be there.  The red rock is absolutely gorgeous!  We took lots of pictures but they don't do it justice.  We spent a couple different days hiking.  One day we went to Snow Canyon.  It was very hot, but beautiful.  And once you walked into the different small canyons and out of the sun, it was cooler.   We also spent a day at Zion National Park.  That was amazing!  The moutains were so red, with lots of greenery and water.  It was so majestic.  We spent all day and only did two hikes.  So definitely, somewhere we'd like to visit again...just maybe not in July.


Speaking of the heat, since it was still in the 100's while we were there, we frequented the different splash parks they have.  It kept the kids cool and having fun.


One of the parks was located downtown, and right across the street was this cute old general store.  (supposedly, the oldest store in St. George) It had old fashioned pop bottles, candy and a soda shop.  And boy did we enjoy the ice cream...especially Ries.


One night, Lori's friend came over to watch the kids so us adults could go to the Tuacahn Theatre and see Sound of Music.  The theatre is gorgeous, it's an ampitheatre that backs up to the canyon.  And they use the moutain as part of the stage.  (again, the pictures don't do this justice)


The kids wanted to go bowling one day, which of course is always fun.  TJ did very well and was so proud of himself.  (I guess all that Wii playing has paid off).  It was fun to watch my 2-year-old nephew, Max, bowl he'd get so excited and didn't want anyone to help him.  So we all watched as the ball took "an hour" to roll down the lane.   And poor Josie, inherited that terrible Wright behind, where pants will just not stay up.


We also spent a lot of time playing in the water, throwing water balloons and just enjoying being together.



Thanks so much Melissa for sharing your beautiful home with us!  We loved being there and had a great time and made many memories.  And thanks Lori for all your hours spent planning activities for us to do.  We love you guys!!