Spring Break was last week. About 4 days before Spring Break started, Thunder called me from work and asked, "so, hey, what do you think about renting an RV and visiting some national parks next week?" After I had a few minutes to wrap my mind around that, I figured that would be great fun!
This is our RV. Ahhhh, our lovely RV. We learned so much about fixing RV's on this trip. Some interesting "features" we discovered:
retractable stairs to get inside the RV- not functional... we used a stepping ladder
the door separating off the back bedroom, um, fell off the frame
the heater stopped working one night
the generator overcharged the accessory battery (to power onboard electronics), resulting in boiling battery acid that smelled like rotten eggs
we clipped a dear; we almost missed it.... almost
our kids absolutely LOVED the RV!! (Or SURV according to Sunshine) Great way to travel
We stopped here on our way through Zion National Park. Cloudburst felt like dancing when she saw the beautiful scenery.
After driving through Zion's, we decided to head to Bryce National Canyon for the night. And it snowed that night. Randall and Michelle's heat went off the whole night.
We spent the rest of the trip in Moab. We had wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, but the north rim is closed until mid-May! Bummer. On Thursday we rented an off-roading Jeep and headed into the Canyonlands Park near Moab. We started on Potash Road and it was so BUMPY. I swear the baby dropped a few inches from this ride.
The kids loved the ride, but they held on for dear life in several sections.
After climbing several hundred feet, we stopped here for a breather. The expansive views were just breathtaking.
It was so fun to watch the kids' eyes open wide as they took it all in.
We caravanned everywhere with Randall and Michelle and kids. Cloudburst found a surrogate little sister.
And this is what it's like for an 8-months-preggers lady to climb repeatedly into a small Jeep. At the time of our trip I was 35 weeks along.
We then drove on another trail to Musselman Arch, which is one of the few arches that people are allowed to walk on. I thought Thunder was absolutely nuts to walk across with all 3 kids, but that's how brave dads are!
It was about 3-4 feet across. I had a brave guide on our Indiana Jones-like walk.
The kids all got along great! It was fun to travel with friends.
We then drove up, up, up the Shafer Trail. It kept climbing and climbing on a narrow road with sheer cliffs right out my window. We collected rocks from the side of the mountainside. I was getting a bit sore by this point and was never so happy to see asphalt at the end of our ride.
In the Canyonlands, we drove down to Mesa Arch. The hike in was only about 1/2 mile... just about my limit.
This is all of us in front of Mesa Arch. The air was so fresh and the view was humbling.
We took one more short off-roading trip back to Moab, along Long Canyon Road. Along the way, each car has to pass under a giant boulder that fell several years ago.
Too bad the kiddies missed the end of the ride!
On Wednesday, we had passed a park, and the kids made us promise that we would play at a real park. Zion National Park? No, mom, a real park.
See? All the kids enjoyed playing at the park.
Friday we went over to Arches. I knew we wouldn't be able to visit many of the arches, since they require long or strenuous hikes, but Sand Dune Arch sounded perfect for us and the kids. Too bad it was cold and blustery!
All of us had sand blown into our eyes, hair, and clothes, and we had to dump out our shoes before getting back in the RV. If you can see the small dot at the top of this pic, it is Thunder's head peaking over the top of this slickrock near Sand Dune Arch.
More fun at Sand Dune Arch.
Awww, what a handsome guy.
Here is the Parade of Elephants... one of the many arches we had to enjoy from the road due to lack of parking.
We all looked forward to taking a nice warm shower at the end of the day... one of the perks of finding a nice RV park!
Last week we went on a spontaneous RV trip to Moab, Bryce Canyon and Zion National park... pics to come.
Last night at dinner, Tornado had eaten an entire hamburger and had some undisturbed strawberries on his plate. Me: Tornado, is your belly full? Tornado: It's wonderful!
We just had a nice relaxing day by ourselves at home. The kids each got clues to find Easter baskets... Cloudburst had hers written out in words for the first time, and the boys had pictures. They each got a toy and some candy, though not as much as last year since we still do our Treat Days just two days a week. We still have Christmas candy left! It was nice to go to church and really think about the amazing miracle of the Resurrection. Too bad Dad had to be to church too early for pictures! We hope you all had a great Easter as well!
Yes, I know this post is just a few days late... but give a prego lady a break. A few days before April 1, Michelle H. and I conspired on a great prank for our dear true-blue, BYU-fan hubbies. We got things ready, got some help in putting our plan into motion, and covered the office in
RED everywhere!
I came to the office later that morning, but everything (balloons, streamers, signs) was taken down. The only thing thing left was a Ute logo on the dart board. Then for dinner that night, we decided to be totally backwards and eat dessert first...
and dinner last.
Imagine the kids' surprise to find the cupcakes were made out of meatloaf (with colored mashed potatoes on top) and dessert was toasted angel food cake with orange frosting. The kids got into April Fool's day themselves too:
Sunshine spent the whole day saying silly things and then immediately saying "April Fools! HA hahahahah!" For example... "We're moving to China!" or "Mom you're having a girl baby!" or "Mom you're a mo-mo! April Fools!" What does that mean anyway?
Cloudburst made a secret list of what she wanted to do on April Fool's Day. She kept telling me, "Mom, don't look at my list behind the couch!" Then that day when Tornado was thirsty, I went to get a cup of water from our bathroom, and there were no cups or toothbrushes! She came running in laughing, so I asked her what else was on her list. That was it. Thank goodness for short lists.
Tornado is apparently an alien, judging by those eyes. And he spent the whole day repeating exactly what Sunshine said. In fact, he does that every day.
And you can see what a simple sense of humor I have... I still think it's a great computer trick to change somebody's eyes! Hopefully you had a great April Fool's Day!
...were blowing today (literally and figuratively). In church, Thunder was sustained as the Bishop of our ward. As a family, we are excited. This morning, we told the kids and asked them, "what do you think this means?" Sunshine chimed in, "that means Daddy will be really old," and Cloudburst added, "and you will be a Grandma!" After church the kids were very excited to go visit the Bishop's office and see who was sitting in there. As a family, we have prayed a lot about this, and feel peace and excitement. Our ward is just great and we look forward to this new journey for our family.
Last week we went bowling with some friends. While this was not such a pregnant-friendly activity, the kids loved it!
Cloudburst had fun choosing the ball, looking at the different colors, and had a great dance to follow up every throw. Sunshine kept trying different methods to make the ball go the fastest- kinda hard with the bumpers and ball ramp.
Tornado did NOT want anyone to help him carry his ball. He picked up that 8-pounder and lumbered over to the ramp... got the ball up there most of the time by himself....
and ended up beating everybody with the high score of 121! Not bad for his first time bowling.
No, I'm not 30 years old, I'm about 30 weeks pregnant! I might even be 31 weeks, depending on which counting method you use. This is totally the home stretch! So why does May seem so far away??? This was taken before Thunder and I left for a business dinner honoring top Utah businesses.
I must say I can't complain too much. By this time in my last pregnancy my hips were sore most of the time and walking was painful. This time around I have kept up on my exercise (3 times a week, anyway) and I feel pretty good. My hips and pelvic bones have started to hurt at night, but sleeping with a million pillows helps (one under my torso, two under my head, one between my knees). I also wear support socks every day, which is helping with the emerging veins on my upper legs. Lovely. Oh, and a little self-tanning lotion never hurts...
Yesterday I returned home from a church meeting to hear Sunshine screaming excitedly, "Mom the coolest thing in the world happened!" And then Cloudburst ran out to meet me holding a ziploc bag with something very valuable in it...
Her first tooth!
Cloudburst carried that bag around with her all day, showing and telling everyone we saw. While I had been gone, Thunder noticed how loose it was and pulled it out for her. She said she didn't even know he pulled it out, so it must have been ready!
I can't believe my baby girl is big enough to start losing teeth!
We decided a while ago that it was time for change with sleeping arrangements. We even played "Musical Beds" a few times to try things out (yes, we called it that, and the kids still ask to play it again). We eventually decided that Cloudburst would move into the guest room to have her own space, and Sunshine and Tornado would start rooming together. The baby will get the last room, which will also double as our guest room now. So we officially have a Boys Room and a Girl room to have fun with! So I got a few colors of vinyl and went to town on my Cricut:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
And then this past weekend we completed a project that I've been wanting to do for a while... get control over the toys! We had toys in a cabinet downstairs, and also in a closet upstairs. And then they pretty much ended up all over the house, just waiting to get stepped on in the middle of the night. No more, Mama's had enough!
Before:
After:
All of the toys are now upstairs in the closet, nicely organized by toy type. Now, if you look VERY closely, you may notice the new door knob I installed... with a LOCK on it. Ha ha! Cloudburst and Sunshine kept asking me why we needed a new door handle. I just told them it was because Tornado kept making messes. Well, that's one-third true... And this pic I had to throw in to show you Tornado's new wardrobe options... they now include underwear! Yes, we are in the midst of potty-training. He's had a few accidents, but is definitely starting to get the hang of things. It helps to have the whole cheerleading squad in the bathroom to throw him a party whenever he does his business. Having a big brother and sister definitely has its perks!
My one and only daughter, Happy Birthday! I can't believe that I am a mother of a big 6-year-old. I still remember the day you were born, with your dark hair and tan skin (yes you were born darker than I am in the summer). I hope you felt special that morning. We had a special monkey bread breakfast (no nuts!) and then you got to go to school, where you received a special delivery from a special visitor! Yes, Dad came to visit his Princess and brought you some beautiful pink roses. You were beaming when I came to pick you up with your friend for a special lunch! We decided to start a new family tradition this year- we are going to alternate years for family and friend birthday parties. But you have made such a good friend in school and wanted to share your birthday with her. What could be better than a birthday lunch? And let me tell you, you and your brothers were beyond excited when I said you could each get a Happy Meal and play! Later, Dad came home from work and you opened your birthday presents. You were so excited to see new clothes, books, a towel, a sleeping bag and things for your new room (this is when you moved into a bedroom by yourself)! The whole day, you were so grateful and appreciative of the special attention you were getting. I still can't believe what a good little reader you are. This morning I noticed your light on at 6:30 AM, and you were up reading! You work so hard to figure out the words, and now you are really getting into some great stories. You and Sunshine are such good friends. I hope you don't miss rooming with him too much! Now you both have sleeping bags, so maybe it's time for a sleepover. After your requested dinner of chocolate chip pancakes, we went to the Build a Bear workshop, where you and your brothers got to each make a new friend. You chose to dress your bear in baby clothes. You will be getting a new baby brother in just 11 weeks, and you are already telling me how you will help. I am glad you will be old enough to remember this new baby when he comes to our family. Here you are with your brothers and your bears. You do have a great time with your brothers. You are such a good helper with Tornado; he doesn't even ask me for drinks anymore, he just goes straight to you. And you and Sunshine spend hours outside together, even if no one else is outside with you. I'm glad you guys feel like you are on the same team. After building a bear, we came home to eat a bear! I had a few helpers who made sure the balloons were decorated just right. This year we made a puzzle cake that is made out of differently shaped cupcake holders that fit together. You sure do love your sweets! You can eat chocolate faster than anyone I know. That's why your eyes are so brown, right? As I was sitting downstairs at the end of this fun day, I kept thinking about how big you are getting. I just want to hug you tight enough to keep you small forever! But I am so proud of you and the good choices you are making. I want to remember all your fun smiles and crazy forward rolls. And wouldn't you know it, as I was thinking about how much you are growing, you came downstairs and showed me your first loose tooth! You really are getting big. I love you very much! Love, Mom
This is our RV. Ahhhh, our lovely RV. We learned so much about fixing RV's on this trip. Some interesting "features" we discovered:
We stopped here on our way through Zion National Park. Cloudburst felt like dancing when she saw the beautiful scenery.
After driving through Zion's, we decided to head to Bryce National Canyon for the night. And it snowed that night. Randall and Michelle's heat went off the whole night.
We spent the rest of the trip in Moab. We had wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, but the north rim is closed until mid-May! Bummer. On Thursday we rented an off-roading Jeep and headed into the Canyonlands Park near Moab. We started on Potash Road and it was so BUMPY. I swear the baby dropped a few inches from this ride.
The kids loved the ride, but they held on for dear life in several sections.
After climbing several hundred feet, we stopped here for a breather. The expansive views were just breathtaking.
It was so fun to watch the kids' eyes open wide as they took it all in.
We caravanned everywhere with Randall and Michelle and kids. Cloudburst found a surrogate little sister.
And this is what it's like for an 8-months-preggers lady to climb repeatedly into a small Jeep. At the time of our trip I was 35 weeks along.
We then drove on another trail to Musselman Arch, which is one of the few arches that people are allowed to walk on. I thought Thunder was absolutely nuts to walk across with all 3 kids, but that's how brave dads are!
It was about 3-4 feet across. I had a brave guide on our Indiana Jones-like walk.
The kids all got along great! It was fun to travel with friends.
We then drove up, up, up the Shafer Trail. It kept climbing and climbing on a narrow road with sheer cliffs right out my window. We collected rocks from the side of the mountainside. I was getting a bit sore by this point and was never so happy to see asphalt at the end of our ride.
In the Canyonlands, we drove down to Mesa Arch. The hike in was only about 1/2 mile... just about my limit.
This is all of us in front of Mesa Arch. The air was so fresh and the view was humbling.
We took one more short off-roading trip back to Moab, along Long Canyon Road. Along the way, each car has to pass under a giant boulder that fell several years ago.
Too bad the kiddies missed the end of the ride!
On Wednesday, we had passed a park, and the kids made us promise that we would play at a real park. Zion National Park? No, mom, a real park.
See? All the kids enjoyed playing at the park.
Friday we went over to Arches. I knew we wouldn't be able to visit many of the arches, since they require long or strenuous hikes, but Sand Dune Arch sounded perfect for us and the kids. Too bad it was cold and blustery!
All of us had sand blown into our eyes, hair, and clothes, and we had to dump out our shoes before getting back in the RV. If you can see the small dot at the top of this pic, it is Thunder's head peaking over the top of this slickrock near Sand Dune Arch.
More fun at Sand Dune Arch.
Awww, what a handsome guy.
Here is the Parade of Elephants... one of the many arches we had to enjoy from the road due to lack of parking.
We all looked forward to taking a nice warm shower at the end of the day... one of the perks of finding a nice RV park!
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