Sunday, August 7, 2011

Family Vacation to Utah

When we were planning our trip we decided on our way to Utah we would stop in Sedona and stay the night to break up the car ride for the kids. We stayed in Sedona the first night and let me just tell you about our hotel experience. When we first got to Sedona we went to the Jerky Store and got lots of yummy jerky. Then we went to our hotel room which was really nice....well it was nice looking!!! We went swimming, had dinner and watched TV then went to sleep. So at about 1:30 in the morning Andrew woke up to eat and I felt something crawling on me! I said Joshua are you awake and he said yes I said turn the freakin light on because something is crawling on me!!!! Come to find out it was a ROACH! Yes a roach and I wanted to freak the HECK out. I couldn't sleep thinking that a roach was crawling on me agggg yuck ewwwww!! I HATE ROACHES! So finally after laying in the bed wide awake til 4am I finally decided to sleep in the tub. I finally got a few hrs. of sleep and yes I did let the front desk know when we checked out that they needed to spray there room and the whole roach story. So I paid $150 for a roach to crawl on me and sleep in the tub....ahh what a night.

The next morning we went to the Fish Hatchery and the girls had so
much fun catching fish.


In action



Yay they caught 1....

and another...

and another:)

On our way to Kanab we stopped at the bridge and I thought this picture
was so cute of Andrew and with his daddy:).
PINK CORAL SAND DUNES

We rented a 4 wheeler and went for the day to the Pink Coral Sand Dunes

Fun in the Sand

Andrew is so easy going.

The girls LOVED riding with Joshua

All smiles

Mariyah loves to build house and had fun in the sand



What a mean mom I am. I wanted to get a picture of Andrew and instead he went face first into the sand...poor baby boy. He was a trooper and I washed his face asap.


Cute kids:)



Who says mom's can't have fun:)

Cedar City Visit
We went to Cedar City where Joshua lived til he was 9 and this is where his Grandparents house was. We knocked on the door and the people who live there now were so nice and let us come in and see the house now.

The girls had fun climbing in the tree that was in Joshua's backyard
when he was growing up.

The tree has really grown in 20 years.

The front of the house that Joshua and his family lived in
and built in Cedar City


Joshua's Grandpa passed away when he was 7 and we visited his grave in Cedar City. He told us lots of amazing stories of his grandpa and it was neat to hear who is grandpa was and the great qualities he had. The girls learned a lot about their great grandpa as well.

Hurricane Visit
Our next stop was seeing his Grandma Hadley. She was so excited to see us and to meet Andrew and it was nice visiting with her. She lives in Hurricane where Joshua grew up from 9 til his mission. We also visited where Joshua went to High school and we saw where he grew up and it was really fun hearing all the stories he told us of his small town of Hurricane.


We hiked a Moderate Hike at Zion and it was GORGEOUS!!!

Me with my kids:)


Joshua with the kids:)


Joshua's Great Great Grandpa helped build the tunnel in Zion and yes we had fun screaming in the tunnel and having it echo echo echo lol.



Yay we made it to the top and the girls were happy we made it. It was quite scary
at time with the cliffs but we did it.

The girls were "cooling" off in the shade lol


Our Family at the Top of Zion



Fun pictures and yes Andrew is way to big for the pouch but that's what we
had and he did amazing and it worked out great. He was so happy and loved it!!!



Hot Springs heated by a VOLCANO


Joshua and Mariyah enjoying the Hot springs

They were beautiful and very refreshing and therapeutic because they have minerals and such that are great for your body.

The "cave" was pretty fun for the girls. The water was really hot so they
didn't stay in this area for very long.

Brooklyn can swim but I had her wear her floaties and I am grateful I did because she about drowned in the Virgin River. It was the scariest experience of my life with her. Joshua and Mariyah were in the river and the current was pretty strong. I told Brookie to wait til Joshua could help her. She decided to go in and I was at the top of the hill and she fell in and the current started taking her. I put Andrew down and ran down barefoot on the rocks and was able to grab her and held tight to her. Joshua hurried out of the river and Mariyah went to stay by Andrew while Joshua got in the river where we were and I handed Brookie to Joshua . I was trying not to cry but I was shaking and had to contain myself until I got out. It was so scary and Joshua said Amy I don't know how you were able to get to her and I said she was definitely being watched over because he watched it all happen and couldn't believe what he was seeing. I love my kids and will do anything for them and I know she was being watched over and that I was suppose to put floaties on her because she hasn't worn them this summer but sometimes we don't know why were suppose to do things but we do and now I know why.













We love Mariyah, Brookie and Andrew so much:)

I love this photo because Andrew seriously loves his sisters
and he watches everything they do.





Lake Time

This lake was the best and I wish we had one like this in AZ. So the lake used to be sand dunes so you can go so far walking on sand:). It was seriously a beach feeling.

Girls with Daddy

The kids loved playing with their cousins
(2nd Cousins but more like 1st)


Playing in the sand and getting all dirty and lovin it!!

Nap Time

The kids had so much fun on the rafts and I still hadn't gotten over what happened to
Brookie so floaties for her and she understood.


Tasha and I enjoying the lake with the kids.



PARK/CAROUSEL TIME

Brookie loved riding on the carousel and it was outside which was fun and
the weather was so nice in St. George.


FUN FUN!

Fun with Sister

Andrew didn't want to get off the horse.

They had a splash pad and the kids had fun getting wet.

Story Time

Joshua told us a really neat story about the windows on the Tabernacle in St George. His Great Great Grandpa Peter Nelson lived in Leeds at the time the building was being built and he had saved up money over the years so his family could build a home. Well when he found out that the Tabernacle was being built he felt that he needed to go and see if they needed his money. He traveled and made it there and Brigham Young said your an answer to our prayer because this is the EXACT amount of money we need to finish putting the windows in the Tabernacle. What an extremely Faithful Great Great Grandpa he had.



Brooklyn is ALL girl and LOVES to smile for the camera and pose:)

Baby Quinn's Blessing in Washington outside of St. George

Tasha and me with our babies:)

Our family with the Hadley family:):)

Love ya Tasha:)

Mariyah loved holding baby Quinn and Andrew:).