A Little Fieldtrip

Our last preschool gathering for the year--a fieldtrip to the petting zoo:

Cares and a few of her little buddies with their "diplomas"

Olivia loved the animals and squealed with delight over and over again

Brave Caroline (she's blocking her eyes because of the sun--not the llama :)

Bentley and Mason checking out the peacock. When we first saw the bird he was quite calm with his feathers settled down. I told Bentley and Cares to do a crazy dance for him--and they took to it whole-heartedly! Sure enough they fired him up and we got the full plume :)

2 years ago--I love this pic. Look how much she's grown!

petting a baby goat

and a silky soft baby bunny (now I wish we had one of our own--he was too soft and cute!)

Officially

Summer.

Bentley had his last day of Kindergarten on Friday and his last soccer game today. After the game we spent the day in the yard pulling a million weeds and mowing the lawn, and then playing at the pool to cool off (and get some laps done).







The hubby and I squeezed in a date night too--shopping for Father's Day gifts, sharing some Marble Slab ice cream, and seeing Iron Man 2 (classic guy movie but still entertaining). It was still warm outside when we exited the theater at 10:00 at night. It felt amazing. I think I've always been a summer girl...

The Rest

Sunday: We took it easy but did manage to organize a big family picture before Tye and Stacey had to leave. And in the afternoon we attended church in Orderville. Small towns are super cool.

Please ignore my silly/naughty little Bentley in this picture...he has decided all pictures require a crazy face/lazy-eye pose lately. He pulled that face on every picture we took that morning--Joseph is totally fired for teaching him such antics...

Monday: ziplining and more ziplining!

...and one last hike in Zion before heading home

We really loved this trip. It was so fun to have: all 10 cousins around, silly adult game nights, cool cabins and gorgeous view, lots of active play for the kids and grown-ups, calm time for each little family when we needed to wind down, beautiful babies to snuggle and happy kids to tease, yummy treats, warm sunny days and cool canyon nights, proud grandparents and great company.

Thanks for all of it Mom and Dad! When can we do it again? ;)

Day 2

Mini-golf on the brand new course, horseback riding, and more swimming (yet I don't have any pictures of the pool...)




In the early evening we hiked a trail into Zion that started right by the ranch and ended with a stunning view down into the canyon.

the crew on Overlook hike

Chad's "walking stick"

Once the kids were in bed we gathered as adults. We gave my mom a 60th book filled with 60 letters from her nieces, nephews, in-laws, study group friends, neighbors and friends both old and new, and her husband and children. My siblings and I have been working on this project for nearly 3 months so it was wonderful to pull it all together and present it to my mom. We sat around for a few hours and read all the letters. And yes, Joseph made sure we laughed a lot during that time--and although it was long, I thought it was touching and hilarious at the same time, and one of my favorite things about our trip.

the logo Joseph created for my mom's birthday and the 60 letters project

Day 1

Emerald pools in Zion, swimming all afternoon back at the ranch, and a dutch oven dinner on the Ponderosa's extensive property.

the drive into Zion from the east is pretty spectacular, long and quite windy but also very scenic

heading up the trail

the Allen family

Dads toting babies (Livs is hiding)

it wasn't enough to hike on a trail--my kids had to climb every rock to get the full experience

heading out to our dutch oven dinner

the Smith family

everyone loves Joe!

grandparent picture

Where Have We Been?

...just got home from a 5 day adventure in Zion. We celebrated my mom's 60th birthday with a big Smith family trip to a beloved spot of hers. We actually stayed in East Zion up in the mountains at Zion Ponderosa and spent a few days in the National Park and a few just playing at the ranch and enjoying our time together. It was a huge success and my kids are already planning how many zipline rides and hikes they can fit in next time we are there...guess we better head back soon!

More to come later--can't quite wrap my head around the 400+ pictures we have just yet...

LeBaron crew at Middle Emerald Pool, Friday, May 28th