House Progress and Trip to Bryce Canyon

Progress continues on the bathroom. Once the shower was completed, we had a week or so to get the floor done before Jesse came back to do the finish plumbing.

Justin and I have done flooring in our other house so we saved some money and installed this one ourselves too. It turned out so good!

Love the random pictures I find on my phone.

Erica spent a good chunk of the morning building a fairy house out of twigs I pruned from a shrub.

It kept blowing over so she moved to a flower bed and stuck it in the dirt. 

On Wednesday we left for Cedar City. This whole trip was going to places I had never been to before. We met Justin's parents at Kanarra Falls to do the hike up to the waterfalls. Most of the hike is walking up the stream.

The water was perfectly cool to go with the hot afternoon.

Climbing over rocks and playing in the water? My kids were in heaven.

It's a long hike--made especially longer when the kids stop at every cool rock or branch along the way. Henry thought this looked like an elephant trunk.

The stream winds through a slot canyon. This was my favorite part. (It's probably everyone's favorite part.)

The ladder to get up these falls had washed out in the crazy rainstorms the area has been getting. Sarah went through the falls and got soaked.

Sadly that's as far as we could get this time. I hope they put the ladder back up so next time we are there we can venture a little farther. We headed back down--quicker than the way up since we were hot and tired.

From there we ate dinner at a Chinese place in Parawon then went to Brian Head resort to a couple of condos for the rest of the weekend. That night the rest of Justin's brothers arrived. Henry spent some time reading to Bridger the next morning.

Thursday, while the rest of the family went to hike Kanarra Falls, we took our kids to Cedar Breaks (never been before) It was so pretty. And windy.

Then we drove down Parawon Canyon and did a hike called Hidden Haven. I'm not gonna lie, we were not happy hikers. We didn't know how long it was so it felt really long. Most of it was dry and in the sun but then we came to the creek bed and then it got cool.

Water dripped from this rock.

And then we made it to the end where there was a waterfall.

So the hike was worth it after all. It's just funny how not knowing how long the hike is or what it likes makes it harder to keep going. There's a greater application for that principle somehow.

From there we stopped in Parowan to hit up the café for their famous cinnamon rolls. They were all sold out. Sigh. Then we continued on to Cedar City and met the whole family for pizza.

The whole gang.

Then we went back to the condo and took the kids swimming. 

Friday we spent the day in Bryce Canyon (never been there before either.) How have I never been here?? We hiked down from Sunset Point and wound down Wall Street.

I swore we were in the Middle East or something.

Seriously, Utah. Stop showing off.

I love this tree.

Life can be found in the most barren of places.

James claimed this hoodoo as his own.

We hiked along the bottom for awhile. I love the contrast of the green against the canyon walls.

And then we headed back up Navajo Trail which takes you right by Thor's hammer.

James says it's his hammer now.

So we ended up at the same point we started. It was the perfect length and difficulty level for our little crew and for the hot temperature of the day. I want to go back when the kids are bigger and do the Fairyland Loop.

We drove to a few more lookout points. Stunning all around.

After this we drove to Tropic for lunch and then did the Mossy Cave hike. It was a little underwhelming.

The trail was long and hot. You couldn't really get in the cave or even out of the sun.

And there wasn't that much water. Maybe it's better earlier in the spring. 

Then we stopped at the touristy area outside of the national park for some souvenirs and to stick the kids in jail.

But we let them out for ice cream.

Pineapple sherbet and raspberry sorbet. Yum!

Saturday the smoke rolled in and kind of killed the desire to go outside much. I took the kids swimming and Justin went mountain biking and we played games. Sunday we packed up and took the scenic drive home on highway 89 and drove through some towns and canyons I had never been to before. I love Utah--there's so much I've seen and still so much I haven't!

Rage Painting and Other Home Improvements

 I can't look at that red door one more day, I thought to myself as I drove up to the house. I got out my primer and a can of exterior paint left behind. 

We've been here for more than a month. I don't want people thinking I like the red door.

Three days and 4 coats of paint (and a knocker, peephole and a new rug) later...

I may paint it another color someday but for now, like the rest of the house, it just needs to be clean and white.

Jesse Estevez, the contractor doing our bathrooms, would comment every morning when he arrived that I was always working. One morning I was sweeping the driveway and sidewalk, the next day stapling a carpet runner to the stairs. "You are always working!" I'd laugh and tell him I had to get an early start before it got too hot. Then there was the morning I was giving James a haircut in the kitchen when Jesse arrived. "You cut hair too?! Justin is a very lucky guy!" Jesse is my favorite contractor out of all the people we've worked with. 😄

When you hand Jesse a badly drawn sketch and show him taped out walls on the subfloor and he can create this.....

Justin and I also finished putting up all the cabinet doors in the kitchen. 

It takes us way longer to empty the dishwasher but it's worth it. We may even get the handles put on sometime soon.

Our master shower is done which means Justin and I will need to put the flooring in and then we can get the tub and vanity out of our bedroom. The kids don't mind it in there though.

The basement bathroom is almost done too--just waiting for the wall kit to come in. Three full operating bathrooms?? What would that be like?

Pioneer Day 2021 (We're back!)

 After a disappointing start to the morning (the pancake breakfast ran out of food and we had to park super far away from our parade spot) we watched Mapleton's parade. It's a slow and simple parade. One must enjoy it for what it is. I hope they never get real floats.

These kids are getting too big.

"A monster truck fire truck!" This was James's favorite.

Then we headed to the park to play games and jump on the bounce houses (or bouncy houses as my kids call them).

Sarah waited in line for 30 minutes to climb the rock wall.

After we spent all our tickets, we left to get lunch at Chick-fil-a and then went home. That evening we went to the sports park for the festivities there--beginning with the ping pong ball drop to win a bike (we didn't win a bike)

And then when the sun goes down and the glowsticks come out--it's that magical time waiting for the fireworks to start.

And then there's the fireworks of course. It's such a good show. Totally worth parking a half mile away, the heat, the average band and the slow drive home.

You know it's good when ash is falling on you.

Would you believe James fell asleep on my lap during all this? He did.