Friday morning started in St. George. Brady woke up at 5am, so excited to see our kids. We spent time at the house, and even had a few minutes to play at the pool--which was the temperature of ice. The kids took turns looking tough, then shocked.
Zac jumped into the pool dozens of times anyway because he was getting so much attention.
Love this:
And this:
Flexing muscles:
...but he's got a long way to beat Rachel's definition:
More dismayed expressions:
Mom and Dad were willing to watch the kids while we hiked the Subway. Unfortunately, we missed the opening of Zion National Park by one day, but they still offered to watch the little ones while we hiked Plan B, Kanarraville Slot Canyon.
We parked in the lot, and discovered that between three families, none of us could come up with the $10 parking fee. Kristen wrote a check and stuck it in the fee slot. Still wondering what happened with that check...
We had two fancy cameras on this 6.5 mile excursion, and we averaged a photo every 100 yards.
Cory and Kristen win for most prepared, with the neoprene socks.
Bryson won for keeping his feet dry the longest. The hike was stream crossings and eventually wading straight through water, so eventually he had to cave like the rest of us.
Ang and Paul win for posting an Instagram/Facebook photo on this hike and not mentioning any of us in it:
We haven't seen fall for 7 years.
My favorite shot of the trip:
Starting in on the slot.
We reached the first waterfall, Kanarra Falls, shortly after entering the slot canyon. A sketchy ladder and rope system kept us from plunging into the (small but freezing) water.
A short boulder climb:
Some more of my favorite pictures:
We ditched our packs/cameras at the second waterfall and continued on until we were too cold, finding another waterfall and more gorgeous views of the canyon. Then we ran most of the way back, chasing sunlight and a dinner reservation at a Hibachi-style restaurant with Mom and Dad.
Mom and Dad made memories with the kids while we were gone, with each kid creating their own pine cone figure.
We're going to call this the "before" shot. Read on.
Paul let the kids jump all over him.
Saturday morning, we started gathering things and preparing for the drive back. Many of the family had tickets to the BYU Homecoming game that night. As were making the last preparations to leave, Zac came in sobbing, with blood dripping everywhere. Brady starting cleaning him up, unable to gauge where the blood originated. Zac asked, "Is my eye going to pop out?!?" We reassured him that we thought his eye was fine, and it turned out the bleeding came directly above and to the right of his eye.
We figured he would need a butterfly bandage, but wanted to double check with a doctor first, so we went to an Instacare in St. George. We're glad we did. He needed stitches. This was Zachary's first round with stitches, and his lower lip was quivering the minute he heard the news:
He didn't cry at all during the procedure, and earned himself an Artic Circle shake. The week's events wore the kids out, though, and they slept for hours of the trip home.
Angela, Logan, Mom and Dad joined us for a meal at Zupas on the way back to Heber.
When we got back, Kate wanted her Grandma to hold her.
Sunday, we went to Brady's home ward with Mom and Dad, and then set off to see Grandma and Grandpa Nufer. Zac and Kate were both excited, thinking this was my Mom and Dad, but got over their disappointed and played the afternoon away in their basement filled with bean bags. After that, we went to Cory and Kristen's to say hello (er...munch on their treats, steal their diapers, and generally bring chaos), and drop off the bikes before heading to Kathie and Lee's house for another unforgettable dinner.
Kathie and Lee fed us Tilapia topped with red pepper garnish, and finished off the meal with lava cake. We never leave disappointed with their food, but their company is even better. I feel like they've watched out for me since I was 18 years old. Their kids are getting older, and now entertain our kids.
The kids fell asleep in the car, but Kate still needed hugs from Grandma when we got back.
The next morning (our last day), we headed to Salt Lake to meet up with the available Nufer siblings. Emily made it with Colin and Julianna, and Kevin made it with Allison. Kristen stayed back with sick Kaylee, and we missed them (and of course Scott's family and Mindy!). We spent nearly 2 hours at the Kangaroo Zoo, and large room full of inflatable slides, obstacle courses, and bounce houses. The kids loved it, and it was fun to interact with them and watch them interact with each other. Julianna was a snuggle bug, letting me hold her tight, and even sleeping in Brady's arms. These are moments that I'm happy we have, but I feel sad we miss out on so regularly.
We ate at Cafe Rio (!) for lunch, said goodbye, and hit the outlets on the way back. We also took a last picture of our lot, which is closing next week. Sayonara!
Our last evening was spent at Angela's house participating in Edwards Eerie Edibles. We felt a little guilty that Cory, Scott and Natalie were unable to participate, but they encouraged the event and we were so excited to see our kids get into the night of creepy, crawly Edwards tradition. We've done Edwards Eerie Edibles almost every year with out kids, but it is a
lot more fun with more dishes, kids, and decor.
My favorite moment of the day was watching Dad Edwards work his magic. He is an artist, and the kids hovered over him as he meticulously drew each section of the menu.
Angela can really decorate for a party:
And Mom and Dad believe in details. All of this has been missing from our own family's version of Edwards' Eerie Edibles. I will step it up.
Spider hearts:
Sliced dragon brains dipped in Dracula snot:
Witches' Cauldon Stew (with aged jack o' lantern guts and Ghost Goo):
Severed goblin fingers soaked for 2 years in vampire saliva and fermented troll carcass (organic, GMO-free, gluten-free):
Mom and Dad have done this for 25 years, and I vow we will continue it in our family at least another 25. Kristen pointed out that the work:reward ratio makes this one of the very best family traditions. It also makes me love Halloween.
Kristen's Pumpkin Hot Cocoa (plus edible eyeballs):
Angela cooked and prepped her house all day, Mom and Dad cooked and prepped all day, and Kristen came up (while Cory was on a business trip and on a school night) and cooked for hours. It made us feel like a million bucks.
We love Walker. Really, really love him. He got lost for a few minutes, and we found him in Ang's pantry. Buddy, that's where I'd be, too.
Kate is trying to adjust to life without constant cousin companionship. She loves her cousins so much. The day we got back, she did not want to change into her clothes and get ready for the day. With tears in her eyes, she asked, "Does Rachel wear polka dots?" I told her Rachel probably had something with polka dots, and Kate exclaimed, "Rachel and I matches!" and immediately put on the outfit.
These are the moments that make me weepy.
Kate and Zac also miss their grandparents. Mom is faithful about reading them books, and they remember. Kate has talked to Grandma on her fake phone a dozen times.
The next morning, Paul woke up super early to drop us off the airport, and we headed off on our 18 hour journey home. You get what you pay for, included a 4 hour layover in LA. The kids did fine. A few hours into the flight, Brady commented, "We didn't get sick! Not one of us! That is a first!!" Within an hour, I had a nasty sore throat and congestion, and he followed less than a day later. Jinx!
We are so grateful for all the ways family went out of their way to see us and spend time with us. Coming home was harder than in the past--my kids are older, we miss our family, and the weather in Utah was gorgeous. We love Utah. We love you guys. We are going to stay put in our tropical paradise for now, but you have to know it makes our hearts ache to live far away. Thank you for the memories and love.
