St. George

Blogger went and got all weird on me so since I've been used to uploading my pictures in reverse order (and apparently I don't need to anymore) this whole post will be in reverse!  How fun! 

So after tax season ended last week we decided to head for the sun for some rest and relaxation (and to reconnect with our Daddy!) .  Unfortunately we decided it would be a good idea to leave our camera back at home.  Thank goodness for those handy camera phones that take amazing pictures (NOT!)

On the way home we decided to stop at Zions since it was National Park Week and there was no entrance fee!  Unfortunately a lot of people had the same idea and when you added that along with a huge Earth Day celebration that was going on things were a little crowded.  We could not find a place to park anywhere and we were not willing to go on the 80 min shuttle ride with our kids so we just decided to drive through the park.  We did find a little pull out eventually and did a little bit of hiking around on the rocks.

Another day we were there we headed to Sand Hollow State Park.  It was so fun and so nice to be in the sun (and water!). Here's Sophia building a little sand wall to block the water.

These girls preferred the sand.

We also went to the wildlife museum and had fun

dressing up as adventurers

and doing a little exploring

Another day we grabbed some yummy sandwiches from this place and then went to a local park to play and picnic.  Love this shot we got of two cute sisters.

The park had a fun climbing wall too.  It was really hot but I persevered and made it to the top.

We also made a quick stop to the dinosaur museum down there.  Mabel had fun exploring the chairs.

Three silly monkeys in a bed!

The second night we were there we went to the art museum.  It was pretty cool and we even got to make our own artwork!  Sophia and I created the same scenery (another park we had visited earlier)

Doug recreated a cave we found at that park (sorry it's sideways).

Here's Lilly creating a masterpiece of her own.

We also visited some old pioneer homes when we were there.  This one was the Jacob Hamblin House (Doug's family is descended from his cousin).  Side note.  If any of you have been privileged enough to see the "Little Doug Videos"  this is the place where he tells his dad he gets to accompany him to the "little boys bathroom".

We also went to the cool park in the center of town that had a really fun splash pad where Lilly got soaked.

The park also had a fun carousel.

We also drove past this house that was across the street from the Brigham Young Home.  This is where Doug's great grandpa was born and was next to the house of his great great great grandpa Israel Ivins who was the first doctor in St. George.

The Brigham Young winter home.  Loved this house.  The tour was really great and it was fun to learn a lot more about it.

Here's a few shots of the fun park we went to that was displayed in our artwork earlier.  This is Doug and the girls at the cave.

Cute Lilly in front of a huge rock.

Family shots

The first night we were there we went to the St. George temple.  We had fun seeing how tall we were compared to the fun trees.

This temple is so beautiful!  You can see my cute little family in the lower left corner.

Cute people on the steps.

I couldn't believe how beautiful their flowers were already!  But then I realized it usually is 20 degrees warmer down there so that makes a difference!

We also ate plenty of yummy food down there! We found this amazing Mexican place that was so yummy! Look at the size of Doug's chalupa!  So good!  We may have come back about 10 lbs heavier but it was worth it!

Overall we had a very fun time and were so grateful for the time we had together as a family!  I also got to run into one of my dietitian friends so that was fun! The girls had a blast too and spent the ride home begging us to get a swimming pool.  I guess they appreciate the swimming they got to do every day. Maybe someday ladies...