Dress Up

I found this picture of my sister and I playing dress up. (Sister,I hope this doesn't embarrass you too much.) I thought it was fun to see a picture of myself with my sister doing something that my two girls also love to do.

The Mean Machine

The Rhino that we rented in Moab was a lot of fun. I was amazed at some of the rock that it was able to climb over. My hubby had me scared a few times, and I got myself and the kids out. Here are two photos of a tricky section of the trail.

The Bog

Our friend isn't afraid to try anything, some might say that he is adventurous, but mostly it's just plain crazy. Looking at this picture you might say, "So what, he's just getting a little muddy." If you could see the green water and the disgusting little creatures swarming in this bog, you would know how gross this was. However, it was fun to watch him ride across the water, get stuck halfway through, and finally work himself out of it. My hubby challenged the bog as well, thankfully we didn't get quite so muddy.

Arches National Park

We went to church on Sunday and then visited Arches National Park before leaving Utah. This is one of my favorite parks. We did a few shorter hikes to see some arches and to play in the sand. Sand Dune arch was by far the favorite spot for the children in our group. I had so much fun taking photos of the kids. Thanks to my friend who took a family photo for us!

Gemini Bridges

Here are some more photos from our weekend in Utah. On Saturday morning we did another four-wheeling trip. We all did a shorter trip to see Gemini Bridges. We started in the valley this time and climbed up to a plateau. At the end of the trail we found that we were at the top of the bridges looking down at the valley floor. With so many children in our group, this was a bit scary because of the height of these cliffs. It was difficult to capture the scale of this amazing place with the camera, you really have to be there to experience it.

I was able to get a group photo with the nifty remote that hubby gave me for my camera. Thanks, honey!

In the afternoon some of the guys went dirt biking. Hubby went on the trip and overexerted himself in the heat. He ended up with a bad case of heat exhaustion. Thankfully it didn't hit him until they had biked to a town where he was able to get inside to some air conditioning. Even so, he was sick for several hours until his body had cooled down and gotten some rest. I am grateful that he was with a group of guys to help him out, and that the Lord protected him. Heat stroke can be so dangerous out in the wilderness.

Utah Trip

We were invited to take a trip to Utah with some friends. We left Thursday evening and spent the night in Grand Junction, CO. We drove through the Colorado National Monument on Friday morning and then continued on to the KOA campground in Moab where we had rented Kamping Kabins. The Kabins had a double bed and bunk beds, no water, but they did have swamp coolers. In the afternoon we rented a Rhino(see photo) to tour a Utah canyon. The scenery, although not beautiful like the Colorado mountains, was spectacular. There was an old car, two antique tractors, and various other junk that had been left behind long ago at the end of the trail. Although we were riding off and on for about six hours, the girls enjoyed the adventure.

First Soccer Game

Our 5 year old daughter had her first soccer game. Despite the fact that both of her parents play, and that she has seen many soccer games, she still didn't have a clue how to play. She had a blast running around the field with her friends, chasing after the ball, and occasionally kicking the ball. We enjoyed sitting on the side of the field watching them. I was proud of her when she took a hit with the ball, and kept on playing even though it had to really hurt. I think if you ask her why she likes playing soccer, she would say "Having a snack!"

Happy Birthday, Sister!

I'm sending birthday wishes out to my sister. I hope that you have had a wonderful birthday today. I have been missing you, and praying for you often.

I thought of you this weekend when I saw this sign. We stayed at a hostel in Leadville, and I thought it was funny that he had Anchorage on his mileage sign. Seeing how many miles are between us made me miss you more! I can't believe that you live so far away. Do you think that we will ever live in the same state again? I would love to have taken you to lunch today to celebrate with you, or have you over for Sunday dinner, or have you at my girls' birthday party, or go shopping with you. It's difficult having a sister that I rarely get to visit with! On the positive side, I'm so glad that I have you for my sister. I'm grateful that we have things like blogs, email, and affordable phone rates so that we are able to keep in touch.

Happy Birthday, Flur! I hope that your family made you feel special and loved today.
Love and Hugs!!!

Labor Day Fun

We had a great trip to the mountains for Labor Day. The girls just LOVE camping. They think it is the greatest thing to sit by a campfire and eat marshmallows, and then retire to a sleeping bag in a tent. I am so glad that we took the time to go the mountains. We did a little biking in Glenwood Springs and visited the Hot Springs Pool. We also visited Maroon Bells wilderness area. It is a beautiful place to visit. I hope you enjoy the photos!

While I am grateful that the stranger was willing to take this group photo for me, I still have to say that it is funny that he cut off the tops of these beautiful mountains!

Labor Day Camping

We often take a camping trip on Labor Day weekend. We were going to stay home this year so we could paint the house, but some friends talked us into taking a trip. We found a beautiful spot in the Snowmass Wilderness area with incredible views of Capitol Peak, a 14,000 foot mountain. Since it was along a four-wheel-drive road, we had the place almost to ourselves. Here are some photos of our camping area.