BRYCE was nice

Bryce Canyon was our FAVORITE of the parks we visited...

The scenery was AMAZING!
We even hiked into LARGE mounds of dinosaur poo...
Hiking down into the canyons was breathtaking.
HOW could anyone deny God's hand in this?

The girls wanted to touch a 'hoo doo' for good luck
Mom and Mason missed some of the hike--any guesses why?
We could have stayed another day at Bryce
It was our favorite hiking day--VERY cool to hike the switchbacks down into the color

We had to settle for a 'fake' mule ride at Bryce
It was GOOD family time


And some of us became Bryce Canyon Junior Rangers!

Being sworn in was a great honor--memories should last for a LONG time.

(more still to come!)

The GRAND Canyon!

Emily: "I loved going by the big rock and seeing the Grand Canyon!"

It was AWE inspiring--some of us were more relaxed than others--I, personally, have great and DEEP respect for heights and small children around heights.
There were enough rocks for EVERY boy to climb.

Riding the mules down into the canyon to the Supai tunnel was a highlight (although some of the switchbacks were precariously maneuvered and thankfully we all made it back to the top.)

None of us complained about saddle sores until the NEXT day.

There's NOTHING like the majesty of this part of the world. I was thankful to have my family to share it with. More to come...

Heavenly! and virtues

Our trip was HEAVENLY!

We enjoyed SO much beauty...

The funniest part was watching the kids WAIT--

wait to get on airplanes...

wait to get our luggage...

wait to rent a car...

wait to get a hotel room...
...traveling with EIGHT people involves a LOT of waiting!

Make sure you pack your patience!

It's SO good to be home--now you'll have to WAIT at least another day to see some 'real' pictures from our trip! (Patience is a virtue!)

UTAH rocks!

We have been on a National Parks BLITZ!

It's amazing... North Rim of the Grand Canyon on Thursday,

Bryce National Park on Friday, and

Zion National Park Today!

We are park-exhausted!

But OH the beauty and majesty of this place!

I can't WAIT to get home and show you our photos... or maybe I'll figure out how to load them away from home.

At bedtime tonight, Mason asked if we could just go to that tunnel one more time, instead of going to church.

ROCKS everywhere! And they're the most unique and amazing spectacle... everytime we turn around, we're looking at a different landscape! UTAH rocks. I mean the rocks. They rock. God's hand is in this place. We feel blessed to be witnesses to this marvel that is Southern Utah... photos soon! (I promise!)

Veggie Man!

What do you do before a trip?

I busy myself thinking about all of the things that are NOT in order, before we go. ALAS! I've remembered the garden... our 12'x20' little plot of veggies.

So I hurry outside to check the harvest, and much to my surprise, the cucumbers are breeding like rabbits! 16 of those guys ready for the harvest... not to mention the green beans, a red pepper and some tomatoes. Yowza! We've struck GREEN!

I should be so pleased!

I notice the 18 broccoli plants are just days away from being ready for picking... Does this happen to YOU?

You eagerly anticipate the fruits of your labor, and the fruits all decide to ripen and be ready while you're ON VACATION.

Kids, we're having cucumbers for lunch, and whatever you don't eat, we're packing in your carry-ons for mid-flight munchies.

As for the broccoli, we're going to hope that it stays put until we get back.

Anyone want a cucumber?

a-JEN-da day

So tomorrow, we're OFF!

We're a-goin'-travelin'...

EIGHT people, TEN days, MANY destinations!

So TODAY is agenda day!

Plan it, map it, organize it and pack it!

First to Las Vegas, then to St. George. From there, we'll hit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce National Park and Zion National Park. LOTS to see--more little stuff in between, and I have a feeling the days will be FULL and FAST!

We'll take LOTS of pictures, and if we have internet access, may be able to blog a bit. If not, then we'll have LOTS to share when we get back!

What a great blessing to be able to 'hit the trail' and have an end-of-summer family vacation!

BEACH DAY... Hooray!!

Horseneck Beach

New Bedford, MA

LOVE this place!

There was something for EVERYONE... isn't that the beauty of the beach?
SOME of the crew... the water was warm, the waves were big

and the fair-skinned wee ones got toasty cheeks.

A PERFECT 10

What a great blessing to live so close to the magnificent ocean!