Labor Day 2012 Adventure!

Lately it seems the only way to stay sane with my crazy two year old is to go on "adventures". We have gone to Zion a few times and it is always such a good break for me and for the boys. They love being outside and behave so well...more than at home. I figure it's a good habit to be in- doing stuff outdoors since I am a mother of boys who will inevitably love being outside!  So here are the 200 photos condensed into about 29 collages that I captured of our adventure day we had on Labor Day 2012! Ben couldn't go- he had work which was a bummer. Ashlee did too, and Desi hung out with friends. Any more people and it might have gotten a little chaotic anyway, so it was all good. 

We drove up through Springdale, stopping at U-Pick to get some apples! Connor loved wandering around, picking some apples and messing with the water spouts that water the trees. He can't resist hoses or water sources. 

Parker also loved watching us pick apples and even had a nice nibble of one when I was trying to get some pictures of him. What a sweetie!

Mommy helping Connor pick apples

YUM!

Next we drove through Zion and stopped at the East Entrance restaurant/gift shop. They have pretty yummy pizza! Parker enjoyed his crust and Connor pulled all the cheese off of his second piece and wadded it up and stuffed it in his mouth. It was really attractive :) The kid loves his cheese!

Next on our journey was Duck Creek. This is by far one of my favorite places in the world. I spent a lot of my life on Cedar mountain and not only does the nostalgia work it's magic, but this GORGEOUS landscape that you'd be crazy NOT to love!

Connor enjoyed throwing rocks in the stream, such a boy!

Tasha didn't quite dare balance between the trees...I'm glad she did't try. She may have fallen on her face. 

My sweet Parker just loved sitting in the grass. He had a great time trying to stick the reeds in his mouth!

These brothers are seriously so cute and fun! I'm so glad I have two little boys to be friends!

Cool web and yucky creature! And me posing with my favorite backdrop!

Next we were back on the road and saw this huge swarm of sheep being herded. There were hundreds and it was so fun to see the sheep dogs herding them along with the herder on his horse. What a sight! The landscape here was so gorgeous as well!

Connor kept wanting to pet them. They'd run as soon as he got close at all! 

The sheep dog ran up to Connor and instantly snuggled up to him. Connor loved on him so much the dog got a little nervous and ran off with his tail between his legs. Poor dog had no idea how passionate Connor is! :)

THEN we went to Cedar Breaks and enjoyed that breathtaking view. Connor loved the little visitor's center and we told him it was Little Bear's house. He was semi-amused, but wasn't slowed down much by the information. He did ask where Little Bear was and I told him he was on a walk with Duck, Hen, Cat and Emily. :)

Parker LOVED being on grandpa's shoulders! He was grinning from ear to ear! 

These mountains look like temples. So amazing!

"Connor, stand on this rock for a picture" "ONE TWO THREE JUMP!" He never holds still long. 

Connor at Little Bear's house!

And toward the end of our trip we stopped at the Iron County Fair. We only had time and energy for one ride. That may have been a mistake to even stop. Connor LOVED the ride. Too much. He threw a royal fit that lasted at least 10 minutes. My mom had to literally drag him off the ride, and he was screaming and we had to drag him across the fair. He was still a mess when we tried strapping him into his car seat, and down the road a ways. Holy WOW. That's what happens when your kids don't take a nap and started their day at 5:30 in the freaking morning! He had ample opportunity for sleeping in our hours of driving. But he never gave in. He was still holding his eyes open as we pulled into St. George even though his eyes were as heavy as dead weights!

Holy WOW

The trip ended with a stop at Grandma Irene's house. She was excited to see us, and her hearing aids were working really well. She could understand us without us having to shout into her ear. Parker was totally enthralled with her and loved watching her. Connor was of course as busy as always, if not worse due to the sleep deprivation and sadly our visit wasn't long. There are too many breakables for our crazy 2 year old! 

Honestly I was nervous about the day- like I mentioned we had been up since 5:30...me since 4:00 with Parker. I think his other top tooth is cutting. So it was a LONG morning full of tears from everyone- mainly me. But I resolved to not let it ruin the day. I knew I'd be more tired the next day anyway, so with a nice flow of diet coke we ventured out and enjoyed a beautiful day. The traffic really wasn't bad considering the holiday. Zion was PACKED so I'm glad we weren't going there to hike or anything. But it was a really perfect day. The kids were only mildly difficult a few times but mostly happy. I was sad Ben wasn't there but grateful as always for amazing parents who make life better. They love my kids to pieces and my mom still treats me like a baby sometimes..in a good way. Making sure I'm happy and have a break from my kids. It's awesome. I'm very VERY lucky to have the life I do! My kids are so lucky to have so many people surrounding them that love them!