Spring Break in Moab!

Are you ready for picture overload?! This post will be pictures, pictures and more pictures!

We could NOT decide what to do for spring break this year. Our original plan was to stick around and do things around here so Matt wouldn't have to take time off and we could just relax at home. However, it has been some time now that our great friends the Schlappi's have tried to organize a trip and just get away!! We decided we talked about it too much and now was the time. Todd booked the house. They invited the Gardner's and the Peterson's to join. The girls arranged the meals, and after a night with maps on the table, we had a plan!! And what a plan it was!! We had such an incredible time with some absolutely amazing friends! There were 3 couples plus 10 girls and 2 boys and we had a blast! We did a TON of hiking, with hardly a complaint....not exaggerating...these kids are hikers....they are awesome! We also swam, played in sand dunes, ate amazing food in the comfort of the perfect, most relaxing home and just had a great time!

So here we are at the beginning of our first hike in Arches National Park.
It was WINDY!! But that didn't stop us!



You comin' Dee Dee?! ;)



Our first hike was up to delicate arch.
We took a few water and snack breaks on the way.




Then, we made it...it was a little bit scary of a hike towards the end, but luckily we didn't lose anyone. :)



In the video below you can kinda tell how windy it was, but you can also see what an amazing view it was! I'm sure I'll use the word amazing through this entire post! It was so beautiful! I LOVE this video. We had such a great time taking pictures, enjoying being with friends, and enjoying being outdoors!
AMAZING!!









How 'bout a family picture (with the close up, so you can tell it really was us under Delicate Arch)



LUNCH TIME

It was still windy! Paper plates were flying around, but the kids were pretty good and the older ones did some climbing on a little wall close by. Sure wish we had gotten some more pictures and maybe even a video of this! I'm pretty sure DeeDee has a good video to show of the climbing and repelling adventures!! ;)





After lunch we hiked to landscape arch and some of the older kids went on up ahead to a couple more arches.




Then the older kids also went to Sand Dune arch. I stole some of these pictures from my running partner for the weekend. :) I stayed behind with a couple of sleeping babes, but Carrie got some great pictures for me of this day and also the 2nd day from when I left my phone at the house. We also had Matt's camera phone. Anyway, the pictures below crack me up! Look at how much the wind was blowing on those cute girls!! :)



Day 2 was the best!! It was the perfect weather and we went on probably the coolest hike I've ever been on....definitely the coolest we've ever done as a family. I was pretty nervous though. Maybe because at times I had a kid on my back...I don't know, but there were times that I just said a little prayer in my heart that no one would get hurt. Here is a little video of where we were trying to go. You can kinda see the ladder we were about to climb up and then Corona Arch that we were hiking too.




In order to get to that arch across the way, we had to climb along one horizontal rope ladder, then up a more vertical rope ladder and up one other rung ladder before finally walking around a little bowl to get to there:









Once we got there we had some lunch and explored a little bit. The big boys took some of the big girls up a couple of the rocks, realizing it was quite a hike and maybe a little dangerous. They warned a guy and a girl from Idaho that they might not want to go much further on the rock they were on. Well, the cute, humble couple, very kindly said, "We're actually gonna go repel off that arch." "Ha ha...yeah right!" But no really! They did! We sat and waited and watched and sure enough they hiked to the middle of that arch and repelled off! It was AWESOME!! The kids loved it! (and oh...are we thankful that no one died in the making of the video below....especially with all the little kids around!) :)








At the end of Day 2 we took the kids to the big sand hill on the side of the highway, let them play for a little bit and then took them swimming. We were completely wiped out by the time we got home!




At the house the fun continued though! With all the girls needing hair done, Kaylee really learned to french braid on this trip! :) Forts were built, games were played. The kids played catch and kickball outside and even the little ones had a great time!





Other than a little bit of feuding coughs (or maybe I should call it a chorus of coughs) in our room it seems like everyone slept great!



Instead of just heading home on Saturday, we knew we had to do more!! We drove up to the slick rock area to do a little more hiking and wall climbing.








We also did a small walk around a park with dinosaur fossils and tracks. We had a quick lunch and then we were gone.



We didn't want it to end though!
We stopped and had McDonald's ice cream before really getting back into the city.



It was one of the best family vacations we have done!
We met some new friends...well, actually, the girls all knew each other, but we all had fun getting to know the Peterson family!
We finally got to vacation with our great friends the Schlappi's!!

Their sweet little boy Spencer kept trying to figure out whose shoes had the following prints on them. It was kinda a fun game and there were times that it did actually help to know which way Kierra (the heart) and Taylor (the stars) had gone. I had forgotten that I took these pictures, but I really loved them as I saw them again and just remembered what a great time we really did have. I think of the cute poem I love called Footprints, where the Savior carried the man during his time of trial and hardship. Somehow these footprints represent the way the Schlappi family too has helped us and carried us through our tough times but also paved the way with their example of how to serve, love and be happy! They have been such great friends to us since we have moved here! I always LOVE our talks usually on a Sunday evening or at a ball game! :) They are such great examples to us. They may have moved an ENTIRE mile away, but they are friends that we will keep forever!



Thanks friends for a perfect spring break getaway!!
LOVE YA!!