We had been under quarantine for a while now, about 8 weeks, and we were all going stir crazy. Some State Parks in Utah started to open up again and we took the first chance we had to head down to Goblin Valley. We had been wanting to go for a long time, but you have to time it just right so it doesn't get too blisteringly hot while you're there. Most places are still way too cold for camping, so this worked out really nicely. We went up for three days. We spent the first day exploring around our campsite and then checking out some pictographs that were very close to us. Our campsite was in the middle of nowhere and we couldn't see any living soul at all. It was great, and it also made using the tiny toddler toilet much easier haha. The drive went well and then we had time to play around the area for a little bit. We had s'mores and dinner over the fire that night. The stars out here in the desert are amazing!
After Little Wild Horse Canyon we went back to the campsite
and let the kids play in all of the red sand. They had remote control cars,
sand toys and we tried to not melt until the sun went down.
The next morning we got up really early and went into the
state park right when they opened. We were the first people to the parking lot
and watched the sun keep coming up while we ate our breakfast there and got the
kids dressed. Afterward we got to go down into the Valley of the Goblins and let
the kids urn around and climb on the hoodoos. Henry and Della loved being free
and having the whole place to themselves. There were tunnels and places to climb
up and play and they loved seeing the different formations. Della found part of
a hoodoo that had fallen down to the ground and she climbed on it and just kept
saying, “My Baby Hoodoo!”
On our way back home, we took a couple detours to check out
some cool places! We stopped at the Little Grand Canyon first, and it was
really beautiful. We didn’t stay really long but we sat and looked out over the
canyon for a while. I had no idea we had anything like that in Utah!
Our next stop was the Buckhorn Wash which had some
petroglyphs and pictographs to check out. They date back 7,000 years! Some things were painted on, and some things were carved into the rock. Henry loved looking at them and
trying to come up with the stories they told, and Della was mostly interested
in seeing a bunch of caterpillars hatching.
This month part of Thanksgiving Point opened back up to the
public and my parents and I took the kids to see the tulips. It’s not the same
as the tulips in Washington, but it is still so pretty to go and see all of the
beautiful flowers. We wandered around the whole gardens and found some koi fish
we had never seen before and the kids fed them. They came right up to the shore
and one even nibbled on Henry a little bit! It was beautiful and a great escape
to get outside and not being stuck inside.
Mother’s Day was fun! I set up a surprise for Mom and had me, Jessica and Angie all meet here for the day. We had dinner, rode horses and hung out at Mom’s. Before we left to come here, Rusty helped Henry and Della make me breakfast in bed and some perfect presents. I love being a mom!
One of the little petting zoos opened up enough that we could drive through and see the animals through the car. The kids stood up and looked through the sun roof and it was really fun to show the kids the animals.
Desi has a full pottery studio in her shop, and Rusty
arranged for us to go there and for the kids to make some special pottery
surprises for me, Phyllis, and my mom for Mother’s Day. We made little trays
with their handprints and the kids made bowls too. They had SO much fun playing
with the clay and learning from Desi. I got to hop on a wheel for the first
time too! It was amazing and I can’t wait to do it again!
I have started trying to get outside with Chelsea once a
week on Tuesday, and then we do Nature School on Thursdays. One week we went on
a hike up Big Cottonwood Canyon. We had a picnic and let the kids roam free.
They loved climbing some giant rocks and also made a little fort under a tree.
I love it up this canyon, it is so gorgeous!
Another day Rusty and I took the kids to Thanksgiving Point Animal Farm to get out and do something fun. The kids are obsessed with riding the ponies, and Henry had a great time feeding the goats with the animal food. Della was more scared than anything this time and was not interested in that at all haha. We even did the wagon ride! It was so nice to be able to get out and entertain the kids and us. It was a great family outing!
We also made a trip to the aquarium! I wanted to go a few
times before Della turned three because then I need to buy her a ticket. My
kids both love seeing the penguins so we spent a lot of time there, and at the
big viewing window too.
Apparently we were REALLY tired of being stuck at home haha,
because the kids and I also made a trip to the zoo with my parents. I think the
highlight of this time was the polar bear being right next to the glass. My
kids didn’t want to leave because they were giving her high fives! ANother highlight was the peacock that was wandering free around the zoo. They loved seeing him!
Henry's Highlights:
- "Do you suppose....?" "I suppose..."
- Is so nice and happy about the baby. Although he does say that he's not soooo happy about the baby because it's a girl. But he loves hearing about her progress and talking about her. He told me the other day that I'm a good "baby taker care-ofer"
- "Tell me when we're one minute!" Anytime we drive anywhere he wants to know when we have one minute left in the car
Adeline's Adventures:
- Says "hipups" for hiccups
- "Great job!" to everything
- Squeals and claps when she's excited
- "Hello everybody!"
- Says "aye aye Captain" when I ask her to do something
- I looked back at her and saw her licking her sunglasses when we were in Goblin Valley. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "I'm washing my glasses with my tongue."
- Messy morning hair
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