ROAD TRIP!

I just had to add this picture in- Halli wore this HUGE daisy on her head last week to church. This is a picture of one of her very first smiles. She is so much better at it now! Doesn't she look a lot like her big sister?

I LOVE having my hubby home during the summer months! (I pay for it during the school year, but it is worth it!) With school being out, Cauley has had a nice, non-relaxing break so far. (Hey, I did just have a baby you know! Just kidding.) He does do a conditioning/weight lifting program for the football team from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. every morning, but then he gets to spend the rest of the day with us. He also gets Fridays off, which allows us to go have fun without having to wait and leave on Saturdays. We decided to take a road trip up north for a few days.

We left on Thursday, right after he got home. First we went to Sedona. I told my kids, isn't it funny we're going to Sedona in our Red Sedona?" The boys thought it was hilarious and repeated it most of the way there, and then as we were leaving. We bypassed most tourist stuff and arrived at our destination- Slide Rock. It was SOOOOO much fun! For those friends and family who don't know what Slide Rock is, it is just as it sounds. The Oak Creek runs through some rocks which, over time, has made them really smooth, and it has made a natural slide through a part of a canyon. (oak Creek canyon) It's not a huge slide, just a bunch of little small ones, and it has a few deep water places and a few areas to cliff jump. Our kids had a blast! Cauley and I took turns going with the older kids since we had Halli with us.  

(our one touristy picture- Halli was left in the car.)

Dallin going down- you can also see in the upper left picture the lower half of Cauley who is holding onto Tyli's hand.

My shorts are permanently brown from sliding on my bum. Here, I was just sitting, allowing the ice cold water to cool me down. It was really relaxing!

If you head up the canyon behind the boys, there is a little swimming area, kinda like a small dam. There are also a few deeper slides and some cliffs.

Once We had our fill at Slide Rock, we took the most twisty road I have ever- and hope to ever be on!! We drove through Jerome, AZ (one of the most interesting places I have seen!) and over a mountain to Prescott where we stayed with Cauley's Aunt Gerry. Our kids LOVE going to her house! It seems there is always an adventure waiting for them. Aunt Gerry had to work Friday so we got up and went for a hike up Thumb Butte.

Ok- a little explanation on these pictures- First, the cacti were all in bloom and it was GORGEOUS!!! This picture hardly does it justice, and a little after this picture was taken, most buds were open. The picture that looks like a rock- look closely. See the lizard? This was at the top of the mountain were we took a short break. We were entertained by this lizard, watching him do "push ups" for about 5 minutes.

This last one, of the boys, is them pointing out Thumb Butte from Aunt Gerry's backyard. See that mountain sticking up WAAAYYYY back there? That's the one we hiked.

Saturday morning we woke up and headed to Chino Valley to have breakfast and visit with Aunt Pearl, GT (Cauley's cousin), Victoria (GT's fiance), and Aunt Gerry. I have been married to Cauley for 10 years now and that was my first time at Uncle Grant and Aunt Pearl's home, but I can say I definitely want to go back! Good food, good company, and good fun!

We had to head back home Saturday afternoon as I had the Visiting Teaching workshop the next day to prepare for. We had a BLAST as a family this road trip, and I will always cherish the memories we made. I love my family to pieces and feel like the most blessed person alive!