zion, zombie, mead, candy

we took our kids on a mini vaca last weekend for fall break. 
we stayed in a family suite in Zions for a night. 
 we felt they deserved a little
 R and R with the folks that gave them life.
  it was so great.  muchly needed.
we ate out that night and played games for a while at the hotel
 before they all crashed in their beds.
 

  hot tubbing in the morning...

watching the sunrise...serene.
setting off for our hike
this time we tried 'emerald pools '
it was a gorgeous hikaroo.

the kids waiting for the shuttle with their little baggies of fishy crackers

breathtaking scenery..



seriously the kids killed it on this hike!- liam really was a conqueror
  i mean they whined a little bit...
but i was SO proud of them for making it to the very top pool
it was like 2-3 miles round trip
some of that was steep stair incline...
it was a fun getaway.  
its so nice to go away and focus just on our kids

 

 we went to thriller for the first time ...at tuacahn

 luckily, ricki was smart and brought a blanket; and was nice and let us share
it was freezing!
well, lets be honest...it wasn't northern-utah freezing, just st. george freezing
but still cold enough for a blankie!

 so here we are at carraba's italian restaurant (in henderson, nv)
...a little pasta/carb load
 before JAMI and KELSIE's first half marathon!!
whoot whoot!
kelsie -sitting next to me is jami's friend from hygiene school
and momma max is sitting by jams.

 yes there are many reasons why i love my sister in law, but this is one of them...
refer to top pic.
we stayed at a hotel in boulder city by lake mead, just outside las vegas...
jami's mom, Maxi, came with us and acted as our support group/picture taker/chauffeur/shoulder to cry on:) and we love her for it!

 before the 13.1...kind chilly!

and, after!  they did amazing!!! 
 totally took state! a way-good chip time for their first 1/2!
little miss kelsie didn't even train...what?!
and i love my dear sis!  she got me to sign up and was so much fun to run with...
she even lent me an ear bud when mine stopped working and we ran side by sweaty-side for a while so i could have some tunes! thanks!
 it wasn't that easy running connected by the ears...:)

the lake (mead) was perfect temps...i could have and should have dived in!

 we went sight seeing to hoover dam..pretty cool.
it was only 7 miles from where the race ended.
wish we'd had a tour to learn about it, but we were too tired...:)

that night we had our ward trunk or treat. 
 charlie was adamant that we didn't 'paint' his face. 
 but we had a black chapstick so he did is own make-up
 thinking it was his favortie 'hmmmmm'  (thats what he calls chapstick)
ps. my sister megan, who is SO talented at making costumes for all her boys, every year!
...made these skeleton costumes once for her boys...so i take no credit for them...

there was a gorgeous sunset that night and perfect weather.
its going to be a mild night wednesday too for the real trick or treating ...
blah...more candy! seriously! 

Liam and LOVE

Liam's 5th blasted birthday!  quit it!  quit getting old!!
B-fast in bed, family tradition since I was little...
luckily we got in there before he woke up...little sucker:)
Liam is a sweet, snugly, playful little one with big dark eyes. 
 i love him dearly. he melts my heart most days yet seems to be the one that listens the least when i'm telling him to "clean up his animals"!



grandma D sent this funny shirt...and he got a whole hoop-la of other STUFF from her and other grandmas!>
yes the car seat was a gift.  he was way excited about it. ..come-on!

marty carving the shark...scary shark, for the par-tae! 
no parties next year.  all partied out.  sorry charlie.

me and ruby teaching the boys about sharks...
lots of interesting facts i hope they retained! ha!

there were 3 more boys not pictured.
crazy group.  ruby fit right in and led the pack in all the water games...
you can hardly see her in the back, she just blends right in, size-wize too!

marty and i finally celebrated our {10th}!! year of marriage.
it was in june but we just went this last weekend to *lake las vegas*
its far away from the strip, really quiet and relaxing...
{{shout out to ricki for watching our kids! thank you!!!}}
the first night there in our resort we sat in the hot tub forever,

surrounded by palms and beautiful weather.

we ate out at some really good places.
lunch was at *settebello* in henderson- WAY good
very authentic italian pizza and yummy salad...
 and we got a  sweet vanilla bean cream w/strawberry balsamic topping to share after.
highly recommend to anyone in the area.
for dinner we met up with some good friends whom we haven't seen in way too long
jim and marty grew up together, i love these guys:)

we went to Beattles LOVE that night at the mirage..
i REALLY liked it. marty,-not so much-
he felt like we needed to be 'high' on something to even understand it
what?!  come-on!
i was thoroughly entertained and thought it was fun.

the surroundings to our resort...
GREAT R & R. 
muchly needed.
we went and came as we pleased
took a nap mid-day, went to a movie at an odd hour{bourne legacy} -very good. btw
ate and showered whenever and however we wanted...NO diaper changing!
one thing we planned to do but didn't-Vegas Temple.....
 

bye two night get-a-way!
see you next year, but probably in a different location, and maybe a bit longer!
everyone needs you !!