This weekend was so much fun! It was a much needed getaway for our little family, especially for Landen. He works so much, he deserved a few days off! We headed down on Friday and got settled into the hotel. Ellie did really well in the car and I was so thankful. Friday evening we went with Wayne, Nita and Adri to see Tuachan. It was beautiful! Maybe one day we'll go see a show there :)
Saturday morning we went on a little hike to see the Petroglyphs. I borrowed a hiking backpack carrier from a friend for Ellie. Adri wanted a workout so she volunteered to pack her up! Ellie did pretty well, but got a little antsy to get out. We hiked through some rocky parts to see the petroglyphs and they were pretty cool. The whole area down there was beautiful! We let Ellie out as we started back down and she hiked her little heart out. She absolutely loved it! She did not want to hold anybody's hand. She wanted to do it herself. You forget how much of a learning curve it is to walk on unstable ground where the rocks can shift some and you have to learn how to keep your balance. She had a couple of good falls and scraped up her knees and elbow, but she was a champ and didn't cry until the last time. She would get back up, rub the dirt off her hands and keep going. That's my girl! I'm so glad she loved it. (Oh yeah, it was Valentine's Day today! So Ellie got a little gift!)
That afternoon we headed over to Hurricane for Henry's soccer games, which is what inspired the trip. It was fun to watch him play and gain more experience. It was also wonderful to be outside all day and enjoy the warm sunshine!!! We couldn't have asked for better weather! Todd and Felicia and their boys came to the second game and it was so fun to see them. They boys loved Ellie, and she loved them back! At one point Ellie got Caleb to take her over to the park...and she wouldn't leave. I had to go rescue him. Then I had to carry her back screaming! It's a tough life being a kid. We went back to the hotel and went swimming...for like 5 minutes! The water was freezing and there were soooo many kids! It was nuts. It totally wasn't worth it at all. Oh well. We went back to the room and got Ellie bathed and to bed. Then we went and got Hungry Howies pizza for dinner. It was more of a nostalgic thing for Landen and I from our missions. It was good, but it's more expensive than it used to be so I was kinda disappointed, but oh well, such is life.
Sunday was a fun day. We went over to the Saint George Temple and walked through the Visitor's Center and then around the temple for a little while. It was beautiful! Poppa and Ellie went on a walk up the steps. She loved it. Then we went to church with Todd and Felicia. On the way back to the hotel Ellie fell asleep and she was OUT! I took her in and laid her on the bed and she slept so hard until we had to wake her up to go to Zion National Park. I love Zion! It was beautiful! We met up with JoAnn and Cary and some of their family and went through together. We did a little hike and went on a little drive. I'm so glad we got to go with them. They're so fun! We went to dinner at Black Bear Diner and it was DELICIOUS! Their cornbread muffins were to die for. That will definitely be a repeat place to eat.
Monday we packed up and watched Henry's last game. We all went to lunch then headed home. It was a really long day for us because Ellie woke up at 3:30 that morning and didn't go back to sleep for a few hours, but she was in my bed so even after she fell asleep she kept me awake. Blah. Her schedule was so off. But we survived. It was nice to get home after little sleep and a long drive with lots of traffic. I'm so glad we got to go on a mini-vacation. It was such a great weekend away! We may need to make this a yearly trip :)
On the way home I realized we left Ellie's baby doll at the hotel! I remember seeing it at the top of the bed and thinking, "I should grab that," but of course I didn't. I think a pillow got thrown on top of it. Grrr. We called and luckily the hotel found it. They said they would mail it back to us which was awesome. Well, there was a little mix up and it took a few extra phone calls and an extra week, but we finally got it back. In the meantime Ellie seemed content to sleep with her stuffed Olaf. She had only cried for her baby once on the way home, so that was good. What was sad was when we got it back I was so excited to show it to her and when she saw it she said, "NO!" She wouldn't even touch it! Well, it needed a good wash so I put it in her basket and a while later I went to take it downstairs and of course THEN she wanted it and started to cry for it, but baby needed a bath! I was just glad to see that she really did love her baby. They continue to be best friends :)
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