Utah Vacation in Quick Takes

I've been sitting on my posts about our Utah vacation and haven't drafted up anything substantial yet. So, I need a new approach. I'm going to quick take our Utah vacation! Just so you're in the know, a quick take is a mini post that doesn't really seem sufficient on it's own, so I publish it in a group with seven other mini posts -- making the total post really looooooooong (the name can be misleading). Brace yourself.

I already wrote all about our travel to and from Utah and gave a quick overview of our various adventures back here. I also drafted a post for our Bassett family reunion. So today I'll mention the other odds and ends of our trip that I would like to remember.

1.  Bassett Family Easter Egg Hunt
On Saturday my mom hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for all her kids who could attend (Jon's family wasn't able). We also had our big yummy Easter dinner. The kids had a lot of fun playing with cousins again. But if I'm being completely honest, I've forgotten most the details from our afternoon. I remember Isaac found the money egg in the garbage can (luckily Reid thought his 25 cents had a bigger value than Isaac's 20 dollars, ha!). I also remember my mom's traeger grilled turkey roast was amazing. So those are the important memories you get for the egg hunt.

2. Meet up with Friends
Earlier Saturday morning Ben and I walked the kids down to the grocery store for it's anniversary sale. They have 25 cent hot dogs and cotton candy. Nell had been dying for that cotton candy for weeks, weeks! We waited in line for what felt like forever, and then she didn't even dare taste it. Seriously. I was so mad. But ... I did see a couple of old friends while I waited in line. It was funny, Reid was trying to figure out how I knew people in Delta if we didn't live there. "So you're friends, but you just met her?"

One friend I ran into was actually someone I was planning on meeting up with later that night. Two of my best friends from HS, Ali (Nickle) Hughes and Carolyn (Gardner) Jenks, were both in town for the weekend. They came over to my parent's place once all the kids were in bed and we chatted away for about two hours. It was so fun to catch up and see where they are in life. I just love the memories we share together and how much we still connect after all the growing and changing we've experienced in adulthood.

3. Easter in SLC with the Szilagyi's
Sunday morning we loaded the kids up in my parent's minivan and headed to Salt Lake City for another fun Easter Egg hunt and dinner with their Szilagyi cousins. They loved playing with Henry and Jazella, and Coraline and Mason got along marginally better than they had the week prior when Katie and Mason visited us here in Wisconsin. Two-year-olds are such interesting social creatures. It's like, "hey, I like you and want to be your friend" one minute and then "I'm mad at you and am going to plow you down for no apparent reason" the next.

After the hunt the kids each found an Easter basket from Grandma and Grandpa Szilagyi, and it's a good thing because we had absolutely no Easter bunny this year. And you know what, the kids didn't even notice his absence. It was perfect. Reid couldn't wait to build his new Lego plane, Nell quickly switched her and Coraline's My Little Pony's (Nell wanted Pinky Pie and Lou loves Rainbow Dash -- so it was a great trade), and I couldn't wait to watch Moana.

We walked to Church with Bizzie and Steve shortly after the hunt. As we settled into our pew Ben leaned over and commented that the median age of our group was four. To make things worse, the mode was zero! We had three babies, and then a pair each of two, four and six year olds. They were easy enough for five of us adults to handle. Ben and Lauren took the two-year-olds home for nap after sacrament meeting. The others all stuck around for primary (or naps in their parents arms).

After Church we headed back to Bizzie and Steve's house for a yummy, yummy Easter dinner.  It was so fun to spend some time with each of our families over the Easter weekend. We had originally planned to stay the night in SLC, but I was so tired of traveling and having new sleeping arrangements every other night that we decided to just head back to Delta that evening. The kids were such troopers through all our many travels in this first leg of our vacation.

(for a quick recap: Tue -- travel from Oshkosh to Delta, Wed -- from Delta to Hatch, Fri -- through Bryce Canyon and then back to Delta, Sun -- from Delta to SLC and then back to Delta, WHEW!!!)

4. Exploring the Wild, Wild West
On Monday Ben took Reid out to the dump to look for scorpions (we'd read a big scorpion book from the library earlier in the month) and Reid said "I think we're in the wild west dad!" He was pretty excited to be part of the real deal. Even as Ben tried to explain that it wasn't so much a place as a time period, Reid insisted that the outskirts of Delta were in fact, the really real Wild West.

Scorpion Hunting near the dump.

Trilobite hunting at U-dig

They had even bigger adventures when they went to U-dig fossils with Nell on Wednesday. At U-dig they were able to search for trilobites and they brought back a whole bucket full! Ben said they also saw even more scorpions than when they went scorpion hunting.

Those two big kids of mine are super in to Dinosaurs, and Nell has always really loved rocks. So the fossil dig was perfect for them. Though they are young, I hope it was a fun day with dad that they'll always remember. When they got back to town he took them to the gas station for lunch -- a slice of pizza and a soda. They were beaming from ear to ear when they arrived home.

5. BBQ and sleepover at the Bassetts
On Monday night my brother Matt invited us over for a BBQ. The weather was perfect for it and the food was delicious. It was such a wonderful evening. Reid and Isaac learned of each others love for Minecraft and quickly ran to the basement to play it on the Xbox.

The kids were not happy about having to head back to Grandmas at bedtime. Reid wanted to play Minecraft all night, and Nell certainly didn't want to leave if Reid didn't have too. Ironically though, Reid was pretty anxious about actually staying the whole night at Isaac's house for a sleepover. He didn't quite grasp that staying all night meant not sleeping in a room right next to his mom and dad. In the end Reid came home around 9:30, but Nell stayed the whole night through. She was in heaven; I'm sure. Zoey and Sofia were both such sweet cousins to her. They really helped her feel like one of the big girls, and I know she valued her play time with each them.

6. Picture Night
We made plans to have one last get together with all the Bassett's (we hadn't all been together since the reunion) on Tuesday night. Our main motive was to snap a picture of the entire family, but I think the delicious Chinese takeout and cousin play time were more exciting for most the group. The weather had been hot and sunny all day, but about a half hour before picture time we saw the storm coming. Those clouds roll in pretty heavy and pretty dark when storms brew in from the West. It was a complete down pour by the time we were all gathered at my parents place. Their basement -- with it's golden 70s carpet and limited lighting -- would have to do.

Ideal picture or not, it was a fabulous evening to top off a great day. Most the cousins had been over to play for a bit around lunchtime, so my kids were really starting to feel at home with everyone. It's pretty awesome to have so many built in friends to grow and laugh with when you're part of a big extended family.

7. Final Day for Cousin Time 
They had one more day of good cousin play on Thursday. We met Kristina and her kids at the park for lunch. I seriously loved that Hudson was still calling Reid "Buddy" after a full week together. My mom tells me that since we've left he's asked her where his buddy is. I think they'll be quite the match for years to come.

Playing at the "old mine entrance" (it's cosmetic) in the park. 

After the park we headed to McDonald's for some lunch. Matthew and his family came over for goodbyes around dinner time and soon after Phil and his crew came too. My mom ordered pizza and we all watched the kids run around the backyard one last time. Well, I was upstairs trying to contain Coraline's throw ups, but I had a pretty good view of all the action out the back window. Poor Lou.

Fun in Grandma's Backyard

Bonus:
Here's two more photos of things that happened while we were in Delta.

Jumping on the tramp with sprinklers just moments after we arrived home form Bryce.

Reid went to Lance's Barber Shop for a (much needed) haircut.

Bassett Family Reunion

I began drafting this post ages ago, but it's finally here! And now I'm motivated to wrap up our entire Utah vacation as quickly as I can. I mean, it all took place over a month ago ... sheesh!

My mom put so much thought, care, and love into all the details of our stay in Hatch, Utah. She booked a huge, gorgeous home with a beautiful view of Red Canyon (state park). She had treat boxes (and movies) for the car ride to Hatch. She packed goody bags for a boy (game) and girl (spa) party on Thursday evening. And she took care to plan each and every meal from lunchtime Wednesday through lunchtime Friday. I can only imagine how much work it must have been. I'm not sure she'll want to plan another one anytime soon, so it's time for my brother's and I to take over (if she'll let us, ha!).

The reunion started when we all met up at Cluff's drive-in over in Fillmore. The kids got busy playing right away. Reid had a blast with Hudson and Noelan from the get go, and he wasn't super happy to crawl back in the car without any cousins. He was very concerned that we see them all again soon. We tried our best to explain that we were quite literally a caravan of two minivans and two SUVs chuck full of cousins!

Our first group stop was in the town of Bryce. We played around a bit at the shops, but they were all closed since we were there before the season officially kicked off. That seems kind of crazy, because the Park sure was busy for midweek off season!

Nell, Jack, Sofia, Zoey, Reid, and Coraline

Ava and Nell

After playing around a bit in the jail and salon, we drove over to the "Granny Hike." I'm not sure how granny friendly it really was, but the kids enjoyed it. The initial climb was slow and steady, right along a full flowing creek. The last bit of the hike had a steep incline before hitting a fork where you could head toward either mossy cave or a little waterfall. We ended up spending some time at both, of course.

Noelan, Jaedon, Reid, and Hudson

Front: Noelan and Nell. Standing: Max, Ava, and Phil. Crouching:  Zoey, Livy, Sofia, Reid, and Jon.

Ben and I definitely had the slowest kiddos. Nell is NOT a hiker (she whined to be carried the whole way) and Coraline did not want to be carried (and her two-year-old pace isn't exactly fast). At some point Coraline decided she only wanted to be carried by my brother Jon. She preferred him to both Ben and I. It was a nice break, but I also felt a sting of guilt over the whole thing. He carried her almost the whole way to the cave. And when he didn't have Coraline, he ended up with Nell (but her whining stopped the moment she was with him). When we were just about back to the car we heard some hollering from the top of the mountainside. When we looked up we found Nell with Jon and Jaedon in a little cave. Reid and the twins immediately wanted to join them.

Lou being carried by her buddy, Uncle Jon

All the cousins age 2+

Jack and Jaedon in the cave with Hudson, Noelan, Nell and Reid hanging out at the entry. Uncle Phil also included.

Uncle Jon helping Nell and Jack down from the cave.

After our hike we headed to Ruby Inn for dinner. Then we were off to the house for check-in. The house fit us all perfectly and kids quickly started scrambling for rooms and hidden closets to sleep in. We put Mara in a closet (no kidding), and I'm pretty sure Phil put one or two of his kids in a closet. Ava and Livy found a perfect spot under the stairs. There was sleeping room everywhere we looked! The room Ben and I took had a pull out bed for Lou and the huge closet for Mara. Nell and Reid wanted to sleep in the basement with cousins, but by bedtime Reid decided he'd prefer a couch in the Loft, close to mom and dad. Nell had no problems sleeping away from us and was happy to share a room with Zoey, Sofia and Uncle Matt and Aunt Laura.

The basement had a pool table and three bedrooms (plus the under stairs sleeping quarters) that were divied up between my two oldest brothers and their families (plus Nell). My mom and Dad took a room parallel to mine and Ben's. And Phil and his family took the master suite on the main level.

The main level had an amazing view. We loved sitting in the main room and just gazing out the huge two-story windows. When we first arrived the kids spent almost an hour chasing each other around the back deck, which ran the full length of the house. There was also a river to explore at the end of the property. It was so nice that they had so much room to roam since we were stuck with 16 of them in one house!

View of the river from the gazebo, and view from the back deck of the house

Of course the big kids wanted to stay up late, which kept the little kids up. But the little kids still woke up super early, which got the big kids up. But overall, we all slept well enough and had lots of fun together. The adults (minus mom and dad) stayed up chatting till nearly midnight that first evening.

Most of us headed to Bryce canyon for a big hike the next morning. Phil brought his whole family for the first stretch of it. Reid was pretty heartbroken when they took off with Zoey to explore another part of the canyon. But those of us remaining (all of Jon's family, my dad, Matthew and his two boys, and Ben and I with Reid and Mara) were headed on a three mile hike down into the heart of the canyon. It was such a beautiful hike and all the kids did awesome! Jack and Sof were a little scared getting started and then Reid was super tired and slow coming out (in his defense, so were Grandpa and I!), but overall I was so impressed with all those kids!

Hands in for group cheer before take off!

This is the view from the take off point, you can see the trail on the left side.
It goes all the way down into the heart of the canyon and back up the other side of the rim.

Grandpa with all the Grandkids who hiked. Jaedon, Sof, Liv, Jack, Max, Isaac, and Reid. 

Matt, Sofia, and I beginning the ascend out the other side. 

You can see just a couple of the more than twenty switchbacks we hiked up to get out of the canyon.
The look on Reid's face and his need to be propped up by Ben tell it all!

One passerby even commented on how amazed they were that Sof had enough breathe to carry on a conversation with me as we were started a steep ascend. I loved asking her and Livi all about their favorite books and other school activities. I also loved feeding Mara as we walked through the forest in the middle (flat) part of the hike. I don't believe I've ever fed a kid while walking before, but she did awesome the whole hike and didn't even stop us for a feeding. Such a sweet baby!

We met up with everyone (we'd left Nell and Coraline back at the house with my mom, Laura, and Ava) at Subway for a much needed lunch. Phil and his group had gone and explored an off road reservoir while we were hiking. After lunch we split up again for some separate exploration before meeting back at the house for dinner and party time.

Nell and Lou felt so spoiled and so grown up with their gift bags. They had fingernail polish just like their big girl cousins! Thankfully grandma painted their toes while I took care of Mara. Reid was excited to have his own candy bar and soda. He must have shown them to me a half dozen times, and then he didn't even open up his soda to drink it, ha!

Livy, Ava, and Sof lounging with their masks. Nell and Coraline's feet are the top left corner

Once all the kids were all mingled together again (Zoey, Reid, Hudson and Nell had a hard time staying split by gender, they just wanted to chase each other up and down the stairs), Uncle Jon told them to get ready for scary stories by the river. Oh man, those youngest kids were so excited! Luckily Reid took Ben and Nell stayed behind. She and Zoey put on a dance show for us adult women. It was pretty fun watching them beam with joy while entertaining us.

The next morning we all cleaned up and headed our own ways. Jon and Mel went home to get ready for another road trip. Matthew and Laura (with Grandpa) headed home because they weren't feeling great. We (plus Grandma) drove back to tour the main road through Bryce Canyon. Phil and his family went fishing and exploring on another reservoir.

It was so fun to all be together as an extended family unit, and it was also fun to see each of the individual families function in their own stages of parenthood. Mostly, I hope my parents enjoyed having all their kids and grandkids together in a house they didn't have to worry about deep cleaning themselves! It was a wonderful reunion and I can't wait for another one a year or two down the road. 

Thanksgiving 2016

On Wednesday, the 23rd, Ben took Reid and Nell down to the airport to pick up my parents. While they were away I made a couple of yummy pies, threw the turkey in the brine, and prepped side dishes as best I could (I had to cook up two packs of bacon and toast some pretzel bread). We all went to bed pretty excited on Thanksgiving Eve. It is so fun to have Grandma and Grandpa Bassett stay with us! And it's a treat that doesn't happen often enough. 

Thanksgiving morning was pretty low key. Coraline (who was asleep by the time Grandma and Grandpa arrived the night before) took to Grandma and Grandpa right away. She and Reid were snuggling G&G all morning long and Nell was eager to play and be silly -- all true to character. 

I continued to do the prep work I had outlined on a google document. I don't know why I didn't think to have the table set before the final hour, because things got real crazy in those last 45 minutes before dinner. I think though, that I was using the table as extra counter space -- so I don't know that I could have set it anyway. Plus, that was a good chore for the kids to do while I was trying to get all the dishes together. 

Reid had been so excited to eat Thanksgiving dinner. They'd been learning all about it in Kindergarten and he'd even made a turkey hat, a pilgrim costume, and a poster decoration. They'd talked about the history of Thanksgiving and even discussed what kinds of food it eaten. He was so looking forward to it. Then, when he sat down to eat he said his tummy hurt, and sure enough he was running a low fever. Poor boy. He ate his roll, and we wrapped up the rest of his plate so he could have it when he felt better. Luckily, a little medicine did the trick and he was able to eat it a few hours later (before pie, of course). 

But lets get a better look at what is on that plate! Remember my October post where I explain how food is one of the ways I show love? Well, having my parents in town for the foodiest holiday sure had me excited! I was going to show them lots and lots of love! We did our usual Alton Brown turkey brine, and I made gravy from a recipe my mom gave me that her own mother used.  For the sides I scoured my favorite food site -- Mel's Kitchen Cafe -- for the yummiest dishes: confetti corn, (a savory) sweet potato casserole, garlic and parmesean mashed potatoes, pretzel bread stuffing, and spinach salad! The green bean casserole was just the one listed on the French's onion box, the rolls were simply Rhodes brand, and I also bought a pumpkin pie from the store. I wanted to focus my pie energy on making a chocolate pecan pie I also got from Mel's Kitchen cafe. 

It was all so yummy, even if things were a little crazy during the final hour before dinner. And of course, the moment we all sat down to eat, this little Turkey woke up looking for her own dinner. 

I'd actually forgotten to put her in that little onsie, but I had to throw it on before bedtime because I have a picture of both Reid and Nell in it and I wanted to compare them all.  

Before bed, we did the truest photo comparison:

Christmas Eve 2014:

Thanksgiving 2016: 

Reid and Nell were both a little snug in jammies that were 2 years old! During the post Christmas sales of 2014 I tried to guess what size Lou might be in by 2015 and I was wrong, they were way too big for her last year (when I'd hoped I could do a "compare" picture), but it turned out perfect because we got to do it this year instead. Even better, right? 

Spending Time with Cousins

Unfortunately I took almost no pictures of my kids with their cousins. I'm sure it would not have worked had I tried. They could hardly hold still for a second! 

The first three or four days we were there my brother Matt's kids came over each afternoon. Reid loved boxing with Max and Zeke. I think that might have been his favorite thing. Nell loved following Zoey around. Together, all the kids kept playing Tiger family. Ava is very good to play along with the younger kid's games. Their favorite Ava moment might have been when they went into my parent's crawl space under the house. I was surprised by Reid's bravery. Maybe he is turning a new leaf. Ava was too kind though, even when my mom tried to scare them, by making noises as the old lady who lives in the basement, Ava kept reminding them "It's just Grandma you guys. She's outside at the window." She was pretty protective of her five fellow adventurers. 

Reid also had a lot of fun boxing and wrestling with Hudson. Those two can be pretty funny to watch when they get all tough together. We met up with Kristina and her three boys two different times at the splash pad. They didn't play in the water much the second time, and instead just went out onto the soccer field and wrestled some more. I love how little boys play. We also had Chinese with them one night (Phil was at Guard) and there was Lehman's Cave. 

There were a few cousin-less days, when poor Zoey came down with pink eye. We all kind of spent some time apart to see where else it might lead. Luckily, no one else was infected. While she was down and out my parents did take all the other Grandkids to Finding Dory. Of course their favorite part was the little kid sized snack tray -- complete with popcorn, root beer, and candy. Reid and Nell mentioned that several times; they also gave me all the details about the seating arrangement (not sure why) and a couple of their favorite characters. 

Their favorite cousin night was by far our last night all together (my brother's went camping near the end of our visit). Everyone came to my mom's for hot dogs and hamburgers. Then we walked over to the pool for a family swim night. We were the only people in the entire pool for the first fifteen or so minutes. Nell was brave enough to go down the slide (I credit Hudson). I wish I had caught it on video. She looked terrified and it was hilarious! Max was sweet enough to stay in the kid pool and play catch with the younger kids for a while. Then Grandpa watched Nell and Zoey do ballerina jumps off the edge for a good fifteen minutes. Uncle Matt played some sort of shark hunt game with the middle aged boys (Reid was in heaven, I'm sure) and I spent nearly the whole hour holding a clingy Coraline. But she was pretty happy about it all. As long as I was holding her. Back at Grandma's we all enjoyed some root beer floats and a little more playing time.

The next day (when half the crew was camping) Zoey came over for about seven hours of play time and all my parenting responsibilities disappeared. I occasionally had to drag Coraline in from outside, or at least watch her while she played outside with them, but other than that I sat back and relaxed. Reid, Nell, and Zoey all played so well together. It was insane. They stayed outside nearly the entire seven hours. Zoey arrived in her swimsuit so my kids quickly joined her. They played water guns, jumped on the trampoline with sprinklers, ate milkshakes, and just ran around the yard for hours. It was lovely. The above photo was the end of our day when we settled them all down for popcorn and a movie. It was a perfect summer day. 

Spending Time in Grandma and Grandpa's Gardens

As much as we enjoyed spending time around Delta and the surrounding community, spending time around my parent's house was even more magnificent. Cousins came over each afternoon on our first few days there (more on that later). My parents and I sat around and played card games daily. We snuggled while watching movies and reading books. And we spent a lot of time playing outside, enjoying my parent's beautiful gardens.

One particular day my kids gave their Panda and Polar Bears the grand tour of Grandma's flower beds and lawn decorations. It was pretty cute watching them love on their favorite stuffed animals while we hung out in the front yard.

Meanwhile, in the backyard, the kids (especially Reid) loved helping Grandpa water his vegetable garden every day (or was it every other?). Even Coraline loved getting in on the fun.

We also spent a lot of time on the trampoline, at the sand table, fiddling with the kid umbrellas, and playing with all the other fun toys my parents have in their backyard.

I love both these pictures of Nell so much.
And even though the tissue tells you I just wiped her nose, it hardly shows!
My girls had runny noses (allergies) everytime we stepped outside.

Lou really loved the trampoline and even climbed up the little ladder all by herself (constantly). She only fell off once (enough to learn). She preferred being up their with big kids, but the moment she climbed on they all climbed off, ha! They knew they couldn't jump big with her on there, so what's the point?

Great Basin National Park: What to do with Kids

Last Summer Ben and I took the kids to three different National Parks (and a couple of State Parks) and I wrote up little guides of what we did and what I had researched beforehand. I figure I'll write this Great Basin post up in the same style. It's an easy 1 hour and 45 minute drive from my parents place in Delta, UT.

Easy unless you get stuck behind an extra wide load that takes up the only two lanes on Highway 6 & 50! I've never seen such a big haul in my life. It had three flashing trucks up in front, warning oncoming traffic to pull completely off the road, and two flashing cars (one a state trooper) behind it. Thankfully, after about 30 miles, it pulled over and let us pass. Otherwise we may not have made it!

Lehman Cave Tour

Kids of any age can go on the Ranger guided 60 minute Lodge Room Tour. You cannot take strollers, so if you have young kids that need to be carried you'll need to have a pack or something. The walk itself is less than 1/2 a mile, but you stop several times in the more open areas of the cave and learn about cave creation and cave life.

Our group included four adults, a 9 year-old, two 5 -year-olds and three 3 year-olds. All of the 3 year-olds did super. None needed to be carried. Our guide was amazing with little kids and when Nell and one of her fellow 3 year-old cousins snuck up ahead of the parents the guide just let them lead the way. It was adorable. Of course, he shouted back at us for permission, but once it was granted Nell and Hudson were leading the pack.

Another thing worth note is that kids cannot touch anything. This can be hard on anyone, especially littles, but I noticed little hands constantly pulling themselves back when they realized they'd gotten too close. I was really impressed with the practice in self control our young explorers demonstrated.

The cave has been touched plenty, so a few slip ups won't alter geology. Early explorers had a "if you can break it you can take it" policy and park workers have paved a nice pathway through the main parts of the cave. So it certainly isn't 100% primitive. In fact, they once rented the cave out under a Hollywood contract and some film about Mars was created. They flooded one of the bigger rooms and spent lots of time making it look like the astronauts were floating on Mars. Special effects of the 70s, they were something!

There is a longer tour that will take you to a couple extra rooms, but kids must be 5 and older to go on that one. All tours require tickets and YOU MUST order them at least one day before going. If you take the chance of getting tickets when you arrive you will be left behind. I booked our tickets on Monday and at the time every slot on Thursday was wide open. That morning we called to see if we could add two more and we couldn't. Every tour was filled up within an hour of the parks opening.

Easy Hikes for Kids
Hikes in Great Basin will remind you how primitive this part of the desert really is. The Bristle cone pines are older than Jesus! And most of the park has little to no traffic. While the park certainly offers developed and easily accessible trails, it feels a lot less traveled than the other major parks found in Utah.

The Mountain View Nature Trail is a quick loop around the cave area. You can even hop in the ranger station and ask for a guided tour. We did this entire loop in less than 20 minutes after we were done with the cave. The kids loved looking for lizards and cacti and the views were pretty good as well.

Taking a quick break on the Mountain View Nature Trail

When Reid was just a toddler and Nell was tucked safely into my belly, Ben, Reid and I went on the Sky Islands Forest Trail. It was late June and it snowed on us! That's how high up you are, you get snow ... in Nevada ... in June. The trail is wheelchair accessible, so even with the snow our little 18 mos old did most his own walking. There were nice little markers that identified life on the rugged mountains of the Great Basin. I remember feeling very lost in the high forest, wait ... maybe lost isn't the right word. We knew where we were (even with the snow falling down on us), I mean lost in the sense that it was just the three of us on this entire mountain range, deep in its beautiful forest. All these years later I still really enjoy the memory of this hike.

June 2012

I've also done the Osceola Ditch hike during other visits. This is hands down the park I've been to the most in my life time. My family has it's own history with the park. My ancestors used the Osceola ditch (maybe even helped build it?) and my paternal Grandfather gave tours of the cave when he was just 9 years-old. I love Great Basin and am very dissapointed I've never camped there!

Camping
Though I haven't camped in Great Basin, Ben and I certainly plan to in a few years when our kids are a bit older. Unlike Capitol Reef, Great Basin doesn't have a lot of developed campsites but you are guaranteed to see more stars than you can find just about anywhere on the planet if you happen to stay on a clear night. It is the Milky Way National Park. There is no light pollution and you are nearly on top of the highest peak in Nevada. I can't wait to stay a night there some point in the future. It will take a lot of preparation, but the pay off will be worth it.

Nearby Accommodations
There are not many towns near the park. The only one you'll go through after leaving Delta (if you come to the park from Utah) is Baker Nevada. There are two other towns in the valley, but each are as small (even smaller) than Baker. So you'll probably want to pack a picnic, or you'll end up eating all your meals at the Border Inn.

Which is just what we did when it was time for dinner!

The kids had fun playing with this old gas pump, and the heavy load we'd followed out to the desolute desert was parked on the lot -- probably waiting for the NV highway patrol to come take it to it's next destination. If you are visiting the park from Utah (and you don't want to camp), I'd recommend staying a day and night in Delta. There is plenty to do in my lovely childhood community. 

Overall the entire afternoon was one of my kids' favorites from our two week long stay at Grandma and Gramps. Thanks for planning and paying Pa and thanks for watching the two toddlers Ma! 

April Adventures

April began as roughly as March ended, but as I already mentioned, I was saved a bit by wonderful Grandparents. On the first day of April (a Friday) Rick and Carol came and picked up all three kids for an extra long weekend. Their cousin Parker was celebrating his 2nd birthday Sunday evening and we didn't want Rick and Carol or our kids to have to miss it, so Ben drove down Sunday afternoon and just brought the kids home first thing Monday morning. I'm sure they all had a blast playing with their cousins. I heard all about it for the next couple of days, but can't really remember any of the details because I was still in such a nausea fog. 

I was really nervous about my Dr appointment on the 5th (Tuesday). I honestly hadn't left the house (I'd barely left my bed) in at least two weeks. I really thought I'd have to call and tell them I was too sick to make it. The irony struck me. Thankfully, that Tuesday was also our election day. Had it just been the Presidential primary I could have sat it out (that's how bad this nausea was), but there was an important local ballot question in regard to Education funding and I just COULD NOT miss that one. So I went and fulfilled my civic duty as a reward for making it through my Dr appointment without running to the bathroom. 

That evening Reid lost his first tooth. The tooth fairy swapped it out for a dollar when he was fast asleep. Childhood is so magical. And fleeting. 

My real test of survival came two days later when my kid's swim lessons resumed. Ugh, it took a lot of effort, focus, and rule breaking, but I got through it. The rule breaking? I parked in the 5 min area and I took in a Sprite. I know, I'm a real rebel, but I was totally prepped to tell anyone my risky behavior was better than the alternative (and I did look for other parking, but only the farthest of far spaces were left). 

We still spent a lot of time watching TV. It is evident in the amount of couch pictures I took this month. We're going to break the habit with a screen free week starting tomorrow (it's actually national screen free week, just FYI). 

Reid's been making lots of fun hats each week at school. The first week of April they learned about pets, so naturally he came home with a parrot hat. He also knew how to squawk and copy. He was pretty convinced parrots are really great pets. 

It was also perfect prep for his day in the Rainforest! Rick and Carol drove up again that Friday afternoon and took the kids for a fun weekend away. On Saturday they ate at the Rainforest Cafe, an experience even I've never had! What lucky kids. They still keep talking about it, and they played rainforest for days afterword. 

Nell wasn't so sure about the rain and rolling thunder special effects. Silly girl. 

They came home that Sunday evening, just a few minutes before my mom arrived from Utah. The kids actually got to have dinner with 3 of their 4 grandparents. It was pretty exciting! 

Before they'd left for the weekend I'd started to suspect Coraline had another ear infection, but as usual I just played the wait and see game. By mid-morning Monday I was pretty convinced, and fortunately my pediatrician was able to see her within an hour or two. Unfortunately, this meant I had to brave leaving the house again. The worst part about going out in public was not being able to have my spit cup with me (yes, spit cup is exactly what it sounds like). I was sitting in that office with a mouth hyper producing saliva when I dug in my diaper bag for some sort of relief, only to find those M&Ms tucked into a back pocket. It was such a saving grace. So not only do my in-laws take amazing care of my kids, they even spoil me! They are amazing, aren't they? I just had to snap a photo of my bag stuffed full of goodies. There was absolutely no food in there when we gave it to them on Friday. 

My mom also got busy spoiling both me and my kids. She tackled the fridge that had been on my to do list for weeks. I knew it needed a cleaning but could have never handled the smells! Oh the pregnancy smells. She also took Ben and the kids out to eat and then to the grocery store for a big shopping trip. She bought us the Good Dinosaur and some M&Ms so we had an awesome movie night on Tuesday after baths. I love M&Ms and popcorn. Such a delicious treat! I even enjoyed some myself. It was heavenly.

My kids each had a couple bowls polished off before we were ten minutes into the movie. Nell didn't really watch the movie much, she was more interested in playing with Grandma and Daddy. But Reid was totally into it, and we had to watch it again the next day. It's a cute movie and has all the things I appreciate in a kid's movie: nothing crude or violent and no more than two "oh no! will they make it?" moments. I very much dislike movies that drag on either the conflict or the resolution. I really appreciate that The Good Dinosaur is concise about both. It almost surprised me. There had to be another catch, another ten minutes, it can't really end when I'm ready for it to end, can it?

We all really enjoyed our week with Grandma. The kids couldn't wait to see her each morning. They were so excited when they'd hear her start to come up the stairs. They also just loved having her around to watch them play. That's universal, right? All kids love an audience. They loved telling her made up stories or having her read them their stories each night before bed. They loved playing in the basement while she and I sat around and talked. They were always begging her to stop cleaning and come watch them build something with their Lego's.

They were over the moon when Grandma got to come to swimming lessons and watch their last day of class (for Nell anyway, and it was Reid's last day with other students). It was the day they did the safety training -- which didn't start well for Reid. As usual, he'd jumped in the pool to play a little before class started, so when his teacher asked him to get out and come into a private room he lost his mind. It was so frustrating, but I also felt for him, at least a little. As he sobbed about not wanting to leave he said "but my grandma came from Utah and I want to make her proud." Oh buddy, if only he understood that throwing fits will never make anyone proud. Sigh. It was the worst fit I've seen him throw in, well; a really long time. I can't really think of any worse ones, but I know all three-year-olds throw fits like he did -- it's just that he's five.

Ten minutes into the class, when he finally pulled himself together, and he was totally fine, he jumped into the deep end with nothing but a big smile on his face. It was as if nothing had happened. Later, back in the regular 3 ft pool, he had a blast pretending like he was drowning. He and his classmate each took turns trying to save each other. It was pretty cute to watch. Most importantly, he apologized to his teacher. Before they went into the deep end he came over to get his goggles from me and I told him he needed to apologize for his behavior. He told me Miss Chelsea was too busy teaching class, but promised he'd do it at some point. When she came over to give me his report card I asked if he had apologized and she smiled and assured me he had. His behavior was a little bit redeemed by the fact that he could muster up an apology without me over his shoulder coaxing him. Actually, if I had to guess he's probably better at apologies when I'm not around. He knew his behavior was rotten, and once he was calmed he knew how to make it right. Even adults have moments like that, right?

Nell's class is always fun to watch. She's so happy and so animated the entire time she's with Miss Jamie. I still can't believe how much she has improved since the class began. The above photo series shows her jumping in to retrieve the toy she'd thrown across the pool, swimming after it, and then returning it to the wall. She did all of it with no help (unless you count the float belt). Before lessons we could hardly get her in the water. She had no interest in swimming. Now she's a regular old fish. 

This video is from Reid's last day of lessons, on Friday, when he is the only kid in his class. He'd actually done three front crawl strokes pretty flawlessly before I began recording. I tried to get him to repeat it with the same success but failed. His greatest strength is definitely his floating. The boy is a floater! He has to swim five yards independently before he moves up a level, so he'll probably take the class again once or twice this summer. I really want him to be comfortable swimming independently soon. His teacher did tell me most kids his age can't get the right arm movement for the front crawl, so she thinks his performance is totally normal/average.

I was not feeling well that morning and it was so nice that I could leave my girls with my mom and just take Reid. I think he needed the one on one time anyway. On the ride home he sang me a sweet song he made up on the spot. It was all about how much he loves me and how we're best friends. As we walked to the van he told me he thinks we were made for each other, "and Daddy and Nell were made for each other too." He can be such a tender boy sometimes.

About halfway through my mom's stay I started feeling like I had enough energy to finally be productive. So I cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed and did a few other little chores. But I pushed myself too hard when I went out with them one evening. Other than the 24 hours following that, I really wasn't that sick during my mom's stay. Kind of ironic, but it was still so nice to have her here. Plus, it gave me the boost I needed to get back into my routine when she left. I wasn't starting out way behind in laundry or cleaning because she'd done so much of it for me! It was great to start off the next week feeling a little better and knowing I wasn't swamped with housework.

One night when we tucked Nell into bed she told us she was going to sneak away to Grandma's house. She really wanted to go back to Utah with my mom, but we finally convinced her she could wait until Reid was out of school and we'd all go together in just a couple of months. My favorite Nell and Grandma story took place one evening after everyone was in bed and Ben was out playing raquetball. My mom had called my dad to chat and she decided to call for her kitties. My mom has a very distinct "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" voice and when I heard it through the walls I thought "how strange, I've never heard my neighbor call her cat like my mom does." But about a second into that thought I realized it was my mom, shouting for her kitties through the phone! I also began to hear Nell crying. She came out of her room frightened that she'd just heard a terrible witch noise. I was confused for a bit, and then realized my mom's cat call sounded like a witch cackle to Nell! Seeing true fear in her eyes, I realized the only thing that would settle her was going down to my mom's room and hearing "here kitty, kitty, kitty" straight from the source. The three of us laid in bed together for a minute and snuggled and giggled. It was a special little moment, even if I came up stairs and immediately began vomiting.

The last couple of day's of my mom's visit were wonderfully warm -- especially for April. We spent a lot of time sitting on the back porch, watching the kids play. One evening Ben started a fire, per the kids request, but it was too hot for any of us to even enjoy. The kids wouldn't go near it. He roasted some hot dogs and made us some s'mores. It was a great way to spend Grandma's last evening at our house.

He also decided to go give the compost a good stir. After a long winter he did find some nice rich soil, but he also found four baby mice. The kids loved it, naturally! Reid even hauled the bucket they'd been loaded into over to the faucet for their drowning. My mom, always the animal lover, had to take a couple of pictures and ewe and awe over their cuteness. In the bottom of that bucket, minutes away from their death, they were pretty cute. But I'm not so sure about composting anymore. Naturally, Reid told his entire class that eventful story when they learned about composting this last week. I'm sure preschool is full of lots of fun stories!

Along with composting, they learned all about reduce, reuse, recycle. As if my kids need any encouragement when it comes to reusing boxes. Who doesn't watch TV in boxes? This week really up-ed his desire to create strange toys out of our recycling bin. I was actually becoming quite annoyed with his new found rummaging habits. But he did make a pretty cool minecraft monster one afternoon. And it was his favorite toy for the entire week. Trash is only in the eye of the beholder, I guess.  

Coraline has been pretty insistent on feeding herself. She fights me for her spoon and sometimes she wins. It turns out she did have another ear infection, and it is the one that broke the camel's back. As soon as the next one hits she has to have tubes. We took her to a specialist to make sure no permanent damage has been done. They can't test hearing in each of the separate ears at her age, but the two together are just fine. Also, there is no scar tissue, so it was all mostly good news. If she never has an ear ache again it will all be good news, but at the rate she is going, that is not likely.

This last Thursday (today is Sunday) we took all three of the kids to the YMCA pool nearest us (not the one where they took lessons). It has a walk in entry, splash pad area, and winding slide. Before Reid started his lessons I told him my goal was for him to go down the slide by himself, so naturally he wanted to try it. Since he hasn't actually passed the class we had Ben stand to the side at the bottom to pull him out of the current and help him get to calm water. He went twice and came out with a big smile both times. I think we were all pretty proud.

I took Nell down the slide twice and we shouted things like "Girl Power!" and "Girls Rock, Yohoo!" the whole way down. She was all giggles and pretty convinced that meant she had to go down with me and not daddy. I finally told her daddy can yell girl power too and I heard her shout it from the top of the slide when they raced down together. I love my little girl power girl.

Last month Reid earned a free ticket to a game for the local minor league baseball team. It was a reading program, and he earned a couple different things every other week. Things like mascot tattoos, stickers, and a hot dog and soda at the game. We purchased a ticket for Ben, and the two of them were ready for a boys night out. Nell was obviously heartbroken. Next year we will be sure to get her a ticket as well. I had to make it up to her by throwing a princess tea party. We enjoyed a pink frosted butterfly brownie (from our local bakery) and some pink ("tea") lemonade. We also watched the first bit of Frozen before switching over to Mulan II. She dressed up, of course, and we ended the evening snuggling in my bed. When Ben came home and took her out she sleepishly said "Goodnight Mama," and my heart melted a little. She also said "Goodnight Daddy" when Ben laid her in bed, but she was really asleep for the whole thing. She is our most active sleeper.

The boys enjoyed the game as well. Well, that might not be true. Reid enjoyed the hot dog and special out-of-school time with friends, and Ben enjoyed a night with his boy. I don't think either of them enjoyed the actual game.

He's got a hot dog and some lemonade, a night out with daddy, and two of his favorite friends (B and J), that's one happy boy!

And on the last day of April, baby learned how to take selfies while sitting on top of my phone! Cute little baby!

Oh, and here are some cute photos Ben snapped of her earlier in the month. She can be so particular about things, and for a few days she was really particular about wearing her snow pants like a cape. Silly girl.