Our Moab Get Away

Peter and I are celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary today, May 20th. We decided not to do gifts this year but to get away and just spend some time together instead. So Thursday evening we headed down to Moab to stay at a condo owned by one of the doctors that Peter works with and do some hiking in Arches National Park. We spent most of Friday hiking around the park to see Delicate arch, the North and South Windows (arches) and Turret arch. It was a beautiful day and we both got a little too much sun. Later that afternoon we went back to the condo and enjoyed some time by the pool. It was so wonderful to just lay on a lounge chair and feel carefree again. No children to chase after or take care of, it was fabulous. (However, I do have to admit that I was missing the girls a little bit by this point. Just a little bit)

This is a shot I took from the car as we drove through the park. The geology of eastern and southern Utah is so amazing. The red rock is so gorgeous against the deep blue sky.

Below is a shot of Delicate Arch. This is a very famous arch. Even if you have never been to Arches National Park I am sure you have seen this arch. The hike up to it is a bit strenuous and you are exposed to the sun pretty much the whole time but it is worth it.


Saturday morning we got up early and enjoyed a delicious breakfast at The Jailhouse Cafe in Moab. It is a cute little cafe that is only open from 7am - 12pm and only does breakfast. I had a whole grain waffle that was served with fresh fruit and nuts. Oh my, it was soooo good! Peter had some scrambled eggs with chorizo sausage and peppers that were served with corn tortillas, sour cream and salsa. (Mighty brave breakfast selection right before a big hike if you ask me.) I share this bit of info. with you in case you ever are in Moab you will know where to eat breakfast.
After breakfast we went back to Arches and hiked Devil's Garden. This hike leads you by 8 different arches. Below is a shot of Landscape Arch. It is the largest in the park and measures 306 feet from base to base. Back in 1991 a rock slab fell from the top right side of the arch. Luckily it made enough noise as it cracked and fell away that the hikers down below were able to get out from underneath it. However, since then the park has moved the trail so that hikers are unable to walk up underneath it. I was happy to see it from a safe distance. Magnificent!

Last but not least I thought I would share a shot of a baby buffalo that I took on our way to the condo we stayed in. It wasn't out in the wild like you might expect but rather just on someones small farm. There was a warning sign on the fence that said "Caution, angry buffalo" so I kept a nice distance and took my picture.

So Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband! I am grateful for him and I am grateful that we enjoy having life's adventures together. Here's to 7 more years of fun times.

What a week!

Last Monday we celebrated Isabella's birthday by going to our favorite breakfast spot, Ruth's Diner, then we spent the rest of the morning at the zoo. Later in the day we had my family come over and we had a little barbecue for her. It was a lot of fun and Bella was on cloud 9 because she loves her birthday. The following day at preschool she got to be the special leader and bring the snack. Her friends sang happy birthday to her and her teacher gave her a little goody bag of treats. So far being 4 was great! Then Tuesday night she came down with a fever and started throwing up. She threw up a couple of times during the night and then once on Wednesday. Although the throwing up stopped there her fever continued to spike around 102-104 until Sunday. That's 5 days of a sick and GRUMPY Isabella. She is finally feeling better today and is much more pleasant to be around.
I had a great Mother's Day yesterday. The girls, via their wonderful dad, gave me a ever blooming gardenia plant, a hand juicer and we had a delicious quiche for brunch. Then it was off to church where we enjoyed some nice talks on motherhood. I was really looking forward to having Bella go up and sing a lovely Mother's Day song with the primary for the very first time but since she was still feeling a little under the weather she declined to participate. Oh well, maybe next year. It was my turn to teach Sunday school this week and that went alright. Then the elders took over all the teaching duties during the last hour so that all the women could be together in Relief Society. They also gave us giant sugar cookies as a thank you for all that we do as women to enrich the lives of those around us. And finally we went to my brothers house to have some dessert with my family. Delicious cheesecake with raspberry sauce! I love being a mom!

Happy Birthday Bella!

It is hard for me to believe that Isabella is 4 years old. It doesn't seem that long ago that Peter and I had our lives completely changed by this special little girl.

Isabella is an extraordinary little spirit. She is full of happiness (most of the time) and likes to have those around her happy as well. She is smart, silly, beautiful, kind and forgiving. She is a wonderful big sister who finds joy in teaching her little sister new and exciting things.

Isabella also loves to meet new people and make new friends. In the picture below we were at a local beach in Seattle for the afternoon and within minutes of arriving Isabella had met a little girl and asked her to play. The little girl was visiting from France and didn't speak very much English. It didn't make any difference. The two of them had a great time playing in the sand and water together. I love that about her!

Isabella loves to have fun. She loves to get bundled up and play in the snow and never complains about being too cold. She also likes to play in the water and on Uncle Forrest's boat. She is gutsy and enjoys trying new things even if they seem a bit scary.

Ultimately, Isabella is a princess. She is kind to others and likes to make her friends and family happy. We are so grateful that Isabella is part of our family.