Goblin Valley

We kidnapped Amelia and headed to Goblin Valley over UEA weekend. I've lived in Utah most of my life but this was my first time there. The campground was full, so we camped along the rock outside the park and it ended up being perfect. To say the kids loved it would be an understatement.

We've been thinking of buying a pop up trailer, so we decided to rent one and see if we liked it. We were SO glad we had it since the weather wasn't the best. The kids liked our campsite so much that they whined every time we told them we had to leave it to do an activity. Here are some pictures of our campsite.

On Saturday we went for a hike through Little Wild Horse Canyon. It was my first time in a slot canyon and it was amazing. To do a complete loop was an 8 mile hike, but the kids pulled off an impressive 5 mile out and back. There were clouds in the sky we were leary of, so we didn't press ourselves. Also, Mike didn't think we were going to go very far so he left his water pack in the car. (but who's pointing fingers, right?) ;) 

Do you see Steven?

This was about where we turned around

 Mike likes to imagine our Honda Pilot is a Jeep Wrangler, so we drove it on a 4x4 path that led to Molly's castle. The kids enjoyed hiking up the side of the mountain. Mike and I enjoyed the peace and quiet. ;)

Rain outside, warmth and fun inside. 

Sunday morning we finally made it into Goblin Valley. What a place! We played hide and seek for quite some time and then took a break while the kids explored the white mountain and collected green sand. It was still wet and muddy in areas from the previous nights rain, but that just meant more fun for the kids. 

Fall piano recital

Last week Sarah and Steven had their fall piano recital. Their teachers hold the recital in a senior living home near the Jordan River Temple. It's the perfect place because they have a really nice grand piano and the residents come to see the performance in addition to the families. Although there were plenty of beginners playing there were some students that played incredible pieces. (My kids were obviously in that group) ;)

Steven started taking lessons from Katy Thomas a few months ago and has picked it up quickly. When I nag him about practicing I sometimes expect his to say, "I Quit!", but he doesn't. He really enjoys it. He's had his song, Happy Feet, memorized for a few weeks. He's used to practicing on a keyboard, so when he got to a grand piano he accidentally put his fingers on the wrong keys. :) I only noticed because I'd heard him practice over 100 times, but my mother in law couldn't tell. He did a great job. 

Sarah's teacher wanted her to play Tarantella, a complex piano piece. Sarah was practicing it well but felt it might be a little too complicated. She chose to learn "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, a song she's loved for quite some time. She practiced it A LOT and played it beautifully. (Her introduction got cut off because her page turner forgot to go up there and I had to hand off my phone to Lynette) 

Piano is one of those things I'm living vicariously through my children. I know I could learn if I took lessons, but I'm glad my kids are able to play.

Lagoon, it's what fun is! Kind of.

Right after the race we went to Lagoon with Mike's parents. We try and go once a year and this was our only time to go. It was Frightmare time, so although it wasn't too busy when we got there the crowds got so big we ended up leaving early. We were also tired from the race. The big attraction this year was the opening of the Cannibal ride. Mike has been waiting ALL SUMMER to ride it and it didn't disappoint. It was pretty crazy! Steven and Sarah loved it but Adam wasn't tall enough and Amelia didn't want to try it. They had fun seeing all the decorations and then we went home and relaxed. It was a good day. :)

U of U 5K- Sarah's first 5k

On October 10th our family continued our annual tradition of running the U of U Homecoming 5k. A week or so before Sarah had ran about 2 1/2 miles for her schools fundraiser so she decided to try running a 5k. I was proud of her before she even started. Here are some prerace pictures. This race is always so much fun and there is a lot of energy.

Here is a picture of Sarah during the race. We held hands almost the whole time so we could help each other. Sarah completed the race in 32:37, which is a great time. She said she's done racing for now, but I hope she's willing to run it each year. It was nice to have a running partner.

While we were racing Amelia, Steven and Adam collected nuts and cheered on the runners. When it was their turn for the 1k they all ran their fastest. This is the first year the boys ran hard without stopping. I haven't been able to convince Mike to run a 5k with me, but he always runs with the kids. :)

I've now seen this guy at two races. He was at the "Race for Grief" I ran with Stephanie last month. He does a great job of making all the non-runners feel like slackers. :)