Moab

Highlights from our weekend in Moab...
Hiking to Corona Arch

Under the arch

Dylan on the ladder (best hike ever!)

Luke smiling after 34 miles on the trail

Happy in the desert

Hole N The Rock...

Not to be confused with Hole In The Rock, which would have been really cool. Hole N The Rock is a house carved into the side of a mountain in Moab. The eccentric couple who lived there ran a diner and tried their hand at taxidermy (which I can assure you did NOT go well). I would post pictures of the stuffed horses and their pet donkey, Harry, who still stands at the front window of the home. Wearing a bonnet. But...the photos I can find online just don't do it justice. The tour guides are sticklers about the "no photo" rule, so I guess you'll just have to cough up $20 the next time you are in Moab and see for yourself. As you can tell from the photo below, the kids had a great time!
(Click on picture to enlarge)

Dynamite!

I was looking at this photo of the kids with their valentine boxes for school:

Then I thought to myself-haven't I seen that boy somewhere before?

Bend

We were in serious need of some sunshine, so we found ourselves in Bend, Oregon on Saturday afternoon. It was 50 degrees and the sun felt AMAZING! We went to the High Desert Museum (there was a butterfly and hummingbird exhibit-so cool), shopped a little in the Old Mill district, and ate some seriously good food. We watched The Lion King at the hotel and hung out in the hot tub under the stars. My only complaint is that Bend is "Pepsitown". I had to search high and low for a diet coke! Other than that, I have no complaints. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Kick Off Christmas

Every year on the day after Dylan's birthday, we kick off Christmas. We choose a different hotel each year. The night always includes dinner and a fun activity. This year we ate at California Pizza Kitchen, went downtown to City Creek to see the candy windows (where we ran into the Robbins and had sugar cookies at Blue Lemon!), then spent the night at Snowbird. It was fun to sit in the hot tub on the roof and watch the people night skiing. We watched "We Bought A Zoo" and slept in. Dylan woke up with a 103 degree fever though, so we hurried home to spend what was left of our Christmas break sick. Boo!

Birthday Boy

Dylan had a fun 9th birthday. He is growing up so fast! He had all his favorite foods, went miniature golfing, and had ice cream cake to top it all off. As you can see from this photo, he really loved Izzy's gift. They know each other so well!

Christmas 2012

No pictures today. With no camera, we tried taking iphone photos, but the unwrapping was just too much for my phone to handle!
Hopefully I'll have some pictures from Dylan's birthday and Christmas to share soon.

Just want to say thank you for all the cards and nice thoughts people sent. Our table is filled with pictures and cards from the people we love most. It's a great reminder of what the season is all about--family and friends.

A special thank you to Aunt Vivian (sorry I have been bad about posting) and Uncle Gus (who I know doesn't read my blog). We got your cards, and were so excited!

My parents spoiled all of us as usual. Thanks, Mom and Dad! We are so lucky to have you in our lives. You mean the world to us, and we treasure the memories we are making and the relationship you have with Izzy and Dylan. We all love you so much!

Fred and Kelly spoiled us as well! One of the highlights of Christmas with Luke's family was visiting Grandma and Grandpa Kemp at the cemetery. We lit luminaries and Jake played "Amazing Grace" on his harmonica. Another fabulous opportunity to reflect on what is most important in life--family.

All in all, it was a great Christmas. We are looking forward to spending more time with family and friends as 2012 winds down and comes to a close. We wish all of you and yours a happy holiday season!