The Young and the Restless

It could pass as Utah

The vast difference in the landscape here just floors me. We bounced along a dusty dirt road to these clay cliffs and I swear we were in the middle of southern Utah. This little gem is off the beaten track (literally and figuratively), it's not one of the regulars on the tourist stops but it definitely should be. They are stunning creations of nature that doubled as a mighty fine playground. Until we started rock slides, had a potty accident, and then lost a child. That was a scary ten minutes or so. Buuuut, it was still a pretty incredible place.

This is the point where we had bitten off more than we could chew. It got pretty steep and the ones in front kept causing rock falls that would come down and hit us below. It was kind of scary trying to get back down with the little ones with out slipping on all the loose rocks. We had a few tense moments. Jason took Maddox another way down but let him go down first so that the rocks wouldn't hit him. When Maddox got down he couldn't see the rest of us so he went to the car to try and find us. There is nothing worse than the feeling of not knowing where your child is.

Kylie wants to do a "dancing around New Zealand" gallery wall in her room when we move back

I told the kids to pack coats because it was supposed to be cold and rainy. Why do I even bother checking the weather forecast? I ended up as the pack mule carrying everyone's jackets, because you know, it's totally my fault for telling them to dress warm.

We sort of stumbled across this little lagoon and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was so picturesque and I love just sitting back and watching the kids play.

This time a cookie bribe was involved

Jason took Ryder on an adventure that ended with hide and go seek in the woods. It always ends with hide and go seek in the woods with that boy.

I think it was about donuts this time

I seriously love when the sun hits the water at a certain angle and it just bursts with color

And then Jason and I took a nostalgic trip down memory lane when we came across this McDonald's playland grave yard. I mean, you really haven't lived unless you've experienced life behind the bars of a Hamburglar jail. It wasn't until we noticed the security van that we realized how suspicious we looked with silly grins on our faces and a zoom lens poking out of our car window taking pictures of kids on a playground. We decided it was best to leave at that point. We went home and ate a crock pot roast dinner, listened to some Ariana Grande, squeezed onto the hide-a-bed while we switched between watching Toy Story and X-factor, criticized the judges for their poor critiques and ate ice cream out of mugs. These are the days.