Camping: the Good and the Bad

A couple of weekends ago we headed south to the San Rafael Swell for a short overnight camping excursion. This was the last weekend before Justin went back to working Saturdays with Mondays off (not a schedule conducive for camping) so we were pretty excited to go, Molly especially. It didn't go exactly how we planned...

Bad: We got a late start and had to set up camp in the dark. Well, Justin set up camp in the dark, not me.

Good: Molly slept the whole way there.

Bad: Our camp had been previously occupied by cows, or some sort of animal, so we had to watch our step, if you know what I mean.

Good: It wasn't fresh.

Good: Dinner cooked over the campfire.Good: Peach cobbler.

Bad: It was really cold at night. I didn't get much sleep because I kept checking to make sure Molly was warm enough.

Good: It warmed up and was beautiful on Saturday.

Good: Breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, hot chocolate, orange juice, fruit. Food usually tastes great when you're camping. Eric and Heidi did a spectacular job!

Good: Exploring the hills around the campsite.Good: A pretty clean bathroom.

Bad: Eric and Heidi's trailer (that carried all their gear) breaking down as we were pulling out of camp.

Bad: The girls and kids piling in the Suburban and waiting 2 hours for the boys to go buy a new trailer.

Good: The Suburban came equipped with a DVD player so we watched Madagascar 2 and started Flushed Away.

Good: The Subways the boys brought us; we were starving!

Bad: Getting home way later than we expected to.

Good: Molly slept the whole way home!

Good: Molly had a great time. She still talks about camping-hiking, sleeping in a sleeping bag, and seeing a rabbit on the trail. Okay, she also talks about the cow poop. We're glad she had fun and once we've recovered (and the snow melts), maybe we'll attempt another trip!

Dinosaur Park

Molly has awesome Grandma's; because of them we'll be spending many summer days at the Hogle Zoo and the Dinosaur Park. Grandma April has a pass to the zoo and Grandma Kay has a pass to the Dinosaur Park. What would we do without them?

We made it to the Dinosaur Park when it was warm outside, before the snow arrived. I had never been there and thought it was great! I actually preferred it to the big Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point because most of it was outside. Maybe I liked it so much because it wasn't crowded on this particular day. If you've never been, you should go.

For Molly, this was another great day to run around outside, chasing cousins.And, of course, swinging.We loved seeing Gavin and how big he's gotten. He seemed a little wary of everything going on, but we did get a smile out of him on the swings. What kid doesn't like to swing? (Okay, maybe Chloe who says it's too bumpy on her knees. Whatever that means.)We look forward to returning as soon as the sun comes out!

Birthday Wishes

Justin and I both celebrated our birthdays this past month. My birthday came first and his came a couple of weeks later. Here is how we celebrated:

Hers:

-Toured the Draper Temple as a family

-Went to lunch

-Went shopping with Justin and picked out new shoes

-Took care of Molly who was sick*

-Had a delicious birthday dinner

-Ate cake

His:**

-Looked at houses

-Went shopping at REI and picked out a sleeping pad for camping

-Had a yummy birthday dinner of his choice

-Ate cheesecake made from scratchIf you didn't notice, we both turned 27. I like to rub it in Justin's face that I'm older than him, and therefore, wiser. :)

*When we were done eating lunch, I put Molly on the ground while I double checked to make sure I had left nothing behind. While I had my back turned, Molly was dancing in the aisle and BAM! out of nowhere, there is a waiter running as fast as he can to the kitchen. Of course he didn't see the two-year-old who came up to his knee and Molly was knocked to the ground pretty hard. She cried and cried and fell asleep within minutes of being in the car. I figured she was just tired since it was nap-time. So we laid her down and Justin and I went shopping (Justin's mom stayed home to listen for Molly). A couple hours later she woke up, puked, and threw up 4 times in the next 2 hours. We figure she hit her head so hard that she had a slight concussion! Poor girl!

**Two days before His birthday, Molly went to Disney on Ice with her grandparents. While she was having fun with them, Justin and I went to dinner at Market Street Grill in Salt Lake. We had a gift certificate which was a good thing since nothing was less than $25! It was delicious though-my mouth is still watering when I think about the clam chowder, halibut, and asparagus that I ate...mmmm.

We love the zoo!

Things to do at the Hogle Zoo:

-watch the elephants eat their lunch

-run around in the giraffe building

-see if you "measure up" to the ape

-imitate a tiger (or wonder what your cousins are doing)

-play at the park

Molly also enjoyed running around outside, chasing cousins, watching the monkeys swing from trees, and eating a picnic outside, to name a few. The Zoo was a great place to spend one of the first nice days of the year. Even the animals seemed more active than usual...maybe they sense that spring is on its way!

That Felt Good!

This morning we spent more than an hour at the park. It was warm, slightly windy, and beautiful (sorry all you Ogden-ites, who still have snow).

We rolled down the windows on the way home. Out went Molly's foot...ahhh, that feels good!