St. George

 We had a fun and busy mini vacation to St. George last week. Benj took off Thursday and Friday, we hopped into our new minivan (more on that later), and made our way south. We were FIVE hours behind schedule. I guess that's what happens when you have 3 young kids, an improptu sit-down lunch to Zupas, a hungry baby, and a couple pit stops along the way. Plus we left the house 2 hours later than I planned. Wishful thinking on my part for sure. Ha!

We rolled in around 9:00pm. Logan and Norah got a second wind (they were excited about their shared room with 2 twin beds) and kept each other awake giggling until 11:00. I thought they would sleep in, but they were by our bedsides by 7:00 the next morning, ready to start the day.

We had a yummy pancake breakfast (I love having full-kitchens at the resort) and decided to head over to Zion National Park. Here's a delightful Norah with awesome bedhead.

Max slept in a pack 'n play inside our bedroom closet. It worked out really well and he was a great sleeper.

Before we left for our trip, I told Logan we were going to have "lots of fun" and go hiking all over pretty red-rock mountains. It was a 45 minute drive to Zions and the kid was itching to get out of the car. There were only a few hikes that were stroller-friendly, so we started with the Riverwalk.

Logan and Dad taking a little break along the way.

My husband rocks by the way. He pushed the stroller in and out of the hike. I got tired just watching him. He let me play around with my camera and enjoy the scenery. Such a good man. 

We left Logan's jacket at Zupas so I bought him one plus this hat before we got to the park. He loved the hat and wore it the whole trip.

I got Norah a hat too, to make things fair (knowing she would throw a fit if she didn't have one too). She has such fair skin that I'm glad she had it for the hike. Although sunny, there was a chilly breeze once in a while, hence the layers.

The kids loved throwing little rocks into the river. When asked what his favorite part of the trip was on our ride home, Logan said, "throwing rocks in the water". 

Max got sick of his car seat and enjoyed cuddling by Daddy along the river. He did so good along the hike, even though he was due for the feeding.

Ah, he melts me.

 Well, we ended up only doing ONE hike. That was a first for me in Zions. After the hike we had lunch, Norah fell asleep and we decided to call it a day. I guess that's what happens with kids. The last time we were in Zions was when I was barely pregnant with Logan.

I got a craving for a steak dinner that evening so we filled our appetites with Texas Roadhouse. Man, it hit the spot!

On Saturday we made our way to the mouth of Snow Canyon where there was a little farmer's market at the Tuacahn.

Picture is in the parking lot, but everyone is smiling and looking at the camera.

It wasn't really what we expected (we wanted more food!) but it was a nice little outing and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery. And these photo props. I think Norah was the most delighted to be a mermaid.

After the market we went to Swig, an awesome soda/cookie hut that I had heard about online. Benj and I ordered 32oz drinks while the older kids got slushies. Plus we couldn't say no to their sugar cookies. I took photos on my phone that I'll post later. SO GOOD!

We grabbed some KFC/AW and had a picnic at a nearby park where the kids had a ball and wore themselves out. If that wasn't enough, we went to the pool later in the afternoon and enjoyed the water. It was Max's first time swimming and I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture!

On Sunday we said goodbye to our resort and made a stop at the St. George temple before hitting the road. 

 These two really are such good friends.

It made my heart so happy to see blossoms on the trees!

Overall a super fun trip that we wish would've lasted longer. Hopefully we'll make it back next year!