Happy Birthday Landon!

We stopped and bought a couple of cakes before we got to Mike's house.  Landon LOVES chocolate almost as much as I do, so I knew this cake would be a hit.  Luckily we finished up the cake just before it started to rain (see that dark sky in the background).

 He wasn't a fan of the fire.

 He didn't actually get to blow out the candle because of the wind, but he thought he did and that's what matters, right?

 Like I said, this boy LOVES his chocolate.

Uncle Mike's House

We made it to my Uncle Mike's house in Holbrook, AZ about mid-afternoon on Saturday.  Landon was SO happy to be out of the car.  Since it was his birthday Jacob was nice enough to do bubbles with him outside for a long time.

 Savannah was excited to learn that my cousin Amy was there.  I actually forgot to tell her that she would have a playmate for a couple of days.

 Mike and his wife Chris provided awesome meals for us, which I was so grateful for.  I know we are not an easy bunch to feed.

 My brother Justin and his family only live a few minutes away, so they were able to come and hang out for the fun too.

 

 Mike is a kid magnet and so much fun for the little kids.

 

 Zach was in pure heaven with these two mellow dogs.  He spent literally hours sitting in this chair just like this...

On the Road Again

Saturday was Landon's birthday, and I'm glad he wasn't old enough to understand that.  This is what he looked like for a lot of the day, driving in the car.

 

Since we've moved to Texas we really appreciate the AZ landscape better.  Here are the Vermilion Cliffs.

We stopped at Lee's Ferry, where the Mormon pioneers had the only ferry to cross the Colorado River for like 200 miles.  This is the house that the Lee family once lived in.

We didn't walk down to the actual ferry crossing point because it was almost a mile away and Landon was so cranky.  But this picture was taken at the water near the house.

Then it was back in the car.  We drove to Sunset Crater just north of Flagstaff, AZ.  We went in the visitor's center for a few minutes and Connor LOVED the earthquake exhibit.  What kid wouldn't want to jump as hard as they can to see if they can make an even bigger "earthquake?"

You can't walk to the top of the crater anymore, but we saw the lava flow next to the crater.

When we got home from our trip I asked Connor what his most favorite stop was on the entire trip and he said "Sunset Crater.  It had the best lava."  That's my little scientist.

North Rim & Jacob Lake

Friday we left Brianhead and drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The drive there was beautiful, but we ended up staying only a few minutes because it started raining (of course) and we were all starving.

We spent the afternoon and night at a little cabin in Jacob Lake, AZ.  The kids liked exploring the "forest" next to the cabin.

It was so nice that it was cool enough for the kids to be outside for most of the trip.  Connor turned these rocks and sticks into his "drum set" and Savannah was quick to join in.

Family Olympics

Dallin's sister Stephanie planned a fun Family Olympics for us to do on Wednesday afternoon of our reunion.  We went right across the street from our cabin to this open field area.  It was a slope, but actually worked out well for the events she had planned.  The kids just loved being outside with their cousins, and we were happy that it wasn't raining for it.

Proof that I was there, camera at my side.  My brother-in-law took this picture and I like how you can see the cabin behind us.

 

 Grandma Strong was the best cheerleader for the kids, and helped them all have a fun time.

 Landon was actually quite a stinker and cried most of the time I was taking pictures because I wasn't holding him.  He didn't like the tall grass touching him.  But at least I caught him happy a couple of times.

 

 We had a frisbee toss first, the little kids and then older kids and adults.

 I can't remember what this one was called, but the kids had to hold on to their ankles and then run up the hill to the finish line.

 Savannah watching Grandpa Strong do the "javelin throw" with a straw.

 The kids loved the "marshmallow throw" too.  Although some of them chose to eat their marshmallows instead of throw them.

 Dallin hanging out with a couple of his sisters

 The little kids' two-legged race

 

 Carrie and Justin won the "adult" race

The three 9-year-old boys took the medals for the kids.  Zach got 3rd Place!

 

 The adult winners

Strong Family Pictures

Angel's Landing

Wednesday morning Dallin woke up really early with his brother Justin and they drove down to Zion National Park.  Dallin had been really looking forward to hiking Angel's Landing, and it did not disappoint.  They basically climbed up to the top of this...

 

 

 

 

 

Angel's Landing is known for being a very dangerous hike because it is so narrow.  You have to hold on to chains all the way up the back of the ridge.

 View from the top

 Dallin said this was the worst part.  You can't quite tell, but he said it drops straight down on both sides right here.  The only thing to hold onto are the chains on either side of you.

 Luckily they made it back alive.  On Thursday a few of the families went to Bryce Canyon, but we passed on that since we were just there last summer.  We took the kids on a little hike near the cabin.  If you look close you can see the ski lifts just about the telephone poles.  Dallin took some of the kids a little farther and they saw a porcupine right on the path in front of them.  As Zach, Landon and I were headed back up the hill we heard thousands of sheep.  We looked up to the highway and saw that they were herding them along it and cars were backed up for about half an hour.