Summer Vacation

It's freezing cold outside today. I think winter temperatures are finally starting to set in and there is nothing I would rather do than look at a thousand photos of our family enjoying a summer vacation under the sweltering sun. We really miss being in Belgrade, but coming back to America has been good too. We hit the ground running with a combined birthday party for the kids and some R and R in Texas with my side of the family (which I have no pictures of--we must have been having too much fun) and then headed on a 2 week vacation across the country with the Burton's, hitting 5 national parks along the way. We caravanned out with Erik and Monica, which made the whole trip so much more fun (and bearable with the kiddos confined). Eden spent most of the trip in Erik's car in revelry with her cousins, while our nephew Ronin (along with his backpack full of ponies and other treasures) paired up with Fox. We stopped in Albuquerque along the way, visiting some of their favorite stomping grounds from when they lived there. It was nice to break up the trip a little bit before heading back in the car and meeting everyone at Capitol Reef National Park. Burton, party of 21 checking in! We went everywhere together and it was such a great way to connect with everyone after two years away. Eden and Fox have never gotten that much time to spend with their cousins. There was a sleepover every night, which they treasured. Capitol Reef was our first stop. And if you ask any of the kids, it was the best, mostly because of the small waterfall we hiked to where the kids could slide down. We spent the whole day there helping the kids up and down the waterfall, laying out clothes to dry, and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches under a big tree. It was a great place for the kids to explore and roam around on their own. It was such a hit, we hiked the same trail the next day. Next up was Bryce Canyon! I was so fascinated by the features here that seemed to be from another planet. Some of the rocks had been weathered to the tiniest tips. The canyons ran deep and were so narrow you could touch from side to side in parts. It was like a giant maze. After that we headed to Zion, which was the only one I'd been to before. When Eden was a baby, Andrew and I visited for a day or two. It seemed bigger and even more beautiful than my memory of it. It had a lot more diversity than the other parks. The highlight here was hiking into the Narrows with the kids. Next we spent couple of days of rest and play at Summer and Adam's in Orem, Utah. We visited the local rock shop and took a trip up the Heber City train. Then we started our caravan back (once again as our quaint group of 11--us plus Erik's family). Along the way, we stopped for an afternoon and evening in Arches National Park and Moab. I wish we had had more time to explore, but it was still memorable. The next day we jetted over to Mesa Verde, which the kids loved almost as much as Capitol Reef. No surprise given Eden's long obsession with all things Native American. She could have spent all day in the museum alone, pouring over each diorama. As for the actual cliff dwellings, the only thing better would have been to actually stay the night in one. It was a great end to an epic road trip. We spent a couple of more nights in Albuquerque before heading back to Shreveport for a few more weeks of R&R. Also, Eden got a camera for her birthday this year. She took a lot of pictures from summer vacation too so it was fun to see those two weeks through her eyes. She is quite the budding photographer. These belong to her...