The Grand Trip South

We started for our Arizona Trip as soon as Michael could get away from last day of school stuff.  We were supposed to hike Kannaraville Canyon, but it was SOOO windy and unseasonably cold.  So we headed for St. George and had dinner with Michael's parents at the Black Bear.

 The next morning we headed out bright and early to go see the Mountain Meadow site where a sad event in 1857 Southern Utah and LDS church history occurred when traveling immigrants coming through the area were detained and later all 120 men, women, and children over the age of 6 were shot.  I felt it was important for my kids to learn the history lesson and it's a church site I have always wanted to visit.

 It was really cold and windy here, too.

Next we headed over to Pine Valley Church.  Its the oldest LDS chapel still in use.  The settlers of the Pine Valley logging and saw milling community wanted to build a church that would also function as a school and a community building.  Ebenezer Bryce was approached to design and supervise the construction.  The chapel was constructed of local pine and set on a foundation of granite and red limestone.  Since Bryce's experience was as a shipbuilder, the attic of the building is essentially a ship's hull turned upside down.  Each of the walls was constructed flat on the ground, then lifted up and tied at teh corners with strips of rawhide.  The chapel was completed in 1868.

They painted wood grains on the paneling.

 The boatlike attic

When we got back to St. George - we stopped by Judd's store for their famous breadsticks and their candy counter.

Next we headed to the Jacob Hamblin Home in Santa Clara.  He was an early convert to Mormonism and was a pioneer.  He is famous for being a liaison between the first white settlers and the native tribes in Utah.  The house that he occupied from 1863 - 1869, has been restored and filled with pioneer arifacts. 

This is the boys with cotton. They had some really neat spinning wheels that I thought I got pictures of, but apparently didn't.  If you go make sure and check them out.  They are upstairs.

Zion's National Park

 Weeping Rock

 Hiking the Narrows

 Setting up camp

 This is how you cook hotdogs when no campfires are allowed

After Zion's we left and headed towards the Grand Canyon.  We planned a stop in Cameron for lunch.  Here is a T-shirt at Cameron Trading Post

 Inside the trading post - we stopped for Navajo Tacos

We made it to the Grand Canyon

 Watch Tower on the east end

 Grand View

We stayed in Flagstaff in the KOA Teepee that night

The Lava River Cave near Flagstaff was pretty cool.

 until we got to the end and discovered cave mice - eek!

 We also checked out some ancient Native American ruins.  

Here are the boys at Montezuma Castle.

We also did the famous Sedona Scenic Byway Drive.

With a stop at Slide Rock State Park.

On Sunday we drove an hour east to visit the town my mom grew up in.  We stopped by her house and learned a lot about Winslow thanks to the lovely people who live there today. This first picture is where the Winslow Times (that my Granddaddy ran) used to be.

Train station where my mom went every Sunday night to watch the trains come in.

 The house my mom grew up in.

The original fence is still there

But the best thing was seeing my mom's 7 year old handprint in the backyard

Duncan's 7 year old hand fit just perfectly.

Here is another cool story.  When the new owners leveled the shed, they went through old barrels that had been used for storage and found a teacup that my grandfather brought back from Asia during the war. She was kind enough to pass the cup and saucer on to me.

 Here is the old church my mom grew up going to

 Here is her highschool

She loved trains  - they would go watch the trains come in every Sunday night.

We also had to go visit some other historic places in Winslow

 

The next day we went to the Out of Africa Wild Animal Preserve

Before we headed south -- we stopped at the coolest native american site - Walnut Canyon.  You actually get to go in the dwellings.  It is in a stunning canyon.

On Wednesday we had a bunch of time to kill in Tucson, before we drove down to Ft. Huachuca.  We went to Saguara National Park.  Good things we went when we did.  It is now threatened by wild fire.  It was super hot - but they had a scenic route that you could drive.  

 we learned that if they are kept below freezing for more than 20 hours - that it will kill them.

Memorial Day 2012

My dad is always taking us on great experiences.  The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, was no exception.  We went with him to the Salt Lake City Cemetery to visit Grandma Helen Brubaker's Grave.  Ty found President Hinckley's grave.  He used it to pray about if there was  really a Heavenly Father.  He's been asking a lot about that lately.  He came back and said - yep, he's there.

 Here are my boys at Grandma Brubaker's grave.

On the back of her headstone, it lists her children.  The boys thought it was interesting to have Grandpa Mac's name on the headstone - even though he's still alive.  Thanks for the memorable Memorial Day Dad!

Laura & Neal's Wedding

This is my darling cousin Laura with one of my favorite Aunts - Alice.  They are like immediate family to us - she's more like a little sister or a niece since we are 18 years apart or so.  Doesn't she look gorgeous in my Grandma Brubaker's dress?  Alice also wore it for her wedding.  So this is a third generation dress now.

 This is me, Laura & Nicole at the Wedding Lunch.  After being out in the rain - we look a bit drowned.

 Nicole played her harp for the wedding.  She sounded awesome with the acoustics in the barn.  It was really beautiful.  It was also fun to hang out with my sis all day.  We drove up together, went to the ceremony and lunch together, and then drove home.  She found out that I am not a good navigator in Logan (sorry about that Nicole! :)

End of School Year 2012

 Our last week of school is two days - I have no idea why they even go, but oh well.  On Monday it was Field Day.  Here is Duncan in his class made tie dye shirt (they were assigned purple). Ty had one that was just like it.  What are the odds that both your kids get assigned purple the same year (each class had its own color).  Glad that Duncan's teacher cooled it up by doing tie dye.

 Timon had a puppet presentation.  His group presented Paleo-Indians.

 A few last minute photos of Duncan and Ms. McCrory.  Just minutes before first grade was over.

 Goodbye to a great teacher!

And off to the pool with the Hathornes.

Timon's 10th Birthday - Lego Party

Duncan helped me make the Lego chocolates

with these lego molds

yummy melted chocolate

freezing in molds

party favors that I made for the girls

Butterfingers turned legos for everyone

party favors for the boys - thank you Beka for finding these on sale for me

Present from mom and dad - a lego watch

Front Door Decore

Window Decore

Lego streamers

Pizza dough ready to create lego shaped pizzas with pepperonis

Cupcakes - do you recognize those chocolates on top?

Kelsey, Caylee, Kaden, Brooklyn & Carter eating their pizzas

Timon jumped into this picture as well

Weird twist on "pin the" game - they had to take three dots and try to line them up in a row to create the top of a lego. This is Caylee - she was pretty good at it.

Janelle wasn't too shabby either.

Final lego board - I can't remember who won?  Logan?  Luis?

Next we made lego creations - I gave each kid a card with instructions - like create something that is under water or create something that's alive, or something with "bling", or that you can eat, etc.

Here is Marcus with his something you can read!

Carter won with his tree/bush, Luis made a sweater, and Kazden a house.

Next they built cars to race. Michael in his announcer voice MC'd the event. Here is Marcus and Brooklyn

squaring off!

Here is Carter and Timon

I think Janelle won over all and Caylee won in the loosers bracket.

And last but not least we sang and opened presents!

2012 ELA History Fair

Duncan singing patriotic songs - yes I know it's sideways - will edit later.

Duncan's favorite art piece from our great artist program this year was his Kandinsky.

Duncan made map

Duncan painted tree

Timon's favorite great artist piece was also his Kandinsky

Timon inside the 4th grade hall of the "museum" - they made it look like the inside of a covered wagon.  4th grade studies Utah History.

Pieces Timon contributed to the inside of the wagon.

Timon was chosen for his "best boy voice in Mrs. Berry's class to sing part of the Utah Song.

Snow Canyon

I went to Red Cliffs Resort for a solo get away. They offer daily hikes.  This is me up on top!