We're Back!

My Grandma Dona wanted to get away for her birthday, so I loaded up her, my sister, and my girls, and we drove down to Grandma's condo near Mesquite. The warmer weather was a welcome distraction and encouraged us to get out and enjoy some sunshine. In fact, it felt so nice, we decided to stay an extra day!

Across from Grandmas house is a nice park with a firepit and pavillion. During a little bit of down time, McKenzie and I snuck out and took a few snapshots:

On Grandmas birthday I cooked some cornish game hens, made some bacon-cheddar mashed potatoes and we had a nice dinner in. We even surprised Grandma with a few of her favorites: pumpkin pie and sparkling apple juice!

Malory and Grandma

McKenzie and I

We went for a nice drive through gorgeous Snow Canyon. Each time we go, I hope to catch a glimpse of the tortoises that live there, but I still haven't succeeded. But, we did see six big horn sheep in the gorge!

Every time we drove through the gorge, McKenzie was so intrigued by the Virgin River. She would get excited each time she saw it and beg to get close to it. "Oh please, oh please, mommy!" So, after a few tries, I finally found a spot we could hike down to the river. It ended up being a beautiful spot with a red sand beach, a little vegitation, and some big red boulders. Allison stayed behind with grandma while we went out (thanks, Grams!) but this summer, I'm hoping to take both girls back. The river was wide, shallow and slow moving there, with no rocks. As long as the water flow isn't too fast this summer, I think they would have a ball splashing in the water. Almost like a beach day! :)

I'm noticing now that I don't have any pictures of Allison out and about, which really makes me sad since she was such a super smiley girl! (Other than a day she had a tummy ache. I'm learning I need to be much more careful about what I eat. She's not a fan of onions.)

The girls were better than I could have hoped on the way home! McKenzie napped and spent lots of time pointing things out through the window, and Allison didn't make a single peep until we were about 15 miles from home. Not bad for two little ones on a all day car ride! It was so wonderful because I had such a nice time talking with my Grandma. We laughed, cried and shared lots of stories. I learned a lot about her childhood, family history, and her opinions. It was such a nice mini-vacation. Thanks for running away with me Grandma! And thanks for tagging along, Mal, and helping me round up the kiddos!