Grammer and Pappy Mike!

 My parents came to visit us for my birthday! Leading up to their arrival I was just so excited. We had been gone about a month from our home and to see their faces was lifting to my soul. I'm glad they were the first visitors because we realized we force people to go on strenuous hikes and we probably shouldn't do that to everyone who comes out here😂 Nonetheless they hung in there like champs and played with the boys lots. We sure love them.

They stayed at an Airbnb right up the road. We found a trail right next to it with these big rocks.... *obviously* a 30 minute pit stop was needed.

The most high maintenance kid we have.

This was a hike we started at Silver Lake then went up to the Twin Lakes Reservoir. We were hoping to see the bull moose again but to no avail. We had a great time regardless!

This mama of mine... she takes care of me! She knows me well and provides words/comfortable things that keep this mama of 5 crazy boys going. Most importantly she reminds me to give myself grace. She understands how hard raising kids can be and that if they didn't eat carrots today that doesn't make you a bad mom. I love her so much.

Papa bear

This guy. He's the key to these hikes. He has confidence, stamina, patience, endurance, excitement, and fearlessness. So glad I get this journey with him.

Every little girl should have a dad that loves her like this one loved me. His patience is incomparable, he made me laugh my entire life, and he made me feel like no-thing in this world was more important to him than me. I'll declare it until the day I die, he was the best one.

One great thing about my parents is that kid behaviors don't bother them. If they scream, fight, argue, talk non-stop, cry, complain, want to play silly games.... any of it and my parents look right at me and say, "they're just kids! And they're GREAT kids!" I hope to hold that quality when I'm a grandparent. They love this crew and this crew surely loves them.

Found this on my phone. Jet Thomas is very fascinated with animals and whenever we run into a track he wants to get a picture so he can look up what kind of animal it was. I hope his fascination is God's creation never dies!

Uncle Michael sent a fruit basket... the boys helped :)

Now we come to the dramatic portion of this programming. The hike at silver lake was a little more strenuous than we had intended. So instead of doing a big hike we had heard of a different "Silver lake." One that is a reservoir that you can swim in or just hang around. So we thought, "this will be better... nothing taxing." What we didn't know is that to get to said reservoir you have to travel 3 miles on a narrow and rocky path up the side of a mountain with significant drops to the side. If you don't know this about us JT always drives. Always. All the road trips, all the small errands.... a.l.w.a.y.s. My mom and I had been getting car sick on these adventures out to mountains so for one of the very rare circumstances in our marriage JT let me drive and mom rode shotgun. We get started in the Rim-bus on the dirt/rocky path and about 30 seconds and a couple hundred yards into the road we realized what we were in for. Our vehicle isn't exactly made for rough-terrain... it's actually the worst! Rear-wheel drive, top heavy, not great tread on the wheels. However, at this point I couldn't make a 3 point turn and neither could I back down because of the cars behind us. So onward we went... 30 minutes later I had almost passed out from fear at one point and my mom had lost all the blood from her face. When we got to the top I was shaky and just started crying in JT's arms. So... I shall never ask to drive again😂 

PS** JT drove us down like the champion he is**

The drive up was dramatic but when we got up there it was amazing!! There were large rocks to climb on and views of the mountains on all sides. I'm now lobbying for the small purchase of an AWD vehicle so we can go again!

It was so sad to say goodbye! I'm so thankful they came! It did my heart so much good❤

The Aquarium

 One thing we're liking about Utah is how open things are compared to NC. You typically have to have a face mask and prior reservations but you can still enjoy activities here. One of our favorites has been the aquarium. The boys are old enough to recognize interesting/unique animals all while knowing the designer behind it all. We're season pass holders so we'll be frequenting here when we need to get out :)

One of our favorite spots is the shark tank. First you walk through a glass tunnel then you come to this observation room. All the walls and steps are black to contrast with the tank and it makes the water glow. We can sit in here for quite a while as the sharks, turles, rays, eels, and other creatures swim by!  

This is the poison dart frog tank and we can actually stand in front of this thing for a good 20 minutes trying to find the suckers :)

I would say my most favorite spot is the penguin tank. They swim SO fast! I can't believe the design God had in mind for these guys. So strange and amazing. You can see under the water quite a bit and the way they pivot and turn is crazy!

If you've never heard a 2 year old say "turtle" you're really missing out.

I'm so glad we're experiencing this place! Thankful for JT who encourages us to do things and spark the curiosity and wonder of little boys!

Hikes, hikes, hikes!

Ah, we love hiking! Before we came here I thought the boys would be the outdoorsy type but I didn't really know until I saw them come alive out here. I can give them toys all day long inside but nothing captures their spirits like the outdoors. 

This was the first hike we took as family. It's called Potato Hill and was supposed to be an easy hike as we figured we would start small. The problem is when Trip sees 2 paths, one leading the easy way around and one leading straight up the mountain that kid will use every ounce of will power to get the family up the mountain. Before we knew it 5 boys were all chanting "up the mountain" to convince us of the more challenging path. As a couple who loves adventure JT and I were all in. Up we went!

Notice the personal water cup that Pace is holding... drinking from the backpack is waaay cooler.

A note about Cruze. If he's nervous he'll take any and all advice you have. I love that strength about him. He's not too prideful to try your way. This hill doesn't look big in the photo but it was quite steep to go down. Not to mention we didn't have good shoes at the time. So he asked how to get down. JT told him to put his arms out and walk baby steps. He did it!

This was also what we thought was going to be an easy hike. Turns out we chose the path to go to a suspension bridge which has drop-offs that made me quite anxious. But the adventure was amazing!

The views are absolutely stunning out here. Worth every step.

We did this hike yesterday. It's called Donut Falls. The path was quite crowded. When we got to the falls we realized why. You get to walk all through the river and then if you're able you can climb the falls and sit in a cave that is shaped like a donut with water coming through the center. Pace and I hung out at the bottom throwing rocks while the older 4 and Daddy scaled the falls. 

This is JT's view looking down at Pace and I from about half way up the falls. We are on a log about a third of the way from the top of the picture. The next picture zooms in so you can see us...

I have been reminded of my roots during this trip. My soul feels free when I'm here. I take one look at the mountains and it's like the burdens of this world fall away. That's one reason I've always liked to run. The second I begin my cadence I enter into a different world. One where it's just me and my creator. Me and Jesus. Here, I don't have to be on a run and I don't even have to be alone. I see our 5 boys hiking through creation and am reminded over and over of God's faithfulness. That even the rising and setting of the sun is proof that he's there. If you ask my parents and my brothers I was never really made for make-up and dresses. While all the other girls were figuring out how to look better I was wearing my umbros and playing board games. I was getting dirty, playing sports, and laughing until my sides hurt. I'm thankful for this experience. I'm thankful God has afforded me an entire family adventure centered around an activity that draws me closer to Him. But it also reminds me that I should be searching for Christ even in the activities that don't feel so good. While breaking apart fights (again), cleaning the floors (again) and folding laundry (again), Jesus is there. So here's to enjoying those things that God wired in us to feel close to Him but also searching for Him in the mundane.