Hiking to the Y

BYU has a huge Y painted on the mountain near it.  I have been wanting to hike to it for a while and thought it would be a good activity on our vacation.  My brother, Alma, and his kids are staying nearby, so they came with us.  It isn't very far, but it is a steep hike.  On the way down, Alma entertained the kids by telling jokes.  

Lexi, Eden, Jordan & Corban

YMCA

BYU Campus

We went to the BYU campus today.  Both Lexi and Jordan have said that they want to go to school there.  I'm all for it especially since it is cheaper than most other options.  I also bought scriptures for the kids.  I promised Lexi that I would get her one with her name on it when she was baptized. 

Family Reunion - Brian Head

Our family reunion continued today in Brian Head, Utah.  It is a ski resort in the mountains and is much cooler than Zion.  I think the high was in the mid 70s.  Two of my mom's cousins rented a huge cabin there.  We got to hang out and chit chat while the kids got to play and get to know each other.  My Aunt Sue taught them how to twirl a baton.  She also had several of the girls pose in her dresses that she makes and sells on Etsy.  My aunt uses vintage fabric.  The girls loved modeling.  Paige put a little make-up on them to really spice it up.  

We really enjoyed the reunion.  I just wish more people would have been there.  I have 15 first cousins on my mom's side and only two were there.  One of the ones that didn't come is a grandpa.  That means we could have had 4 generations.  Fortunately, I did get to catch up with two second cousins that I hadn't seen since I was 14.  There were only 6 of my mom's grand-kids there (four of Lexi & Jordan's first cousins), which means only half of the grand-kids.  Hopefully, everyone spreads the word and more come to the next one we have.   

Little Generation

Middle Generation

Older Generation

My Family: Grandma Margie, me, Uncle Clay, Uncle Alma & Paige (missing Chris)

Family Reunion - Zion National Park

We spent the first day of our family reunion at Zion National Park.  The picture below is of Lexi and Jordan with their first cousins that are their same ages.  The eight year olds are standing in the back and their 6 year old siblings are sitting in front of them.  

Waiting for the shuttle

On the shuttle - Eden, Lexi & Rachel

Lexi photo-bombing  a picture of Eden and me

Lexi and Eden

Hiking

Driving to Utah

Last night, we stayed in Gallup, NM for the night.  We got up this morning and drove to Utah for our family reunion.  We quickly stopped at the Navajo Bridge that crosses the Colorado River in Arizona.  It is quite impressive.  

We made it to Zion National Park in time to celebrate a birthday dinner and cake with Corban, my brother's son.  He turned 6 today.  We bought him a shirt in the visitor center so that he could remember this trip.

El Paso Zoo

We went to the El Paso Zoo today with April's girls and her mother.  It was really hot.  They have a water splash pad, which is where we spent most of our time.  

Country Life

April had to work today, so we went cowboy boot shopping by ourselves this morning.  My kids wore their old ones quite often, so I knew it would be a good investment.  I also know they are fairly cheap in El Paso.  We found great ones.  Then, we met April for lunch and headed to her house by ourselves for the afternoon.  I setup my laptop and worked while the kids explored and played with her animals.  I think this might be Lexi's favorite part of our whole trip.  She LOVES animals.

Pony ride