Zion National Park--Part II

I'm using Picassa and it will only let me download pictures in lots of 4. So until my computer skills are honed a little more, these posts will be continued. After 2 hikes the kids were ready for ice cream at the lodge. There is a big grassy area in front of the lodge surrounded by the red cliffs---Wendell's favorite scenery.

Another hike to weeping rock. Water seeps through the rocks year-round and mists down on the trail. This was Tyler's favorite hike.

Emily was a trooper on all the hikes. She insisted on walking so she could prove that she was as big as Megan and Tyler.

Water is always a draw. The kids hiked to any river they saw.

Zion National Park

After our race and lunch we headed south to Zion National Park. It rained right as we got there, but by the time we got off the shuttle for the first hike the weather cleared up and was actually perfect---not hot at all for this time of year. We started with a small hike found beautiful views of the 3 Patriarchs in the background.

Emily and Megan were enthralled with the cactus plants along the way. Yes, they had to touch it to see if it really would poke.

Our second hike was a little over a mile to see an emerald pool. After getting to the end of the hike we could only assume that the pool must have been more green a hundred years ago when it was named and had a lot more water.

Megan did like that there was water trickling off the cliffs from the previous rain and felt like misters.

Defending Titles!

On the tumbling floor Megan did really well and ended up with the Silver medal. She wasn't as thrilled with 2nd place but considering the tumble track was too short and had a dip in the middle, we were just grateful she didn't injure herself. She got 2nd in this event last year also so she has defended her title well.

Megan with her medals and Emily wishing they were hers.

While in Cedar City, Mammy and I ran the 5k. It is a beautiful race down the Cedar canyon along the river. The best part is it is downhill and the breeze from the canyon pretty much pushes you to the finish line. Mammy had won gold last year and came to reclaim her title. She was hoping for more competition in her age group this year, but much to our surprise all the old looking ladies in the race were actually younger---who would've guessed.

And so, Mammy defended her title well and got the gold again. We did look and even if she would have been in the age bracket below she still would have gotten a medal even racing against other women. I was happy that I beat my time of last year by a minute and a half---that is huge for me. I came in 7th, which wasn't too bad considering some of the fastest times overall came from my age group. I think every women age 30-39 must run all the time. It was the biggest group and some of the fastest. A fun time in Cedar City.

Going for Gold!

This past week we headed down to Cedar City for the Summer Games. Megan competed in the double-mini and floor with her fellow teammates. She has never gotten a first place medal at any of the events so she was extra nervous this time. Before the competition even began Tyler, Megan, & Emily tried out the podium. Notice that Emily was consigned to the bronze.

The warm-ups went really well for the double-mini trampoline and when Megan's name was called for the competition she stuck every landing. Yes, her dreams of a gold medal finally came true---and on her least favorite event.

Megan was all smiles when they announced that the Summer Games champion taking home the gold medal was her.

Way to Go Megan!

Birthday--Part 2 (The Cake)

Tyler wanted an Indiana Jones cake for his birthday. I wasn't quite talented enough to draw a portrait of Harrison Ford out of frosting so we had to settle for a jungle scene and Lego figures.

The candles did add to the whole effect.

The pictures make the cake look like a mess. It was a mountain with "dirt and sand" over it and a chase scene with Indiana Jones.

Tyler was happy and thought it looked just like Indiana Jones. I'm just glad he is easily impressed.

Happy Birthday to Tyler!

Tyler is 9 years old. I can't believe how grown-up he is getting.

He got a baseball mitt and bat to try his hand at the game. (In our yard of course not on a team yet).

And then he got lots of Legos. He loves anything he can put together. Tyler spends hours playing with his Lego sets and has almost put everything new together already.

These are some of his cousins that came to his party.

Father-Son Bonding

Tyler and Wendell spent the day together this past Saturday. The day started with the air show at the Air Force Base.

Tyler loves the museum and all of the airplanes.

They ended the day with fishing. Not much luck with the fish, but plenty of bonding.