Wood = Heat

Our house has a wood-burning stove so we have been busy chopping wood to keep it warm. Thanks to our good friend and his chain-saw, we have cut, chopped and split about a cord of wood so far. Jaden made Jess and I proud by splitting the whole lot in one night. He was so dedicated to getting it done that he was splitting by head-lamp in the dark.

Gracie helped steer the truck

Hopefully this lasts us a couple of months

Jess takes me on a date!

Since we moved to Cedar City, the chance for Jess and I to go hiking alone together has been far and few between. Yesterday we got our chance so we explored more of Kolob Canyon. Without the kids, we were able to do what we love, which is to wander off the trail and make our own route. We had a such a great time together, and we love each other more and more everyday! I am a lucky lady to be married to my best friend, my mentor, and my hero.

The chute in the middle of the picture was our route

We bush-wacked through the chute to a beautiful vista

The far left chute was our route, we then traversed right along the edge to the peak in the middle of the picture

The view from the peak

We scrambled on some VERY unstable rock

Trying to find the best route down

Creating Smurfette

Gracie wants to be Smurfette for Halloween this year. I looked far and wide for a reasonably priced costume and could not find one so I brushed up on my sewing skills and made one. You will have to wait until Halloween to see her in her finished costume.

We are lucky to live in such a diverse landscape. Red rocks one weekend, aspen groves and ponderosa pines the next. We closed out the summer in the forest by going camping on Crystal Springs Road up Cedar Canyon. Neither of the boys wanted to go so they both slept over at friends. Gracie on the other hand was excited to go camping. 

The view from our camp spot.

We hiked up the hill across from our camp to partake of a stunning view of Cedar Breaks.

Zion Music Festival and the swim hole

We went to the Zion music festival in Springdale on Saturday. It was a fun, free festival that was very kid friendly. We camped on Gooseberry Mesa, just south of Springdale that night, and went swimming in a picturesque swim hole in Zion on Sunday. We have a running theme of going swimming without suits...so once again, we swam in our skivvies. Maybe we should buy swimsuits to keep in the car?

The Ford...the ultimate car camping vehicle. 

Our camp spot on Gooseberry Mesa. Can you see the truck?

An amazing swim hole. The water was cold but it felt great on a hot day.

Noah was determined to jump the cliff.

Gaining courage.

Still gaining the courage.

YEA NOAH!!!

Cascading water freshens the pool.

Bush-Wacking in Kolob

Kolob Canyon has yet to be checked off of our places we have visited since we moved here list, so today, Jess, Gracie and myself went on a great hike in the south fork of Taylor Creek. The NPS does not manage the trail, so the trail can be rowdy and rather shrubbery. It was Gracie's first bush-wacking adventure. Jess and I were really proud of how good she did. She is turning into a great little hiker!