July Manti Trip

We spent a week in Manti over July 24th holiday to enjoy the cooler weather, pioneer history, and family time with the Francois' We had a great time, but things started off a little bumpy! On our way to Manti we were rear ended outside of Kanab after a ridiculous truck driver ran at least three cars almost off the road (we were the front runner). Luckily we did not smash into the semi, nor did we get pushed into a raveen, we just got a nice big dent or two in the back of our van. We are all okay...they kids were coloring and just said "woa" and then proceeded to fall asleep in their seats while we worked out the many details. The Lord protected our family becuase it could have been A LOT worse! After an extended time to get to our destination we took a breather to relax and enjoy the weather. The kids swam in a little pool and ran through the sprinklers. We were all thankful to be out of the car!


Benton likes to shoot "rockets" and no he's not peeing...he's just excited to be running around like lightning McQueen. VRROOOM!!!

Benton and Emmie enjoyed a nice ride with Pa up and down the street in an old tricyle rescued from the dump and transformed into an antique gem.



It's always fun when Daddy is around to tackle!

We at lots and lots of otter pops...that was the crowd favorite. Benton crashed during dinner after a fun day at church. Both him and Emmie spent their time in nursery and Benton does such a good job watching over his sister! While we were eating he just disappeared and I asked where he went and started to search only to discover in an an effort to escape the dinner table, he fell asleep!





We ventured up Manti Canyon while on our vacation to see the beautiful wild flowers! There were so many it was unbelievable. We enjoyed a picnic next to a small stream which the kids loved. They threw rocks into it, and cheese, and tried to jump over it...I think missing the other side on purpose! We also took a few scenic rides on my parent's 4-wheeler. Jack and I went to the top of a beautiful hill/mountain and could see Manti Valley down below. We also spied a furry creature that looked like a beaver...not sure what it was exactly. The kids enjoyed picking flowers with Grandma and smelling them. Emmie tasted one or two with a lick, but mostly just carried them around.

We continued our drive and found some gorgeous resovoirs (about 3) which looked like postcard pictures. We also visited the dig site where a Wooly Mammoth had been discovered. The weather was beautiful, and the scenery matched! Brandon enjoyed a photo op or two as well and Emmie enjoyed loving her Uncle "Bugum".

We spent an evening fishing at Yearns Resevoir just up Manti Canyon. Benton enjoyed helping Pa until he lost interest when no fish were caught and decided to watch the fish we had strung up in the water instead. He thought it was pretty neat to see some live fish instead of the grocery store stiffers. Emmie loved relaxing and getting dirty. They both seemed to find mud where ever we went. It was so nice to just sit and relax enjoying the beautiful surroundings. I think Adam and I would like to try our hand at fishing that pond...maybe when we are willing to fork out the liscence fees!


The boys enjoyed a few games of Botchy Ball and Benton and Emmie enjoyed retrieving their balls whether they were ready to be retrieved or not!

We spent the 24th of July with Jeremy, Cori and their family and had a great time! We headed to Spring City for the 10 am parade which we all loved. They threw soo much candy. Benton and Emmie even scored some balloons and hats! They loved to clap and cheer for the floats and got a little groovy when the band marched by. Afterwards we picnicked at the local school where they had pioneer activities like roping, doll making, some pioneer toys, and other games like a rock wall, and rocket launching. Benton ventured to the field for the candy rocket and was super excited, until all of the big kids kept raining on his parade...so daddy to the rescue! Adam went out and helped him score a candy or two to lift his spirits. It's so fun celebrating holidays in a small town. There are so many activities and I love the parades! We even were able to light of our own fireworks at night without fear of being turned in to the police!








We headed home Saturday and returned without incident. We had such a wonderful time with my family and love to visit the cooler weather, beautiful scenery, and small time festivities. We also were blessed to perform some family sealings in the Temple which always makes for a special trip. Thanks for a great week!