3 a.m.

I know I should be finishing our trip, sorry. Josh hasn't been feeling well and last night was a long one. It was around three and I was up with him for awhile and Greg took over. He took him to the computer to calm him down. He LOVES to see hear music and watch the swirls on the screen. I couldn't sleep so I sat and watched my two cute boys. Soon I was crying! I like to blog hop. Lately i've been finding families that have lost their baby, fathers being taken from their expecting wife and this morning a couple that was in a plane crash and their bodies badly burned with their four children at home. Life is not so bad. I say that in my mind and I really wonder if I belive it. Each of us go through trials that really stink! Nothing compared to these families and more out there. So as I layed there watching my baby and wonderful husband, I am THANKFUL for them. Being here, healthy and seeing my children grow. Ok, now enough tears. Each day I must improve being a better mom, wife, sister, dauaghter, friend and teacher. Have a great day!!!!!!

2868 miles & 13 1/2 hours later Part 2

Welcome back! We LOVED, LOVED Arches. Mom and Dad came along with us. Dad once again took care of Joshua in a nice cooled car. We spent half the day checking out different hikes and took tons of pictures.

Double arch was way cool. Pretty easy hike and an awesome view. It's amazing how small we are in these pictures. Amazing!





This was the ultimate hike. We schduled this hike through Moab Adventure and had our own guide. I seriously suggest that instead of going through the state park. We had about 11 in our group and it was perfect. The park guides can have over 30 people, plus they don't take you as far in as Moab adventure took us. Mom and Dad watched Joshua, yeah..thanks once again. At times we had to hike sideways or crawled on the ground. Megan was a little nervous on a couple but did great. She made friends with EVERYONE. She even lead the hike for awhile. This is one we would do for sure again.







Sand Dune arch is a very popular hike. Way easy and perfect for children. Greg and Brandon climed up and stood on top of the arch. Mom tried but Greg said it wasn't quite safe enough for her. She was disappointed but knew Greg wanted her in one piece. I told her maybe next time. Way to go Grandma.





Ok, this was a huge highlight. Brandon, Greg and I went repelling off two cliffs. The first one was 80 ft. Brandon was pretty nervous but our guide Scott talked him through it. He did great and was ready to tackle the next one. Me, well I had to act brave for him. The next drop was 120 ft with a 80 ft freefall at the end. Way scary. I held on so tight that my skin was burning. Nice smell, burning flesh. It was gorgeous at the bottom. Tons of trees, a fresh spring and yes poison ivy. Never seen it before. We hiked out 2 1/2 miles and was exhausted. We smelled and were very dirty. Yeah, we'd do it again.

2868 miles & 13 1/2 hours later

We're home! We got home last week from our fun filled vacation. Lots to show. I'll start from the beginning. Left on Wednesday and headed to Moab, UT for a few days. As we left Blanding we ran over something and blew a tire. Yep, can you see our culprit. A jagged BBQ spatula.


This was a great start to out trip. All ended up going well. We rented a house and loved it. Mom and Dad came too. Once again they were a HUGE help. Thanks mom and dad. Here is our condo. No one slept on the floor, well the girls did, but they thought it was fun.
So after fixing the tire, only two tire stores in Moab. We were on our way to Canyonlands. It was HOT, not as hot as Arizona, but getting in and out of the car, well you get the idea. Dad stayed with Joshua a bunch, while he slept, so we did the quick tour. Jumped out took a few pics, said way cool and moved on. The kids were getting tired of Greg taking pics. Let's just say he took OVER 3,000 pictures in ten days. You get the idea. So here are the highlights. I could pass on Canyonlands and spend more time in Arches (more on that later). Enjoy!







Oops...I forgot. Mesa Arch was way cool. Small easy hike. Great views! Grandpa stayed in the cool car with Joshua. Mom did great and these are a few of Greg's favorites.

Brandon & Braces!!!!

My little boy seems to be growing so fast...I know if he knew I said "little boy" he would give me his "ahhh mom" look. But oh well, love him tons. Today he missed his last swim team practice and headed to the orthodontist for one and half hours. Greg took him and of course since I couldn't be there asked him to take a bunch of pics. He chose lime green and black for his first official band colors. Yeah. He'll only have to wear them for a year! Thank goodness he took after the McCown side of teeth and a tad of mine. Still isn't he handsome...

Greg is Finally 35 and yes Fireworks....

Greg's birthday falls on the day after the 4th! This year I wanted to wisk him away for a couple of days. So Kim and Roy were superb and watched my angels. First we spent the 4th in Sierra Vista. They have a great show and it is soooo much cooler. The kids had a blast playing on grass, I know sounds strange but if any of you know what it's like here in the desert you know that grass is not cheap to have. Ok, so anywho...We ate and had a blast. We had quite a few friends come this year. Thanks to the Steven's, Robinson's, Stockman's, Power's, Gomez's and Mott's there wasn't time to sit down. It sprinkled a little, just enough to cool us off. Joshua LOVED it! He sat so still and kept trying to grab them in the air..too cute. Ok, so onto the birthday weekend. We dropped the kids off at Kims and headed home. I know this is going to sound weird, but it is really WEIRD to come home and sleep and your children aren't there to tuck in, kinda sad, but I moved on. So we slept in, yeah 7:30 a.m. and woke up to Scott, Greg's little bro singing Happy Birthday. So we got ready and headed to the temple and had a wonderful time. Had lunch, went and saw Hancock, (so so movie), split a dinner (yea, we're old), and walked the mall (yes, we are getting really old). Oh, yeah, we also spent some time in Borders! We like to get a bunch of books: travel, cooking or anything that catches our eye and sit on a comfy couch and hang out and read for FREE...Does it sound like we're boring? Well we like it. We had a great time and couldn't have done it without Kim and Roy and of course my little bro hookin' us up at the resort once again.

The kids took Greg to Macayo's for lunch...He totally made out on the birthday gift..A new lens for his camera...
Here is our big group picture. Thanks Justin for taking a few moments out of your busy schedule and posing for yet another pic...Love ya Justin..hahahahaha
The Gomez's finally showed up...Yeah...Don't ya love Kara...she is the bestest...LOVE her..wouldn't be any fun in YW without her...
Mott's also showed up LATE...hahaha..love them too...hey you guys can't move yet...Heather, we need to set up a pre arranged marriage...wink wink....