Zion National Park

This picture is funny because we all walked up to the bridge so John could get a picture of us right before we left the hike and the park and this little Asian lady kept taking pictures of the kids. She assumed that we were stopping for her and she took a group shot of us before we were able to get John his picture. She was so happy that she got a picture of us, she kept saying Thank You! Hopefully they enjoy looking at us white folks over there!

On the last hike which was the lower pools, the kids found this little cut out from the rock. They hiked up to it so that they could get in it and have their picture taken. They were crazy climbers I tell you, I was very impressed at how much hiking they did with so little complaining! It does help that I took lots of snack for them to keep their energy up with!

We went for a car drive to see the famous tunnel and then we drove a little further down. We were following Dave & Jill and suddenly Drew yelled that he was going to throw up! Thankfully there was a pull off and Dave had just pulled over so we were able to get Drew out before he lost his cookies! They enjoyed playing in the sand where we stopped for a few minutes before we went back to camp. 

Zion National Park

All of these pictures are from the same hike. This was the last hike on the bus stop and the kids really liked it. They got to see and touch a beaver pelt, which terrified Jocelyn. When she saw it she started screaming and didn't want to be near it. She eventually warmed up to having her hand put on it. It was surprisingly soft. There was a big rock that the kids loved climbing up and sliding down, so much so that they tore holes into their shorts, some of which were brand new! We didn't actually finish the hike as the kids were getting hungry and we didn't plan on being gone so long so we hadn't packed enough for them. Although the water was fairly high and fast, we found a little pond that the kids could play in. It was too cold to actually get in, but they enjoyed touching it to see how cold it was. John was brave enough to walk a little way out into the river, but it was so cold he had to come back fairly quickly.

Zions National Park

We took a Wadley family vacation to Zion National Park during the middle of June, yes, I'm way behind on my blog updating. Because of some last minute changes to where we were staying, we didn't end up seeing half of the family for more than a few minutes! We did lots of hiking with Grandma & Grandpa and Dave & Jill. Dave & Jill were more daring than the rest of us, and they climbed Angels Landing. Yes, they survived and they had fun. We really liked camping there, yes I camped, and the hikes were great for the kids. 

My girls

Do they look so cute together? I swear that Alexis and Jocelyn have the same faces, just different coloring. I think they're both adorable!

Madison has been getting MUCH better at not getting into trouble. I'm hoping turning three was all that was needed! She's still a handful, she's just making it more interesting! She was sleeping, she'll sleep til noon if we let her, and I went in to wake her up. I tried tousling her hair and talking to her but she wouldn't respond, not even a disruption in her breathing. I finally said something along the lines of candy and she broke out into a smile! The little nut was ignoring me! She also fake cries she told us, then she can get what she wants! I'm worried about the teenage years with her and Alexis!

Alexis' graduation

Alexis had her graduation June 2nd and she was so excited. She practiced her songs around the house and couldn't wait for us to hear everyone singing. She didn't get into all the actions that everyone else was doing, but she did sing all the songs. If we could've heard just her I'm pretty sure she would've been whispering, but she sang them and we were so proud! (She hates public things. She loves to be there and to absorb the atmosphere, but she doesn't want to be involved in any way.) They sang the American song as she calls it and the part where they say "and there's pride in every American heart" her friend Kaysen would sing "and there's a fry in every American heart". When she asked who was right I couldn't help but giggle! She's excited to be in first grade next year. We found out who her teacher is going to be and she immediately blurted out: "she has a big butt!" A few days later she said that I was like her new teacher and I asked if she meant I had a big butt. She told me that I kind of have a big butt. Now I can't wait to meet this teacher and see what she thinks a big butt is!

Jocelyn

These pictures were taken less than 10 seconds apart. She thought I was going to pick her up, when she realized that I wasn't going to she got very upset with me.

Jocelyn is growing so quickly. She turns one this month!! On the 18th she took her first steps and she also got her first tooth. She is officially our latest walker and she's also our earliest teether! She can walk and she does fairly well at it, but she doesn't like falling. When she falls down she starts crawling until she's closer to whatever it is she wants and then she'll stand back up and start walking. Her one year check-up is at the end of the month, I'm pretty sure she's only gained a pound since her nine month check-up. She's still really tiny, she's still wearing some 6 month clothes! The kids love playing with her and love that she's starting to walk. She calls Drew, dadada, same as daddy and she calls Madison, mamama, same as mommy! For Alexis though she says lalala. We sure love having her!

What Drew does in his free time

Drew was so excited to show me what he'd been doing outside. He doesn't have any babies, like the girls, so he used the Zu-Zu pets. He put them on the swing and was giving them a ride. He was slightly concerned that he'd left them while he came to get me so I could see, he didn't want them to fall off while he was gone.

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day we went to visit John's grandparents grave.

The kids were under-impressed, but John and I thought it was cool!

Alexis' first field trip

Alexis' first and only field trip during kindergarten was to the Willow Park Zoo. The zoo is  a pseudo-zoo as it is mostly an aviary with a few other animals thrown in. Her teacher was sick that day and so a number of parents went to help, hence the reason I was there with three extra munchkins. Alexis had a lot of fun, but her favorite part was the bus ride over!