Texas/ Arizona/ Nevada / Utah Trip + Hazel's Baptism

We just got home from a super fun and busy trip. We left right after our last day of school on Friday and drove to Shamrock, TX. We spent the night there and then got up and drove to Amarillo, Texas so we could visit "Cadillac Ranch".  We had told the kids about this random roadside attraction, and they wanted to stop and see it just like me. Unfortunately, when we got there, we discovered that it had rained the night before and it was flooded. We got pretty muddy trying to leave our mark. 
Cadillac Ranch is a row of 10 Cadillacs all buried nose down in the ground. People stop by and spray paint the cars. Although anything you spray won't be there long, since people are constantly stopping by and leaving their own mark, but it's still pretty fun. 

 

We got super muddy but it was worth it. Then we drove on to Paige, AZ to see "Horseshoe Bend".

We got there right at sunset and it was gorgeous. Completely gorgeous. 

I mean, come on- what a natural wonder. 

I'm in awe of the beautiful world we live in. I love getting to visit these amazing sites with my family. 

We left "Horeshoe Bend" and drove to Kanab, UT. This was a surprise for Bailey and we got in pretty late. The next morning we surprised the kids, especially Bailey with a visit to "Best Friends Animal Sanctuary". She's been reading about and supporting this organization for years and we knew we had to make this visit happen since we were so close. Bailey was so excited! It was so fun. 

Months earlier I had scheduled a tour of the entire facility and a bunny habitat tour. We also got to explore anywhere else we wanted and we took full advantage of that. 

As soon as we arrived, we checked in and then we loaded up in one of their tour vans and got to listen as one of their employees gave us an awesome tour around their property. 

We learned all about the different animal houses. It was so cute to see how much the people love the animals at this facility.  Bailey was in complete heaven and it was so fun to see. 

It brought me so much joy to see how happy she was. 

I think I enjoyed the bunny habitat the most. Bunnies are probably one of my favorite animals and it was so fun to get to snuggle them and play with them. 

Benson loved getting to feed them. It was so cute. 

Then we took a break, left "Best Friends" to go get some lunch and then we did a hike. 

We hiked what are called the "Sand caves" and it while the hike up to them was a little nerve wracking, the caves offered some beautiful views. 

I love this shot. 

The little boys kept finding these little holes to climb into. It was cracking me up. 

It was a fun easy-ish hike and the kids loved it. 

Then we headed back to "Best Friends" for our bunny habitat tour and to explore some more. 

Benson loved this little stone puppy dog. 

The goat enclosure was much beloved. 

The kids also loved the cat houses. These cats are living their best lives and the kids loved their habitats. 

It was such a fun day. We loved getting to meet so many animals and Bailey was dying to take home a pet goat with us. That would have been a very long drive home. 

From "Best Friends" we drove to St. George area for the night and got a hotel. 

The next morning we woke up super early because we wanted to get into Zion National Park before hit capacity. It was Memorial day and so it was projected to be busier than usual. Happily, we planned ahead and got there at 6 am. We were able to drive right in and parked without a problem at the trailhead for the "Canyon Overlook Trail". This particular trail is especially beautiful at sunrise so we were able to get there pretty close to that and it was just beautiful. 

It was such a beautiful hike and totally kid friendly. 

 

I loved getting shots of the kids on the bridges and looking out over the canyon. 

This is the spot known as "Canyon Overlook" and Bailey was my willing model. 

Tucker didn't want to leave when we had finished the hike. He just loves hiking and exploring. 

 

The kids all did great. No one got tired or complained. It was lots of fun. 

We finished our hike just as the park got busy and we headed out. We had to stop by to get a pressed penny, but then we drove to the "St George Narrows" to explore and hike. 

The kids loved this place. "The Narrows" are located at Pioneer park in St. George and the rock formations are unreal. 

 

Chris and Tanner explored all over, so much so that we got separated for a little while and couldn't find each other. 

I had the three younger kids with me and we explored all over while we looked for Dad and Tanner. 

Tucker found an adorable little lizard and wanted to bring him home with us.

 

Eventually we found each other and we found "the narrows". It is just one really long narrow tunnel that you have to squeeze through and climb out the top. It was so crazy but fun. 

Chris was worried he wouldn't fit, but the rest of us climbed all the way through and finished it. 
I was actually pretty proud of us. It was a tight fit and I thought the kids might get scared. But they just pushed through and did great. 

It was fun and hot. We ended our time in St. George by going through "Swig" for delicious drinks. 

Then we drove a couple hours down to Las Vegas. 

We had reserved a two night stay at the BlueGreen Resort in Vegas. 
When we arrived our room wasn't ready yet, but we were able to play at the pool until they finished it. 

The kids loved the pool and it was relaxing. 

After an hour or so, our room was ready and we checked in. 
Not too long after we were headed over to visit one of Dad's friends from college. 

Dad's friends, Mike, was roommate of his from college and they stayed friends all these years. 
I was able to meet and get to know him through our years of dating and early marriage and it was so fun to reunite. 
Mike and his wife Natalie live in Vegas and they have five kids. They are a great family. 
We played in their pool and in their backyard and we ordered pizza for dinner. 
The kids had a blast an we loved getting to catch up with some old friends. 

Mike was always a funny guy and that hasn't changed. It was so fun to watch Chris and him laugh and reminisce together. I told Mike that I needed to get a picture of Chris and him to commemorate the reunion and he took that invitation and ran with it. 
Before I knew it, Mike had a unicorn floatie on the ground and him and Chris were riding it together while smiling for a picture. I couldn't stop laughing and this picture makes me laugh every time I see it. 

Eventually we left and drove back to our hotel. We stopped by the store on our way back and grabbed a few things for breakfast. Our hotel had a full kitchen so we planned to just eat breakfast both mornings at the hotel. 
The next morning we got up and got ready, ate and then headed out to explore Vegas.
I was worried about taking my kids to Vegas before I had been there but once I visited a few years ago, I realized how family friendly it can be. We had a great time. 

Our first stop of the day was "Circus Circus". We went to their big top area and watched a couple of their circus acts. These were so fun and we all loved it. 

 

Then we played in the arcade. Chris gave each kid $20 on an arcade card and they had a blast playing. 

I think everyone's favorite thing was this four-way air hockey game. It was so fun to watch and they all got to play together. 

From there we went to the Hershey Store on the strip. 
The kids each got to pick one treat and their bakery made it hard. 

I love this picture with the giant kiss. 

Then we walked across the skybridge and went to the M&M store. 
This was also pretty fun because I had told the kids about the wall of m&ms in every color  and they finally got to see it. 

Each kid got to fill a small bag with their choice of m&ms. I got some too and that was fun. 

We loved walking around and seeing the different sites on the strip. 
This end of the strip is really pretty cleaned and well maintained. We felt totally safe walking around with our kids. 

Then we ate some dinner and went back out again to see the strip at night. 
We first stopped at the "Fabulous Las Vegas Sign". 
I had been dreaming about taking this picture the whole time and right before it was our turn the lights came on so that was fun. 

From there we drove over the "High Roller", which is basically a huge Ferris wheel with enclosed capsules that you ride inside. This was another thing I had done on my previous visit, and I was so excited to take my kids on it. We waited until it was dark so we could have a view of the entire city all lit up at night. 
We all loved it and it was sort of magical. We could see the Bellagio fountain show for the air and lots of other cool landmarks too. 

It was so fun and we all agreed it was our favorite part of our Las Vegas stop. 

After the "High Roller" we went to get souvenirs and a pressed penny. 
Then it was back to the hotel for the night.

The next morning we ate breakfast and got packed up. 

On our way out we stopped by the sign again because there was no line and we were able to get a daytime picture this way. It was perfect. 

Then we started our drive to Santaquin to go see the Allreds in their brand new house. 
We were all so excited to visit them and to check our their new digs.

Nanny and Papa and Aunt Laura were also staying there and it was so fun to be all together. 

We all came our for Hazel's baptism and it was such a blast.

We arrived Wednesday afternoon and the kids picked up right where they left off. 
We were missing our Drake cousins, but the kids had a blast playing together. 

Sarah made us all a delicious dinner that night and the sight of all these people together makes my heart happy. 

That night we just hung out and let the kids play together while Aunt Sarah, Nanny and I took Hazel to the temple grounds in Payson Temple to take some pictures for her Baptism. 

This is something I look forward to doing and it was so fun to take Hazel's. She's such a gorgeous girl. 

 

We had to follow the tradition set by Max and I a couple of years previously, and we ended our night getting cookies at Crumbl

The next day we woke up early to go to the temple. We ended up going to the Provo City Center temple because I have been wanting to go there for years. 
Sarah, Laura, Nanny, Papa and I were able to do an endowment session together and it was wonderful to be in the house of the Lord together. 

The temple was completely beautiful inside and I loved it. 

After our time in the temple, we went across the street to a little French bakery and got some breakfast. 

Then we headed back to Sarah's. 

Shortly after Aunt Susan came to visit. She wanted to see everyone, but also there were some ancestors buried in the cemetery in Santaquin so it was the perfect opportunity to see family and do some family history. She took us all along with her on this outing and we found the headstones of two of our ancestors.  

 

We then went to "Rowley's Red Barn" for some delicious treats and sodas. 

Then we took the kids to the park for a bit. 
The kids had a blast together and we laughed and laughed. 

I sure love these kids and I love watching their cute relationships grow. 

That night my family took family pictures with Uncle Johnny's sister. Her name is Aimee and she did a great job. We wanted to take some pictures with the red rock in Utah and we found a beautiful setting near Aunt Sarah's house. 

I love how they turned out. 

The next day we took all the kids to the Provo Rec Center with Nanny and Papa. 
These kiddos are so loved and they had the best time with their grandparents. 

We played hard. We did water slides, the wave pool, the lazy river and everything else. It was so fun and the kids were exhausted afterwards. 

When we got home we ate dinner and then Papa made the kids some of his famous "Papa Shakes" and it was the perfect ending to the day. 

Then  on Saturday we finally got to attend the big event that brought us all to Utah to begin with. It was Hazel's baptism day and it was such a sweet day. She had so much family there to support her and it was wonderful. 

After the baptism, we all went to a nearby park to have a luncheon and to visit. 

Sarah served a delicious lunch and we all had a great time.

The kids really loved the goldendoodle puppy that Uncle Johnny's sister brought with them. 

I'm so grateful we were able to be there for Hazel on her big day. 

She's one of my favorite girls in the world and I can't imagine missing her big day 

We all love Hazel so much and we are so proud of the decision she made to be baptized.  

We had a great visit with our family in Utah. We also had a great time visiting the other stops on our trip. It was a whirlwind of a trip but we loved it!

We left directly after the luncheon and started our long drive home. 
We drove as far as Uncle David and Aunt Michelle's house in CO. 

Then we got up early yesterday and drove the rest of the way home.