st. george - day 3

on day 3 we broke tradition.. usually on sunday we'll go to church at eleven and then head up for drive through zion national park and to have lunch at the lodge. this year we decided we were in the mood for a change of scenery. we still went to church at eleven but then we hit the road heading south! 

 we made a quick stop in mesquite so the kids could check

out the water fountain & falls at the casablanca casino.

then we went on to overton where my grandparents used to have a little trailer house they'd live in during the winter. i remember making trips down to visit them there but hadn't been there in probably 25 years. it was fun to drive back through the little town and see the trailer house again.

after that we headed even farther south to las vegas. we went to see the temple there, ate dinner and then drove down the strip. {talk about two total different ends of the spectrum as far as the feelings you get when you're in a certain place vs. another} we've never wanted to go to vegas with the kids because of all the crap there is to see whether you like it or not... but they're a little older now and we thought that if we stayed in the car and just drove down the strip they might like seeing the lights and hopefully we wouldn't see anything "too bad." oh my goodness! now i wish we hadn't have gone down the strip at all. let me just say we saw a whole lot more than just lights. that's why we've never taken our kids there til now and why we won't be going back either. it's THAT BAD... i hate it!

the temple, the landscaping around it and the feeling you have when you're there is beautiful!!! so glad we got to see it, that's the only thing that made going to vegas worth it! :)

-SIN CITY-

too bad it's such a gross place...

it makes me sick.

st. george - day 2

saturday the weather was really nice again. marcus, sydnee and tanner got up super early and headed to the continental breakfast. they have a waffle maker with yummy strawberry topping and whip cream! the kids swam for the whole first part of the day until it was time to head up to snow canyon for a cookout at my parents campsite and playin' at the sand dunes. 

after our lunch, a little hike and chasing rabbits.. we headed for the dunes and then back to the hotel to swim for the rest of the night. for dinner.. we had our usual pizza/movie night in the hotel room with grandma & grandpa! on the way to pick up the pizza i swung by the temple to take a few pics. the temples always look so pretty at night.

road trip to st. george - day 1

it's tradition.. we always hit the road mid february and head south to hang out with my parents! almost always.. the weather is sunny and much nicer than our winter temps back home. we soooo look forward to going every year!!!

{instagram photos intermixed with nikon d90 camera photos}

when we ses this red & white stripe lighthouse we know we're almost there!!!

first thing we always do, is meet up with my parents for lunch at good 'ole chuck-a-rama! have i mentioned.. they have the best salad bar ever? then.. the kids are usually chomping at the bit to get checked into the hotel and race out to the pool... kynlee couldn't wait either, she loves to play in the water! :) 

kynlee had so much fun at the pool. they have a little kiddie pool that is just perfect for her. the water is warm and it's not too deep. she got pretty adventurous with exploring and even going into the middle away from the wall. still to this day though, her favorite thing to do is to find the little jet where the water circulates. she puts her hand on it and laughs and laughs... she laughed for two hours straight. i thought for sure she was gonna have a tummy ache from laughing so hard.. for so long! 

 i told him to smile.. and this is what he gave me! Nice---

 wow!!! don't i look like a cutie! LOL

i guess that's what stayin' up most the night before packing, sleeping maybe a total of two hours, early morning road trip, chuck-a-rama lunch, long pool time, dinner out at subway and back to the room for exchanging some valentine goodies.. will do to ya! everytime...

holding hands with grandma!!

she loves it.

especially when she hasn't been around her in a long time...