Vacation!!

Last week, we had our first family vacation since Nathanael was just a few months old. It was a huge success! We started out at Arches:

The kids loved it, we stopped at just about every scenic spot and walked around/took pictures.

We stopped in Moab because the van was making noise, and the mechanic we talked to said it wouldn't be a problem to keep driving. So, on we went to hole-in-the rock:

it was a short hike, we had lunch, ran around the rest stop park. Then, got back in the van. Next stop was going to be the hotel, but we were pretty far ahead of schedule so we decided to push through to four corners and then we'd have more time for the other sites later. We got to the monument just before they closed:

Then we went to the hotel. Once we unpacked, I asked Aaron to run and get some dinner. We were all tired of the snack/junk food we brought along. Unfortunately, the van wouldn't start. Some of the other guests at the hotel heard Aaron trying to start the van, and came out to look/help while I tried to scrounge through the food we had and get the kids fed. Eventually we called our travel club but because it was so late, and we were so rural, they couldn't help until the next day. I won't share boring details of it all, but the van was finally towed the next afternoon, and the shop tried "everything" for two days before they finally figured out what was wrong. Luckily, we were at the hotel before the van "died" and there was, thankfully, a park within walking distance so we could take the kids over there and play.

Finally, Thursday night they got the van fixed. We were supposed to have been home by this point, but Aaron called in sick and we decided to take it slow driving home Friday (we had already paid for an extra day at the hotel, anyway). We toured the "Edge of the Cedars" museum, but I forgot my camera so no pictures of that. We stopped in Price for lunch, and saw a sign for a Prehistoric Museum, and I talked Aaron in to going there :)

All in all, we had a great time. I'm proud of my kids, they behaved exceptionally well. We had a good time relaxing and playing and exploring. I am so so so glad I get to be their mommy!