Em, Lately.

Em's chunky, squishy thighs have stretched into lean, muscular legs. Same goes for her arms! There was a short mourning period of the overall roundness that she use to have, followed by her climbing up the playground structure which leads to the tallest platform, which leads to the top of the biggest slides. This girl! I have to hover very closely behind her as she climbs up the vertical "mountain." Then, when she gets to the top, I have to jump up as quick as I can and either make sure she sits on her bottom (or belly) to go down the slide if Charly is spotting her at the bottom, or drag her bum into my lap as she desperately tries to go down all on her own. Never mind that several times she's taken a topple half way down the slide... she is all for it.

The trying part of it all- the physically going for it- was something she was born with. The going for it mentally part? Not so much. I have enjoyed watching her slowly learn that it's ok to fall on my bottom, but not as much on my hands, to watch her find what actually works and what doesn't instead of insisting on always being in control. I mean, even when she took her first steps she just look so human already- there was not a lot of baby toddling sporadically and uncontrolled across the room. She waited till she was way past ready, and even that was on the earlier side of when kids tend to walk (that would be the "trying" part making its appearance).

This new personality development has also morphed her into an extra giggly babe. When it comes to inducing the belly laughs, it is just so. easy. now. We see less and less of that intensely pensive look she use to give so often as she sorted the world out, and although I sometimes miss it, the giggly, goobery personality she has now is very well enjoyed.

Zion National Park, Utah

At the very end of March and into the beginning of May we went down to Southern Utah with some friends to visit Zion. I was the only on who had been before, albeit a short trip, so it was fun getting to watch everyone else experience it for the first time. Zion is a very unique and very accessible park compared to other places, and I think combining those two things is what draws so many people in from all over the world. We couldn't find any affordable hotels in Springdale, the town right by Zion, so we opted to stay in a two bedroom barn-turned-cabin in Glendale. We almost camped when we couldn't figure out the hotel situation, but the only spots available were 40 bucks (what?!) or blm land that had too many disadvantages for a a week long trip. The cabin worked out beautifully, though. Every morning we woke up, packed up, drove the half hour to the park and then another half hour to where the shuttle starts and just stayed out there all day before heading back. The drive has a mile long tunnel and a lot of worthwhile views so there wasn't a single day that we were cursing it. The trip all in all was just perfect.

The first day we hiked Emerald Pools. It's a family friendly hike and felt like Disneyland since it was so crowded. Hiking shoulder to shoulder with people was kind of a bummer, but when we got to the end things finally opened up and we were able to enjoy it a bit more.

The next day Charly and I split up from Jake and Joslyn since we decided to do a harder hike instead a climbing day and they weren't sure if they're kids could make it to the top of Observation Point. Instead they did Hidden Canyon, which I had done already, and which shares the same trail as the Observation Hike for the first 20 minutes. Observation Point was definitely worth the steep 8 miles of switchbacks we had to hike and probably our favorite trail out all the ones we did. After we got down we took the shuttle to the lodge and relaxed in the grassy area while trying/failing to re-connect with Jake and Joslyn. We must of just missed them.

The third day we hiked Angel's Landing which was...interesting. Not as scary as I thought it would be, but a lot longer than I expected. Em did great- I was worried she'd suddenly start hating being in her pack and we'd be hiking with a screaming baby since we obviously wouldn't pull her out of it on that kind of a trail, but she just chilled. I hiked about a chain length behind Charly the entire time to make sure we had our space and never felt worried. Although he didn't end up needing to use it, Charly also wore a harness with a carabiner attached to a sling which he could then clip to the chains. After Angels Charly and I did the river walk to the beginning of the narrows since Jake and Joslyn had done it the day before after we slit up. For the time of year we went it was just too cold to hike- next time!

The last day of the trip we planned to go drive around and do a small hike in Bryce Canyon, but we were just so hiked out at that point. Instead we thought we'd just go to the easy view points because we heard they were right off the road, but when we got to the first one and had to walk a whole 3 minutes to the top we were like "good enough, lets go home" and booked it back to Rexburg with a short pit stop to see James and Chaely (who incidentally was scheduled to have her second baby the next day). A good thing since Em spiked a fever the night (hopefully that doesn't happen AGAIN). Anyways, here are a few photos of the place we stayed at:

The owners originally moved from Vegas to out there and built a six bedroom, six bathroom place when all the end of the world Y2K speculation was going on. Even though nothing happened it seemed to work out pretty well for them- they were goat farmers originally and now are doing more of the air bnb with their place.