beYOUtiful

I took advantage of the gorgeous day and had the girls come outside for some pictures.  Delsie and Ruby had coordinating birthday outfits, but Dalanie didn't want left out.  The pictures pretty much some up these girls.

Much To Be Thankful For

Dalanie went to school dressed as and indian for their Thanksgiving feast.  She recently lost her 2nd top front tooth and her grin couldn't be more adorable.

On the morning of Thanksgiving, the kids woke with a serious case of the grumpies.  They were upset about this and mad about that.  It was pretty apparent that they weren't feeling grateful for much.  It didn't take me long to decide that I would take them outside and have them do a little work.

The weather was very mild and we still had a bunch of leaves that needed raked and hauled off.  They got busy and before long they were having fun and even getting along!  We didn't get all of the leaves raked before it was time to go inside and make our house ready for the guests.

We all went in with a much better attitude and had a touch more gratitude for all that we have.  Upon completion of our job Dalanie commented, "that looks so much better!"  It's great to have a sense of accomplishment.  If idleness is the devil's workshop then hard work and productivity must be God's workshop.

Since Grandma Hillman was celebrating her birthday, we decided to host Thanksgiving.  And although she might not have had to do dishes, she did most of the cooking.  You just never can get ahead with this lady.

We all enjoyed Grandma's gift exchange tradition.  The sock monkey was the ticket for the grandkids.  It must have changed hands 10 times.

After the gift exchange we decorated gingerbread houses.

Jake and Dalanie tormented Uncle Roger.  I told them my story from growing up when I kept pestering my Uncle Bret and ended up with my underwear around my head.  I did it as a voice of warning, but they just laughed. . . maybe next year.

4x4 Fun

We left Manila Monday morning.  We stopped in Vernal for lunch and groceries before continuing on to Moab.  It wasn't really a short cut by going from Manila, but at least we weren't back tracking 5 hours back home.  We enjoyed the ride, realizing we probably won't go that way again.  We got in to Moab late afternoon and we were all itching to get out an play.  We ran up to some slick rocks to give the RC cars a try.  The little girls and I enjoyed playing in the sand.

We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo.  It was roomy and comfortable, but it didn't get me out of any cooking.  Delsie must have hit a growth spurt because one morning she down 3 pieces of french toast.  She was giving Hudson a run for his money.

We had two days of riding as a family before Mel and Todd came with their girls.  We decided to start on a moderate trail to ease into things and get a feel for the RZR.  The first day we rode to Determination Towers and along Seven Mile Rim.

 

Missing school meant that some time had to be dedicated to getting their school work done.  

The second day we rode Poison Spider.  It is a really popular mountain biking trail, we made friends with a couple and met on the trail several times throughout the day.

 It is a rough and rocky trail.  There is a famous ascent called the "waterfall."  The kids opted to walk and there were times that I was tempted to.

We soon learned that the most important stop was for lunch.  We had to find the perfect spot so that we could play with the RC cars.  The rock made the most fun terrain to race and mess around on.

And of course, the little girls couldn't care less as long as their were rocks to climb or sand to play with.

Mel and Todd joined us mid-week.  The girls were so excited to spend time together with their cousins in this kind of environment.  We have never gone anywhere together.  We spent a few nights at the hot tub and early mornings were spent coloring or doing homework. 

 Once they got there, that's when the party really started.  It is so fun for the girls to have a buddy their same age.

The first day with them we rode Fins 'n' Things.  It was a lot more challenging than I remembered it. It pushed some of us more than others, but at the end of the day we were all happy to have experienced it.

 Roasting brats for lunch, climbing the slick rock, and running RC cars.

I always had lots of company with me.  I preferred riding my old 4-wheeler.  There's just something about a good trustworthy machine that makes me confident and comfortable.  As long as you stayed calm, the kids enjoyed even the scary parts.  Once in a great while they hopped off to walk.

 We rode Chicken Corners for our last day of riding.  You log a lot of miles, but the going is easy.  It was kind of boring and the kids just kept asking 'when are we going to be there?'  But lunch didn't disappoint and we all had plenty to experience.  There was an awesome rock shelf for racing and the girls loved scurrying all over the rocks.

 They found that you would write on the rocks with lighter colored pieces.

Delsie spent a lot of time in her seat.  By the last day, she just wanted to ride on the 4-wheeler with me.

 Overall they gave it a thumbs up.

The girls all went home with a new Moab shirt.  Dalanie and Ruby rode with Jensens, so we had a pretty quiet pickup on they way home.  We soaked up a little sun and returned to FRIGID weather at home.