Spring Break: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

I was so looking forward to this trip, and it didn't disappoint. I'd never been to Grand Staircase and I had heard from multiple people how great it was--plus some good advice. We drove down on Easter so we could have an early start on the fun Monday morning.

Our first day was an absolutely amazing hike called Lower Calf Creek Falls. It was easy, but long. Six miles around trip!

Arthur got a lot of shoulder rides, Laszlo got a few piggy backs from me, but we all made it!

 The trail led through this beautiful canyons alongside Calf Creek. It made for an unusual setting: red rock desert and a riparian corridor right down the middle.

While we didn't see any beavers, we could see all their construction projects along the creek.

This land was once home to the Fremont and then Paiute and Mormon pioneers. In the modern day, the monument is a cherished resource for paleontologists, archeologist, biologists and the Paiute tribe.

The weather was cool or warm, depending on how much sunshine we were getting. It was perfect for hiking and too early for bugs, thank goodness.

The kids had already eaten nearly every snack we brought by the time we reached our destination: Lower Calf Creek Falls. It was gorgeous!

On a hot day, you'd want to jump right into the chilly weather and cool off. The boys took their shoes off to wade and immediately put their shoes back on. It was absolutely freezing.

The boys were so, so tired (read as "bored") on the way back, but the scenery was so beautiful, I can't understand why. But this was my accidental genius: make them do the longest hike first. Then they never complain because everything else is shorter.

After a little picnic at the trailhead, we drive back towards the town of Escalante and got this amazing view:

And then we stopped in at the visitors center to pick up junior ranger books and get some good information on road and weather conditions for the week.

We stayed at the excellent Entrada Escalante Lodge. It was so beautiful, comfortable, had a nice little kitchenette, and--most importantly--an EV charger! It was so convenient to be able to plug in the car in the evenings.

The kids liked running around outside, playing board games, and they kept trying to find TV stations they liked, though they never found a single cartoon. And I don't feel bad about it at all. But I'm afraid I've got too many pictures, so this will require multiple posts. And a little teaser, the next was the (near) universal favorite hike.

Snow Sports and Easter Egg Hunting

 March is nearly over, and spring is starting (albeit fitfully). Here are some of our fun winter adventures:

Laszlo got a new sled for Christmas, but we had to wait for a decent snowfall before we could really use it. Luckily it only took a couple weeks. We had a great time at our favorite local hilly spot!

Winter included lots of family game days when we wanted to stay warm and dry inside. The trick is to distract Arthur so he doesn't try to steal the game pieces.

We took Pa Duane out for lunch for his birthday. Arthur was being extra cute and copying grandpa and we enjoyed some excellent El Salvadorian food.

Lee had to travel for work the week of Valentine's Day, so the boys and I spent the evening with Grandparents and had delicious take out. On the weekend when Lee got home, we got to go out for sushi and Thai food. It was definitely worth the wait.

I celebrated my birthday at the end of February. I hesitate to say, but now I'm 35. I aged out of a survey demographic. So I got a properly grown-up birthday gift....LEGO SETS!

It was so exciting for the weather to start warming up in March. The kids can actually play outside with their friends now! Easter being in March is too early for me, but we managed to do way more fun stuff than usual for the holiday.

We did an Easter breakfast and egg hunt at church, which the kids loved. It was nice to have it indoors since the weather was still quite cold. The boys finished off all their candy that same day.

We also did an egg hunt at Grandma Jamie and Pa Duane's house with our Colorado cousins. Some of the eggs were VERY hard to find. Not Arthur's, but some of Laszlo's and Max's were expertly hidden.

It required adult assistance to find the last couple of eggs. Actually, we had to ask the kids who helped hide the eggs where to find a few because even the adults couldn't find them!

Laszlo assures me that he had a good time, but he refuses to smile for photos.

I was persuaded by a friend from work to take the kids to the "Egg Dive" at the rec center. It was super fun, I definitely want to do it again next year! Grandma Karen and Grandpa Dave came down to join us, which made it extra fun.

They set up crafts, painting, games, a bouncy house, and snacks in the gym and had some poor teenager dressed as a creepy Easter Bunny.

Well, Paul and Laszlo thought he was creepy. Arthur wanted to give him a hug.

Then they lined everyone up and escorted the group into the pool area. There were hundreds of eggs in the water (floating and sunk). Each kid could collect 5 eggs, then just play in the pool for 30 minutes or so. At the end, everyone turns in their eggs and picks up a treat bag.

Lee and Karen got in the water with the kids to make sure we didn't have any emergencies, and I think I'll do the same next year. The pool area is too warm for sweaters and jeans!

I think swimming and diving for eggs was a universal win, every boy loved it! Happy Easter, everyone!