Valley of Fire

It is that time of year... Cheila and Hunter's Spring Break. Every year at the begining or end of their break we go to the Valley of Fire camping. We figured out that this is our 7th year going (we have gone every year since 2003, except for 2004). This year was a little crazy, still no grandma and grandpa (still on their mission) and I was diagnosed Thursday afternoon with a double ear infection, throat infection, and the onset of pneumonia. Needless to say I was tired and my ears, nose, throat and lungs hurt. Reservations were in my name... so away we went.
Luckily, Mike understood that was not feeling well and let me rest a lot. After we set up camp, I took a nap in the chair by the fire pit, then moved to the car when I got uncomfortable. I could have slept in the tent, but I did not want to move!

Mike took the kids on several hikes this year without me.

Every year the kids climb higher and higher up on the rocks. This is a good thing and a bad thing. Good because they are getting more daring, Bad thing because they are getting more daring! Here is proof!

Climbing down... they are way up there!

The rock behind the camp. I am either sleeping in the car or in the chair by the fire pit.


Grock parents soaking up some sun!

Grockparents by a cactus... be careful! They hurt if they poke you!

Here are the kids up on a rock, making a silly pose.... we have made great posers out of our kids!

On one of the kids and daddy hikes they found a rock with a circle in it that they all took pictures in. We had planned on Mike and I hiking back there to get my picture, but we forgot.

Here is everyone in that rock....

Abi

Cheila

Hunter

Jace

Kade

Madison

Mike

We have tons of pictures from this camping trip, we all know Mike loves to take pictures. This post would be REALLY long if I posted all of them, or even 1/10th of them. So I picked one picture of each kid, plus a few others.

Cheila

Hunter

Jace... monkey man!

Jace will go pee anywhere.... here is proof!

Kade

Madison

Although I was not feeling super good, Mike and I still took a little hike.... Mike took this picture of me.

Mike on top of one of the rocks.... he sure is high!

Our annual hike to Mouse Tank..... we did it at sunset again, the only difference was this year we got a "warning" ticket, because our car was in the parking lot after sunset.... oh well! (I did go on this hike)

The past few years we have taken a hike called White Domes.... 2 years ago we put a note in one of the wholes in one of the rocks. It was still there last year, we added to the note and put it back.... will it be there this year???

.

.

.

.

.
Hunter up to look to see if the note is still there... and it is!
Adding to the note for the 3rd year!

Cheila putting the note back... we will see if it is there again next year!

After our White Domes hike, Mike took the kids out to Duck Rock. Jace, Madison and I stayed in the car. My lungs were hurting, Jace did not want to walk, and Madison wanted to keep us company. Here is Duck Rock.....

I was not going to make shirts this year since I have been sick, but the kids really wanted them. I did a different technique this time. Here is our family.
The kids up on a rock... check out those names on their booties!

Mike took Abi and Hunter out to take pictures of the sunrise on Saturday morning.

I love this picture of Abi on Saturday morning they found this little pool of water.

Saturday morning my Aunt Judi and her friend Marsha came out to see us. I did not get any pictures of us together. I know she did, I will have to get them from her!

When we got back from our little trip to the Cabins, Seven Sisters and Elephant Rock, we decided it was time to take the tent down. It got really windy and we had to lay on it to keep it from blowing while Daddy got the hatchet.

After we were all packed up and ready to go the kids were playing on the rocks. Mike was teaching Kade how to start a fire (well burn a whole in paper) with his magnifying glass.

We had a nice trip and look forward to next year. Hopefully Grandma Sue and Grandpa Steve will be there in person (instead of "rock" form!). We did cut our trip one night and morning short this year. Hopefully next year we will be able to stay the whole weekend like we usually do!