Grotto Falls Hike

I came across an article that describes five family friendly hikes in Utah.  The first one just happened to be close by and we decided to give it a go this past weekend.  We stopped by Lauren's house in Spanish Fork to pick up Emery before heading to Payson for the hike.
The hike is called Grotto falls and only about a half mile which was perfect with two toddlers.  There are lots of fun logs to cross to get over the stream and at the end a pretty waterfall.
Both Brooklyn and Emery did great in the hiking carriers.  Brooklyn walked most of the way back.
Later that day we dropped Brooklyn off at Lauren's and they watched her for us while Thomas and I went to see Pitch Perfect 2.  It was hilarious! We drove by the new Payson temple which is so gorgeous with the backdrop of the mountains.

Mother's Day 2015

A friend posted on Facebook to ask moms' opinions on Mother's Day.  There were a lot of answers like they don't like it because of high expectations not being met, or it's painful for people who can't have children, etc. Then one mom posted that she understands all that but let's just not over think it and take it for what it is, a celebration! Let your hubby and kids know what your expectations are and be grateful for the women in your life that have been good examples.  Pretty simple!
I told Thomas that I wanted breakfast and dinner made and cleaned up and that I would like the pictures put on the walls upstairs.  Done, done, done! Oh and I wanted to get ready for church in peace.
Thomas woke up with Brooklyn and they made muffins together and made me a sweet card.  Brooklyn colored things she likes to do with me and put things like the zoo and dinosaurs. That afternoon I took a nice long nap, even longer than Brooklyn's.  In the evening after dinner we went for a walk up the mountain in front of our house.
Loved it!

Mom Visits

My mom came to Boise to help us pack and load up the moving truck and then drove to Utah with us and stayed for our first few days here.  It was the BIGGEST help having her here.  My mom is a PRO at loading up moving trucks.  I'm convinced we would have had to leave a bunch of things behind if it weren't for her. Her and Thomas managed to get it all squeezed in.
When we got to Utah she stocked our fridge and was a big help in keeping Brooklyn entertained while we unloaded the truck.
We were able to do a couple fun outings while she was here including the Farm Animals at Thanksgiving Pointe and the Hogle Zoo.
At the Farm exhibit they have basically every farm animal you can think of.  Plus you can go on a wagon ride and unlimited pony rides! Brooklyn chose to ride the minature ponies.  Her first time she wanted me to hold onto her as she rode around. The second time I just had to walk alongside her.
One day we were packing and my mom took Brooklyn to the park.  On there way there Brooklyn needed to go to the bathroom so they stopped at a nearby diner.  Of course Brooklyn convinced my mom to get her fries and some lemonade. I've realized that really the biggest help to someone with kids when they are moving is to offer to watch their kids.
 They have this cute little ice cream shop at Thanksgiving Point and kids cones are only .25 I have a feeling we'll be hitting that store up frequently.
 We dropped my mom off at the SLC airport in the afternoon so took advantage of being in Salt Lake and went to the Hogle Zoo.

Bean and Dinosaur Museum

Some new friends suggested that we try out the Bean Museum on BYU's campus.  It's a free museum with a bunch of taxidermy.  Brooklyn really loves looking at that kind of stuff.  My favorite was the Liger that used to be at the Hogle Zoo here in Utah.
There were a bunch of school groups there for field trips.  One group was going to the auditorium and we followed them in.  Someone from the museum was giving a presentation with a slideshow on the different climates in Utah and different animals that live in those climates. Brooklyn was so into it! After thirty minutes we needed to leave to go home and eat lunch and I had to drag her out of there kicking and screaming.  I don't know if she just liked being around all the big kids or if the information and pictures really fascinated her.  When a question would be asked she would raise her hands along with the school kids.
There was a fun slide and a little tunnel that had a bear inside. This past weekend we went to Thanksgiving Pointe and visited the dinosaur museum. Brooklyn's favorite part was the big water and sand table that you could play with the toy dinosaurs in.

Little Mermaid Play

We wanted to get lots of time in with our friends Molly and Sara before we moved.  One of our activities together included going to dinner and then a children's production of The Little Mermaid. The play was perfect length for Molly and Brooklyn and fun for us moms too.

April Photodump

One of our last times at the Botanical Gardens. A warm day at the zoo. Her legs are too cute in shorts.
She loves her new rain boots and to hide.
She's just a little darling. Sometimes she likes to be the one behind the camera. "Let me take a picture Mom."
She really wanted to check out a magazine from the library and the first thing she did when we brought it home was put it in the bathroom.
I took her to see the movie "Home" and she was so good! Went on a little hike one day for some exercise.
This day she wanted to wear her new Elsa dress she got in her Easter basket. Her daddy is her prince.
We stopped at a little bakery to get a loaf of bread and she convinced me to get her a treat.
She loves to go through this groundhog tunnel at the zoo.
She is really into walking sticks and anywhere we go picks one up to walk with.
She got herself completely dressed herself this day. Including choosing her outfit.
Botanical Gardens fun. This was after a sweaty Boost class which is a Saturday HIIT workout through stroller strides but without the strollers.