Mini trip to Bryce Canyon

I like to keep an eye on Groupon Getaways because they often have great deals for hotels that are pretty close to home. We usually use them for Park City staycations, but we wanted to get a little farther from home so I jumped on a deal to stay at Ruby's Inn at Bryce Canyon.

Joe thought it would be fun to leave the day after Thanksgiving (even though we were hosting!) so we booked 2 nights for that weekend. The drive to Bryce isn't too long which is good because Joe is still having trouble from his accident last year. Emilia was so good in the car and didn't fuss the whole drive. The first thing she wanted to do when we got to Ruby's Inn was jump on the bed.

On Saturday, we headed to the park after breakfast. The first thing we did was stop at the Visitor's Center to get Emilia a National Park passport. 

One of the great things about Bryce is that you can drive through it and stop at several beautiful overlooks. 

We really wanted to do a short hike so we headed all the way to the end of the park to a hike that was supposed to be pretty easy. It was honestly a little too much for the 3 of us. It was cold and Joe had a hard time with some of the hills because of his back, but we did it! And then we went back to the hotel room and no one moved until dinner time.

The next day, we stuck to the overlooks. There are plenty of awesome things to see at Sunrise and Sunset points.

There was just a tiny bit of snow on the red rocks. We had hoped there would be a little more. It was so cold, but so beautiful!

We had such a fun trip and we can't wait to get to another National Park!

Halloween 2014

This Halloween was especially fun because we decided to take Emilia trick or treating in our neighborhood. We put on our family costumes- ladybug, butterfly, and entomologist and headed out around 5:30. Emilia did such a good job and it didn't take her long to figure out how trick or treating works. She would go up to a door and take one piece of candy and head to the next house. We even got one "trick or treat" out of her! When we got home, we all ate a bunch of candy because that's what you do on Halloween!

Frightmares 2014

My family continued our annual Lagoon Frightmares tradition on a gorgeous Sunday. We played games, rode on rides, and took Emilia through the kiddo Halloween walk-throughs. I can't believe what a toddler my little girl is these days. She ran everywhere. We didn't get a ton of smiles on camera (teething sucks), but we all had so much fun!

Witches hand out candy to kids during Frightmares

This girl loves her grandpa!

I was really looking forward to the hay maze because last year, Emilia wasn't mobile. She liked walking through it and getting candy, but what she REALLY wanted to do was steal all the pumpkins.

Last ride of the day

And a bonus then and now:

2013

2014

My Junior Zookeeper

Last year, my mom bought the most perfect outfit for Emilia. She finally got to wear it to the zoo last week and she was a great little model.

The patch says "Hogle Zoo Junior Zookeeper," but my favorite part of the outfit is the little key hanging from the belt

Of course, we saw some real animals too.

And no zoo trip is complete without a ride on the carousel.

Lagoon

Emilia is feeling pretty under the weather so we're all tired, but I wanted to post some of my favorite Lagoon pictures from a couple of weeks ago.

I bought this outfit months ago and saved it because it was so perfect for a day at Lagoon

We played some games, saw a neat show, and went on some rides.

I didn't know how Emilia would do on the kid rides, but I wanted to try them and she did such a good job! She rode Bulgy the Whale and the Baby Boats all by herself with no tears. She loved the boats the best and was so cute holding onto the wheel. 

My mom and I wanted to go on a few big rides so we left Emilia at the fountain with Joe and my dad. This girl loves water (and her grandpa!)

We love Lagoon and can't wait to go again!

Then and Now: Freedom Train

One of our family traditions is the Heber Creeper Freedom Train on the 4th of July. We like it because the tickets are only $10 and it's a fun (and early) way to start the holiday. I can't believe how much Emilia has changed!

Last year:

This year:

Last year:

This year:

Last year:

This year:

Then and now: Mother's Day

Then:

Mother's Day 2013. Emilia wasn't even a month old!

Now:

Mother's Day 2014 with my little lady