2010 April

April was another busy and fun month. It started with a weekend trip to Sacramento for my parents 50th wedding anniversary party over Easter weekend. The entire family made it for the most part. It was sure fun to see everyone and visit and have our kids get reacquainted or meet cousins for the first time. Photo album:

Hone Family 50 Party

After we returned, we had a little Easter celebration and egg hunt of our own:



Cub Scout Day Camp:



Big wheelin:



And, while Miki went for a weekend with the women folk of her family to Women's Conference, the kids and I went camping and exploring at Mojave National Preserve in CA April 30th. We hit the famous "rings" trail at Hole in the Wall visitors center, Mitchell Caverns, Kelso sand dunes, the Kelso visitors center, and a very cool lava tube. It was quite windy and cold the night we camped, but I cannot remember the last time I saw so many stars at night or ate so many S'mores. We had a blast! Be sure to follow along in the photo album:

Mojave National Preserve

Hanging out in Hoodoo Lounge

Last weekend, Miki had her annual retreat at the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, so I offered to chauffeur her to and from to get a little change of scenery and away from the Vegas heat we love so dearly. After some Friday lunch at Iceberg, the kids and I left Miki in good hands as we headed up Cedar Mountain and across to Bryce Canyon National Park for two nights of camping, hiking, and hot chocolate by the campfire. We had a blast! Unfortunately three-quarters of the park was closed due to a lightning fire they had been fighting for nearly a month. And of course they couldn't have announced that on the website I scoured for hours the night before, planning out our itinerary. The park was a little more crowded. Let's just say that the open portion of the park is very familiar to us now. In fact, it forced us back out the park entrance to hike Mossy Cave, which turned out to be a welcomed refreshment as we discovered the fall/winter flowing waterfall of Tropic Ditch.

The kids and I had fun hiking and spending quality time together. Hopefully we will be able to return again someday to see the portions of the park that were closed. Click the photo album below to follow along and see the beautiful park of Bryce Canyon.

Bryce Canyon NP

California Fun!!!

I love summer!!! I love that Kal and the kids are out of school, the sunshine, swimming, and even the smell of sunblock. We had a fantastic vacation in Sacramento where we caught up with Kalvan's family. The kids were thrilled to see cousins they hadn't seen in a long time and meet some they didn't remember or hadn't met before. A large portion of our trip was spent getting ready for

or camping. We camped for 3 nights at Lake Clementine. In Kal's family you don't just drive out to a camp ground and go camping. They load up the ski boats and head off to a lake. It's genius I tell you, pure genius. Lake Clementine is a beautiful lake on the the American River not far from Auburn, CA. We spent 4 days in the sun water skiing and catching up with family and friends.

While we were out camping we celebrated Kalvan's birthday. It seems we are always on vacation for his birthday, but it's been a long time since he was able to spend a birthday with so much of his family. Happy birthday honey, you're so good looking!

It was exciting to get to go to a BBQ where a large majority of Kal's High school/ward friends had a little reunion! If only all kids could grow up with such a fun group.

For the 4th of July we decided to take it easy and let the kids recover from the colds they caught while we were out on the lake. After a long nap Sage, Karter and I took a little trip out to visit Katie's thorough bred horse Honey (Katie is Kal's niece). Sage was in heaven and much to my surprise Karter felt up to riding too. Thanks so much Katie for letting us visit your beautiful horse! Sage can't stop talking about it.

Of course we couldn't get through a 4th of July without fireworks. At the last minute we ran to a stand and bought a few sparklers and little fire crackers. The kids had a great time!

See our photo albums by clicking the images above.

Warm Springs Camping

On April 24th, we went camping up at Warm Springs (map). If you haven't been there, Warm Springs is a piece of property owned by the church that they have developed with a couple of swimming pools and a nice camping area. It is an hour drive north of Henderson. There's also a beautiful stream that run directly behind the camping area. The water is warm, I think about 85 degrees. You have to go as a group and have reservations and it is a great little oasis in the desert. We went with Families Supporting Adopotion (FSA). We have been there a couple of times a few years ago, but haven't been back since.

Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. It was very windy and kept us awake most of the night. The morning was cold and rained a tiny bit after we broke down the tent. We still had a great time, though, visiting with the others in our group around the campfire and just being outdoors. This is the best place to camp near Las Vegas. If you every get the chance to go, be sure not to miss it!