Summer 2014 part 2

Update from our summer in pictures part 2:

We hiked Emerald Pools in Zion. We hiked to the lower and middle pools.

Malachi does pretty well in the backpack. Adrian is good and if Malachi starts to get fussy Adrian will try to entertain/play with him.

Levi liked to look at the tunnels that ran under the trail. He definitely liked the water best.

Malachi liked the water best too. It was the only time he was out of the carrier.

Levi has a hard time keeping his shoes on when he plays.

 Levi got his shoes wet in the water and then had a really hard time when the dirt was sticking to them. So he and I waded across the Virgin River to wash his shoes off. This was probably his favorite part of the whole hike.

We skipped naps so we could play and both boys conked out on the drive home.

We went to the Iron County Fair Demolition Derby. We thought the boys might enjoy watching cars crash and boy were we right. They loved it. They loved the crashing, cars getting stuck, cars smoking and catching fire and the small car races.

We didn't not stay the whole time and saw more small car races than the actual derby, but it was a hit. Levi very frequently zooms his toy cars around and crashes them and he'll tell me "like in the demolition derby."

Malachi got stitches again. Poor kid. He face planted it into the bookshelf in our living room. Luckily, Adrian just called up the Dermatologist in town who he just finished rotating with, and who is his Elder's Quorum President, and he stitched Malachi up in jiffy, and for free! Five stitches by his eye. Unfortunately, a couple weeks later he somehow fell and sliced his skin in the exact same spot but next to the other eye. This laceration did not need stitches, but now he has symmetrical scars.

We went to the Iron County Fair Carnival. We spent way too much, but the boys enjoyed the rides. Levi's favorite was the Farris Wheel. He went on it twice. We took Malachi on the Farris Wheel and he would start to whine every time we got to the top. He did it every time we went around and around. After we finished with rides we walked around the tent booths and there was a train ride by the booths that Levi wanted to ride. We didn't want to fork out more money for the ride so Levi threw a fit and we just left. Had we known about the train ride first we would not have spent as much money on the other rides because Levi probably would have loved the train ride the most.

We hiked Long Hollow one evening with my dad. Levi got tired so my dad gave him a shoulder ride.

Malachi rode in the backpack the whole time. His favorite part was the twinkie afterwards.

We went to the tunnel up Cedar Canyon that the creek runs through. It was really a cool place with lots of pools to play in. We walked up the creek a ways and back down. It was a fun place to play!

Adrian spontaneously came home with some beautiful flowers for me!! I'm sure a lucky girl :)

 After every time it rains we go out and splash in the puddles. It rained hard one day and we found a huge puddle in the baseball field.

The kids always get a nice warm bath after their puddle hopping adventures.

We went up to Yankee Meadows and were very surprised to see that the lake was very low. So we played in a meadow by the Lake and enjoyed the beauty of the mountains.

We've been up to Woods Ranch a few times to play and picnic. The boys like to explore and also have a fire in the mountains.

We hiked in Kolob Canyon. We did a short 1 mile loop to a lookout. 

The boys were a bit tired from a day in St. George, but we had fun!

We frequently get the soccer balls out and go play. Malachi likes to push the ball around while riding his bike.

Levi went to his first movie in the theatre. Adrian took him to the dollar theatre to see How to Train your Dragon 2. He loved it.

Malachi has a mind of his own and is very stubborn about being independent.

Summer 2014 part 1

Here's an update of our summer in 2 parts not in chronological order at all. 

Adrian, my dad and Neal hiked Mystery Canyon in Zion. They went in August sometime. Adrian has done the hike many times, but it was first for my dad and Neal.

Here's just as they were about to start their decent into the canyon.

 One of the 12 repels.

Adrian going down the longest repel of 140 feet into Mystery Springs.

Here's the last repel that ends up in the Narrows.

At the bottom of the last repel standing in the Narrows. They had lots of people who were hiking the Narrows stop and watch them repel down this last repel. Adrian went first and when he finished all the bystanders clapped at his performance. Neal was next and as he got down a handful of people clapped. My dad was last and when he got down nobody clapped. They thought it was quite comical.

We hiked to Cascade Falls near Duck Creek. We started out thinking there would be no water at the falls since no water was draining out of Navajo Lake. But, to our surprise and delight, there was water with a small waterfall at the end.  It had been a while since I had hiked this trail and I was in awe at how pretty it was. The red rock and dark green pines made the views beautiful.

After hiking Cascade falls, we hopped on over to the Ice Cave. It was a big hit. Levi loves caves. And, even being the middle of the summer, there was ice in it.

We hiked the Bristlecone Pine trail. I believe it's under a mile and it was the perfect length for these kiddos to hike. Usually we take a backpack and haul Malachi, but he hiked this whole trail.

Adrian picked some flowers and gave them to me. Levi copied him and tugged up some flowers and gave them to me as well. Notice the roots on the flowers. I'm lucky to have some great boys to spend my life with :)

We took some food and had a picnic on the bridge overlooking Zion. It was a fun time.

We're probably checking out some kind of bug.

Even though the hike was short, it still took us over and hour to hike. These boys like to explore and play with every opportunity that comes their way.

We went up to my family's ranch on Cedar Mountain. We did not camp, we just went to play. These boys love mud and water.

They both love 4-wheeler rides and this little 4-wheeler was just their size.

We hiked Hidden Haven in Parowan Canyon right after Adrian got back from his trip to Mexico. We thought it was just 1 mile, but it ended up being about 2. We did not take our carrier for Malachi and the last 1/2 mile Adrian carried him and just booked it to the car as fast as he could.

It was very beautiful. It had rained earlier that day and everything was moist.

Their was no water at the waterfall. But we did cross some small streams along the way that the boys played in.

Malachi loves motorcycle and 4 wheeler rides with my dad. When he hears them start up he will run as fast as he can to them and beg for a ride. When we see any kind of a motorcycle or 4 wheeler driving by he will say "grandpa" and reach his arms out indicating he wants a ride.

September 6th we had the first annual Bulloch Family 5K! We started at the Bicentennial Park and ran up the Canyon Trail for 1.5 miles then turned around and headed down. 

Adrian's a stud and he pushed our 2 kiddos in the stroller the whole way.

Here I am at the finish line. My time was 30.09 minutes.

Adrian was just 4 minutes behind me.

We had some goodies afterwards!

Adrian went to Mexico for 2 weeks in July. It had been 3.5 years since he had seen any of his family. He spent most of his time with his parents and brother. Then spent his last day visiting his grandpa and extended family.

Before his brother got to his parents house, they took a trip to Gunajuato.

Omar was able to bring his daughter with him.

Adrian said it was great to see his family, but hard to see the circumstances in which they live.

He really praised his mother's cooking when he returned.

Here's Adrian with his grandpa and uncles.

We took a spontaneous trip up to the "C" on the mountain one evening.

We hiked down the trail for a bit and soaked in the goodness/beauty of the mountain.

Papa's boys. They always fight over who gets papa and one always cries when they have to settle for me.

Adrian made the boys a mud puddle to play in in our backyard. It was a big hit.

These boys always end up naked.

This scene occurs on a daily basis at our house. The boys tear off the pillows and cushions of the couch and make a big pile to jump into.

They have tons of fun doing it and every night after they go to bed Adrian and I have to put the couch back together again.