Ockey Family Adventures: St. George in Spring

When it started to warm up in March, we decided to head south to St. George. There is this little house in a new neighborhood in Washington that we stayed at. Dad even took off Monday so that we could have an extra day, since the Pooles would be coming up from Las Vegas to share the house with us.

On Friday, we left right after school. We made it down to the house in time to drop off stuff, take a few photos, and then get to the Red Cliffs Temple. We did baptisms with the cousins, which was really cool. It was after 10 o'clock by the time we got home, but we still chatted until well past the kids' bedtime.

The house was really nice.

And there was a beautiful sunset every night of this trip.

The baptism crew

So glad to be together with the Pooles.

Saturday was a busy day, and we got up early and went to some local parks. The kids enjoyed racing the 40 yard dash. Then we played Frisbee, basketball, and tossed the football around. Since it was nearly 80 degrees, and we are used to 40 degrees, it felt great to be out in the sun. We grabbed lunch at a specialty hamburger place called Morty's, which is becoming a favorite due to the cinnamon scone fries. Then we went back and played with the kids in the pool. It was really warm and beautiful, though a little wind did blow.

A little dunk contest

Lots and lots of swimming!

Tried a new pizza place in St. George

After New York style pizza, we drove out to Sand Hollow State Park, where we had a side-by-side rental scheduled. It was actually a tour, guided by a guy who knew the area. He drove his Razor out front, while Jonny drove the boys, Tiff drove the girls, and Mom and Dad shared a 2-seater. It really helped to have a guide, because we had no idea what these machines were capable of. After watching the guide go through obstacles like The Funnel and The Tollbooth, we knew our machines could make it, too. So up, down, around, over, we traversed some amazing spots! We finally ended up on the West Rim overlooking a gorgeous sunset. It was a perfect evening!

These two are ready to go.

Randy couldn't go without his Dr. Pepper.

The views were amazing!

We had the best time!

Mom and Dad loved this activity.

The whole gang!

You can't tell, but this is Randy and Natalie!

Dax took a turn riding with Dad.

Mom got to ride with Josh.

The rocks in the sunset light were amazing.

Seth had a blast!

So fun to go with cousins.

Dad's artsy pic!

Gorgeous sunset!

We had so much fun (other than Hattie).

The boy car.

We survived.

On Sunday, we got a slow, lazy start and rode up to Leeds. We hiked the Red Cliffs canyon, which was really fun. We made it up past the waterfall, and then had lunch in the parking lot (Jonny made sandwiches).

Enjoying some lunch together.

This was such a cool tree.

Everyone loved exploring the rocks.

Can you spot Seth?

The water was actually flowing at Red Cliffs.

This hike is so fun!

We were back at the pool after lunch, where the kids held a themed diving contest (sports and dance dives were the most popular). Jonny made pot roast for dinner, and we took it easy for the rest of the day. There was a lot of pickleball played in the evening!

Waiting our turn for pickleball.

The sunset was amazing!

Look at those colors, and that handsome kid!

Since Dad had taken off Monday, we didn't have to be home until late afternoon. The Pooles were excited because they got to talk to Mark on Monday morning. He was doing really well, and we enjoyed our time with him. After we talked to Dax, we spent the morning at the Farm Zion. This cute farm had lots of baby animals and tons of fun activities. Everyone had smiles on their face. Then we said goodbye to the Pooles and spent the rest of the day driving home. We made it in time for Dax's work at the baseball field. It was a warm weekend that we really needed!